Xtant Medical Holdings Inc

Overview

Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc. is a global medical technology company focused on the design, development, and commercialization of a comprehensive portfolio of orthobiologics and spinal implant fixation systems to facilitate spinal fusion in complex spine, deformity, and degenerative procedures. Our products are used by orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons to treat a variety of spinal disorders in the cervical, thoracolumbar, and interbody spine.

We promote and sell our products in the United States through independent distributors and stocking agents, supported by direct employees. We have an extensive distribution channel of commissioned independent agents and stocking agents in the United States representing some or all of our products. We also maintain a national accounts program to enable our agents to gain access to independent health delivery network hospitals and through group purchasing organizations (“GPOs”). We have biologics contracts with major GPOs, as well as extensive access to integrated delivery networks (“IDNs”) across the United States for both our biologics and spine hardware products. We promote and sell our products internationally through direct sales representatives and distribution partners in Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, Australia, and certain Pacific region countries.

We have focused and intend to continue to focus primarily on four key growth initiatives: (1) introduce new products; (2) expand our distribution network; (3) penetrate adjacent markets; and (4) leverage our growth platform with technology and strategic acquisitions. While the intent of these four key growth initiatives is to increase our future revenues, no assurance can be provided that we will be successful in implementing these growth initiatives or increasing our future revenues.

Recent Acquisitions

Coflex and CoFix Product Lines

On February 28, 2023, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Surgalign SPV, Inc. (“Surgalign SPV”), a then indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Surgalign Holdings, Inc. (“Surgalign Holdings”), which held certain intellectual property, contractual rights and other assets related to the design, manufacture, sale and distribution of the Coflex and CoFix products in the United States, for an aggregate purchase price of $17.0 million in cash. The Coflex and CoFix products have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) for the treatment of moderate to severe lumbar spinal stenosis in conjunction with decompression and provide minimally invasive, motion preserving stabilization.

Surgalign Holdings’ Hardware and Biologics Business

On August 10, 2023, we completed the acquisition of certain assets of Surgalign Holdings and its subsidiaries on an as-is, where-is basis, including specified inventory, intellectual property and intellectual property rights, contracts, equipment and other personal property, records, all outstanding equity securities of Surgalign Holdings’ international subsidiaries, and intangibles related to the business of designing, developing and manufacturing hardware medical technology and distributing biologics medical technology, as conducted by Surgalign Holdings and its subsidiaries, and certain specified liabilities of Surgalign Holdings and its subsidiaries pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement, dated June 18, 2023, between Surgalign Holdings and us (as amended, the “Surgalign Asset Purchase Agreement”). Pursuant to the Surgalign Asset Purchase Agreement, we were able to acquire Surgalign Holdings’ broad portfolio of spinal hardware implants, including solutions for fusion procedures in the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine, and motion preservation solutions for the lumbar spine. Additionally, we were able to acquire Surgalign Holdings’ biomaterials portfolio of advanced and traditional orthobiologics. These offerings complement our portfolio of orthobiologics and spinal implant fixation systems. This transaction was conducted through a process supervised by the United States Bankruptcy Court in connection with Surgalign Holdings’ bankruptcy proceedings. We funded the purchase price of $5 million with cash on hand.

RTI Surgical, Inc.’s nanOss Production Operations

On October 23, 2023, we acquired the nanOss production operations owned by RTI Surgical, Inc. (“RTI”) pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement dated October 23, 2023 between us and RTI (the “RTI Asset Purchase Agreement”). Under the terms of the RTI Asset Purchase Agreement, we acquired certain assets, including equipment and inventory, used in RTI’s synthetic bone graft business and assumed from RTI the lease for the nanOss production facility located in Greenville, North Carolina. The purchase price for the assets was $2 million in cash plus a low single digit royalty on sales prior to October 23, 2028 of next generation nanOss products. We previously acquired the nanOss distribution rights and nanOss intellectual property with the acquisition of assets related to the biologics and spinal fixation business of Surgalign Holdings, as described above.

Industry and Market Overview

The orthopedic biomaterials market consists of materials that are organic, inorganic or synthetic in nature. These materials are implanted or applied in or near the indicated bone to aid in healing, encourage bone tissue augmentation, compensate in areas where bone tissue is depleted, and restore structure to allow for repair. These materials are often used as substitutes to autograft materials, which are taken from a harvest site in the patient to patch or repair the wounded or unhealthy site.

Fixation is often instrumental in allowing the body to heal and regenerate tissue. Fixation provides the constructive support necessary for reestablishing stability, by immobilizing the regenerative site, and relieving stress. Fixation also can help hold the biomaterial in place in order to achieve a better outcome. Examples of fixation products can include, but are not limited to, plates, screws, pins, rods, spacers, and staples. Fixation products may be made from various metals and polymer materials.

Conversely, motion preservation devices are designed predominantly to stabilize the spine and allow for motion of the segments. Spine implants can be surgically applied via traditional open surgery or via minimally invasive surgery. We provide devices in both the fixation and motion preservation categories of the spine implant market and via both surgical methodologies.

Our Orthobiologics Products

Our biomaterial products include OsteoSponge, OsteoSponge SC, OsteoSelect DBM putty, OsteoSelect Plus DBM putty, OsteoWrap, and our line of 3Demin products, as described below, as well as other allografts:

We also process and distribute (i) sports allografts which are processed specifically for anterior and posterior cruciate ligament repairs, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and meniscal repair, (ii) milled spinal allografts which are comprised of cortical bone milled to desired shapes and dimensions, and (iii) traditional allografts for multi-disciplinary applications including orthopedics, neurology, podiatry, oral/maxillofacial, genitourinary and plastic/reconstructive.

Our Spinal Implant Products

We offer a comprehensive line of products that are used to treat a variety of spinal and sacroiliac conditions, including trauma, degeneration, deformity and tumor, including use of minimally invasive surgery techniques. Some of our key spinal implant product lines include:

Cervical Products

Thoracolumbar Products

Sacroiliac Joint Products

Interbody Products

Interlaminar Stabilization Products

Future Products

In the near term, we plan to introduce a synthetic putty for bone graft applications; the BMAC System, a cell concentration system; and Cortera, a rod pedical screw system that has both open and minimally invasive modules. We are also in the process of developing other new products, including OsteoSelect Fiber Putty, a fiber-based putty; the OsteoSelect MIS gun, a bone graft delivery system; 3Demin Fiber Plus, an enhanced loose fiber formulation; and various growth factor strips and shapes.

Sales and Marketing

We distribute our products in the United States through an extensive distribution network of commissioned independent sales agents and stocking agents. As a result of our recent acquisitions, we have expanded our network in 2023. As of December 31, 2023, we had over 650 independent sales agents and stocking agents. We also maintain a national accounts program to enable our agents to gain access to IDN hospitals and through GPOs. We have biologics contracts with major GPOs, including Vizient, Premier, and HealthTrust Purchasing Group, as well as extensive access to IDNs across the United States for both biologics and spine hardware systems.

Our international footprint includes direct sales representatives and distribution partners in Canada, Mexico, South America, Australia, and certain Pacific region countries. Additionally, as a result of our recent acquisitions, we gained distribution partners in the European Union in 2023. Our European Union business is based in Wurmlingen, Germany. With our presence in the region, we can rely on the large local network of spine manufacturers and the wider “Medical Valley Community” of spine and medical device experts and talent. Our international warehousing and logistics have been outsourced to a qualified third-party logistics provider based in the Netherlands that has scalable biomaterials and hardware capabilities and operations.

Donor Procurement

Xtant’s mission with respect to donor procurement is: “Honoring the gift of donation, by helping our patients live as full, and complete a life as possible.”

In furtherance of our mission, we have agreements with multiple recovery agencies, and we continue to explore options to expand our network for access to donor tissue in anticipation of increased demand for our biologics products. We expect to be able to continue to build our network for donor tissue as our processing capabilities and sales increase.

Competition

There are various public and private organizations that offer both fixation and orthobiologics to their customers. Our primary competitors include Medtronic plc, Johnson and Johnson, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., Stryker Corporation, Nuvasive, Inc., Bioventus Inc., Globus Medical, Inc., SeaSpine Holdings Corporation, OrthoFix Medical Inc., Alphatec Holdings, Inc., ZimVie Inc., SI-Bone Inc., as well as dozens of privately-owned companies. We also compete with tissue banks that do not offer spinal fixation products, such as AlloSource International, Inc., LifeNet Health, and MTF Biologics.

Intellectual Property

We rely upon patents, trademarks, trade secrets and other proprietary rights to maintain and improve our competitive position. We review third-party proprietary rights, including patents and patent applications, as available, to develop an effective intellectual property strategy, avoid infringement of third-party proprietary rights, identify licensing opportunities and monitor the intellectual property owned by others.

We protect our proprietary rights through a variety of methods. As a condition of employment, we generally require employees to execute an agreement relating to the confidential nature of and company ownership of proprietary information and assigning intellectual property rights to us. We generally require confidentiality agreements with vendors, consultants, and others who may have access to proprietary information. We generally limit access to our facilities and review the release of company information in advance of public disclosure. There can be no assurances, however, that confidentiality agreements with employees, vendors, and consultants will not be breached, adequate remedies for any breach would be available, or competitors will not discover or independently develop our trade secrets. Litigation also may be necessary to protect trade secrets or techniques we own.

Patents

Although we believe that, in the aggregate, our patents are valuable, and patent protection is beneficial to our business and competitive positioning, our patent protection will not necessarily deter or prevent competitors from attempting to develop similar products. There can be no assurances that our patents will provide competitive advantages for our products or that competitors will not challenge or circumvent these rights. In addition, there can be no assurances that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) or foreign patent offices will issue any of our pending patent applications. The USPTO and foreign patent offices may deny or require a significant narrowing of the claims in our pending patent applications and the patents issuing from such applications. Any patents issuing from the pending patent applications may not provide us with significant commercial protection. We could incur substantial costs in proceedings before the USPTO or foreign patent offices, including opposition and other post-grant proceedings. These proceedings could result in adverse decisions as to the patentability, priority of our inventions, and the narrowing or invalidation of claims in issued patents. Additionally, the laws of some of the countries in which our products are or may be sold may not protect our intellectual property to the same extent as the laws in the United States or at all.

Our policy is to file patent applications in the United States and other countries when we believe it is commercially advantageous to do so. We do not consider our business to be materially dependent upon any individual patent. As of December 31, 2023, our biologics patent portfolio included 50 issued patents, 26 of which are issued U.S. patents, and 3 pending U.S. patent applications. Our fixation portfolio is patent protected globally and includes 260 issued patents, 180 of which are issued U.S. patents, and 16 pending patent applications, 7 of which are U.S. patent applications. We expect that additional patent applications will be filed and prosecuted as inventions are discovered, technological improvements and processes are developed, and specific applications are identified. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain final approval of any patents.

Trademarks

We have registered, and continue to seek registration, of trademarks and continuously monitor and aggressively pursue users of names and marks that potentially infringe upon our registered trademarks. We currently own the following registered trademarks: OsteoSponge®, OsteoVive®, OsteoWrap®, OsteoLock®, BacFast®, OsteoSelect®, Elutia®, OsteoSTX®, hMatrix®, 3Demin®, BACTERINSE®, Circle of Life®, Coflex®, CoFix TM, ASPECT®, BACJAC®, BACFUSE®, BIGFOOT®, CLARITY®, CONTACT®, CROSS-FUSE®, LAT-FUSE®, LOCKED AND LOADED®, NANOSS®, NUNEC®, PAC PLATE®, QUANTUM®, RELEASE®, SLIMFUSE®, STREAMLINE®, X-LINK®, ELEMAX®, UNISON®, FORTILINK®, TETRAFUSE®, CERVALIGN®, NANOSS 3D®, DCI®, DSS®, HPS®, OPTISTRAIN®, PARADIGM SPINE®, the Paradigm Spine design logo, THE MOVEMENT IN SPINE CARE®, DUALITY®, TIPLUS®, FIBREX®, MAXFUSE®, BIOMAX®, and CORTERA®. Under the X-spine name, we own the following registered trademarks: SILEX®, X-SPINE®, IRIX®, CAPLESS®, CERTEX®, CALIX®, H-GRAFT®, SPIDER, X90®, HYDRAGRAFT®, BUTREX®, FORTEX®, AXLE®, FIXCET®, XTANT®, Capless® and X-spine’s square design logo.

Trade Secrets and Other Proprietary Rights

To safeguard our proprietary knowledge and technology, we rely upon trade secret protection and non-disclosure/confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants and third-party collaboration partners with access to our confidential information. Although we believe our proprietary technology has value, because of rapid technological changes in the medical industry, we also believe that proprietary protection is of less significance than factors such as the intrinsic knowledge and experience of our management, advisory board, consultants and personnel and their ability to identify unmet market needs and to create, invent, develop and market innovative and differentiated products.

Government Regulation

We are registered with the FDA as a manufacturer of human cellular and tissue products (“HCT/Ps”) as well as medical devices, and we are an accredited member in good standing of the American Association of Tissue Banks (“AATB”). We meet all licensing requirements for the distribution of HCT/Ps in states with licensing requirements, including Florida, California, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Oregon, and New York. Our industry is highly regulated, and we cannot predict the impact of future regulations on either us or our customers.

Our fixation products and instrumentation systems are regulated as medical devices and therefore are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA, as well as by other domestic and international regulatory bodies. These regulations govern multiple activities that Xtant and our suppliers, licensors and partners perform and will continue to perform. These regulated activities include product design and development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, storage, safety, premarket clearance, advertising and promotion, product marketing, sales and distribution, post-market surveillance and post-market adverse event reporting. All products currently marketed by Xtant are regulated as HCT/Ps and/or have received 510(k) clearances.

Human Tissue

Human tissue product regulations are designed to ensure that sound, high quality practices are followed to prevent the introduction, transmission or spread of communicable disease. Among other things, the regulations require that companies that recover, process, store, label, package or distribute HCT/Ps register with the FDA. In addition, regulations provide criteria that must be met for donors to be eligible to donate tissues and is referred to as the “Donor Eligibility” rule. Regulations also govern the processing and distribution of the tissues and are often referred to as the “Current Good Tissue Practices” (“cGTP”) regulations.

An HCT/P is regulated solely under section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (“PHSA”) and 21 CFR Part 1271 if it meets the following four criteria:

1. The HCT/P is minimally manipulated;

2. The HCT/P is intended for homologous use only;

3. The manufacture of the HCT/P does not involve the combination of the cells or tissues with another article (with limited exceptions); and

4. The HCT/P does not have a systemic effect and is not dependent upon the metabolic activity of living cells for its primary function; or the HCT/P has a systemic effect or is dependent upon the metabolic activity of living cells for its primary function and: is for autologous use; is for allogeneic use in a first-degree or second-degree blood relative; or is for reproductive use.

Several of our products, including OsteoSponge and OsteoWrap, are regulated as HCT/Ps and are therefore subject to the following regulatory requirements under section 361 of the PHSA and 21 CFR Part 1271:

Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements can result in enforcement action by the FDA, which may include sanctions such as warning or untitled letters, injunctions, or other action.

There are many HCT/P products that must undergo regulatory review and licensure by the FDA. The approval process for a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) includes a rigorous review of the safety and efficacy of the biological product. Successful applications typically require testing and validation through a series of clinical and non-clinical studies taking place over multiple years of product development. We refer to all of our HCT/P products as biologics.

Medical Devices

The Center for Devices and Radiological Health regulates the clearance and approval of conventional medical devices, such as our spinal hardware, as well as some of the HCT/Ps that are also regulated as medical devices, such as our OsteoSelect DBM putty. In the United States, medical devices are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and its implementing regulations, and certain other federal and state statutes and regulations. The laws and regulations govern, among other things, the design, manufacture, storage, recordkeeping, approval, labeling, promotion, post-approval monitoring and reporting, distribution and import and export of medical devices. Failure to comply with applicable requirements may subject a device and/or its manufacturer to a variety of administrative sanctions, such as FDA refusal to approve pending PMAs, issuance of warning letters, mandatory product recalls, import detentions, civil monetary penalties, and/or judicial sanctions, such as product seizures, injunctions, and criminal prosecution.

Under the FDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes based on the risk associated with the device and the level of control necessary to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Class I devices are deemed to be low risk and are subject to the fewest regulatory controls. Class III devices are generally the highest risk devices and are subject to the highest level of regulatory control to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Class III devices must typically be approved by the FDA before they are marketed.

Most Class I devices and a minority of Class II devices are completely exempt from premarket review by the FDA. Most Class II devices and a minority of Class I devices require 510(k) clearance. Devices that pose the highest risk, including life sustaining, life-supporting or implantable devices, or devices deemed not substantially equivalent to a previously 510(k)-cleared device or a “pre-amendment” Class III device in commercial distribution before May 28, 1976 for which PMA applications are not required, are placed in Class III requiring PMA approval. A novel device is placed in Class III by default, but it may be eligible to be placed in Class I or Class II via “de novo” classification if it can be shown to pose only low to moderate risk with appropriate regulatory controls.

The PMA approval pathway requires proof of the safety and effectiveness of the device to the FDA’s satisfaction. The 510(k) clearance pathway is much less burdensome and time-consuming than the PMA approval pathway. The de novo pathway has an enhanced burden compared to the 510(k) clearance pathway, but is much less burdensome than a PMA approval process.

Under the 510(k) clearance pathway, the applicant must submit to the FDA a premarket notification demonstrating that the medical device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed predicate device. A predicate device may be a previously 510(k) cleared device, Class II de novo device, or a pre-amendment device (unless the FDA has issued a regulation calling for PMA applications for this device type). To be substantially equivalent, the proposed device must have the same intended use as the predicate device, and either have the same technological characteristics as the predicate device or have different technological characteristics and be shown to be equally safe and effective and not raise different questions of safety and effectiveness than the predicate device.

After the FDA accepts the 510(k) premarket notification, it begins a substantive review. By statute, the FDA is required to complete its review within 90 days of receiving the 510(k) notification. As a practical matter, clearance often takes longer, typically ranging from three to nine months or more, and clearance is never assured. The FDA’s 510(k) review generally compares a proposed device to a predicate device with respect to intended use and technology. The information necessary to show substantial equivalence will depend on the differences between the proposed device and the predicate device, which may include bench, animal, and/or clinical studies. The discussion of what data is needed is sometimes conducted in a voluntary process called the pre-submission process whereby companies meet with the FDA to discuss the data needed for clearance.

If the FDA finds the applicant’s device is substantially equivalent to the predicate device, it will send a letter to the applicant stating that fact. This allows the applicant’s device to be commercially distributed in the United States. Otherwise, the applicant must fulfill the much more rigorous premarketing requirements of the PMA approval process or seek reclassification of the device through the de novo process.

After a device receives 510(k) clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, requires a new 510(k) clearance or could require reclassification through the de novo process or a PMA approval. The FDA requires each manufacturer to make this determination in the first instance, but the FDA can review any such decision. If the FDA disagrees with a manufacturer’s decision not to seek a new 510(k) clearance, the agency may require the manufacturer to seek 510(k) clearance, de novo classification, or PMA approval. The FDA can also require a manufacturer to cease marketing and/or recall the modified device until 510(k) clearance, de novo classification, or PMA approval is obtained.

Another procedure for obtaining marketing authorization for a medical device is the “de novo classification” procedure. Devices of a new type that the FDA has not previously classified based on risk are automatically classified into Class III, regardless of the level of risk they pose. Additionally, in response to a 510(k) premarket notification, if the FDA determines that the device is “not substantially equivalent” to a previously cleared device, the device is automatically designated as a Class III device. The device sponsor must then fulfill more rigorous PMA requirements or can request a risk-based classification determination for the device in accordance with the de novo process, which is a route to market for novel medical devices that are low to moderate risk and are not substantially equivalent to a predicate device.

The advantage of the de novo classification is that it generally requires less data than a PMA. The disadvantage is that it may require more data than a 510(k) and most often will include human clinical data. A request for de novo classification also has a longer review time. If the de novo application is denied, the device remains in Class III and PMA approval may be required before the device may be legally marketed in the United States. The FDA is increasingly moving devices with slightly different proposed indication statements or different technological features off the 510(k) path and onto the de novo path, resulting in more time and expense for the company.

A device not eligible for 510(k) clearance or de novo classification must follow the PMA approval pathway, which requires proof of the safety and effectiveness of the device to the FDA’s satisfaction. The cost of preparing and submitting a PMA is substantial and a PMA application must provide extensive preclinical and clinical trial data and also detailed information about the device and its components regarding, among other things, device design, manufacturing and labeling. Under federal law, the submission of most PMAs is additionally subject to a substantial annually adjusted application user fee. Satisfaction of FDA PMA requirements typically takes years, and the actual time required may vary substantially based upon the type, complexity, and novelty of the device or disease. In the future, Xtant may decide to strategically commercialize products in the United States that would require a PMA, but there are no plans to do so at the present time.

After a medical device enters commercial distribution, numerous regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include:

The FDA has broad post-market and regulatory enforcement powers. Medical device manufacturers are subject to unannounced inspections by the FDA and other state, local and foreign regulatory authorities to assess compliance with the QSR and other applicable regulations, and these inspections may include the manufacturing facilities of any suppliers. Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements can result in enforcement action by the FDA, which may include sanctions such as: warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties; unanticipated expenditures, repair, replacement, refunds, recall or seizure of our devices; operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of manufacturing; the FDA’s refusal of our requests for 510(k) clearances, de novo classification, or premarket approvals of new devices, new intended uses or modifications to existing devices; the FDA’s refusal to issue certificates to foreign governments needed to export devices for sale in other countries; and withdrawing 510(k) clearances, de novo marketing authorization, or premarket approvals that have already been granted; and criminal prosecution.

In February 2024, the FDA issued a final rule replacing the QSR with the Quality Management System Regulation, or QMSR, which incorporates by reference the quality management system requirements of ISO 13485:2016, as discussed below. The FDA has stated that the standards contained in ISO 13485:2016 are substantially similar to those set forth in the existing QSR. This final rule does not go into effect until February 2026.

International Regulation

Many foreign countries have regulatory bodies and restrictions similar to the FDA. International sales are subject to foreign government regulation, the requirements of which vary substantially from country to country. The time required to obtain approval in a foreign country or to obtain a CE Certificate of Conformity may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval and the related requirements may differ. Some third-world countries accept CE Certificates of Conformity or FDA clearance or approval as part of applications of approval for marketing of medical devices in their territory. Other countries, including Brazil, Canada, Australia and Japan, require separate regulatory filings.

Healthcare Fraud and Abuse

Healthcare fraud and abuse laws apply to Xtant’s business when a customer submits a claim for an item or service that is reimbursed under Medicare, Medicaid or most other federally-funded healthcare programs. The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, items or services for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under federal health care programs, such as by Medicare or Medicaid. The concerns that the Anti-Kickback Statute addresses are multiple, but primary among them are, first, that the federal government pays/reimburses health care providers for the true acquisition cost of goods and services provided to patients served by government programs. The government does not want, for example, health care providers obtaining manufacturer discounts which are not disclosed to the government on cost report forms submitted for reimbursement to the government. The government wants to be the beneficiary of such discounts. Second, for that reason, the government wants transparency in the billing process which discloses such discounts to the government. Third, the government does not want purchasing, prescription or referral decisions for medical devices biased by economics unrelated to the best choices for a patient.

The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute is subject to evolving interpretations and has been applied by government enforcement officials to a number of common business arrangements in the medical device industry. Remunerative relationships with physicians in which manufacturers give health care providers gifts or pay for entertainment, sporting events, trips or other perquisites, may be viewed as an attempt to buy loyalty to the manufacturer’s products. A number of states also have anti-kickback laws that establish similar prohibitions that may apply to items or services reimbursed by government programs as well as any third-party payors, including commercial insurers. Further, federal legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively “PPACA”), among other things, clarified the intent requirements of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the federal criminal statutes governing healthcare fraud. Specifically, a person or entity can be found to have violated the statutes without actual knowledge of these statutes or specific intent to violate them. In addition, the PPACA amended the Social Security Act to provide that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the Federal False Claims Act or federal civil money penalties statute. Amendments to the Federal False Claims Act provide that a violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute is also a violation of the Federal False Claims Act, subjecting healthcare entities to treble damages and mandatory penalties for each false claim or statement.

Additionally, the civil Federal False Claims Act prohibits, among other things, knowingly presenting or causing the presentation of a false, fictitious or fraudulent claim for payment of federal funds, or knowingly making, or causing to be made, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. The purpose of the Federal False Claims Act is to prevent manufacturers from causing or inducing inappropriate prescriptions leading to an inappropriate government reimbursement. It often comes into play where a manufacturer suggests or assists a health care provider to bill for an off-label, uncovered use. It also can occur when the reimbursement advice given by a manufacturer results in inappropriate reimbursement claims from “upcoding,” miscoding, “stretched” coding, the use of inappropriate modifiers or inappropriate care settings. These behaviors can result in the government paying for products or procedures that should not be reimbursed by the federal government. The manufacturer must be truthful and not misleading in the reimbursement advice it gives to customers.

Actions under the Federal False Claims Act may be brought by the Attorney General or as a qui tam action by a private individual in the name of the government. Violations of the Federal False Claims Act can result in very significant monetary penalties and treble damages. The federal government is using the Federal False Claims Act, and the accompanying threat of significant liability, in its investigations of healthcare companies throughout the country for a wide variety of Medicare billing practices, as well as federal Anti-Kickback Statute violations and certain marketing practices, including off-label promotion, and has obtained multi-million and multi-billion dollar settlements under the Federal False Claims Act in addition to individual criminal convictions under applicable criminal statutes. Given the significant size of actual and potential settlements, it is expected that the government will continue to devote substantial resources to investigating healthcare providers’ and suppliers’ compliance with the healthcare reimbursement rules and fraud and abuse laws.

The Federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act imposes annual reporting requirements on device manufacturers for payments and other transfers of value provided by them, directly or indirectly, to physicians (including physician family members) and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians. Device manufactures are also required to collect information on payments or transfers of value to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives for reporting to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”). A manufacturer’s failure to submit timely, accurately and completely the required information for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests may result in civil monetary penalties. Certain states also mandate implementation of commercial compliance programs, impose restrictions on device manufacturer marketing practices and require tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation and other remuneration to healthcare professionals and entities.

Our operations are also subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). We are required to comply with the FCPA, which generally prohibits covered entities and their intermediaries from engaging in bribery or making other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other benefits. In addition, the FCPA imposes accounting standards and requirements on publicly traded United States corporations and their foreign affiliates, which are intended to prevent the diversion of corporate funds to the payment of bribes and other improper payments, and to prevent the establishment of “off books” slush funds from which such improper payments can be made. We also are subject to similar anticorruption legislation implemented in certain foreign jurisdictions.

Coverage and Reimbursement

Xtant’s currently approved products are commonly treated as general supplies utilized in spinal and orthopedic surgery and if covered by third-party payors, are paid for as part of the surgical procedure. Accordingly, healthcare providers in the United States generally rely on third-party payors, principally private insurers and governmental payors such as Medicare and Medicaid, to cover and reimburse all or part of the cost of a spine surgery in which Xtant products are used. Sales volumes and fees for Xtant products will continue to depend in large part on the availability of coverage and reimbursement from such third-party payors. Third-party payors perform analyses on new technologies to determine if they are medically necessary before providing coverage for them. These third-party payors may still deny reimbursement on covered technologies if they determine that a device used in a procedure was not used in accordance with the payor’s coverage policy. Particularly in the United States, third-party payors continue to carefully review, and increasingly challenge, the prices charged for procedures and medical products.

In the United States, a large percentage of insured individuals receive their medical care through managed care programs, which monitor and often require pre-approval of the services that a member will receive. Some managed care programs pay their providers on a per capita basis, which puts the providers at financial risk for the services provided to their patients by paying these providers a predetermined payment per member per month and, consequently, may limit the willingness of these providers to use Xtant products.

The overall escalating cost of medical products and services has led to, and will likely continue to lead to, increased pressures on the healthcare industry to reduce the costs of products and services. Government or private third-party payors cannot be guaranteed to cover and reimburse the procedures using Xtant products in whole or in part in the future or that payment rates will be adequate. In addition, it is possible that future legislation, regulation or coverage and reimbursement policies of third-party payors will adversely affect the demand for Xtant products or the ability to sell them on a profitable basis.

Internationally, reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary substantially from country to country and include single-payor, government-managed systems as well as systems in which private payors and government managed systems exist side-by-side. Xtant’s ability to achieve market acceptance or significant sales volume in international markets will be dependent in large part on the availability of reimbursement for procedures performed using company products under the healthcare payment systems in such markets. A number of countries may require Xtant to gather additional clinical data before recognizing coverage and reimbursement for its products.

ISO Certification

Xtant is an International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”) certified organization. To obtain ISO 13485:2016 certification, an organization must demonstrate its ability to provide medical devices that consistently meet applicable customer and regulatory requirements. The primary objective of ISO 13485:2016 is to facilitate harmonized medical device regulatory requirements for quality management systems. All requirements of ISO 13485:2016 are specific to organizations providing medical devices, regardless of the type or size of the organization. The certification assures our customers and partners of our commitment to quality, and in the quality of our innovative products and processes. Additionally, we believe that our ISO 13485:2016 certification may offer new markets and business opportunities for our products in the global marketplace.

Human Capital

Mission, Quality Policy and Core Values

Our Mission is to “honor the gift of donation, by allowing our patients to live as full, and complete a life as possible.” Through an effective quality system, we prioritize our commitment to our patients and donor families. We aim to improve the quality of life for our patients by designing, manufacturing and distributing medical devices and human tissues for transplant that are safe, effective and meet the needs of our customers. We honor the gift of donation by enhancing our core competencies and maximizing utilization of the gift.

Our Mission and quality policy reflect our core values of:

Headcount and Employee Demographics

As of December 31, 2023, Xtant had 215 employees, 207 of whom were full time employees, and of whom 70 were in operations, 50 were in sales and marketing, 13 in research and development and engineering, 26 in regulatory and quality affairs, and 23 were in administrative functions. Of these 215 employees, 33 are located outside the United States, primarily in Germany. In addition, we utilize various outsourced services to manage normal business cycles.

As of December 31, 2023, of our total workforce, 49% are female and 21% are racially or ethnically diverse. Of our management team, 36% are female and 15% are racially or ethnically diverse. Of our U.S. workforce, 3% are veterans.

Turnover

Xtant continually monitors employee turnover rates as its success depends upon retaining highly trained personnel. The average tenure of our employees is 3.9 years. The average tenure of the members of our management team is 6 years.

Employee Unions, Collective Bargaining Agreements and Work Councils

There are no unions representing our employees, and we believe that our relations with our employees are good.

Code of Conduct

Each employee agrees to follow our Code of Conduct, which is on our corporate website, and covers a wide range of business practices and procedures. Recognizing that our Code of Conduct may not address every situation our employees may encounter, other resources exist to assist our employees in their decision-making, including our management team, training and a hotline pursuant to which employees can ask questions or report issues on an anonymous basis.

Employee Safety, Health and Wellness

We are committed to maintaining a safe workplace and promoting the health and wellness of our employees. We have an employee Health & Safety Committee that is comprised of employees and recommends improvements in furtherance of employee health and safety. We also have implemented multiple safety programs and regularly perform safety hazard evaluations within our manufacturing facility. We publish a quarterly Safety Standard newsletter that reiterates our commitment to safety, highlights actions we have taken and intend to take to improve employee safety, and provides practical advice to employees to keep them and their families safe. We monitor conditions that could lead to safety incidents and keep track of injuries through reporting systems in accordance with the laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

With respect to health and wellness, we provide our employees a variety of flexible and convenient health and wellness programs designed to support their physical and mental health. These include, among others, medical, dental and vision coverage, health savings and flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, family leave and care resources, and an employee assistance program.

Compensation and Benefits

We provide competitive compensation and benefits to attract and retain superior talent and to give our employees the tools to succeed both on and off the job. In addition to salaries, our compensation and benefits, typically include annual bonuses; commission programs; a 401(k) plan with employer matching opportunities; tuition assistance; and company-sponsored short-term and long-term disability, life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, among others.

Our benefit plans are available to full-time employees who work 30 or more hours per week. Eligible employees may select between four medical plan options: two preferred provider organization plans and two health savings account compatible high deductible plans. We provide contributions to those participating in a health savings account compatible plans. Additionally, we offer employees traditional and limited purpose flex savings account options. Pharmacy benefits as well as dental, vision, life, accidental death and disability, long and short-term disability, accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity insurance plans are available to our employees. We also offer employees wellbeing benefits through LifeBalance, Noom, and our Employee Assistance Program.

Xtant prides itself on offering employment arrangements that include competitive time off policies and flexibility. Our employees are eligible for paid holidays effective immediately upon hire. Paid time off is available to all corporate employees and accrue based on length of service, and sick time is available for all commercial-sales employees.

Employee Engagement

We provide all employees with the opportunity to anonymously share their opinions and feedback directly with senior management and human resources. Submissions are analyzed to enhance the employee experience, promote retention, drive change, and leverage the overall success of our organization.

Employee Development and Training

We recognize that successful execution of our strategy is dependent on attracting, developing and retaining top talent in all areas of the business. We have a robust learning management system platform that includes several modules for employee development and training. In addition, we have a professional development policy intended to promote professional development opportunities and provide support to employees who want to increase the effectiveness of their performance in their current position. We encourage employees to obtain skills, knowledge and abilities which may improve their opportunities for career advancement within our Company and the purpose of our professional development policy is to provide our employees with the requirements for approval, time off, and reimbursement for employee training and professional development activities.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We strive to create a diverse workplace in which all employees feel respected, valued and empowered to reach their full potential. We define diversity as the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs.

Community Engagement

Throughout the year, we encourage our employees to engage in community outreach programs and we sponsor various community organizations in the Belgrade, Montana area. As a company, we work closely with the Donate Life Community to support our industry and promote the gift of donation. We have been an active sponsor for the Donate Life Rose Parade event since 2012 and sponsor a donor family and select employees to attend that event each year.

Corporate Information

We began operations in 1998 as a spin out of the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University, or the CBE, and incorporated as “Bacterin, Inc.” in the state of Montana in January 2000. Through a series of transactions and corporate events, we eventually became Bacterin International Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Bacterin”). Bacterin’s common stock traded on the NYSE Amex, now known as the NYSE American, under the ticker symbol “BONE.” On July 31, 2015, we acquired all of the outstanding capital stock of X-spine Systems, Inc. (“X-spine”) for approximately $60 million in cash, repayment of approximately $13 million of X-spine debt, and approximately 4.24 million shares (0.4 million shares post reverse split) of Xtant common stock. As a result of this transaction, X-spine became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bacterin International Holdings, Inc. and we immediately then changed our corporate name to “Xtant Medical Holdings, Inc.” Soon thereafter, we formed a new wholly owned subsidiary, Xtant Medical, Inc., to facilitate the integration of Bacterin and X-spine. On October 15, 2015, our common stock began trading on the NYSE MKT, now known as the NYSE American, under the ticker symbol “XTNT.”

Controlled Company Status

As a result of debt restructuring transactions completed in 2018 and 2020, OrbiMed Royalty Opportunities II, LP (“Royalty Opportunities”) and ROS Acquisition Offshore LP (“ROS”), which are funds affiliated with OrbiMed Advisors LLC (“OrbiMed”), collectively own approximately 56.2% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2023. Because more than 50% of the combined voting power of all of our outstanding common stock is beneficially owned by OrbiMed, we are a “controlled company” as defined in section 801(a) of the NYSE American Company Guide. As such, we are exempt from certain NYSE American rules requiring our Board of Directors to have a majority of independent directors, a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors and a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors. We currently maintain a Board of Directors with a majority of independent directors and a compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors.

Available Information

We make available, free of charge and through our Internet website, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to any such reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Reports filed with the SEC also may be viewed atwww.sec.gov. We include our website throughout this report for reference only. The information contained on or connected to our website is not incorporated by reference into this report.