If we cannot repay or refinance our debt as it becomes due, we could be forced to take disadvantageous actions, including reducing or delaying investments and capital expenditures, disposing of material assets or operations, seeking additional debt or equity capital or restructuring or refinancing our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures, if necessary, on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, such actions may not be sufficient for us to meet any such debt service obligations. In addition, our ability to withstand competitive pressures and to react to changes in our industry could be impaired.
Information technology security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to legal responsibility which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.
We are increasingly dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure, much of which is outsourced to third parties including in “cloud” based platforms. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store and use sensitive or confidential data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our suppliers, customers and business partners, and personally identifiable information. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. We are subject to laws and regulations in the United States and abroad, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and European Union regulations related to data privacy, which require us to protect the privacy and security of certain types of information. Our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers, breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions, or subject to system failures. We must continuously monitor and enhance our information security controls to prevent, detect, and/or contain unauthorized activity and malicious software. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may be difficult to detect for long periods of time, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures. Any breaches or failures could compromise sensitive and confidential information stored on our networks or those of third parties and expose such information to public disclosure, loss or theft. Any actual or alleged unauthorized access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, disruption of our operations, and damage to our reputation which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations. In addition, remediation, repair and other costs we may incur as a result of any of the foregoing, including increased costs to protect our information technology systems and infrastructure, and increased insurance premiums, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
The increasing use of social media platforms presents new risks and challenges.
Social media is increasingly being used to communicate information about our products and the diseases that our therapies are designed to treat. Social media practices in our industry continue to evolve and regulations related to such use are not always clear. This evolution creates uncertainty and risk of noncompliance with regulations applicable to our business. For example, patients and others may use social media channels to comment on the effectiveness of a product or to report an alleged adverse event. When such disclosures occur, we may fail to monitor and comply with applicable adverse event reporting obligations or we may not be able to defend against political and market pressures generated by social media due to restrictions on what we may say about our products. There is also a risk of inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information or negative or inaccurate comments about us on any social networking website. If any of these events were to occur or we otherwise fail to comply with applicable regulations, we could incur liability, face overly restrictive regulatory actions or incur other harm to our business.
Tax legislation may materially adversely affect us.
Tax laws are dynamic and continually changing as new laws are passed and new interpretations of existing laws are issued or applied. Governmental tax authorities are increasingly scrutinizing the tax positions of companies. If federal, state or foreign tax authorities change applicable tax laws or issue new guidance, our overall taxes could increase, and our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely impacted.
If we are not able to successfully identify, finance, consummate and/or integrate acquisitions, our business operations and financial position could be adversely affected.
In August 2018 we acquired SteadyMed. We also entered into several in-licenses related to ongoing development programs in 2018, including our license with Arena related to ralinepag and our license with MannKind related to Treprostinil Technosphere. We may continue to seek to expand in part through acquisitions of complementary businesses, products and technologies, through business combinations or in-licenses. The success of this strategy will depend on our ability to identify, and the availability of, suitable acquisition candidates. We may incur costs in the preliminary stages of an acquisition, but may ultimately be unable or unwilling to