UTAH MEDICAL PRODUCTS INC

Previous wording

Thousands of small focused medical device manufacturers including UTMD that do not have the overhead structure that the few large medical device companies can afford are increasingly burdened with bureaucratic and underqualified regulator demands that are not reasonably related to assuring the safety or effectiveness of the devices that they provide. Premarketing submission administrative burdens, and substantial “user fees” or notified body review fees, represent a significant non-clinical and/or non-scientific barrier to new product introduction, resulting in lack of investment or delays to revenues from new or improved devices. The risks associated with such circumstances relate not only to substantial out-of-pocket costs, including potential litigation in millions of dollars, but also loss of business and a diversion of attention of key employees for an extended period of time from managing normal responsibilities, particularly in new product development and routine quality assurance activities.

Current wording

Thousands of small focused medical device manufacturers including UTMD that do not have the overhead structure that the few large medical device companies can afford are increasingly burdened with bureaucratic and underqualified regulator demands that are not reasonably related to assuring the safety or effectiveness of the devices that they provide. In Europe, recent regulatory changes requiring clinically well-accepted devices used safely for decades to be rigorously reapproved every few years ignores the obvious outcome that millions in dollars in additional regulatory cost may cause devices with specialized applications with only thousands of dollars in revenues to no longer be available to patients who need them. Premarketing submission administrative burdens, and substantial “user fees” or notified body review fees, represent a significant non-clinical and/or non-scientific barrier to new product introduction, resulting in lack of investment or delays to revenues from new or improved devices. The risks associated with such circumstances relate not only to substantial out-of-pocket costs, including potential litigation in millions of dollars, but also loss of business and a diversion of attention of key employees for an extended period of time from managing normal responsibilities, particularly in new product development and routine quality assurance activities.

Previous wording

An aging population and uncontrolled immigration is placing greater burdens on healthcare systems, particularly hospitals. The length of time and number of administrative steps required in adopting new products for use in hospitals has grown substantially in recent years. Smaller companies like UTMD typically do not have the administrative resources to deal with broad new administrative requirements, resulting in either loss of revenue or increased costs. As UTMD introduces new products it believes are safer and more effective, it may find itself excluded from certain clinical users because of the existence of long-term supply agreements for preexisting products, particularly from competitors which offer hospitals a broader range of products and services. Restrictions used by hospital administrators to limit clinician involvement in device purchasing decisions makes communicating UTMD’s clinical advantages more difficult.

Current wording

An aging population and previously uncontrolled immigration are placing greater burdens on healthcare systems, particularly hospitals. The length of time and number of administrative steps required in adopting new products for use in hospitals has grown substantially in recent years. Smaller companies like UTMD typically do not have the administrative resources to deal with broad new administrative requirements, resulting in either loss of revenue or increased costs. As UTMD introduces new products it believes are safer and more effective, it may find itself excluded from certain clinical users because of the existence of long-term supply agreements for preexisting products, particularly from competitors which offer hospitals a broader range of products and services. Restrictions used by hospital administrators to limit clinician involvement in device purchasing decisions makes communicating UTMD’s clinical advantages more difficult.

Previous wording

Trade restrictions and /or tariffs resulting from changing government geopolitical trade policies have the potential to disrupt UTMD’s supply chain.

Current wording

Trade restrictions and /or tariffs resulting from changing government geopolitical trade policies have the potential to disrupt UTMD’s supply chain and/or affect costs.