Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v3.3.0.814
Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

12. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Contingencies

 

In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to various legal matters. In the opinion of management, the resolution of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

Material Contracts

 

The Company enters into various license, research collaboration and development agreements which provide for payments to the Company for government grants, fees, cost reimbursements typically with a markup, technology transfer and license fees, and royalty payments on sales.

 

The Company has two license agreements to maintain exclusive rights to certain patents. Under these license agreements, the Company is required to pay 1% of net sales of products sold to entities other than the U.S. government. In the event of a sublicense, the Company will owe 21% of license fees and must pass through 1% of the sub-licensee's net sales of products sold to entities other than the U.S. government. The license agreements also stipulate minimum annual royalties, starting in 2015 and for future years, of $50 per year.

 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Clearance

 

The Company's Ekso GT robotic exoskeleton has been marketed in the United States as a Class I 510(k) exempt Powered Exercise Equipment device since February 2012. On June 26, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced the creation of a new product classification for Powered Exoskeleton devices. On October 21, 2014, the FDA published the summary for the new Powered Exoskeleton classification and designated it as being Class II, which requires the clearance of a 510(k) notice.
 

On October 21, 2014, concurrent with the FDA's publication of the reclassification of Powered Exoskeleton devices, the FDA issued the Company an “Untitled Letter” which informed the Company in writing of the agency's belief that this new product classification applied to our Ekso GT device. We filed a 510(k) notice for the Ekso robotic exoskeleton on December 24, 2014, which was accepted by the FDA for substantive review on July 29, 2015. The Company intends to continue marketing the Ekso robotic exoskeleton under its current Class I registration and listing with its current indications for use until 510(k) clearance is either granted or denied by the FDA or the Company is otherwise notified by the FDA to cease such activities. The Company believes that in situations where the class of a product has been elevated by the FDA, manufacturers are normally granted enforcement discretion by the FDA and given ample time to seek clearance at the new class level. Nonetheless, the FDA may not agree with our decision to continue marketing the device until a 510(k) notice is cleared. From the time of our submission to the date of this report, the FDA has not indicated or notified the Company that it disagrees with this decision. If the FDA disagrees with our decision, we may be required to cease marketing or to recall the products until we obtain clearance or approval, and we may be subject to regulatory fines or penalties.

 

From September 2, 2015 to September 11, 2015, the Division of Bioresearch Monitoring Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the FDA conducted an inspection of the Company's facility in Richmond, California. At the conclusion of the inspection, the FDA issued a Form FDA 483 with four observations. These observations are inspectional and do not represent a final FDA determination of non-compliance. The observations pertain to informed consent requirements, reporting of adverse results and records maintenance. On October 2, 2015, the Company responded to the FDA. That response describes the corrective and preventive actions that we have implemented and continue to implement to address the FDA's concerns.