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Risk Overview Q2, 2026
Risk Distribution
23% Finance & Corporate
23% Tech & Innovation
23% Legal & Regulatory
13% Production
10% Macro & Political
7% Ability to Sell
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
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Glaukos Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
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No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q2, 2026
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 7 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 7 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
30
+3
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
30
+3
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
5Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Jun 2026
5Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Jun 2026
Number of Risk Changed
0
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
0
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
See the risk highlights of Glaukos in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 30
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 7/30 (23%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights4 | 13.3%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Risks Related to Our Common StockAdded
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
The exclusive forum provisions in our organizational documents could limit our stockholders' ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or other employees.Our Charter and Bylaws provide that, unless the Company consents in writing, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company or its stockholders, (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our Charter or Bylaws, or (iv) any action or proceeding asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine (the Delaware Exclusive Forum Provision). The Delaware Exclusive Forum Provision is intended to apply to claims arising under Delaware state law and would not apply to claims brought pursuant to the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
Further, our Bylaws provide that the federal district courts of the U.S. will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action under the Securities Act (the Federal Forum Provision). Our decision to adopt the Federal Forum Provision followed a decision by the Supreme
Court of the State of Delaware holding that such provisions are facially valid under Delaware law and means that suits brought by stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created under the Securities Act must be brought in federal court and cannot be brought in state court.
The exclusive forum provisions in our Charter and Bylaws will not relieve us of our duties to comply with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder and, accordingly, actions by our stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder must be brought in federal courts. Our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with these laws, rules and regulations. The exclusive forum provisions in our Charter and Bylaws may limit a stockholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of its choosing for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. In addition, stockholders who do bring a claim in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware pursuant to the Delaware Exclusive Forum Provision could face additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim, particularly if they do not reside in or near Delaware. The court in the designated forum under our exclusive forum provisions may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments or results may be more favorable to the Company than to our stockholders. Further, the enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions in other companies' organizational documents has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find any of our exclusive forum provisions to be inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings. If a court were to find all or any part of our exclusive forum provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we might incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
Anti-takeover provisions in our Charter and Bylaws and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.Provisions in our Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Charter) and amended and restated bylaws (Bylaws) may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our Charter and Bylaws include provisions that:
- authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 5,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock;- require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be affected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent;- specify that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by our board of directors, the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer or the president;- establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder approvals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors;- divide our board of directors into three classes, with each class serving staggered three year terms;- provide that our directors may be removed only for cause by a supermajority vote of our stockholders;- provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum;- specify that no stockholder is permitted to cumulate votes at any election of directors; and - require a supermajority vote of the stockholders and a majority vote of the board to amend certain of the above-mentioned provisions and our Bylaws.
These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which limits the ability of stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock to merge or combine with us.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
The capped call transactions may affect the value of our common stock, and subject us to counterparty risk.In connection with the issuance of the Company's 2.75% convertible notes due 2027 (Convertible Notes), which were fully exchanged, converted or redeemed in 2024, we entered into capped call transactions with certain option counterparties. The capped call transactions initially covered, subject to customary adjustments, the number of shares of common stock initially underlying the Convertible Notes. The capped call transactions were expected generally to reduce the potential dilution of our common stock upon any conversion of the Convertible Notes or at our election (subject to certain conditions), offset any cash payments we would be required to make in excess of the aggregate principal amount of converted Convertible Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction or offset subject to a cap. We have been advised that the option counterparties or their respective affiliates have established initial hedges of the capped call transaction, and may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivative transactions with respect to our common stock and/or purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions prior to the maturity of the Convertible Notes, or following any termination of any portion of the capped call transactions in connection with any repurchase, redemption or early conversion of the Convertible Notes. In December 2024, we unwound a portion of capped call transactions corresponding to fifty percent of the number of shares of the Company's common stock initially underlying the Convertible Notes. However, the remaining capped call transaction may still modify their hedge positions and such hedge modification activity could impact the market price of our common stock.
The option counterparties to the capped call transactions are financial institutions, and we are subject to the risk that any or all of them might default under the capped call transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of the option counterparties is not secured by any collateral. Past global economic conditions have resulted in the actual or perceived failure or financial difficulties of many financial institutions. If an option counterparty becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under the capped call transactions with such option counterparty. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, an increase in our exposure will be correlated to an increase in the market price of our common stock, subject to the cap and in the volatility of our common stock. We can provide no assurances as to the financial stability or viability of the option counterparties.
Accounting & Financial Operations1 | 3.3%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We have incurred significant losses since inception and our operating results can be unpredictable and may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter, requiring substantial capital and operating expenditures for our business to operate and grow. These factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the trading price of our common stock, and limit our ability to reach sustained profitability.Corporate Activity and Growth2 | 6.7%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
If we fail to manage our anticipated growth effectively, we may not be able to meet customer demand for our products and our business could suffer.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We have and may continue to enter into acquisitions, collaborations, in-licensing agreements, joint ventures, alliances or partnerships with third parties that could fail or result in litigation.We have and may continue to enter into acquisitions, collaborations, in-licensing agreements, joint ventures and partnerships in order to retain our competitive position within the marketplace, develop new products or expand into new markets. Examples include our acquisitions of Mobius Therapeutics, LLC, DOSE Medical, and Avedro, as well as our licensing of Santen's PRESERFLO Microshunt (Preserflo MicroShunt), and the Attillaps, iVeena, Ripple and Stuart pharmaceutical compounds. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully complete any future acquisition we may pursue, or that we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, product or technology in a cost-effective and non-disruptive manner. Our future successes will depend, in part, on our ability to manage an expanded business, which may pose substantial challenges for our management, such as increased costs and complexity. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in managing such expanded business or that we will realize the expected economies of scale, synergies and other benefits currently anticipated from recent or future acquisitions or strategic transactions. Additionally, these collaborations, joint ventures, and partnerships may fail to result in any commercialized product, including due to delays in or failures to obtain regulatory approvals, such as the failure to receive approval of the PreserFlo MicroShunt in the U.S., and could require us to invest a substantial amount of resources only to ultimately change regulatory strategies or to fail. In addition, these arrangements may be terminated before we are able to realize net sales to sufficiently cover the costs associated therewith, or result in disputes between the parties that ultimately results in litigation, which could materially impact our business. We cannot assure you that any such transaction would result in the benefits expected from the transaction, including revenue growth, increased profitability or an enhancement in our business prospects. Further, pursuing acquisitions, collaborations, in-licensing agreements, joint ventures, alliances or partnerships with third parties, whether or not completed, is costly and time-consuming and could distract Company management from the operation of the business, which could negatively impact our operating results.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 7/30 (23%)Below Sector Average
Innovation / R&D2 | 6.7%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
Ophthalmic surgeons may not use our products if they do not believe they are safe, efficient, effective and preferable alternatives to other treatment solutions in the market or may use our products without being adequately trained, which could result in inferior clinical outcomes.Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
Our success depends on our ability to continue to generate sales of our commercialized products and develop and commercialize additional products, which we may not be able to accomplish.Our primary sales-generating commercial products have been the iStent, the iStent inject and its successor, the iStent inject W, as well as our Photrexa therapies. While we expect to continue to derive a significant portion of our net sales from the iStent, the iStent inject models, the iStent infinite and the Photrexa therapies, as well as our iDose TR product, which was approved by the FDA in December 2023 and which we began commercializing in a controlled manner in February 2024 and our Epioxa therapies, which were approved by the FDA in October 2025 and which we plan to begin commercializing in a controlled manner in early 2026, it is important that we continue to build a more complete product offering. Developing additional products is expensive and time-consuming. Our research programs may fail to yield product candidates for clinical development despite showing initial promise. If we are unable to successfully commercialize additional products, our business prospects would be materially affected. Even if we are successful in developing our additional pipeline products, the success of our new product offerings is inherently uncertain and our products, or the expansion of labeling of our products, may not receive regulatory approval, may receive approval that requires restrictive labeling, may not be profitable, or may be subject to transition-related sales disruptions when we introduce new products that are intended to replace or supersede our existing commercial products. Any current or new products could also quickly be rendered obsolete by changing customer preferences, third party payer reimbursement levels, or the introduction of competing products that (i) embody superior technologies, features, safety, quality or efficacy, (ii) reflect a broader label indication, or (iii) are available at lower prices. Our competitors include large publicly traded companies or divisions thereof and have more resources, greater name recognition, longer operating histories, more established relationships with healthcare professionals, customers and third-party payers, broader products lines, more established sales and marketing programs and distribution networks, and greater experience in obtaining regulatory clearance or approval. Additionally, the period of orphan drug exclusivity with respect to our Photrexa pharmaceutical therapy expired in 2023, which has enabled third parties to develop potentially-competitive products.
Trade Secrets3 | 10.0%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
We have been and may in the future become involved in patent and other intellectual property litigation or administrative proceedings relating to our intellectual property rights, which could be costly, time consuming and unsuccessful and could interfere with our ability to successfully commercialize our products.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property, our competitors and other third parties could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, which would substantially impair our ability to compete.Our success and ability to compete depends significantly upon our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our proprietary rights and licensed intellectual property rights to the technologies and inventions used in or embodied by our products. We rely on a combination of patents and trademark rights, and to a lesser extent on trade secrets and copyrights, together with licenses and nondisclosure agreements to protect our technologies. These legal means, however, afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our business. We also have not pursued or maintained, and may not pursue or maintain in the future, patent protection for our products in every country or territory in which we sell or will in the future sell our products. In addition, we cannot be sure that any of our pending patent applications or pending trademark applications will issue or issue in a form that will be advantageous to us.
The theft, unauthorized use, transfer, or publication of our intellectual property, our confidential business, financial, and/or technical information, or the personal data of our employees and customers by third parties or by our employees could harm our competitive position, reduce the value of our investment in research and development and other strategic initiatives, or otherwise adversely affect our business. Despite our efforts, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to adequately protect our proprietary rights, which could substantially impair our ability to compete. Our patents may be challenged and held invalid or we may be unable to extend the protection on products with expiring patents. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Competitors could purchase our products and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts, infringe our intellectual property rights, design around our protected technology or develop their own competitive technologies that fall outside of our intellectual property rights. Further, although it is our policy to require each of our employees, consultants and any other parties who may be involved in the development of intellectual property on our behalf to execute proprietary information and inventions agreements, we may be unsuccessful in doing so with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The relevant assignment provisions may not be self-executing or may be breached, resulting in ownership disputes and/or litigation.
We have many foreign patents and patent applications, and expect to pursue patent protection in the most significant markets in which we do business. The laws of other countries in which our products are or may be sold may not protect our product offerings and intellectual property to the same extent as U.S. laws, if at all. Many companies have encountered significant difficulties in obtaining, protecting and defending such rights in international markets. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against other parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, and certain countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to other parties. We also may be unable to protect our rights in trade secrets and unpatented proprietary technology in these countries. If we encounter such difficulties or are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting our intellectual property rights in these countries, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be substantially harmed.
We may not be able to accurately estimate or control our future operating expenses in relation to obtaining, enforcing and/or defending intellectual property, which could lead to cash shortfalls. Our operating expenses may fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of the costs of preparing, filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other patent related costs, including litigation costs and the results of such litigation or costs associated with administrative proceedings and the results of such proceedings.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
Risks Related to Our Intellectual PropertyAdded
If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property, our competitors and other third parties could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, which would substantially impair our ability to compete.
Our success and ability to compete depends significantly upon our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our proprietary rights and licensed intellectual property rights to the technologies and inventions used in or embodied by our products. We rely on a combination of patents and trademark rights, and to a lesser extent on trade secrets and copyrights, together with licenses and nondisclosure agreements to protect our technologies. These legal means, however, afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our business. We also have not pursued or maintained, and may not pursue or maintain in the future, patent protection for our products in every country or territory in which we sell or will in the future sell our products. In addition, we cannot be sure that any of our pending patent applications or pending trademark applications will issue or issue in a form that will be advantageous to us. The theft, unauthorized use, transfer, or publication of our intellectual property, our confidential business, financial, and/or technical information, or the personal data of our employees and customers by third parties or by our employees could harm our competitive position, reduce the value of our investment in research and development and other strategic initiatives, or otherwise adversely affect our business. Despite our efforts, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to adequately protect our proprietary rights, which could substantially impair our ability to compete. Our patents may be challenged and held invalid or we may be unable to extend the protection on products with expiring patents. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Competitors could purchase our products and attempt to replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts, infringe our intellectual property rights, design around our protected technology or develop their own competitive technologies that fall outside of our intellectual property rights. Further, although it is our policy to require each of our employees, consultants and any other parties who may be involved in the development of intellectual property on our behalf to execute proprietary information and inventions agreements, we may be unsuccessful in doing so with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The relevant assignment provisions may not be self-executing or may be breached, resulting in ownership disputes and/or litigation. We have many foreign patents and patent applications, and expect to pursue patent protection in the most significant markets in which we do business. The laws of other countries in which our products are or may be sold may not protect our product offerings and intellectual property to the same extent as U.S. laws, if at all. Many companies have encountered significant difficulties in obtaining, protecting and defending such rights in international markets. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against other parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, and certain countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to other parties. We also may be unable to protect our rights in trade secrets and unpatented proprietary technology in these countries. If we encounter such difficulties or are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting our intellectual property rights in these countries, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be substantially harmed.
We may not be able to accurately estimate or control our future operating expenses in relation to obtaining, enforcing and/or defending intellectual property, which could lead to cash shortfalls. Our operating expenses may fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of the costs of preparing, filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other patent related costs, including litigation costs and the results of such litigation or costs associated with administrative proceedings and the results of such proceedings.
We have been and may in the future become involved in patent and other intellectual property disputes, litigation or administrative proceedings relating to our intellectual property rights, which could be costly, time consuming and unsuccessful and could interfere with our ability to successfully commercialize our products.
Intellectual property rights are essential to our business. We have asserted and may in the future need to assert claims of infringement or trade secret theft against third parties to protect our rights, or to invalidate or challenge the intellectual property rights of a third party, including those rights owned by our competitors. Additionally, third parties could assert infringement or misappropriation claims against us with respect to our current or future commercial products and seek to invalidate one or more of our patents or trademarks. Such claims could arise in situations where certain employees, consultants or contractors were previously, or are currently, employed by other medical device, biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors; we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have, inadvertently or otherwise, misappropriated the intellectual property or disclosed the alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information, of these other employers.
There is no guarantee that we would be successful enforcing or defending our intellectual property rights in court. A court could hold that some or all of our asserted intellectual property rights are not infringed, or could invalidate our rights, hold our rights unenforceable, or substantially narrow the scope of protection. Further, we could be prohibited from manufacturing or selling our products or a court could order us to pay substantial compensatory damages as well as other penalties and fines. Any such adverse result would undermine our competitive position. Regardless of the final outcome, responding to disputes, and any resulting litigation, to enforce our intellectual property rights in patents, copyrights, trade secrets or trademarks is highly unpredictable and could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Cyber Security1 | 3.3%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
Failure to protect our information systems against cybersecurity threats, cybersecurity incidents, service interruptions, or data loss could materially disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, operating results, or the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.Technology1 | 3.3%
Technology - Risk 1
We have incorporated and continue to further incorporate artificial intelligence into our internal operations. Implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies may result in legal and regulatory risks, reputational harm, or other adverse consequences to our business.Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 7/30 (23%)Above Sector Average
Regulation5 | 16.7%
Regulation - Risk 1
Legislative or regulatory reform of the healthcare system could hinder or prevent our products' commercial success.Regulation - Risk 2
Our business, products and processes are subject to extensive regulation both in the U.S. and abroad and it can be costly to comply with these regulations. Any failure to adhere to applicable regulations could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.Our medical devices, drugs, drug/device combination products and other products are subject to extensive government regulation in the U.S. by the FDA, state regulatory authorities and foreign regulatory authorities in the countries in which we conduct business. These regulations relate to, among other things, approval or clearance of our products for sale, R&D, labeling, advertising, promotion, pricing and discounts, recordkeeping, reporting, import and export, post-approval studies and the sale and distribution of our products. See Item 1, Business, "Government Regulation - U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement" and "International Regulation & Reimbursement" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, or state or foreign regulatory authorities, which may include, among other things, warning letters, fines, injunctions, recalls, refusals to grant or delays in granting requests, civil fines and penalties, operating restrictions, withdrawal of approvals and even criminal prosecution.
The process of obtaining clearances or approvals to market our products can be expensive and lengthy, and we cannot guarantee that our current products will receive clearance or approval for additional indications or that our future products will receive clearance or approval on a timely basis, or without restrictions, if at all. Additionally, our pipeline products that are determined to be drug-device combination products, such as our iDose TR product, require review and coordination by each of FDA's drug and device centers prior to approval, which may delay approval of our future products. In some instances, we or our partners have pursued, and may in the future pursue, a regulatory clearance or approval that proves unsuccessful, such as the FDA's failure to approve the PreserFlo Microshunt in the U.S. and our determination to conduct a second pivotal confirmatory study of our Epioxa pharmaceutical therapy based on recommendations from the FDA in pre-NDA submission meetings. When this occurs, the time and financial resources required to obtain FDA or other regulatory approval may substantially increase or new competitive products could reach the market faster than our product candidate, which could materially adversely impact our competitive position and prospects.
Before we can obtain regulatory approval for any product candidate, we may have to undertake complex, time-consuming and expensive clinical testing in humans to demonstrate safety and efficacy, the outcomes of which are inherently uncertain and may never result in approved products or commercial sales. We have experienced in the past, and could experience in the future, delays in the commencement or completion of clinical trials or testing that could significantly affect our product development costs, including delays in enrollment for rare disease clinical trials. We do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll an adequate number of patients in a timely manner or be completed on schedule, if at all, or be deemed insufficient by the FDA, which may require additional lengthy, time-consuming and expensive trials, which would further delay approval. We may suffer significant setbacks in clinical trials, even after earlier trials showed promising results, and failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. We, the clinical trial investigators, the independent review board overseeing the trial, the FDA, or another regulatory authority may suspend, delay or terminate clinical trials at any time due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the trial in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or trial protocols, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using the product, lack of sufficient funding, medical device product malfunctions, adverse events, or to avoid exposing trial participants to unacceptable health risks. Any delay or failure in clinical trials would delay or prevent our ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.
If our facilities, or those of our third-party manufacturers or suppliers, fail to meet the FDA's Quality System Regulation or cGMP regulations, as applicable, or other standards required by the FDA, we could experience a delay in obtaining the necessary regulatory clearances or approvals to commercialize our pipeline products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition and results.
We have ongoing responsibilities under FDA regulations and applicable foreign laws and regulations and we may also be required to seek additional regulatory approvals to modify our approved products or their manufacturing processes or indications, which may entail significant time and expense. We and our suppliers are subject to extensive post-marketing regulatory requirements and failure to comply with applicable requirements in a timely manner could subject us to enforcement actions, including recall or product approval withdrawals.
Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements is subject to continual review and is monitored rigorously through periodic inspections by the FDA. Other post-market requirements on our products include reporting of adverse events and device malfunctions, product tracing, reporting of corrections and removals (recalls), labeling requirements, and promotional restrictions. See Item 1, Business, "Government Regulation - U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement - Post-Market Regulation" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information. Additionally, any recall or product withdrawal, whether required by the FDA, another regulatory authority or initiated by us, could harm our reputation with customers, cause us to incur significant expense and negatively affect our sales.
In addition, our promotional materials, sales techniques, pricing programs and training methods must comply with FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including increased scrutiny on direct to consumer advertising of pharmaceutical products. The FDA or other regulatory authorities may limit the indications for use of our products, thereby restricting our ability to promote the drug or device. Physicians may use our products, particularly newly-approved products, off-label or in combination with other products that are not indicated or appropriate, as the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician's choice of treatment within the practice of medicine. However, if the FDA determines that our promotional materials, sales techniques, pricing programs or training constitutes promotion of an off-label use or encourages over-utilization of our products or use of our products in combinations that are not indicated or appropriate, it could request that we modify our materials, techniques, programs or training or subject us to enforcement actions.
We are subject to healthcare fraud and abuse, anti-kickback, false claims and transparency laws and regulations, among others, which are enforced by federal, state and international governments with respect to our marketing, training, customer arrangements, discount, rebate and pricing programs, product bundling, financial arrangements with physicians, patient assistance programs, reimbursement support services, and other practices. See Item 1, Business, "Government Regulation - U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement" and "International Regulation & Reimbursement" contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information about the laws and regulations which apply to us. The U.S. Department of Justice has increased its scrutiny of interactions between manufacturers and healthcare providers, as well as various patient, product and reimbursement support programs and speaker bureaus, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Although we try to structure our arrangements within available safe harbors whenever possible, we may nevertheless become subject to government scrutiny or investigation. Violations may result in civil monetary penalties, criminal penalties, and exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, all of which would have an adverse effect on our business.
We are also subject to compliance with various anti-bribery laws and regulations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions, which generally prohibit companies and their agents from making bribes or other improper payments to officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject to limitations on trade with persons in sanctioned countries. Our sales in international markets increase the inherent risks of encountering such issues. While our employees, distributors and agents are required to comply with these laws and regulations, no assurance can be given that our training efforts and internal policies and procedures will prevent violations of these laws. Any actual or alleged violations of these laws and regulations could subject us to government investigations, criminal sanctions, severe fines and penalties that could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The scope and enforcement of each of the laws applicable to our business and products is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. Responding to a government investigation is time and resource intensive, and may cause harm to our business and reputation even if we are able to successfully defend against it. Additionally, resolution of any such investigation may require agreement to onerous corporate integrity agreements or other compliance or reporting requirements, which may negatively affect our business.
Regulation - Risk 3
Healthcare legislative reform measures and changes in U.S. and international trade policies may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.The current administration has enacted or proposed legislative, administrative and executive actions and regulatory changes that could affect our ability to profitably sell our commercialized products or products for which we obtain marketing approval. For example, changes in government budget and funding levels for the FDA and other government agencies could negatively impact the ability of the FDA to review and approve new products due to staffing and other resource limitations, the inability to hire or retain key personnel, as well as the imposition of statutory, regulatory and policy changes. Such changes could prevent or delay marketing approval of our current or future pipeline products, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell any product for which we obtain marketing approval, each of which may negatively impact our business. Further, there have been, and may continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the U.S. federal and state levels and in foreign jurisdictions directed at broadening the availability and containing or lowering the cost of healthcare including plans announced by the current administration to reform the U.S. pharmaceutical pricing system significantly through rulemaking and executive orders. In addition, existing legislation aimed at patient affordability in the United States such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may be repealed or replaced. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies and third-party payers to contain or reduce costs of healthcare may adversely affect our ability to set prices for our products that would allow us to achieve or sustain profitability. In addition, governments may impose price controls on any of our products, which may adversely affect our future profitability. These risks may also impact the development decisions we make with respect to our pipeline products.
Additionally, the U.S. government recently announced changes to its trade policies, including increasing tariffs on imports, in some cases significantly, and potentially negotiating or terminating existing trade agreements. The current tariff environment is dynamic and uncertain, as the U.S. government has imposed, modified and paused tariffs multiple times since the beginning of 2025, and on February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the international tariffs imposed by President Trump in 2025, and President Trump subsequently expressed his intent to reinstate the tariffs through other means which have not yet been disclosed. Changes to tariffs and other trade restrictions can be announced at any time with little or no notice. We cannot predict with certainty the future trade policy of the U.S. or other countries or the impact of the recent developments discussed above, however, we believe our exposure to the current tariff environment is limited as we primarily source products and product components from the U.S. Nevertheless, such tariffs, or uncertainty regarding tariff policy, may cause (i) increases in manufacturing costs, (ii) disruptions or delays to our supply chain, (iii) limitations on our ability to sell our products domestically or abroad, and (iv) reductions in sales volumes and gross margins for our products, any of which could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Regulation - Risk 4
Risks Related to Our Regulatory EnvironmentAdded
Healthcare legislative reform measures and changes in U.S. and international trade policies may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
The current administration has enacted or proposed legislative, administrative and executive actions and regulatory changes that could affect our ability to profitably sell our commercialized products or products for which we obtain marketing approval. For example, changes in government budget and funding levels for the FDA and other government agencies could negatively impact the ability of the FDA to review and approve new products due to staffing and other resource limitations, the inability to hire or retain key personnel, as well as the imposition of statutory, regulatory and policy changes. Such changes could prevent or delay marketing approval of our current or future pipeline products, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell any product for which we obtain marketing approval, each of which may negatively impact our business. Further, there have been, and may continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the U.S. federal and state levels and in foreign jurisdictions directed at broadening the availability and containing or lowering the cost of healthcare including plans announced by the current administration to reform the U.S. pharmaceutical pricing system significantly through rulemaking and executive orders. In addition, existing legislation aimed at patient affordability in the United States such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may be repealed or replaced. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies and third-party payers to contain or reduce costs of healthcare may adversely affect our ability to set prices for our products that would allow us to achieve or sustain profitability. In addition, governments may impose price controls on any of our products, which may adversely affect our future profitability. These risks may also impact the development decisions we make with respect to our pipeline products. Additionally, ongoing changes to U.S. trade policies, including concerning tariffs on imports, and trade agreements, have resulted in a dynamic and uncertain trade environment. Through we cannot predict with certainty the future trade policy of the U.S. or other countries or the impact of such developments, we believe our exposure to changing tariff rates is generally limited as we primarily source products and product components from the U.S. Nevertheless, uncertainty and changes to tariff policy may cause (i) increases in manufacturing costs, (ii) disruptions or delays to our supply chain, (iii) limitations on our ability to sell our products domestically or abroad, and (iv) reductions in sales volumes and gross margins for our products, any of which could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our business, products and processes are subject to extensive regulation both in the U.S. and abroad and it can be costly to comply with these regulations. Any failure to adhere to applicable regulations could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
Our medical devices, drugs, drug/device combination products and other products are subject to extensive government regulation in the U.S. by the FDA, state regulatory authorities and foreign regulatory authorities in the countries in which we conduct business. These regulations relate to, among other things, approval or clearance of our products for sale, R&D, labeling, advertising, promotion, pricing and discounts, recordkeeping, reporting, import and export, post-approval studies and the sale and distribution of our products. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation - U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement” and “International Regulation & Reimbursement” in the Annual Report for additional information. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by the FDA, or state or foreign regulatory authorities, which may include, among other things, warning letters, fines, injunctions, recalls, refusals to grant or delays in granting requests, civil fines and penalties, operating restrictions, withdrawal of approvals and even criminal prosecution.
The process of obtaining clearances or approvals to market our products can be expensive and lengthy, and we cannot guarantee that our current products will receive clearance or approval for additional indications or that our future products will receive clearance or approval on a timely basis, or without restrictions, if at all. Additionally, our pipeline products that are determined to be drug-device combination products, such as our iDose TR product, require review and coordination by each of FDA’s drug and device centers prior to approval, which may delay approval of our future products. In some instances, we or our partners have pursued, and may in the future pursue, a regulatory clearance or approval that proves unsuccessful, such as the FDA’s failure to approve the Preserflo MicroShunt in the U.S. and our determination to conduct a second pivotal confirmatory study of our Epioxa pharmaceutical therapy based on recommendations from the FDA in pre-NDA submission meetings. When this occurs, the time and financial resources required to obtain FDA or other regulatory approval may substantially increase or new competitive products could reach the market faster than our product candidate, which could materially adversely impact our competitive position and prospects.
Before we can obtain regulatory approval for any product candidate, we may have to undertake complex, time-consuming and expensive clinical testing in humans to demonstrate safety and efficacy, the outcomes of which are inherently uncertain and may never result in approved products or commercial sales. We have experienced in the past, and could experience in the future, delays in the commencement or completion of clinical trials or testing that could significantly affect our product development costs, including delays in enrollment for rare disease clinical trials. We do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll an adequate number of patients in a timely manner or be completed on schedule, if at all, or be deemed insufficient by the FDA, which may require additional lengthy, time-consuming and expensive trials, which would further delay approval. We may suffer significant setbacks in clinical trials, even after earlier trials showed promising results, and failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. We, the clinical trial investigators, the independent review board overseeing the trial, the FDA, or another regulatory authority may suspend, delay or terminate clinical trials at any time due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the trial in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or trial protocols, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using the product, lack of sufficient funding, medical device product malfunctions, adverse events, or to avoid exposing trial participants to unacceptable health risks. Any delay or failure in clinical trials would delay or prevent our ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.
If our facilities, or those of our third-party manufacturers or suppliers, fail to meet the FDA’s Quality System Regulation or cGMP regulations, as applicable, or other standards required by the FDA, we could experience a delay in obtaining the necessary regulatory clearances or approvals to commercialize our pipeline products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition and results. On February 2, 2026, the FDA’s final rule implementing the Quality Management System Regulation (QMSR) became effective. The QMSR, which replaced the FDA’s former Quality System Regulation, sets for the FDA’s cGMP requirements for medical devices and incorporates by reference the medical device quality management system requirements of ISO 13485:2016. Any disclosure of our proprietary or trade secret information in connection with our compliance with the QMSR could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition and results.
We have ongoing responsibilities under FDA regulations and applicable foreign laws and regulations and we may also be required to seek additional regulatory approvals to modify our approved products or their manufacturing processes or indications, which may entail significant time and expense. We and our suppliers are subject to extensive post-marketing regulatory requirements and failure to comply with applicable requirements in a timely manner could subject us to enforcement actions, including recall or product approval withdrawals. Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements is subject to continual review and is monitored rigorously through periodic inspections by the FDA. Other post-market requirements on our products include reporting of adverse events and device malfunctions, product tracing, reporting of corrections and removals (recalls), labeling requirements, and promotional restrictions. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation - U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement - Post-Market Regulation” in the Annual Report for additional information. Additionally, any recall or product withdrawal, whether required by the FDA, another regulatory authority or initiated by us, could harm our reputation with customers, cause us to incur significant expense and negatively affect our sales.
In addition, our promotional materials, sales techniques, pricing programs and training methods must comply with FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including increased scrutiny on direct to consumer advertising of pharmaceutical products. The FDA or other regulatory authorities may limit the indications for use of our products, thereby restricting our ability to promote the drug or device. Physicians may use our products, particularly newly-approved products, off-label or in combination with other products that are not indicated or appropriate, as the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician's choice of treatment within the practice of medicine. However, if the FDA determines that our promotional materials, sales techniques, pricing programs or training constitutes promotion of an off-label use or encourages over-utilization of our products or use of our products in combinations that are not indicated or appropriate, it could request that we modify our materials, techniques, programs or training or subject us to enforcement actions.
We are subject to healthcare fraud and abuse, anti-kickback, false claims and transparency laws and regulations, among others, which are enforced by federal, state and international governments with respect to our marketing, training, customer arrangements, discount, rebate and pricing programs, product bundling, financial arrangements with physicians, patient assistance programs, reimbursement support services, and other practices. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation - U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement” and “International Regulation & Reimbursement” contained in the Annual Report for additional information about the laws and regulations which apply to us. The U.S. Department of Justice has increased its scrutiny of interactions between manufacturers and healthcare providers, as well as various patient, product and reimbursement support programs and speaker bureaus, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Although we try to structure our arrangements within available safe harbors whenever possible, we may nevertheless become subject to government scrutiny or investigation. Violations may result in civil monetary penalties, criminal penalties, and exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, all of which would have an adverse effect on our business.
We are also subject to compliance with various anti-bribery laws and regulations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions, which generally prohibit companies and their agents from making bribes or other improper payments to officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject to limitations on trade with persons in sanctioned countries. Our sales in international markets increase the inherent risks of encountering such issues. While our employees, distributors and agents are required to comply with these laws and regulations, no assurance can be given that our training efforts and internal policies and procedures will prevent violations of these laws. Any actual or alleged violations of these laws and regulations could subject us to government investigations, criminal sanctions, severe fines and penalties that could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. The scope and enforcement of each of the laws applicable to our business and products is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. Responding to a government investigation is time and resource intensive, and may cause harm to our business and reputation even if we are able to successfully defend against it. Additionally, resolution of any such investigation may require agreement to onerous corporate integrity agreements or other compliance or reporting requirements, which may negatively affect our business.
Legislative or regulatory reform of the healthcare system could hinder or prevent our products’ commercial success.
In the U.S. and in certain states and foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory proposals and adoptions to change the healthcare systems in ways that could impact our ability to sell our products profitably, if at all. In addition, new regulations and interpretations of existing healthcare statutes and regulations are frequently adopted and we may not be able to comply with the changed laws, they could increase the cost of manufacturing, marketing or selling our products, lower the prices we can charge for our products, or make approvals of pipeline products more difficult or prevent us from selling at all. We expect there will continue to be a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the U.S. health care system that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the regulatory approval, manufacture and marketing of regulated products or the reimbursement thereof and may impose additional costs or lengthen review times of planned or future products. It is also difficult to predict whether and how the policies and priorities of a new administration could materially impact the regulation governing our products. A new U.S. administration may propose policy changes that create additional uncertainty for our business, such as changes to the level of scrutiny to enforce the 340B drug pricing program (340B program) non-compliance, new price restrictions on products we sell to Medicaid, Medicare or other government purchasers, or other regulatory changes impacting reimbursement or competitive dynamics in the markets in which we operate. The extent to which such policy changes impact the healthcare regulatory environment remains uncertain and could materially impact our business and operations.
Additionally, in its June 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (“Loper decision”), the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the longstanding Chevron doctrine, under which courts were required to give deference to regulatory agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous federal statutes. The Loper decision could result in additional legal challenges to regulations and guidance issued by federal agencies applicable to our operations, including those issued by the FDA and CMS. Further, the Loper decision may result in increased regulatory uncertainty, inconsistent judicial interpretations and other impacts to the agency rulemaking process. We cannot predict which additional measures may be adopted or the impact of current and additional measures on the marketing, pricing and demand for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are also subject to the EU’s Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) and the United Kingdom’s Medical Device Regulation (UKMDR), each of which could result in substantial additional costs of compliance. In addition, our products could be reclassified in international markets, which would impose an entirely new regulatory framework on us and our contract manufacturers and compliance may prove costly and difficult or may not be achievable at all. Our failure, or the failure of our contract manufacturers, to obtain CE marks for all of our products under MDR or the UKMDR on a timely basis, or to comply with MDR, UKMDR or applicable European Medicines Agency regulations regarding drug products, could restrict our ability to sell our products in the EU or other parts of the world, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
From time to time, we increase the prices of our products, as we have previously done with our Photrexa therapies, or set pricing for new products. Drug pricing by pharmaceutical manufacturers is subject to federal and state reporting requirements and is currently, and is expected to continue to be, under close scrutiny, including with respect to manufacturers that increase the price of products after acquiring those products from other companies. In some cases, such scrutiny has resulted in congressional inquiries and federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturers’ patient support programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for products. Although our pricing is in part based upon third party studies of the projected economic value of our products to the healthcare system, it may still become subject to such scrutiny. As a condition of having our iDose TR product covered under certain federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, we are required to participate in the MDRP with respect to all of our pharmaceutical products, including Epioxa, which requires us to calculate and report certain pricing metrics to the government, comply with certain pricing limitations and pay a rebate to each state Medicaid program for our covered products based on utilization of our products by Medicaid beneficiaries. Any company that participates in the MDRP also must participate in the 340B program. The 340B program, which is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, requires participating companies to agree to charge statutorily defined covered entities no more than the 340B “ceiling price” for covered outpatient drugs. The 340B program ceiling price is calculated using a statutory formula, which is based on pricing data calculated under the MDRP. Additionally, the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which is designed to, among other things, have a direct impact on drug prices and reduce drug spending by the federal government, requires drug manufacturers to pay rebates to Medicare if they increase prices faster than inflation for certain drugs used by Medicare beneficiaries. The expansion of inflation-based rebates may complicate our pricing strategies. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation - U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement” in the Annual Report for more information on the MDRP. To the extent applicable, these and other similar legislation or regulations will reduce the prices we can charge, and impact the rebate amount we must pay, on sales of our products subject to that act, particularly on sales to our customers if they qualify as covered entities eligible to receive the discounted 340B ceiling price. Compliance with these laws and programs may reduce our net sales, and could require significant resources, which would reduce our profitability. Further, we cannot predict how our participation in, or how future CMS guidance or rules governing, MDRP will affect our profitability (including the potential for increases in our overall Medicaid rebate liability and the obligation to charge reduced prices to covered entities). Any changes to the limitations, calculations, or scope of these programs could negatively impact the results of our operations. Additionally, pricing and rebate calculations are complex and often subject to interpretation by the manufacturer, governmental agencies and courts. A manufacturer that becomes aware that its Medicaid reporting for a prior period was incorrect or has changed as a result of a recalculation of pricing data is obligated to resubmit corrected data up to three years after the data was originally due. Restatements and recalculations may result in an overage or shortfall in our rebate liability for prior periods, and may affect our 340B ceiling price and therefore liability under the 340B program.
If we cannot sell our products profitably, whether due to our own inability to comply with, or the inability of other economic operators in our supply chain to qualify under, any legislative reform or pricing programs, our business would be harmed. In addition, any change in the laws or regulations that govern the clearance and approval processes relating to our current and future products could make it more difficult and costly to obtain clearance or approval for new products, or to produce, market and distribute existing products. Inadequate or inconsistent reimbursement for our products may adversely impact our business. Our ability to successfully commercialize and achieve market acceptance of our products and compete against other therapies designed to address the same disease states depends in significant part on adequate financial coverage and reimbursement from third party payers, including governmental payers (such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs in the U.S.), managed care organizations and private health insurers. See Item 1, Business, “Government Regulation - U.S. Regulation & Reimbursement” and “International Regulation & Reimbursement” contained in the Annual Report for additional information. Payers continually review the clinical evidence for new therapies and can change their coverage policies without notice or deny payment if the product was not used in accordance with the payer’s coverage policy. Therefore, coverage for our products can differ significantly from payer to payer. As a result, the coverage determination process is often time-consuming and costly and requires us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payer separately, with no assurance that coverage will be obtained or will be maintained once it is obtained. In addition to uncertainties surrounding coverage policies, there are uncertainties regarding appropriate reimbursement for the procedures associated with certain of our products like iStent infinite and iDose TR, as well as sporadic volatility in reimbursement levels of existing products and the procedures associated with our existing products, such as our iStent family of products. For example, in 2022 the CMS’ payment rates significantly lowered the Medicare physician fee payment rates and slightly lowered the Medicare facility fee payment rates related to the implantation of trabecular bypass stents, such as our iStent family of products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, furnished in the ambulatory surgery center setting, which we believe disrupted traditional customer ordering patterns and resulted in certain of our customers’ utilization of competitive products, causing reduced glaucoma sales volumes in the U.S. in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, the facility fee payment rates for the standalone procedure that hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers will use with Glaukos’ iStent infinite product were lower than anticipated for 2022 and were not significantly modified by CMS for 2023 facility fee payment rates, which had an adverse impact on procedural iStent family product volumes and our revenues and net income.
The demand for, and the profitability of, our products could be materially harmed if the Medicaid program, Medicare program, other healthcare programs in the U.S. or elsewhere, or third party commercial payers in the U.S. or elsewhere, deny reimbursement for our products, limit the indications for which our products will be reimbursed, are unclear on appropriate reimbursement codes or provide reimbursement only on unfavorable terms. For example, in June 2023 five MACs, which set physician fee payment rates for products covered by Category III CPT codes, published proposed LCDs that deemed certain ophthalmic procedures, including the procedures using our iAccess product, investigational and therefore not covered by Medicare and not reimbursed, which LCD was ultimately adopted and then reversed by these MACs. This non-coverage determination was not included in the proposed LCDs subsequently finalized by the five MACs in November 2024. Additionally, the physician fee payment rates for the procedures using our iDose TR product will be determined by the MACs, several of which have not yet published this rate. Also, when procedures associated with our products transition from temporary CPT Category III codes to permanent CPT Category I codes, the physician and facility reimbursement levels associated with the procedures using these products could be decreased, such as the decreased payment rates for procedures using our iStent-related products, in conjunction with cataract surgery, established by CMS for 2022 and 2023, as discussed above. Even when a permanent billing code has been assigned to a product, there is no guarantee that coverage will be provided.
If we are unable to maintain our existing codes or obtain new permanent codes for procedures using our products, use existing codes for new products or obtain new reimbursement codes for our products in development, we may be subject to significant pricing pressure, that could harm our results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
In the foreign markets in which we operate, different pricing and reimbursement systems could result in lower reimbursement, harming our ability to operate our business.
We cannot predict to what extent current global economic conditions may disrupt healthcare systems and access to our products or result in a widespread loss of individual health insurance coverage due to unemployment, a shift from commercial payer coverage to government payer coverage, or an increase in demand for patient assistance or free drug programs, any of which could adversely affect our net revenue. In addition, payers consistently engage in cost containment efforts, which could result in decreased reimbursement levels for prescription drugs and the imposition of prior authorization for the use of our products. We cannot predict actions that third party payers may take, including limiting access to or the level of reimbursement for our products or refusal to provide any approvals or coverage.
Regulation - Risk 5
Added
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The risks and uncertainties discussed below update, supersede and replace the risks and uncertainties previously disclosed in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, which was filed with the United States (U.S.) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 23, 2026 (Annual Report). These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones facing our business but do represent those risks that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business. See "Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" preceding Part I, Item 1 in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Other than the update of certain risk factors below relating to our capped call transaction, the U.S. government's actions regarding the imposition of international tariffs, the FDA's Quality Management System Regulation, continuing developments regarding state and federal AI regulation, and our transition from our Photrexa therapies to our Epioxa therapies, we do nto believe any of the changes constitute material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.
Taxation & Government Incentives1 | 3.3%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
We cannot be certain that our net operating loss tax carryforwards will be available to offset future taxable income.Environmental / Social1 | 3.3%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Failure to comply with data privacy and security laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.Production
Total Risks: 4/30 (13%)Above Sector Average
Manufacturing2 | 6.7%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
If the supply and/or manufacture of our principal revenue-producing products, the iStent family of products, our Photrexa therapies, or the iDose TR, or our recently-approved Epioxa therapies, is materially disrupted, it may adversely affect our ability to manufacture products and could reduce our gross margins and negatively impact our operating results.Manufacturing - Risk 2
If the quality or delivery of our products does not meet our customers' expectations, our reputation could suffer and ultimately our sales and operating earnings could be negatively impacted.As a manufacturer, we have addressed and must continue to address quality issues associated with our products, including in our engineering, design, manufacturing and delivery processes, as well as issues with third-party pharmaceuticals or components included in our products. Because our products are highly complex, the occurrence of performance issues may increase as we continue to introduce new products and rapidly scale up manufacturing to meet increased demand. Although we have established internal procedures to minimize risks that may arise from product quality issues, there can be no assurance that we will be able to eliminate or mitigate occurrences of these issues and associated liabilities. In addition, identifying the root cause of performance or quality issues, particularly those affecting third-party components or other elements, may be difficult, which increases the time needed to address quality issues as they arise and increases the risk that similar problems could recur. Finding solutions to quality issues can be expensive and we may incur significant costs, lost revenue or reputational damage in connection with, for example, shipment holds, product recalls and warranty or other service obligations. Quality issues can also impair our relationships with new or existing customers or result in product liability suits against us, which may be expensive to defend and could impact the reimbursement coverage of our products, our product liability insurance rates and/or our cash reserves in the event our existing insurance coverage is insufficient. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could harm our reputation as a producer of high-quality products and could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Employment / Personnel1 | 3.3%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
If we are unable to retain or recruit qualified personnel for growth, our business results could suffer.Costs1 | 3.3%
Costs - Risk 1
Risks Related to Our BusinessAdded
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 3/30 (10%)Above Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment1 | 3.3%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Unfavorable global and regional conditions have adversely affected, and could in the future materially and adversely affect, our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows.International Operations1 | 3.3%
International Operations - Risk 1
As our growth strategy turns increasingly global, we are, and will continue to be, subject to a variety of risks associated with our international operations, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 3.3%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
Public health crises have adversely affected, and could in the future adversely affect, our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows.Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 2/30 (7%)Below Sector Average
Sales & Marketing2 | 6.7%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
Inadequate or inconsistent reimbursement for our products may adversely impact our business.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
The commercial success of our iDose TR and Epioxa products is dependent upon multiple factors, the failure of any one of which could materially impact the prospects of these products and our business.Our iDose TR travoprost intracameral implant was approved for sale in the U.S. by the FDA in December 2023 and we began commercializing the product in a controlled manner in February 2024. In October 2025, the FDA approved Epioxa, an innovation in keratoconus care, offering an incision-free alternative to traditional corneal cross-linking procedure, which the Company plans to begin commercializing in early 2026. The ultimate commercial success of these products will depend upon a number of factors, including physician training on and adoption of their use, establishment of consistent reimbursement, the availability and maintenance of commercial payor coverage, satisfactory patient outcomes, particularly as we continue our commercial launch, product pricing, duration of efficacy, our ability to manufacture product in volumes sufficient to meet customer demand, marketing in compliance with label restrictions. Our failure to successfully commercialize the iDose TR or Epioxa based upon these or other factors could materially adversely impact our net sales, our business, our stock price or our financial condition.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
FAQ
What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
1. Financial & Corporate
- Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
- Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
- Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
2. Legal & Regulatory
- Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
- Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
- Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
- Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
3. Production
- Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
- Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
- Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
- Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
4. Technology & Innovation
- Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
- Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
- Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
- Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
5. Ability to Sell
- Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
- Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
- Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
- Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
6. Macro & Political
- Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
- Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
- International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
- Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.