PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

 

Company Background

We are    ICU is one of the world's leading pure-play infusion therapy companies with global operations and a wide-ranging product portfolio that includes IV solutions, IV smart pumps with pain management and safety software technology, dedicated and non-dedicatednondedicated IV sets and needlefree connectors designed to help meet clinical, safety and workflow goals. In addition, ICU manufactures automated pharmacy IV compounding systems with workflow technology, closed system transfer devices for preparing and administering hazardous IV drugs and cardiac monitoring systems for critically ill patients.

    

Products

Our primary product offerings are listed below, which we present in four product lines as follows:

    

Our critical care products arehelp clinicians get accurate real-time access to patients’ hemodynamic and cardiac status with an extensive portfolio of monitoring systems and advanced sensors & catheters. Measurements provided by our systems help clinicians determine how well the heart is pumping blood and how efficiently oxygen from the blood is being used to monitor vital signs as well as specific physiological functions of key organ systems.by the tissues. Our primary Critical Care products are:

Financial information relating to our reporting segment and primary product lines is set forth in Part I, Item 6. "Selected Financial Data" and Item 7. "Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and is incorporated herein by reference.

Manufacturing

 

As of December 31, 2017,2020, we operate four primary manufacturing facilities globally, which are detaileddiscussed in Part I, Item 2 of this report. We operate four main service centers globally. We also rely on certain outside manufacturers for certain product lines in IVInfusion Systems and IV Solutions.

Our four primary manufacturing sites are:

As part of our    In 2017, HIS business acquisition, we entered into two Manufacturing and Supply Agreements ("MSAs") with Pfizer under which, (i) Pfizer manufactures and supplies us with certain agreed upon products for an initial five-year term with a one-time two-year option to extend and (ii) we manufacture and supply Pfizer certain agreed upon products for a term of five or ten years depending on the product, with a one-time two-year option to extend. The initial supply price will be annually updated and is in full consideration for all costs associated with the manufacture, documentation, packaging and certification of the products.

Sales, Marketing and Administration

 

Distribution

Our products are marketed to medical product manufacturers, independent distributors and directly to end users.

Internationally, we manage our operations through the Netherlands, which utilizesdistribution by utilizing international regional hubs and we also manage operations through independent distributors.

Government Regulation

 

Our products and operations are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") and other federal, state and local authorities, as well as foreign regulatory authorities. The FDA regulates, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacturing, approval, labeling, storage, recordkeeping, advertising, promotion and marketing, distribution, post approval monitoring and reporting and import and export of medical devices and combination drug/device products in the U.S. to assure the safety and effectiveness of medical products for their intended use. The Federal Trade Commission also regulates the advertising of our products. Further, we are subject to laws directed at preventing fraud and abuse, which subject our sales and marketing, training and other practices to government scrutiny.

Unless an exemption applies, each new or significantly modified medical device we seek to commercially distribute in the U.S. will require either a premarket notification to the FDA requesting permission for commercial distribution under

Under the 510(k) process, applicants must demonstrate to the FDA that the device is as safe and effective as, or substantially equivalent to, a legally marketed device, the “predicate” device. Applicants must submit performance data to establish substantial equivalence. In some instances, data from human clinical trials must also be submitted in support of a 510(k) premarket notification. If so, these data must be collected in a manner that conforms to the applicable Investigational Device Exemption (IDE)("IDE") regulations. The FDA must issue a decision finding substantial equivalence before commercial distribution can occur. Changes to cleared devices that could not significantly affect the safety or effectiveness of the device can generally be made without additional 510(k) premarket notifications; otherwise, a new 510(k) is required.

In the PMA application process, the applicant must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA that the device is safe and effective for its intended use. This approval process applies to most Class III devices, and generally requires clinical data to support the safety and effectiveness of the device, obtained in adherence with IDE requirements. The FDA will approve the PMA application if it finds that there is a reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended purpose, and that the proposed manufacturing is in compliance with the Quality System Regulation (QSR)("QSR"). For novel technologies, the FDA will generally seek input from an advisory panel of medical experts and seek their views on the safety, effectiveness and benefit-risk of the device. The PMA process is generally more detailed, lengthier and more expensive than the 510(k) process, though both the 510(k) clearance and PMA processes can be expensive, and lengthy, and require payment of significant user fees, unless an exemption is available.     

In the U.S., IV solutions are considered pharmaceutical products and subject to the same extensive pre- and post-market regulations by the FDA, as indicated above.

The pre-market approval process is a time-intensive multi-phased process. When successfully completed an application may be submitted to the FDA that includes detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacture, controls and proposed labeling, among other things. This application process may be subject to substantial fees.

FDA approval is typically required before any new drug can be marketed. A New Drug Application ("NDA"), or an Abbreviated New Drug Application ("ANDA"), is typically required to be submitted to the FDA to obtain approval of pharmaceutical products.

Before approval, the FDA typically will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMPcurrent Good Manufacturing Practices ("cGMP") requirements and are adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, the FDA may inspect one or more clinical trial sites to assure compliance with good clinical practice,Good Clinical Practice, or GCP, requirements.     

     After the FDA permits a drug or device to enter commercial distribution, numerous regulatory requirements continue to apply. The FDA actively monitors regulations through review and inspection of design and manufacturing practices, recordkeeping, reporting of adverse events, labeling and promotional practices. The FDA can ban certain medical devices; detain or seize adulterated or misbranded medical devices; order repair, replacement or refund of these devices; and require notification of health professionals and others with regard to medical devices that present unreasonable risks of substantial harm to the public health. The FDA can take action against a company that promotes "off-label" uses. The FDA may also enjoin and restrain a company for certain violations of the FDC Act and regulations pertaining to medical devices, or initiate action for criminal prosecution of such violations. Any adverse regulatory action, depending on its magnitude, may restrict a company from effectively marketing and selling its products, may limit a company's ability to obtain future premarket clearances or approvals, and could results in a substantial modification to the company's business practices and operations.           

We must also comply with FDA, International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”) and European Community ("EC") Directives and regulations such as the Council Directive 93/42/EEC (“Medical(the "Medical Device Directive”Directive") regulationsand Regulation 2017/745 (the "Medical Device Regulation") governing medical device manufacturing practices. The FDA, state, foreign agencies and ISO require manufacturers to register and subject manufacturers to periodic FDA, state, foreign

To market our products in the European Community (“EC”),EC, manufacturers of medical devices must also conform to EC Directives and regulations such as Councilthe Medical Device Directive 93/42/EECand the Medical Device Regulation and their applicable annexes. Those regulations assure that medical devices are both safe and effective and meet all applicable established standards prior to being marketed in the EC. Once a manufacturer and its devices are in conformance with the Medical Device Directive, the “CE” Mark may be affixed to its devices. The CE Mark gives devices unobstructed entry to all the member countries of the EC.

 

We are subject to additional healthcare regulation and enforcement by the federal government and by authorities in the states and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. These laws include:

Our profitability and operations are subject to changes in legislative, regulatory and reimbursement policies and decisions as well as changes in private payer reimbursement coverage and payment decisions and policies. Our products are purchased by hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers that typically bill various third-party payors, such as

governmental programs, private insurance plans and managed care plans, for the healthcare services and products provided to their patients. The ability of our customers to obtain appropriate coverage and reimbursement for healthcare services and products from third-party payors is critical because it affects which products customer purchase and the prices they are willing to pay.pay since our products are not separately reimbursed by any third-party payor. Third-party payors are increasingly reducing coverage and reimbursement for certain healthcare services and products and challenging prices charged for healthcare services and products.

    In the U.S., there have been, and we expect that there will continue to be, a number of federal and state proposals to limit payments by governmental payors for medical devices, and the procedures in which medical devices are used. For example, in March 2010, comprehensive healthcare reform legislation was enacted through the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act (the “Affordable Care Act”), which, among other things, provided incentives to programs that increase the federal government’s comparative effectiveness research, and implemented payment system reforms including a national pilot program on payment bundling to encourage hospitals, physicians and other providers to improve the coordination, quality and efficiency of certain healthcare services through bundled payment models.

 

Competition

Our industry is highly competitive. We believe our ability to effectively compete in this industry will be determined by our ability to provide a wide breadth of cost-effective, high quality products. We believe the added breadth of our HIS businessacquired product portfolio hasportfolios have increased our competitiveness as we can now provide a one-stop shop for customers and offer more flexible competitive pricing. We also believe theour acquired infusion pump product offering will also enable us to pull through a larger volume of higher margin infusion consumables.  In addition,consumables, and we nowbelieve we have a wider customer reach through our unified distribution channels after the HIS acquisition.channels.

B. Braun. We believe that our current CSTD product offering provides benefits over these competing systems in several areas related to safety, ease of use, quality, and cost; however, on-goingongoing innovation in this market space will be required, and there is no assurance that these innovations will be able to sustain continued growth.required.

We face strong global competitors includingin the Infusion Systems market. In the United States ("U.S.") our competitors include BD, Baxter, and to a lesser extent B. Braun. Outside of the U.S., our primary competitors are BD, B. Braun, Smiths MedicalFresenius Kabi, a division of Fresenius Group and Fresenius.a large number of local market pump manufacturers. These competitors benefit from greater financial, research and development and marketing resources than we have. The smart pump market in recent years has been troubled with security concerns, and product recalls. We believe our ability to effectively compete in this market segment will be determined by our ability to build our brand strength using the development of technological advancements aimed at increasing the quality, reliability and safety of our pumps while at the same time focusing on manufacturing efficiency and cost-effectiveness, which are operationally challenging with evolving product lines.

Patents

     

We have U.S. and/or certain foreign patents relating to the technologies found in the Clave / MicroClave Connector, MicroClave Clear Connector, Neutron Connector, CLC2000 Connector, Tego Connector, ChemoClave Technologies, ChemoLock Technologies, Click Lock Technology, SwabCaps,SwabCap, Custom Set Design and Manufacturing Methods, and Diana Hazardous Drug Compounding System.System and ClearGuard. We have applications pending for additional U.S. and/or foreign patents on MicroClave Connector, Neutron Connector, Tego Connector, Y-Clave Connector with Integral Check Valve, ChemoClave Technologies, ChemoLock Technologies, andSwabcaps, Diana Hazardous Drug Compounding System.System and ClearGuard.

With the acquisition of HIS, we acquired rights, title and interest to a substantial number of patents and patent applications and related provisionals, divisionals, continuations, continuations-in-part, reissues, reexaminations, extensions, and substitutions of any of the foregoing (“Patent Rights”), that were primarily used or held for use by Pfizer in the HIS business. There is however, no single patent or group of patents that we acquired that we believe is material in relation to our business as a whole.

Our success may depend in part on our ability to obtain patent protection for our products and to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. While we have obtained certain patents and applied for additional U.S. and foreign patents covering certain of our products, there is no assurance that any additional patents will be issued, that the scope of any patent protection will prevent competitors from introducing similar devices or that any of our patents will be held valid if subsequently challenged. Our patents are important in preventing others from introducing competing products that are as effective as our products. The loss of patent protection on the Clave/MicroClave, Neutron, Tego Connector, Swabcap, Clearguard, ChemoClave and ChemoLock technologies, Custom Set Design and Manufacturing Systems could adversely affect our ability to exclude other manufacturers from producing effective competitive products and could have an adverse impact on our financial results.

the future, to enforce our intellectual property rights against those we believe to be infringing on our patents.  Such litigation could result in substantial cost and diversion of resources.

 

Seasonality/Quarterly Results

 

Research and Development

Geographic Data

Available Information

Our website address is http://www.icumed.com. We make available our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after filing them with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). We also have our code of ethics posted on our website (http://www.icumed.com). The information on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

 

    The COVID-19 pandemic has resultedcreated significant volatility, uncertainty, and economic disruption. The global spread of COVID-19 led governments and other authorities around the world to impose measures intended to control its spread, including restrictions on freedom of movement and business operations such as travel restrictions, border closings, business closures,

    While we anticipate that the foregoing measures are temporary, we cannot predict the specific duration for which these precautionary measures will stay in effect, and operations, adding approximately 4,000 employeeswe may elect to our headcount, bringing our total headcounttake additional measures as of December 31, 2017the information available to approximately 6,800 employees. In addition,us continues to develop. These actions, and any future actions we may take in response to the acquisition process and other events prior to our acquisition put a significant strain on certain HIS business customer relationships. We will continue to incur significant expenditures and the allocation of management time to assimilate the HIS business employees in a manner that preserves the key aspects of our corporate culture, including a focus on strong customer satisfaction, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in our efforts. If we do not effectively integrate, train and manage our combined employee base and maintain strong customer relationships, our corporate cultureCOVID-19 pandemic, could be undermined, the quality of our products and customer service could suffer, and our reputation could be harmed, each of which could adverselynegatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A severe weather event, other natural or man-made disaster, or any other significant disruption, such as outbreak of disease (including the COVID-19 pandemic), affecting one of our manufacturing facilities or our suppliers and logistics partners could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to temporarily shut down some of our facilities, to date these shut downs have not had a material impact on our business.

future. The addition of new products will require additional molding in Salt Lake City and manual assembly work in Mexico. Expansions of our production capacity will require significant management attention to avoid inefficiencies of the type experienced in 2006, and the effect of any inefficiencies can be particularly expensive in Salt Lake City because of the high fixed costs in this highly automated facility.

We have engaged in restructuring activities in the past and may engage in other restructuring activities in the future. These types of cost reduction and restructuring activities are complex. If we do not successfully manage our current restructuring activities, or any other restructuring activities that we may take in the future, any expected efficiencies and benefits might be delayed or not realized, and our operations and business could be disrupted. In addition, the costs associated with implementing restructuring activities might exceed expectations, which could result in additional future charges.

Market and Other External Risks

The consumable medical device segment of the health care industry and in particular the infusion products market is intensely competitive and is experiencing both horizontal and vertical consolidation. We believe that our ability to compete depends upon numerous factors including, among other things, continued product innovation, the quality, convenience and reliability of our products, access to distribution channels, patent protection and pricing. The ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to differentiate our products based on safety features, product quality, cost effectiveness, ease of use and convenience,these factors, as well as our ability to perceive and respond to changing customer needs. We encounter significant competition in our markets both from large established medical device manufacturers and from smaller companies. Many of these companies have introduced competitive products with features not provided by the conventional products and methods they are intended to replace. Most of our current and prospective competitors have economic and other resources substantially greater than ours and are well established in the healthcare industry. Several large, established competitors offer broad product lines and have been successful in obtaining full-line contracts with a significant number of hospitals and group purchasing organizations to supply all of their infusion product requirements. Due to the highly competitive nature of the group purchasing organizations (“GPOs”) or integrated delivery networks (“IDNs”) contracting processes, we may not be able to obtain or maintain contract positions with major GPOs and IDNs across our products portfolio. Furthermore, the increasing leverage of organizing buy-inorganized buying groups may reduce market prices for our products thereby affecting our profitability. While having a contract with a GPO or IDN can facilitate sales to members of that GPO or IDN, it is no assurance that the sales volume of those products will be maintained. The members of such groups may choose to purchase from our competitors due to the price or quality offered by such competitors, which could result in a decline in our sales and profitability. In addition, distributors of our products may begin to negotiate terms of sale more

marketing of products competitive with our products. The successful implementation of such a strategy by one or more of our competitors could materially and adversely affect us.

Innovations generally require a substantial investment in product development before we can determine their commercial viability, and we may not have the financial resources necessary to fund these innovations. Even if we succeed in creating new product candidates from these innovations, those innovations still may fail to result in commercially successful products. The success of new product offerings for device products depends on several factors, including our ability to anticipate and meet customers'/ or patients’ needs, obtain timely regulatory approvals or clearances, and manufacture quality products in an economic and timely manner. Even if we are able to develop successfullysuccessful new products or enhancements, we may not produce sales exceeding the costs of development, and we may not avoid infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. Further, those new or enhanced products may be quickly rendered obsolete by changing customer preferences or the introduction by competitors of products embodying new technologies or features. Moreover, innovations may not be successful due to difficulties encountered in achieving positive clinical outcomes, meeting safety, efficacy or other regulatory requirements of government

Increasing awareness of healthcare costs, public interest in healthcare reform and continuing pressure from Medicare, Medicaid, group purchasing organizations and other payers,payors, both domestic and international, to reduce costs in the healthcare industry, as well as increasing competition from other protective products, could make it more difficult for us to sell our products at current prices. Our products are purchased by hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers that typically bill various third-party payors, such as governmental programs, private insurance plans and managed care plans, for the healthcare services and products provided to their patients. The ability of our customers to obtain appropriate coverage and reimbursement for healthcare services and products from third-party payors is critical because it affects which products customers purchase and the prices they are willing to pay. Because there is often no separate reimbursement for supplies used in surgical procedures, the additional cost associated with the use of our products can affect the profit margin of the hospital or surgery center where the

    Implementation of further legislative or administrative reforms in the reimbursement system in the U.S. and abroad or adverse decisions relating to coverage or reimbursement could have an impact on acceptance of and demand for our products and the prices that our customers are willing to pay for them. In the event that the market will not accept current prices for our products, our sales and profits could be adversely affected. We believe that our ability to increase our market share and operate profitably in the long term may depend in part on our ability to reduce manufacturing costs on a per unit basis through high volume production using highly automated molding and assembly systems. If we are unable to reduce unit manufacturing costs, we may be unable to increase our market share for Claveour products or may lose market share to alternative products, including competitors’ products. Similarly, if we cannot reduce unit manufacturing costs of new products as production volumes increase, we may not be able to sell new products profitably or gain any meaningful market share. Any of these results would adversely affect our future results of operations.

    We are subject to various federal, state and foreign laws that govern the collection, use, disclosure, retention and security of personal information, including patient health information. The global data protection landscape is rapidly evolving, and implementation standards and enforcement practices are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. This evolution may create uncertainty in our business, affect our or our collaborators’, service providers’ and contractors’ ability to operate in certain jurisdictions or to collect, store, transfer use and share personal information, necessitate the acceptance of more onerous obligations in our contracts, result in liability or impose additional costs on us. In the United States, numerous federal and state laws and regulations could apply to our operations or the operations of our productspartners, including state data breach notification laws, state health information privacy laws, and federal and state consumer protection laws and regulations (e.g. Section 5 of the FTC Act), that govern the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of health-related and other personal information. For example, the privacy, security and breach notification rules promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (“HITECH”) establish a set of national privacy and security standards for the protection of protected health information (“PHI”) by health plans, health care clearinghouses and certain health care providers, called covered entities, and the business associates with whom such covered entities contract for services that involve creating, receiving, maintaining or transmitting PHI. HIPAA also requires covered entities to provide individuals with certain rights with respect to their PHI, and requires covered entities to enter into a written business associate contract or other arrangement with the business associate that establishes specifically what the business associate has been engaged to do and requires the business associate to comply with the requirements of HIPAA.

will also create a new California data protection agency authorized to issue substantive regulations and could result in increased privacy and information security enforcement. The majority of the provisions will go into effect on January 1, 2023, and additional compliance investment and potential business process changes may be required. In addition, the CCPA has prompted a number of proposals for new federal and state privacy legislation that, if valid, give us a degree of market exclusivity during the term of the patent. Our patents will expire at various dates through 2032. Upon patent expiration,passed, could increase our competitors may introduce products using the same technology. As a result of this possiblepotential liability, increase in competition, we may need to reduce our prices to maintain sales ofcompliance costs and adversely affect our products, which would make them less profitable.business. If we fail to developcomply with applicable laws and successfully launch new products priorregulations we could be subject to penalties or sanctions, including criminal penalties if we knowingly obtain or disclose individually identifiable health information from a covered entity in a manner that is not authorized or permitted by HIPAA or applicable state laws.

We are dependent upon the management and leadership of our executive team, as well as other members of our senior management team. If one or more of these individuals were unable or unwilling to continue in his or her present position, our business would be disrupted and we might not be able to find replacements on a timely basis or with the same level of skill and experience, which could have an adverse effect on our business. We do not have "key person" life insurance policies on any of our employees.

Legal, Compliance, and Regulatory Risks

results in significant changes to the healthcare system, some of which are intended to contain or reduce the costs of medical products and services. For example, in 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (“Affordable Care Act”) were signed into law introducing comprehensive health insurance and healthcare reforms in the U.S. AmongThe Affordable Care Act, among other things, provided incentives to programs that increase the provisions of such legislation that may have an adverse impactfederal government’s comparative effectiveness research, and implemented payment system reforms including a national pilot program on us is a 2.3% excise tax imposed on medical device manufacturers forpayment bundling to encourage hospitals, physicians and other providers to improve the salecoordination, quality and efficiency of certain medical deviceshealthcare services through bundled payment models. Additionally, the Affordable Care Act has expanded eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs and created a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to U.S. customers. The excise tax, which became effective January 1, 2013, resultedoversee, identify priorities in, additional expense of $2.0 million in 2015 recorded in Selling, General and Administrative expenses. Congress has temporarily suspended this medical device excise taxconduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for two years commencing January 2018. Unless Congress changes the current law, we expect this taxsuch research.

    Since its enactment, there have been efforts to resume beginning in 2020.

We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, business methods, software and nondisclosure agreements to protect our proprietary intellectual property. Our efforts to protect our intellectual proprietary and proprietary rights may not be sufficient. Further, there is no assurance that patents pending will issue or that the protection from patents which have issued or may issue in the future will be broad enough to prevent competitors from introducing similar

We generally have multiple patents covering various features of a product, and as each patent expires, the protection afforded by that patent is no longer available to us, even though protection of features that are covered by other unexpired patents may continue to be available to us. The loss of patent protection on certain features of our products may make it possible for others to manufacture and sell products with features identical or similar to ours, which could adversely affect our business.

In addition, our ability to enforce and protect our intellectual property rights may be limited in certain countries outside of the U.S., which could make it easier for competitors to obtain market position in such countries by utilizing technologies that are similar to those developed by us.

In the past, we have faced patent infringement claims related to theour Clave products, the CLC2000 Connector and Tego.Tego Connector. We believe these claims had no merit, and all have been settled or dismissed. We may also face claims in the future. Any adverse determination on these claims related to our products, if any, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Government    We and our products are subject to extensive regulation is a significant factor in the United States and elsewhere, including by the FDA and its foreign counterparts. The FDA and foreign regulatory agencies regulate, among other things, with respect to medical devices: design, development and manufacturing; testing, labeling, content and language of instructions for use and storage; clinical trials; product safety; establishment registration and device listing; marketing, sales and manufacturingdistribution; premarket clearance and approval; record keeping procedures; advertising and promotion; recalls and field safety corrective actions; post-market surveillance, including reporting of our products. For example,deaths or serious injuries and malfunctions that, if they were to recur, could lead to death or serious injury; post-market approval studies; and product import and export.

    In the U.S., our device products are subject to clearance or approval by the U.S. FDA under a number of statutes including the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (“("FDC Act”Act"). In the U.S., beforeBefore we can market a new medical device, or a new use of, new claim for, or significant modification to, an existing product, we must first receive either clearance under Section 510(k) of the FDC Act or approval of a premarket approval, or PMA, application from the FDA, unless an exemption applies. Under the 510(k) process, the manufacturer must submit to the FDA a premarket notification, demonstrating that the device is "substantially equivalent," as defined in the statute, to a legally marketed predicate device. To be "substantially equivalent," the proposed device must have the same intended use as the predicate device, and either have the same technological characteristics as the predicate device or have different technological characteristics and not raise different questions of safety or effectiveness than the predicate device. If the manufacturer is unable to demonstrate substantial equivalence to FDA’s satisfaction, or if there is no available predicate device, then the manufacturer may be required to seek approval through the PMA application process, which is generally more costly and time consuming than the 510(k) process. Through the PMA application process, the applicant must submit data and information demonstrating reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of the device for its intended use to the FDA's satisfaction. Accordingly, a PMA application typically includes, but is not limited to, extensive technical information regarding device design and development, pre-clinical and clinical trial data, manufacturing information, labeling and financial disclosure information for the clinical investigators in device studies.

Each of our current products has qualified, and we anticipate that any new products we are likely to market will qualify for clearance under the FDA’s expedited pre-market notification procedure pursuant to Section 510(k) of the FDC Act. However, certain of our new products may require a longer time for clearance than we have experienced in the past and there can be no assurance that a PMA application will not be required. Further, there is no assurance that other new products developed by us or any manufacturers that we might acquire will qualify for expedited clearance rather than a more time consuming pre-market approval procedure or that, in any case, they will receive clearance from the FDA. FDA regulatory

The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result in restrictions on our ability to continue or expand our operations, higher than anticipated costs, or lower than anticipated sales. The FDA enforces these regulatory requirements through periodic unannounced inspections. We do not know whether we will pass any future FDA inspections. Even after we have obtained the proper regulatory clearance or approval to market a product, we have ongoing responsibilities under FDA regulations and applicable foreign laws and regulations. The FDA, state and foreign regulatory authorities have broad enforcement powers. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, state or foreign regulatory authorities which may include any of the following sanctions:

The FDA’s and other regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the U.S. or abroad. For example, certain policiesthe results of the Trump Administration2020 Presidential election may impact our business and industry. Namely, the Trump Administration has taken several executive actions, including the issuance of a number of Executive Orders, that could impose significant burdens on, or otherwise materially delay, FDA’s ability to engage in routine regulatory and oversight activities such as implementing statutes through rulemaking, issuance of guidance, and review and approval of marketing applications. It is difficult to predict whether or how these requirement will be implemented, or whether they will be rescinded or replaced under a Biden Administration. The policies and priorities of an incoming administration are unknown and could materially impact the regulation governing our products.

We and some of our component manufacturers are required to comply with regulatory requirements known as the FDA's Quality System Regulation, or QSR, a complex regulatory scheme which covers the procedures and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, inspection, complaint handling, recordkeeping, management review, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of our device products. The FDA's current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMPs apply to the manufacture of medical device components and finished medical devices. The FDA audits compliance with these regulatory requirements through periodic announced and unannounced inspections of manufacturing and other facilities. The FDA may conduct inspections or audits at any time, and we and some of our component suppliers are subject to such inspections. Although we believe our manufacturing facilities and those of our critical component suppliers are in compliance with the QSR requirements, and with applicable cGMPs for our products, we cannot provide assurance that any future inspection will not result in adverse findings. If our manufacturing facilities or those of any of our component suppliers are found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations, or we or our suppliers have significant noncompliance issues or fail to timely and adequately respond to any adverse inspectional observations or product safety issues, or if any corrective action plan that we or our suppliers propose in response to observed deficiencies is not sufficient, the FDA could take enforcement action, including any of the following sanctions:

Any of these sanctions could adversely affect our business, financial conditions and operating results.

customers and additional restrictions onmay impact our business, which could disrupt our business and have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

A significant amount of our products are manufactured outside of the U.S. The new Presidential administrationU.S. government has called forrecently initiated substantial changes toin U.S. trade policy and tax policies,U.S. trade agreements, including the initiation of tariffs on certain foreign goods. In response to these tariffs, certain foreign governments, including China, have instituted or are considering imposing tariffs on certain U.S. goods. For example, in 2018, the U.S. imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as on goods imported from China and certain other countries, which may include import restrictionshas resulted in retaliatory tariffs by China and other countries. Additional tariffs imposed by the U.S. on a broader range of imports, or increased import tariffs. Restrictions on importsfurther retaliatory trade measures taken by other countries in response, could prevent or make it difficult for us to obtain the components needed for new products which would affect our sales. Increased tariffs would require us to increase our prices which likely would decrease customer and consumer demand for our products. Other countries might retaliate throughAdditionally, we are subject to income taxes in the imposition of their own restrictionsUnited States and or increased tariffs which would affect our ability to export products and therefore adversely affect our sales.numerous foreign jurisdictions. Any significant changes in current U.S. trade, tax or other policies could have a material adverse effect upon our results of operations.

Any political or economic disruption in Mexico or a change in the local economies could have an adverse effect on our operations. We depend on our ability to move goods across borders quickly, and any disruption in the free flow of goods across national borders could have an adverse effect on our business. Additionally, political and social instability resulting from violence in certain areas of Mexico has raised concerns about the safety of our personnel.  These concerns may hinder our ability to send domestic personnel abroad and to hire and retain local personnel.  Such concerns may require us to conduct more operations from the U.S. rather than Mexico, which may negatively impact our operations and result in higher costs and inefficiencies.

Colón, and the Canadian Dollar against the U.S. dollar. Disruptions in the financial markets, including the impact of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, could also, among other things, create volatility in currency exchange rates.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other commercial advantage. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, which often carry substantial penalties, including criminal and civil fines, potential loss of export licenses, possible suspension of the ability to do business with the federal government, denial of government reimbursement for products and exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs. We operate in jurisdictions that have experienced governmental and private sector corruption to some degree, and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with certain local customs and practices. We cannot assure that our internal control policies and procedures always will protect us from reckless or other inappropriate acts committed by our affiliates, employees, distributors or other agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.

    We have and may continue to seek to supplement our internal growth through acquisitions of complementary businesses, technologies, services, or products, as well as investments and strategic alliances. We compete for those opportunities with others including our competitors, some of which have greater financial or operational resources than we do. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates or strategic partners, we may have inadequate access to information or insufficient time to complete due diligence, and we may not be able to complete such transactions on favorable terms, if at all. Such transactions are inherently risky, and the Company's effective income tax rateintegration of any newly-acquired business requires significant effort and profitability.management attention that otherwise would be available for ongoing development of our other businesses.

The Company is subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Although comprehensive U.S. tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“the Tax Act”) enacted in December 2017 lowered the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21%, the Company's effective income tax rate in the future couldsuccess of any acquisition, investment or alliance may be adversely affected by a number of factors, including: changesincluding our ability to properly assess and value the potential business opportunity or to successfully integrate any business we may acquire into our existing business. Difficulties in assimilating acquired businesses include a number of special risks in addition to the difficulty of integrating cultures and operations and the diversion of management’s attention, including adverse short-term effects on our reported operating results, dependence on retention, hiring and training of key personnel, risks associated with unanticipated problems or legal liabilities and amortization of acquired intangible assets, some or all of which could materially and adversely affect our operations and financial performance. Integration of an acquired business also may disrupt our ongoing operations and require management resources that we would otherwise focus on developing our existing business. For example, we acquired the HIS business in February 2017, which includes IV pumps, solutions, and devices in order to create a leading pure-play infusion therapy company. We invested significant time and resources into the HIS integration in order to achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction. In addition, in connection with the HIS business acquisition, we also entered into two manufacturing and supply agreements (the “MSAs”) with Pfizer under which, (i) Pfizer manufactures and supplies us with certain agreed upon products for an initial five-year term with a one-time two-year option to extend and (ii) we manufacture and supply Pfizer certain agreed upon products for a term of five or ten years depending on the product, with a one-time two-year option to extend. Our facility in Austin, Texas manufactures and supplies these products to Pfizer under the MSAs, which, for certain products, could expire as early as 2022. The expiration of these MSAs may adversely impact our production capacity utilization of our Austin facility, which could result in unforeseen operating difficulties and may impact our profitability.

    In addition, any acquisition could result in the mixincurrence of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation

and cash flows. We may also experience losses related to investments in other companies, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. As such, there can be no assurance that any past or increase certain adverse impactsfuture transactions will be successful.    

We operate in a global market and local taxation, which often uses federal taxable income asglobal operations are subject to a starting point for computing state and local tax liabilities. While somenumber of risks. Sales to customers outside of the U.S. made up approximately 28% of our revenue in 2020 and as our operations and sales located in Europe and other areas outside the U.S. increase, we may face new challenges and uncertainties, although we can give no assurance that such operations and sales will increase.

These risks, individually or in the aggregate, could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. The occurrence or allegation of these types of risks may adversely affect the Company in one or more reporting periodsour business, performance, prospects, value, financial condition, and prospectively, other changesresults of operations.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

 

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

In addition to the above, we own and lease additional office and building space, research and development, and sales and support offices primarily in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. We believe our existing facilities, both owned and leased, are in good condition and suitable for the conduct of our business.