Comparison for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020:
Revenues:
Revenue from product sales was approximately $10,143,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to approximately $8,156,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2020, an increase of approximately $1,987,000, or 24%. This increase was driven by an increase in direct sales of approximately $608,000 resulting from sales to both new customers and repeat orders from existing customers and an increase in distributor sales of approximately $1,379,000. Sales to hospitals in the United States under the EUA granted by the FDA amounted to approximately $304,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Though difficult to quantitate, we estimate that approximately $1.8 million of total product sales in the first quarter of 2021 was due to the demand for CytoSorb to treat COVID-19 patients. In addition, as a result of the increase in the average exchange rate of the Euro to the U.S. dollar, 2021 product sales were positively impacted by approximately $790,000. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, the average exchange rate of the Euro to the U.S. dollar was $1.21 as compared to an average exchange rate of $1.10 for the three months ended March 31, 2020.
Grant income was approximately $455,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to approximately $551,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020, a decrease of approximately $96,000 or 17%. This decrease was a result of delays in grant related work caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as our research and development employees were either deployed to work-from-home status or reassigned to assist in activities related to increasing the production of CytoSorb.
Total revenues were approximately $10,599,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to total revenues of approximately $8,707,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020, an increase of approximately $1,892,000, or 22%.
Cost of Revenues:
For the three months ended March 30, 2021 and 2020, cost of revenue was approximately $2,751,000 and $2,385,000, respectively, an increase of approximately $366,000. Product cost of revenues increased approximately $354,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020 primarily as a result of increased sales. Product gross margins were approximately 77% for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and approximately 76% for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase in the gross margin percentage in 2021 was due manufacturing efficiencies achieved during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and the receipt of approximately $388,000 related to the Employee Retention Tax Credit under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”). These increases were offset by the impact of costs related to prior years tariffs as a result of an audit by the German Customs Authorities. Excluding the non-recurring negative impact of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 tariff adjustments of approximately $732,000 and the offsetting non-recurring positive impact of the Employee Retention Tax Credit which were recorded in the first quarter of 2021, product gross margins were approximately 81% for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Please see Note 6 to the financial statements for details related to this matter.
Research and Development Expenses:
For the three months ended March 31, 2021, research and development expenses were approximately $2,282,000 as compared to research and development expenses of approximately $1,965,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021, an increase of approximately $317,000. This increase was due to an increase in salaries related to our clinical trial activities of approximately $333,000 due to the hiring of additional personnel dedicated to the design of protocol and the anticipated start of a clinical trial in the United States for the removal of ticagrelor in emergent and urgent cardiac surgery patients and an increase in non-grant related research and development costs of approximately $65,000. These increases were offset by a decrease in new product development costs of approximately $81,000.
Legal, Financial and Other Consulting Expenses:
Legal, financial and other consulting expenses were approximately $708,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to approximately $519,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase of approximately $189,000 was due to an increase in hiring fees of approximately $151,000 due to the hiring of certain senior level personnel and an increase in consulting fees of approximately $111,000 primarily related to certain financial advisory fees and information systems consulting. These increases were offset by decreases in legal fees of approximately $60,000 and accounting fees of approximately $13,000.