ILLUMINA INC
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 16, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Feb 16, 2024
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
Our business is subject to various risks, including those described below. In addition to the other information included in this report, the following issues could adversely affect our operating results or our stock price.
Risks Relating to Research, Development, Marketing, and Sales of Products and Services
Our continued growth is dependent on continuously developing and commercializing new products.
Our target markets are characterized by rapid technological change, changes in customer needs, existing and emerging competition, strong price competition, and frequent new product introductions. Accordingly, our continued growth depends on developing and commercializing new products and services, including improving our existing products and services, in order to address evolving market requirements on a timely basis. If we fail to innovate or adequately invest in new technologies, we could lose our competitive position in the markets that we serve.
To the extent that we fail to introduce new and innovative products, or such products are not accepted in the market or suffer significant delays in development, our financial results may suffer. An inability, for technological or other reasons, to successfully develop and introduce new products on a timely basis could reduce our growth rate or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.
In the past, we have experienced, and are likely to experience in the future, delays in the development and introduction of new products. There can be no assurance that we will keep pace with the rapid rate of change in our markets or that our new products will adequately meet the requirements of the marketplace, achieve market acceptance, or compete successfully with third-party technologies. Some of the factors affecting our ability to develop and successfully commercialize new products and services include:
the functionality and performance of new and existing products and services;
the timing of introduction of new products or services relative to competing products and services;
availability, quality, and price relative to competing products and services;
scientists’ and customers’ opinions of the utility of new products or services;
citation of new products or services in published research;
regulatory trends and approvals; and
our ability to acquire or otherwise gain access to third party technologies, products, or businesses.
Our success depends upon the continued emergence and growth of markets for analysis of genetic variation, and continued substantial increases in the use of sequencing as the cost of sequencing declines.
The usefulness of our technologies depends in part upon the availability of genetic data and its usefulness in clinical, research, and consumer applications. We are focusing on markets for analysis of genetic variation or biological function, namely sequencing, genotyping, and gene expression profiling. These markets are relatively new and emerging, and they may not develop as quickly as we anticipate, or reach what we expect to be their full potential. Other methods of analysis of genetic variation and biological function may emerge and displace the methods we are developing. In addition, a reduction or delay in research and development budgets and government funding may adversely affect our business. For example, changes in the regulatory environment affecting life sciences and pharmaceutical companies, and budgetary pressures resulting in reduced allocations to government agencies that fund research and development activities, such as the U.S. National Institute of Health, or NIH, could adversely affect our business or results of operations.
The introduction of next-generation sequencing technologies, including ours, has reduced the cost of sequencing by a factor of more than 10,000 and reduced the sequencing time per Gb by a factor of approximately 12,000 over the last 20 years. Consequently, demand for sequencing-related products and services has increased substantially as new applications are enabled and more sequencing is done in connection with existing applications. If, as we expect, the cost of sequencing continues to fall, we cannot be sure that the demand for related products and services will increase at least proportionately as new applications are enabled or more sequencing is done in connection with existing applications. In the future, if demand for our products and services due to lower sequencing costs is less than we expect, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely affected.
Our products may be used to provide genetic information about humans, agricultural crops, other food sources, and other living organisms. The information obtained from our products could be used in a variety of applications, which may have underlying ethical, legal, and social concerns regarding privacy and the appropriate uses of the resulting information, including preimplantation genetic screening of embryos, prenatal genetic testing, genetic engineering or modification of agricultural products, or testing genetic predisposition for certain medical conditions, particularly for those that have no known cure. Our customers’ implementation of our products to provide their own products and services may raise such concerns and affect our own reputation. U.S. and international governmental authorities could, for social or other purposes, call for limits on or regulation of the use of genetic testing or prohibit testing for genetic predisposition to certain conditions, particularly for those that have no known cure. Similarly, such concerns may lead individuals to refuse to use genetics tests, even if permissible. These and other ethical, legal, and social concerns about genetic testing may limit market acceptance of our technology for certain applications or reduce the potential markets for our technology, either of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
If we do not successfully manage the development, manufacturing, and launch of new products or services, including product transitions, our financial results could be adversely affected.
We face risks associated with launching new products and pre-announcing products and services when the products or services have not been fully developed or tested. In addition, we may experience difficulty in managing or forecasting customer reactions, purchasing decisions, transition requirements, or programs with respect to newly-launched products (or products in development), which could adversely affect sales of our existing products. If our products and services are not able to deliver the performance or results expected by our target markets or are not delivered on a timely basis, our reputation and credibility may suffer. If we encounter development challenges or discover errors in our products late in our development cycle, we may delay the product launch date. The expenses or losses associated with unsuccessful product development or launch activities, or a lack of market acceptance of our new products, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
As we announce future products or integrate new products into our portfolio, such as new instruments or instrument platforms, we face numerous risks relating to product transitions and the evolution of our product portfolio. We may be unable to accurately forecast new product demand and the impact of new products on the demand for current or established products. We may experience challenges relating to managing excess and obsolete inventories, managing new or higher product cost structures, and managing different sales and support requirements. Announcements of currently planned or other new products may cause customers to defer or stop purchasing our current or established products until new products become available. In addition, customers may defer or stop purchasing our current or established products as they assess the features and technological characteristics of new products, as compared to our current or established products, before making a financial commitment.
We face intense competition, which could render our products obsolete, result in significant price reductions, or substantially limit the volume of products that we sell.
We compete with third parties that design, manufacture, and market products and services for analysis of genetic variation and biological function and other applications using a wide range of technologies. In some cases, we compete for the resources our customers allocate for purchasing a wide range of sequencing and non-sequencing products, some of which are complementary or adjacent to our own but not directly competitive; in other cases, our products face direct competition as customers choose among sequencing and non-sequencing products that are designed to address the same use case or answer the same biological question. For example, complementary third-party sequencing technologies address use cases to which our products are not well suited. If we are unable to develop or acquire new technologies that address these complementary sequencing applications, our rate of growth and our ability to grow the overall market for sequencing could be adversely affected.
We anticipate that we will continue to face increased competition as existing companies develop new or improved products and as new companies enter the market with new technologies. One or more of our competitors may render one or more of our technologies obsolete or uneconomical. Some of our competitors have greater financial and personnel resources, broader product lines, more focused product lines, a more established customer base, more experience and broader reach in clinical markets, and more experience in research and development than we do. Furthermore, life sciences, clinical genomics, and pharmaceutical companies, which are our potential customers and strategic partners, could also develop competing products. We believe that customers in our markets display a significant amount of loyalty to their initial supplier of a particular product; therefore, it may be difficult to generate sales to potential customers who have purchased products from competitors. To the extent we are unable to be the first to develop or supply new products, our competitive position may suffer.
The market for clinical and diagnostic products, in particular, is currently limited and highly competitive, with several large companies having significant market share, intellectual property portfolios, and regulatory expertise. For example, the market for noninvasive prenatal testing is rapidly developing, and if our competitors are able to develop and commercialize products superior to or less expensive than ours or are able to obtain regulatory clearances before we do, our business could be adversely impacted. Established clinical and diagnostic companies also have an installed base of instruments in several markets, including clinical and reference laboratories, which could deter acceptance of our products. In addition, some of these companies have formed alliances with genomics companies that provide them access to genetic information that may be incorporated into their diagnostic tests, potentially creating a competitive advantage for them.
As we develop, market, or sell diagnostic tests, we may encounter delays in receipt, or limits in the amount, of reimbursement approvals and public health funding, which will impact our ability to grow revenues in the healthcare market.
Physicians and patients may not order diagnostic tests that we develop, market, sell, or enable, such as our prenatal tests, unless third-party payors, such as managed care organizations as well as government payors such as Medicare and Medicaid and governmental payors outside of the United States, pay a substantial portion of the test price. Third-party payors are often reluctant to reimburse healthcare providers for the use of medical tests that involve new technologies or provide novel diagnostic information. In addition, third-party payors are increasingly limiting reimbursement coverage for medical diagnostic products and, in many instances, are exerting pressure on diagnostic product suppliers to reduce their prices. Reimbursement by a payor may depend on a number of factors, including a payor's determination that tests using our technologies are: not experimental or investigational; medically necessary; appropriate for the specific patient; cost-effective; supported by peer-reviewed publications; and included in clinical practice guidelines.
Since each third-party payor often makes independent reimbursement decisions and may also make decisions on an individual patient basis, obtaining such approvals is a time-consuming and costly process that requires Illumina and/or our customers to provide scientific and clinical data supporting the clinical benefits of each of our products. As a result, there can be no assurance that reimbursement approvals will be obtained. This process can delay the broad market introduction of new products, and could have a negative effect on our results of operations. As a result, third-party reimbursement may not be consistent or financially adequate to cover the cost of diagnostic products that we develop, market, or sell. This could limit our ability to sell our products or cause us to reduce prices, which would adversely affect our results of operations.
Even if tests are reimbursed, third-party payors may withdraw their coverage policies, cancel their contracts with our customers at any time, review and adjust the rate of reimbursement, require co-payments from patients, or stop paying for tests, which would reduce our revenues. In addition, insurers, including managed care organizations as well as government payors such as Medicare and Medicaid, have increased their efforts to control the cost, utilization, and delivery of healthcare services. These measures have resulted in reduced payment rates and decreased utilization for the clinical laboratory industry. Reductions in the reimbursement rate of payors may occur in the future. Reductions in the prices at which our tests are reimbursed could have a negative impact on our results of operations.
Risks Relating to Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Quality
We depend on third-party manufacturers and suppliers for some of our products, or sub-assemblies, components, and materials used in our products, and if shipments from these manufacturers or suppliers are delayed or interrupted, or if the quality of the products, components, or materials supplied do not meet our requirements, we may not be able to launch, manufacture, or ship our products in a timely manner, or at all.
The complex nature of our products requires customized, precision-manufactured sub-assemblies, components, and materials that currently are available from a limited number of sources, and, in the case of some sub-assemblies, components, and materials, from only a single source. If deliveries from these vendors are delayed or interrupted for any reason, or if we are otherwise unable to secure a sufficient supply, we may not be able to obtain these sub-assemblies, components, or materials on a timely basis or in sufficient quantities or at satisfactory qualities. We may need to enter into contractual relationships with manufacturers for commercial-scale production of some of our products, in whole or in part, or develop these capabilities internally, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do this on a timely basis, in sufficient quantities, satisfactory quality, or on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, the lead time needed to establish a relationship with a new supplier, and qualify their supply, can be lengthy, and we may experience delays in meeting demand in the event we must switch to a new supplier. The time and effort required to qualify a new supplier could result in additional costs, diversion of resources, or reduced manufacturing yields, any of which would negatively impact our operating results. Accordingly, we may not be able to establish or maintain reliable, high-volume manufacturing at commercially reasonable costs. In addition, the manufacture or shipment of our products may be delayed or interrupted if the quality of the products, sub-assemblies, components, or materials supplied by our vendors does not meet our requirements. Current or future social and environmental regulations or critical issues, such as those relating to the sourcing of minerals from conflict-affected areas such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the need to eliminate environmentally sensitive materials from our products, could restrict the supply of components and materials used in production or increase our costs. Any delay or interruption to our manufacturing process or in shipping our products could result in lost revenue, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
If defects are discovered in our products, we may incur additional unforeseen costs, our products may be subject to recalls, customers may not purchase our products, our reputation may suffer, and ultimately our sales and operating earnings could be negatively impacted.
Our products incorporate complex, precision-manufactured mechanical parts, electrical components, optical components, and fluidics, as well as computer software and complex surface chemistry, biochemistry and reagents, any of which may contain or result in errors or failures, especially when first introduced. In the course of conducting our business, we must adequately address quality issues associated with our products and services, including defects in our engineering, design, and manufacturing processes, as well as defects in third-party components included in our products. In addition, new products or enhancements may contain undetected errors or performance problems that, despite testing, are discovered only after commercial shipment. Defects or errors in our products may discourage customers from purchasing our products. The costs incurred in correcting any defects or errors may be substantial and could adversely affect our operating margins. Identifying the root cause of quality issues, particularly those affecting reagents and third-party components, may be difficult, which increases the time needed to address quality issues as they arise, and increases the risk that similar problems could recur. Because our products are designed to be used to perform complex genomic analysis, we expect that our customers will have an increased sensitivity to such defects. If we do not meet applicable regulatory or quality standards, our products may be subject to recall, and, under certain circumstances, we may be required to notify applicable regulatory authorities about a recall. If our products are subject to recall or shipment holds, our reputation, business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected.
If we are unable to increase our manufacturing or service capacity and develop and maintain operation of our manufacturing or service capability, we may not be able to launch or support our products or services in a timely manner, or at all.
We expect to increase our manufacturing and service capacity to meet the anticipated demand for our products. Although we have consistently increased our manufacturing and service capacity, and we believe we have plans in place sufficient to ensure we have adequate capacity to meet our current business plans, there are uncertainties inherent in expanding our manufacturing and service capabilities, and we may not be able to sufficiently increase our capacity in a timely manner. For example, manufacturing and product quality issues may arise as we increase production rates at our manufacturing facilities and launch new products. Also, we may not manufacture the right product mix to meet customer demand, especially as we introduce new products. As a result, we may experience difficulties in meeting customer, collaborator, and internal demand, in which case we could lose customers or be required to delay new product introductions, and demand for our products could decline. Additionally, in the past, we have experienced variations in manufacturing conditions and quality control issues that have temporarily reduced or suspended production of certain products. Due to the intricate nature of manufacturing complex instruments, consumables, and products that contain DNA and enzymes, we may encounter similar or previously unknown manufacturing difficulties in the future that could significantly reduce production yields, impact our ability to launch or sell these products (or to produce them economically), or prevent us from achieving expected performance levels, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
An interruption in our ability to manufacture our products or an inability to obtain key components or raw materials due to a catastrophic disaster, infectious disease, or infrastructure failure could adversely affect our business.
We currently manufacture in a limited number of locations. Our manufacturing facilities are located in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area in California; Madison, Wisconsin; Cambridge, United Kingdom; and Singapore. These areas are subject to natural disasters such as earthquakes, wildfires, or floods. If a natural disaster were to damage one of our facilities significantly or if other events, such as the outbreak of a serious infectious disease, were to cause our operations to fail or be significantly curtailed, we may be unable to manufacture our products, provide our services, or develop new products. In addition, if the capabilities of our suppliers and component manufacturers are limited or stopped, due to the outbreak of a serious infectious disease, natural or other disasters, quality, regulatory, or other reasons, it could negatively impact our ability to manufacture our products.
Many of our product manufacturing and distribution processes are automated and are controlled by information management systems, including significant network and storage infrastructure. If either our information management systems or our network or storage infrastructure were to fail for an extended period of time, our ability to manufacture our products on a timely basis could be adversely impacted and we could be prevented from achieving our expected shipments in any given period.
Risk Relating to Public Health Crises
We are unable to predict the extent to which public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may adversely impact our business operations and financial performance.
Our global operations expose us to risks associated with public health crises. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly curtailed the movement of people, goods and services worldwide, including in the regions in which we sell our products and services and conduct our business operations. How a future public health crisis may impact our business activity could (1) negatively impact the demand for our products and services, (2) restrict our sales operations, marketing efforts, and customer field support, (3) impede the shipping and delivery of our products to customers (4) disrupt our supply chain, and (5) limit our ability to conduct research and product development and other important business activities. We continue to monitor our operations and applicable government mandates and recommendations, and we have made modifications to our operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the event of a public health crisis, we may incur increased costs and experience delays in sales, purchases, deliveries and other business activities associated with the invocation by customers, suppliers, service providers, and other business partners of contractual provisions they may claim are triggered by such an event. Additionally, concerns over the economic impact of a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic could cause volatility in financial and other capital markets which may adversely impact the fair value of our marketable securities.
Risk Relating to the Protection of Our Intellectual Property
Any inability to effectively protect our proprietary technologies could harm our competitive position.
The proprietary positions of companies developing tools for the life sciences, genomics, forensics, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries, including our proprietary position, generally are uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions. Our success depends to a large extent on our ability to develop proprietary products and technologies and to obtain patents and maintain adequate protection of our intellectual property in the United States and other countries. The laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and many companies have encountered significant challenges in establishing and enforcing their proprietary rights outside of the United States. These challenges can be caused by the absence of rules and methods for the establishment and enforcement of intellectual property rights outside of the United States.
We will be able to protect our proprietary rights from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that our proprietary technologies are covered by valid and enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as trade secrets. Any finding that our patents or applications are unenforceable could harm our ability to prevent others from practicing the related technology, and a finding that others have inventorship or ownership rights to our patents and applications could require us to obtain certain rights to practice related technologies, which may not be available on favorable terms, if at all. Furthermore, as issued patents expire, including those related to our sequencing-by-synthesis technology, we may lose some competitive advantage as others develop, market, and sell competing products, which could negatively affect our revenue.
In addition, our existing patents and any future patents we obtain may not be sufficiently broad to prevent others from practicing our technologies or from developing competing products and may therefore fail to provide us with any competitive advantage. We may need to initiate lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, or litigate against third-party claims, which would be expensive, and, if we lose, may cause us to lose some of our intellectual property rights and reduce our ability to compete in the marketplace. Furthermore, these lawsuits may divert the attention of our management and technical personnel. There is also the risk that others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or design around our patented technologies. In that regard, certain patent applications in the United States may be maintained in secrecy until the patents issue, and publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature tend to lag behind actual discoveries by several months.
We also rely upon trade secrets and proprietary know-how protection for our confidential and proprietary information, and we have taken security measures to protect this information. These measures, however, may not provide adequate protection for our trade secrets, know-how, or other confidential information. Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) based software is increasingly common. Use of AI based software may lead to the inadvertent release of confidential proprietary information which may impact our ability to realize the benefit of our intellectual property.
Risks Related to Acquisitions, Including the Acquisition of GRAIL
Our acquisitions expose us to risks that could adversely affect our business, and we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of acquisitions of businesses or technologies.
As part of our strategy to develop and identify new products, services, and technologies, we have made, and may continue to make, acquisitions of technologies, products, or businesses. Acquisitions involve numerous risks and operational, financial, and managerial challenges, including the following, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations:
challenges, costs, delays, and uncertainty associated with obtaining any required regulatory approvals;
difficulties in integrating new operations, technologies, products, and personnel;
lack of synergies or the inability to realize expected synergies and cost-savings;
lengthy, expensive, and time and resource-intensive regulatory review processes, the outcomes of which can be unpredictable;
difficulties in managing geographically dispersed operations;
underperformance of any acquired technology, product, or business relative to our expectations and the price we paid;
negative near-term impacts on financial results after an acquisition, including acquisition-related earnings charges;
the potential loss of key employees, customers, and strategic partners of acquired companies;
claims by terminated employees and shareholders of acquired companies or other third parties related to the transaction;
the issuance of dilutive securities, assumption or incurrence of additional debt obligations or expenses, or use of substantial portions of our cash;
diversion of management’s attention and company resources from existing operations of the business;
inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures, and policies;
the impairment of intangible assets as a result of technological advancements, or worse-than-expected performance of acquired companies; and
assumption of, or exposure to, known or unknown contingent liabilities or liabilities that are difficult to identify or accurately quantify.
In addition, the successful integration of acquired businesses requires significant efforts and expense across all operational areas, including sales and marketing, research and development, manufacturing, finance, legal, and information technologies. There can be no assurance that any of the acquisitions we make will be successful or will be, or will remain, profitable. Our failure to successfully address the above risks may prevent us from achieving the anticipated benefits from any acquisition in a reasonable time frame, or at all.
Our acquisition of GRAIL remains subject to ongoing legal and regulatory proceedings in the United States and in the European Union. On December 17, 2023, we announced that we will divest GRAIL. Adverse decisions by the EU and/or U.S. courts, the European Commission, the FTC and/or other governmental or regulatory authorities, that have been issued in the past or may be issued in the future, and/or other adverse consequences resulting from our decision to proceed with the completion of the acquisition, have resulted in significant financial penalties, operational restrictions and increased costs, and could result in similar additional future consequences or further result in loss of revenues, implicate our existing contractual arrangements or require us to divest all or a portion of the assets or equity interests of GRAIL on terms that are materially worse than the terms on which we acquired GRAIL, any or all of which, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
As previously disclosed, on March 30, 2021, the FTC filed an administrative complaint alleging that our acquisition of GRAIL (the Acquisition) would violate Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 18. On September 1, 2022, the administrative law judge (the ALJ) ruled in favor of Illumina and found that the acquisition of GRAIL did not violate Section 7 of the Clayton Act. The FTC’s complaint counsel appealed the ALJ’s decision to the full FTC on September 2, 2022. On March 31, 2023, the FTC issued an opinion and order (the FTC Order) requiring Illumina to divest GRAIL, reversing the ALJ’s ruling. On April 5, 2023, Illumina filed a petition for review of the FTC Order in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. On April 24, 2023, the FTC granted a motion staying in its entirety the FTC Order pending resolution of Illumina’s Fifth Circuit appeal. On December 15, 2023, the Fifth Circuit issued its opinion and order, in which the court ruled that the Commission applied the incorrect standard in assessing Illumina’s open offer contract, and on that basis vacated the FTC Order and remanded the case to the Commission for reconsideration of the effects of the open offer contract under the proper standard as described in the Fifth Circuit’s decision, and in all other respects upheld the Commission’s decision.
As previously disclosed, on April 19, 2021, the European Commission accepted a request for referral of the Acquisition (the Referral) for European Union merger review under Article 22(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (the EU Merger Regulation), which had been submitted by a Member State of the European Union. On July 13, 2022, the EU General Court ruled that the European Commission has jurisdiction to review the Acquisition under the EU Merger Regulation. On September 22, 2022, we filed an appeal in the Court of Justice of the European Union asking for annulment of the EU General Court’s decision. On December 12, 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union held a hearing on the appeal.
As previously disclosed, on October 29, 2021, the European Commission adopted an order imposing interim measures (the Initial Interim Measures Order), which was renewed on October 28, 2022 (subject to (x) certain operational modifications and (y) an express prohibition on Illumina selling, transferring, encumbering or otherwise disposing of GRAIL or any of GRAIL’s assets), provided that (i) we ensure that Illumina and GRAIL will continue to operate as independent legal entities that transact at arms’ length, no integration activity will take place, the day-to-day operation of GRAIL will remain the sole responsibility of GRAIL’s management and our management will have no involvement in or influence over GRAIL, (ii) we take certain supportive measures to preserve GRAIL’s viability, marketability and competitiveness, including with respect to the provision of resources to GRAIL and the retention and/or replacement of key personnel of GRAIL, (iii) subject to limited exceptions, we implement all necessary measures to ensure that Illumina does not obtain any confidential information relating to GRAIL during the hold separate period and vice versa and (iv) we appoint an independent firm as monitoring trustee to monitor our compliance with the Initial Interim Measures Order. An independent monitoring trustee has been appointed. Such hold separate arrangement, and our obligations pursuant thereto, have imposed implementation and administrative processes and additional legal, financial advisory, regulatory and other professional services costs, which have been burdensome to implement and administer, and which we expect to continue for the duration of the hold separate arrangement (in the form of transitional measures imposed on Illumina pursuant to a decision adopted by the European Commission on October 12, 2023 (the EC Divestment Decision), which replaced the New Interim Measures Order). Such burdens and additional costs, independently or together with additional burdens, costs and/or liabilities arising from such arrangement, may result in loss of revenue and other adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, our failure to comply with the terms of the EC Divestment Decision may result in the European Commission seeking to impose fines or other penalties on us. On January 10, 2023, we filed an action with the EU General Court asking for annulment of the New Interim Measures Order. On January 20, 2023, the European Commission requested that these proceedings be stayed pending our appeal on jurisdiction.
We submitted a filing indicating that we had no objections to the European Commission’s request, and the EU General Court stayed the proceedings on February 21, 2023.
On September 6, 2022, the European Commission announced that it had completed its Phase II review of the Acquisition and adopted a final decision (the Prohibition Decision), which found that, in its view, our acquisition of GRAIL was incompatible with the internal market in Europe because it results in a significant impediment to effective competition. On November 17, 2022, we filed an action with the EU General Court asking for annulment of the Prohibition Decision. On October 12, 2023, the European Commission adopted the EC Divestment Decision requiring us to (among other things) divest GRAIL and imposing the transitional measures. On December 22, 2023, we filed an action with the EU General Court seeking an annulment of the EC Divestment Decision.
The Prohibition Decision, the EC Divestment Decision, and any order or decision by the FTC or any other governmental or regulatory authority pursuant to which Illumina is required to divest GRAIL (an FTC Divestment Decision), if implemented once final and non-appealable or during the pendency of the applicable appeals proceedings, and our obligations pursuant thereto, have imposed in the past and may impose in the future significant costs and additional liabilities on us, including significant legal, financial advisory, regulatory and other professional services fees and additional expenses, and may result in loss of revenue and other adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Such adverse effects could include divesting GRAIL on terms that are materially worse than the terms on which we acquired GRAIL. Furthermore, we may not be able to direct the timing, structure or financial terms of such divestment, which could result in negative financial or tax consequences. For example, we are unlikely to be able to, in a sale of GRAIL, effect such sale in a non-taxable transaction and so would incur significant tax liabilities attributable to the recognition of taxable gain equal to the difference between (i) the fair market value of any consideration received and (ii) our tax basis in GRAIL (which tax basis is currently estimated to be between zero and $500 million). In addition, any such divestment will likely implicate certain provisions in our third-party contracts and other agreements, including our obligations with respect to the contingent value rights (the CVRs) issued by us as part of the Acquisition. We may be unable to fully discharge our obligations with respect to the CVRs in connection with any such divestiture, and/or such divestiture may result in a change in obligor on the CVRs. Moreover, the business of GRAIL may be adversely affected by any such divestment, which could adversely affect the market value of the CVRs. The EC Divestment Decision requires us to ensure that GRAIL has access to sufficient funds to cover at least 2.5 years of operations according to its latest long-range plan.
The Initial Interim Measures Order, the New Interim Measures Order, the Prohibition Decision, and the EC Divestment Decision, or an FTC Divestment Decision or any other order or decision by any other governmental or regulatory authority, if implemented once final and non-appealable or during the pendency of the applicable appeals proceedings, have in the past and could may also in the future divert management’s attention and company resources away from existing operations and other opportunities that may have been beneficial to us, any or all of which, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. We have experienced and might continue to experience negative impacts on our stock price. We cannot predict what other adverse consequences to, among other things, our reputation, our relationships with governmental or regulatory authorities, or our ability to successfully complete future transactions, our ability to attract, retain and motivate customers, key personnel and those with whom we conduct business may result.
On July 12, 2023, the European Commission adopted a final decision finding that we breached the EU Merger Regulation by, in its view, acquiring the possibility to exert decisive influence over GRAIL and exerting such influence during the pendency of the European Commission’s review (the Article 14(2)(b) Decision). The European Commission therefore imposed a fine on us pursuant to Article 14(2)(b) of the EU Merger Regulation of approximately €432 million, representing the maximum fine of 10% of our consolidated annual revenues for fiscal year 2022. We provided guarantees in October 2023 to satisfy the obligation in lieu of cash payment while we appeal the European Commission’s jurisdictional decision and fine decision. As of December 31, 2023, we accrued $484 million, including related foreign currency losses and accrued interest, included in accrued liabilities. In addition, the European
Commission, the FTC and/or other governmental or regulatory authorities may seek to impose other fines, penalties, remedies or restrictions. We expect to continue to hold the assets or equity interests of GRAIL separate until the divestment of GRAIL is effected, which could result in additional costs or liabilities, loss of revenue and other adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, under applicable accounting rules, we may be required from time to time to perform interim analyses of the value of GRAIL. To the extent that the value of GRAIL on a standalone basis is less than its book value, we would be required to record an impairment on our consolidated financial statements. As previously disclosed, we recorded a goodwill impairment of $712 million related to our GRAIL reporting unit in the third quarter of 2023, primarily due to a decrease in our consolidated market capitalization and a higher discount rate selected for the fair value calculation of the GRAIL reporting unit.
On December 17, 2023, we announced that we will divest GRAIL. The divestiture is expected to be executed through a third-party sale or capital markets transaction in accordance with the EC Divestment Decision, with the goal of finalizing the terms of the divestiture by the end of the second quarter of 2024. There can be no assurance regarding the ultimate timing of the divestiture of GRAIL. Completion of the divestiture of GRAIL will be subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including, approval by the European Commission and the receipt of other regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance regarding the ultimate timing of the divestiture of GRAIL. Unanticipated developments could delay, prevent or otherwise adversely affect the divestiture of GRAIL, including but not limited to disruptions in general or financial market conditions or potential problems or delays in obtaining various regulatory clearances.
Furthermore, we have and may continue to become subject to stockholder inspection demands under Delaware law, investigations initiated by regulators and law firms, and derivative or other similar litigation that can be expensive, divert management attention and human and financial capital to less productive uses and result in potential reputational damage. The GRAIL acquisition and subsequent litigation resulted in (i) the announcement of an investigation by the SEC and others by law firms of possible securities law violations; (ii) stockholder inspection demands seeking to investigate possible breaches of fiduciary duties, corporate wrongdoing or a lack of independence of the members of the Board; (iii) the filing of three securities class actions in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California: Kangas v. Illumina, Inc. et al., Roy v. Illumina, Inc. et al. and Louisiana Sheriffs’ Pension & Relief Fund v. Illumina, Inc. et al; (iv) the filing of two securities class actions in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Mateo: Loren Scott Mar v. Illumina, et al. and Scott Zerzanek v. Illumina, Inc. et al.; and (v) the filing of a stockholder derivative and class action complaint captioned Icahn Partners LP, et al. v. deSouza, et al.. The Icahn Partners LP, et al. v. deSouza, et al. complaint, purportedly brought on behalf of Illumina and public holders of Illumina’s common stock, was filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery against certain current and former directors (including our former Chief Executive Officer). We are named as a nominal defendant in the complaint. The lawsuit alleges the named directors breached their fiduciary duties by knowingly causing Illumina to unlawfully close the GRAIL acquisition, concealing material facts related to the GRAIL acquisition and making inadequate disclosures. See note“8. Legal Proceedings” within the Consolidated Financial Statements section of this report for further details. In the event that any of the matters described above result in one or more adverse judgments or settlements, we may experience an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations or stock price.
We are subject to various uncertainties and restrictions while the Acquisition remains subject to ongoing regulatory and legal review and proceedings related thereto, including the EC Divestment Decision, that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
During the period in which the Acquisition remains subject to ongoing regulatory and legal review and proceedings related thereto, it is possible that customers, suppliers, commercial partners and/or other persons with whom we have a business relationship may elect to delay or defer certain business decisions or decide to seek to terminate, change or renegotiate their relationships with us because of the Acquisition or the various uncertainties related to the ongoing review of the Acquisition, other legal and regulatory proceedings, and/or the hold separate arrangement required by the EC Divestment Decision, which could significantly reduce the expected benefits of the Acquisition and/or negatively affect our revenues, earnings and cash flows, and the market price of our common stock, regardless of the ultimate outcome of such review and proceedings. Uncertainty about the effects of the Acquisition (and about the related regulatory and judicial review process) on employees may impair our ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel while the Acquisition remains subject to ongoing regulatory and legal review and proceedings, and for a period of time thereafter. If key employees depart because of these or other issues, we and GRAIL may have to incur additional and significant costs in identifying, hiring and retaining replacements for departing employees and may lose significant expertise and talent. Matters relating to the Acquisition (including the regulatory and legal review and proceedings related thereto and the hold separate arrangement required by the EC Divestment Decision) require substantial commitments of time and resources by Illumina management and personnel and will continue in the future, which otherwise would have been devoted to day-to-day operations and other opportunities that may have been beneficial to us. We will also incur significant costs related to the ongoing review and proceedings related to the Acquisition (including to comply with the hold separate obligations required by the EC Divestment Decision). These costs are substantial and include financial advisory, legal, monitoring trustee, and accounting costs.
The market price of our common stock may decline as a result of the Acquisition and the final outcomes of the regulatory and judicial reviews thereof.
The market price of our common stock may decline as a result of the Acquisition and the final outcomes of the regulatory and judicial reviews thereof, and holders of our common stock could see a decrease in the value of their investment in our common stock, if, among other things, we are unable to achieve the expected growth in earnings, or if the anticipated benefits, including synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies, from the Acquisition are not realized, or if the Acquisition and integration-related costs related to the Acquisition are greater than expected, or if, as a result of unfavorable outcomes of regulatory and judicial proceedings, we are subject to fines, penalties, restrictions or remedies, including divestiture remedies. The market price of our common stock may also decline if we do not achieve the anticipated benefits of the Acquisition as rapidly or to the extent expected by financial or industry analysts or if the effects of the Acquisition on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows are not otherwise consistent with the expectations of financial or industry analysts. In addition, some former GRAIL stockholders may decide not to continue to hold the shares of our common stock they receive as a result of the Acquisition, and any such sales of our common stock could have the effect of depressing their market price. Moreover, general fluctuations in stock markets could have a material adverse effect on the market for, or liquidity of, our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.
Risks Relating to Our Strategic Collaborations
If we fail to maintain and successfully manage our strategic collaborations, our future results may be adversely impacted.
Strategic collaborations require significant management attention and operational resources. If we are unable to successfully manage or meet milestones related to our strategic collaborations, or if our partners do not perform as we expect, our future results may be adversely impacted. Furthermore, dependence on collaborative arrangements may also subject us to other risks, including:
we may be required to relinquish important rights, including intellectual property, marketing and distribution rights;
we may disagree with our partners as to rights to intellectual property, the direction of research programs, or commercialization activities;
our revenues may be lower than if we were to develop and commercialize such products ourselves;
a collaboration partner could develop and market a product that is competitive with either products developed under the collaboration or other of our products, either independently or in collaboration with others, including our competitors;
our partners could become unable or less willing to expend their resources in support of our collaboration;
collaborations could expose us to additional regulatory risks; and
we may be unsuccessful at managing multiple simultaneous collaborations.
Moreover, disagreements with a partner or former partner could develop, and any conflict with a partner or former partner could reduce our ability to enter into future collaboration agreements and negatively impact our relationships with one or more existing partners.
Risks Relating to Litigation
Litigation, other proceedings, or third-party claims of intellectual property infringement could require us to spend significant time and money and could prevent us from selling our products or services.
Our success depends in part on our non-infringement of the patents or proprietary rights of third parties. Third parties have asserted and may in the future assert that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization. As we enter new markets or introduce new products, we expect that competitors will likely claim that our products infringe their intellectual property rights as part of a business strategy to impede our successful competition. In addition, third parties may have obtained and may in the future obtain patents allowing them to claim that the use of our technologies infringes these patents. We could incur substantial costs and divert the attention of our management and technical personnel in defending ourselves against any of these claims. Any adverse ruling or perception of an adverse ruling in defending ourselves against these claims could have an adverse impact on our stock price, which may be disproportionate to the actual impact of the ruling itself. Furthermore, parties making claims against us may be able to obtain injunctive or other relief, which effectively could block our ability to develop further, commercialize, or sell products or services, and could result in the award of substantial damages against us. In the event of a successful infringement claim against us, we may be required to pay damages and obtain one or more licenses from third parties or be prohibited from selling certain products or services. In addition, we may be unable to obtain these licenses at a reasonable cost, if at all. We could therefore incur substantial costs related to royalty payments for licenses obtained from third parties, which could negatively affect our gross margins and earnings per share. In addition, we could encounter delays in product introductions while we attempt to develop alternative methods or products. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any of these licenses on favorable terms could prevent us from commercializing products, and the prohibition of sale of any of our products or services could adversely affect our ability to grow or maintain profitability.
If product or service liability lawsuits are successfully brought against us, we may face reduced demand for our products and incur significant liabilities.
Our products and services are used for sensitive applications, and we face an inherent risk of exposure to product or service liability claims if our products or services are alleged to have caused harm, resulted in false negatives or false positives, or do not perform in accordance with specifications. Product liability claims filed against us or against third parties to whom we may have an obligation could be costly and time-consuming to defend and result in substantial damages or reputational risk. We cannot be certain that we would be able to successfully defend any product or service liability lawsuit brought against us. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product or service liability claims may result in: decreased demand for our products; injury to our reputation; increased product liability insurance costs; costs of related litigation; and substantial monetary awards to plaintiffs.
Although we carry product and service liability insurance, if we become the subject of a successful product or service liability lawsuit, our insurance may not cover all substantial liabilities, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Risks Relating to Government Regulation
Our products, if used for the diagnosis of disease, could be subject to government regulation, and the regulatory approval and maintenance process for such products may be expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain both in timing and in outcome.
Our products are not subject to FDA clearance or approval if they are not intended to be used for the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease. However, as we expand our product line to encompass products that are intended to be used for the diagnosis of disease, such as our FDA-regulated MiSeqDx, certain of our products will become subject to regulation by the FDA, or comparable international agencies, including requirements for regulatory clearance or approval of such products before they can be marketed. Such regulatory approval processes or clearances may be expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain, and our failure to obtain or comply with such approvals and clearances could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results. In addition, changes to the current regulatory framework, including the imposition of additional or new regulations, could arise at any time during the development or marketing of our products, which may negatively affect our ability to obtain or maintain FDA or comparable regulatory approval of our products, if required.
Diagnostic products are regulated as medical devices by the FDA and comparable international agencies and may require either clearance from the FDA following the 510(k) pre-market notification process or pre-market approval from the FDA, in each case prior to marketing. Obtaining the requisite regulatory approvals can be expensive and may involve considerable delay. If we fail to obtain, or experience significant delays in obtaining, regulatory approvals for diagnostic products that we develop, we may not be able to launch or successfully commercialize such products in a timely manner, or at all.
In addition, if our products labeled as “For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures,” or RUO, are used, or could be used, for the diagnosis of disease, the regulatory requirements related to marketing, selling, and supporting such products could change or be uncertain, even if such use by our customers is without our consent. If the FDA or other regulatory authorities assert that any of our RUO products are subject to regulatory clearance or approval, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected.
If the FDA requires in the future that any of our LDT products be subject to regulatory clearance or approval, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected.
Certain of our diagnostic products are currently available through laboratories that are certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments (CLIA) of 1988. These products are commonly called “laboratory developed tests,” or LDTs. For a number of years, the FDA has exercised its regulatory enforcement discretion not to regulate LDTs as medical devices if created and used within a single laboratory. However, the FDA has been reconsidering its enforcement discretion policy and has commented that regulation of LDTs may be warranted because of the growth in the volume and complexity of testing services utilizing LDTs. We cannot predict the nature or extent of the FDA's final guidance or regulation of LDTs, in general, or with respect to our LDTs, in particular. If the FDA requires in the future that LDT products are subject to regulatory clearance or approval, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected.
Risks Relating to Information Technology Security and Continuity
Despite using commercially reasonable measures to secure our systems, networks, and products, security breaches, including with respect to cybersecurity, and other disruptions could compromise our information, products, and services, disrupt our or our customers’ operations, and expose us to liability, which could cause our business and reputation to suffer.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information (and that of our customers), and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees and store it in our data centers and on our networks. Our customers also collect sensitive data and information using our products. The secure maintenance of information is important to our operations and business strategy. Despite our information systems security measures and the security measures built into our products, our information technology infrastructure and our products may in the future be, and have in the past been, impacted by cyber-attacks, employee error, malfeasance, or other disruptions due to the inherent features of Internet and technical limitations.
We and users of our products may face cyber-attacks, including from nation state actors or advanced persistent threats who attempt to penetrate our or our customers’ network security, including our data centers; sabotage or otherwise disable our research, products, and services, including instruments at our customers’ sites; misappropriate our or our customers' and partners' proprietary information, which may include personally identifiable information; or cause interruptions of our or our customers’ internal operations, systems and services, including through ransomware attacks. Any such breach could compromise our or our customers’ networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, or exfiltrated. Any such access, disruption, disclosure, or other loss of information could result in an adverse impact on our or our customers’ business, legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and damage to our reputation.
Disruption of critical information technology systems could have an adverse effect on our operations, business, customer relations, and financial condition.
Our success depends, in part, on the continued and uninterrupted performance of our IT systems, which are used extensively in virtually all aspects of our business. IT systems may be vulnerable to damage from a variety of sources, including telecommunications or network failures, power loss, natural disasters, human acts, terrorist attacks, computer viruses, computer denial-of-service attacks, ransomware attacks, unauthorized access to customer or employee data or company trade secrets, and other attempts to harm our systems. Certain of our systems are not redundant, and our disaster recovery planning is not sufficient for every eventuality. Further, the emerging development of artificial intelligence could create unforeseen, more sophisticated attacks. Despite any precautions we may take, such problems could result in, among other consequences, disruption of our operations, which could harm our reputation and financial results.
As we continuously adjust our workflow and business practices and add additional functionality to our enterprise software, problems could arise that we have not foreseen, including interruptions in service, loss of data, inaccurate data, or reduced functionality. Such problems could adversely impact our ability to run our business in a timely manner.
General Risk Factors
Doing business internationally, especially in emerging markets, creates operational risk for our business.
Conducting and launching operations on an international scale requires close coordination of activities across multiple jurisdictions and consumes significant management resources. If we fail to coordinate and manage these activities effectively, including the risks noted below, our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected. We have sales offices located internationally throughout Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Brazil, as well as manufacturing and research facilities in Singapore and the United Kingdom. Shipments to customers outside the United States comprised 48%, 50%, and 52% of our total revenue in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
We are subject to the following risks and challenges associated with conducting business globally, particularly in emerging international markets, where we expect a growing proportion of our business to be located:
longer payment cycles and difficulties in collecting accounts receivable outside of the United States;
longer sales cycles due to the volume of transactions taking place through public tenders;
challenges in staffing and managing foreign operations;
tariffs and other trade barriers;
lack of consistency, and unexpected changes, in legislative or regulatory requirements of foreign countries into which we sell our products;
increased risk of governmental and regulatory scrutiny and investigations;
the burden of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws, regulations, and legal standards;
operating in locations with a higher incidence of corruption and fraudulent business practices;
import and export requirements, tariffs, taxes, and other trade barriers;
weak or no protection of intellectual property rights;
possible enactment of laws regarding the management of and access to data and public networks and websites;
potential negative impact of a global health crisis, such as the outbreak of a serious infectious disease, to our commercial or manufacturing operations, including the loss of productivity from our own workforce and consequences of any restrictions on the movement of people or materials;
possible future limitations on foreign-owned businesses;
significant taxes; and
general geopolitical risks beyond our control, including political, social and economic instability, changes in diplomatic and trade relations, and security concerns in general.
Additionally, we must comply with complex foreign and U.S. laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, and other local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to governmental officials, anti-competition regulations and sanctions imposed by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control and other similar laws and regulations. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines and penalties, criminal sanctions, restrictions on our business conduct and on our ability to offer our products in one or more countries, and could also materially affect our brand, our ability to attract and retain employees, our international operations, our business and our operating results. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with these laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, or agents will not violate our policies.
As we continue to expand our business into multiple international markets, our success will depend, in large part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks associated with our international operations. Any of these risks could harm our international operations and negatively impact our sales, adversely affecting our business, results of operations, financial condition and growth prospects.
The armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the international sanctions imposed on Russia, and the restrictions imposed on exports to Russia will likely continue to negatively affect our business. Armed conflict in the Middle East or elsewhere could also negatively impact us.
As a result of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, doing business in the Ukraine may not be practicable. In addition, the U.S. and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, including its major financial institutions and certain other businesses and individuals, as well as restrictions on exports to Russia. These sanctions and export restrictions have increased in magnitude over time. Russia has responded in kind, and the continuation of the conflict may result in additional sanctions and export restrictions being enacted by the U.S. or other countries. The impact of these sanctions and export restrictions, along with the spillover effect of ongoing civil, political and economic disturbances on surrounding areas, has affected our ability to ship products into the region, and has reduced our sales. Sanctions or export restrictions currently prohibit our ability to collect or pay liabilities owed by or to certain Russian entities or to supply products and services, directly or indirectly, into Russia. The impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and armed conflict in the Middle East or elsewhere on general economic conditions is currently unknown and could in the future have a negative effect on our results of operations, cash flows, financial condition or growth prospects.
We are exposed to risks associated with transactions denominated in foreign currency.
During 2023, more than half of our international sales were denominated in foreign currencies while the majority of our purchases of raw materials were denominated in U.S. dollars. Changes in the value of the relevant currencies may affect the cost of certain items required in our operations. Changes in currency exchange rates may also affect the relative prices at which we are able to sell products in the same market. Our revenues from international customers may be negatively impacted as increases in the U.S. dollar relative to our international customers local currency could make our products more expensive, impacting our ability to compete. Our costs of materials from international suppliers may increase if, in order to continue doing business with us, they raise their prices as the value of the U.S. dollar decreases relative to their local currency. Foreign policies and actions regarding currency valuation could result in actions by the United States and other countries to offset the effects of such fluctuations. Recent global financial conditions have led to a high level of volatility in foreign currency exchange rates and that level of volatility may continue, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We are subject to risks related to taxation in multiple jurisdictions.
We are subject to income taxes in both the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgments based on interpretations of existing tax laws or regulations are required in determining the provision for income taxes. Our effective income tax rate could be adversely affected by various factors, including, but not limited to, changes in the mix of earnings in tax jurisdictions with different statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in existing tax policies, laws, regulations, or rates (including the implementation of global minimum tax rates in certain jurisdictions), changes in the level of non-deductible expenses (including share-based compensation), location of operations, changes in our future levels of research and development spending, mergers and acquisitions, or the result of examinations by various tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, if the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or other taxing authority disagrees with the positions taken on our tax returns, we could have additional tax liability, including interest and penalties. If material, payment of such additional amounts upon final adjudication of any disputes could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position.
Our operating results may vary significantly from period to period.
Our revenue is subject to fluctuations due to the timing of sales of high-value products and services, the effects of new product launches and related promotions, the timing and availability of our customers’ funding, the impact of seasonal spending patterns, the timing and size of research projects our customers perform, changes in overall spending levels in the life sciences industry, and other unpredictable factors that may affect customer ordering patterns. In particular, collaboration agreements and large-scale government funded projects such as population genomic projects are the result of lengthy and complex negotiations, and the timing of revenue recognition in connection with these agreements and projects may be subject to significant uncertainty because of the long-term nature of development and collaboration projects, as well as sample availability for population genomics projects.
Given the difficulty in predicting the timing and magnitude of sales for our products and services, we may experience quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in revenue resulting in the potential for a sequential decline in quarterly revenue. As a substantial portion of our quarterly revenue is typically recognized in the last month of the quarter with a concentration of orders in the final weeks, our manufacturing and shipping operations may experience increased pressure and demand during the time period shortly before the end of a fiscal quarter; delays related to our manufacturing and shipping operations during this time period could delay the recognition of revenue.
From time to time, we receive large orders that have a significant effect on our operating results in the period in which the order is recognized as revenue. The timing of such orders is difficult to predict, and the timing of revenue recognition from such orders may affect period-to-period changes in net sales. As a result, our operating results could vary materially from quarter-to-quarter based on the receipt of such orders and their ultimate recognition as revenue.
Adverse economic or market conditions may harm our business.
Worsening economic conditions, including inflation, increasing interest rates, decreasing economic activity, volatility in equity and credit markets or other changes in the economic environment, may adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations. For example, we depend on third-party manufacturers and suppliers for some of our products, or sub-assemblies, components, and materials used in our products, and the suppliers of these inputs may seek to raise prices in the current inflationary economic environment. If our costs increase and we are unable to successfully pass along those increased costs to our customers, our revenue and or operating profitability may be adversely affected. In addition, we have a variable-interest-rate credit facility (see note “5. Debt and Other Commitments”), under which we have no currently outstanding debt, and we may in the future raise additional debt or refinance existing debt. Our cost of borrowing in the future may be higher than it has been to date because interest rates have risen and may continue to increase. An increased cost of borrowing may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.