Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

________________________

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _____ to _____

Commission file number: 001-32839

AVID BIOSERVICES, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

(714) 508-6100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:  None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Act. Yes ☐   No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).   Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  Yes ☐   No ☒

The aggregate market value of the shares of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of October 31, 2022, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $887.3 million, calculated based on the closing price of the registrant’s common stock as reported by The NASDAQ Capital Market.

62,729,154 shares of registrant’s common stock were outstanding as of June 9, 2023.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Part III of this report incorporates certain information by reference from the registrant’s proxy statement for the annual meeting of stockholders, which proxy statement will be filed no later than 120 days after the close of the registrant’s fiscal year to which this report relates.

AVID BIOSERVICES, INC.

Form 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”), unless the context otherwise indicates, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “Company” and “Avid” refer to Avid Bioservices, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiary. In addition to historical information, this Annual Report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that involve risks and uncertainties. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the objectives or plans will be achieved because our actual results may differ materially from any forward-looking statement. The words “may,” “should,” “plans,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” their opposites and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. We caution readers that such statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to a number of factors that may tend to influence the accuracy of the statements including, but not limited to, those risk factors outlined in the section titled, “Risk Factors,” as well as those discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report. You should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report. We undertake no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this Annual Report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should, however, review the factors and risks we describe in the reports that we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) after the date of this Annual Report.

Avid Bioservices® is a registered trademark of Avid Bioservices, Inc. All other brand names or trademarks appearing in this Annual Report are the property of their respective holders.

PART I

Overview

We are a dedicated contract development and manufacturing organization (“CDMO”) that provides a comprehensive range of services from process development to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (“CGMP”) clinical and commercial manufacturing of biologics for the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries. With 30 years of experience producing biologics, our services include clinical and commercial drug substance manufacturing, bulk packaging, release and stability testing and regulatory submissions support. We also provide a variety of process development services, including upstream and downstream development and optimization, analytical method development, cell line development, testing and characterization.

Business Strategy

We continue to execute on a growth strategy that seeks to align with the growth of the biopharmaceutical drug substance contract services market. That strategy encompasses the following continuing objectives:

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe that we are well positioned to address the market for outsourced development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals derived from mammalian cell culture, due to the following factors:

Our Growth Strategy

We believe we have a significant opportunity to continue to drive organic growth by leveraging our strengths, broadening our capabilities, increasing our capacity and improving our market visibility through the following strategies:

Our Facilities

Mammalian Cell Facilities

Our 84,000 square foot Myford facility, located in Orange County, California, utilizes single-use equipment up to the 2,000-liter manufacturing scale to accommodate a fully disposable biomanufacturing process for products from clinical development to commercial supply. In April 2023, we announced the completion of our newly expanded manufacturing capacity within the Myford facility which included the addition of both upstream and downstream CGMP manufacturing suites. Our Myford facility includes single-use bioreactors (200-liter to 2,000-liter), four downstream processing suites, quality control labs for environmental and analytical testing, and cell bank cryofreezers, warehousing and material storage (including walk-in cold rooms), offering more than 20,000 liters of total capacity.

Following the recent completion of our newly expanded Myford facility, we transitioned customer products previously manufactured in our Franklin facility to our Myford facility. As a result, our manufacturing services have fully transition to a single-use disposable platform.

Our state-of-the art upstream, downstream and pilot-scale development space is located on the same campus as our Myford facility. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, we further expanded the process development capacity of our mammalian cell culture services by adding new suites within our existing process development laboratory space, which has doubled our total process development capacity.

Cell and Gene Therapy Facility

We have taken and continue to take steps to explore and invest in strategic opportunities to expand our service offerings. During fiscal 2022, we commenced the expansion of our CDMO service offering into viral vector development and manufacturing services for the rapidly growing CGT market. This expansion consists of a two-phased approach to the construction of a world-class, single purpose-built CGT development and CGMP manufacturing facility in Costa Mesa, California (the “CGT Facility”). In June 2022, we completed the first phase with the opening of our new analytical and process development laboratories. The second phase of construction includes the build-out of CGMP manufacturing suites, which are expected to be online by the end of the third quarter of calendar 2023.

Manufacturing and Raw Materials

We manufacture CGMP pharmaceutical-grade products for our customers. The process for manufacturing generally uses commercially available raw materials from multiple suppliers, and in some instances, from a single source supplier. We rely on third parties to supply most of the necessary raw materials and supplies for the products we manufacture on behalf of our customers and our inability to obtain such raw materials or supplies may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business” for additional discussion of raw materials supplied by third party vendors for the products we manufacture for our customers.

Regulatory Matters

We have a strong and proven regulatory track record, including 20 years of inspection history. To date, we have been audited and qualified by large and small domestic and foreign biotechnology companies interested in the production of biologic material for clinical and commercial use. Additionally, we have been audited by several regulatory agencies, including the FDA, the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”), the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (“ANVISA”), the Canadian Health Authority (“Health Canada”), the California Department of Health and the Australian Department of Health.

We are required to comply with the regulatory requirements of various local, state, national and international regulatory bodies having jurisdiction in the countries or localities where we manufacture products or where our customers’ products are distributed. In particular, we are subject to laws and regulations concerning research and development, testing, manufacturing processes, equipment and facilities, including compliance with CGMPs, labeling and distribution, import and export, and product registration and listing. As a result, our facilities are subject to regulation by the FDA, as well as regulatory bodies of other jurisdictions where our customers have marketing approval for their products including, but not limited to, the EMA, ANVISA, Health Canada, and the Australian Department of Health. We are also required to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, as discussed in “Environmental and Safety Matters” below. These regulatory requirements impact many aspects of our operations, including manufacturing, developing, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, import and export and record keeping related to customers’ products. Noncompliance with any applicable regulatory requirements can result in government refusal to approve facilities for manufacturing products or products for commercialization.

Our customers’ products must undergo pre-clinical and clinical evaluations relating to product safety and efficacy before they are approved as commercial therapeutic products. The regulatory authorities having jurisdiction in the countries in which our customers intend to market their products may delay or put on hold clinical trials, delay approval of a product or determine that the product is not approvable. The FDA or other regulatory agencies can delay approval of a drug if our manufacturing facilities are not able to demonstrate compliance with CGMPs, pass other aspects of pre-approval inspections (i.e., compliance with filed submissions) or properly scale up to produce commercial supplies. The FDA and comparable government authorities having jurisdiction in the countries in which our customers intend to market their products have the authority to withdraw product approval or suspend manufacturing if there are significant problems with raw materials or supplies, quality control and assurance or the product is deemed adulterated or misbranded. If new legislation or regulations are enacted or existing legislation or regulations are amended or are interpreted or enforced differently, we may be required to obtain additional approvals or operate according to different manufacturing or operating standards or pay additional fees. This may require a change in our manufacturing techniques or additional capital investments in our facilities.

Environmental and Safety Matters

Certain products manufactured by us involve the use, storage and transportation of toxic and hazardous materials. Our operations are subject to extensive laws and regulations relating to the storage, handling, emission, transportation and discharge of materials into the environment and the maintenance of safe working conditions. We maintain environmental and industrial safety and health compliance programs and training at our facilities.

Prevailing legislation tends to hold companies primarily responsible for the proper disposal of their waste even after transfer to third party waste disposal facilities. Other future developments, such as increasingly strict environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, and enforcement policies, could result in substantial costs and liabilities to us and could subject the handling, manufacture, use, reuse or disposal of substances or pollutants at our facilities to more rigorous scrutiny than at present.

Intellectual Property

We do not currently own any patents and do not have any patent applications pending in the United States or any foreign countries. However, we have acquired and developed and continue to acquire and develop knowledge and expertise (“know-how”) and trade secrets in the provision of process development and manufacturing services. Our know-how and trade secrets may not be patentable, but they are valuable in that they enhance our ability to provide high-quality services to our customers. We typically place restrictions in our agreements with third-parties, which contractually restrict their right to use and disclose any of our proprietary technology with which they may be involved. In addition, we have internal non-disclosure safeguards, including confidentiality agreements, with our employees.

We also own trademarks to protect the names of our services. Trademark protection continues in some countries as long as the trademark is used, and in other countries, as long as the trademark is registered. Trademark registration is for fixed terms and can be renewed indefinitely.

Segment Information

Our business is organized into one reportable operating segment, our contract manufacturing and development services segment. In addition, we had no foreign-based operations and no long-lived assets located in foreign countries as of and for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Customers

Revenues have historically been derived from a small customer base. Although we continue to expand our customer base, we remain dependent on a limited number of customers for a substantial majority of our revenues. For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we derived approximately 65%, 60% and 76% of our revenues from our top three customers, respectively. The loss of, or a significant reduction of business from, any of our primary customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Refer to Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional financial information regarding our customer concentration.

Seasonality

Our business is not subject to seasonality. However, the timing of customer orders, the scale, scope, mix, and the duration of our fulfillment of such customer orders can result in variability in our periodic revenues.

Backlog

Our backlog represents, as of a point in time, expected future revenue from work not yet completed under signed contracts. As of April 30, 2023, our backlog was approximately $191 million, a 25% increase as compared to approximately $153 million as of April 30, 2022. While we anticipate a significant amount of our backlog will be recognized over the next five (5) fiscal quarters, our backlog is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: the risk that a customer timely cancels its commitments prior to our initiation of services, in which case we may be required to refund some or all of the amounts paid to us in advance under those canceled commitments; the risk that a customer may experience delays in its program(s) or otherwise, which could result in the postponement of anticipated services; the risk that we may not successfully execute on all customer projects; and the risk that commencement of customer projects may be postponed due to supply chain delays, any of which could have a negative impact on our liquidity, reported backlog and future revenues and profitability.

Competition

Our competition in the CDMO market includes a number of full-service contract manufacturers and large pharmaceutical companies that have the ability to insource manufacturing. Also, some pharmaceutical companies have been seeking to divest all or portions of their manufacturing capacity, and any such divested assets may be acquired by our competitors. Some of our significantly larger and global competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, technical and other resources than we do. Moreover, additional competition may emerge and may, among other things, create downward pricing pressure, which could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Human Capital

As of April 30, 2023, we had 365 employees. All of our employees are based in Orange County, California, with the exception of a small number of employees primarily within our sales, marketing and supply chain functions who are located in various other states. None of our employees are represented by labor unions or are covered by a collective bargaining agreement with respect to their employment. We have not experienced any work stoppages, and we consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

We consider talent acquisition, development, engagement and retention a key driver to our business success and are committed to developing a comprehensive, cohesive and positive company culture focused on quality and a commitment to the safety and health of our employees, customers and the general public. We accomplish these initiatives through the following:

Talent Acquisition and Retention

We are dedicated to attracting and retaining exceptional talent, recognizing their vital contribution to our success. In a highly competitive employment market, particularly for science, technology, engineering and math (“STEM”) skills, our talent acquisition team employs a comprehensive approach. We embrace alternative degree paths, establish collaborative relationships with organizations, schools, and universities, and have launched an internship program to build a pipeline of early-career talent.

Total Rewards

We have implemented a total rewards program which we believe allows us to compete for top talent in the Southern California market. Our total rewards philosophy has been to create investment in our workforce by offering competitive compensation and benefits package. We provide all full-time employees with compensation packages that include base salary, annual discretionary incentive bonuses, and long-term equity awards. We also offer comprehensive employee benefits, including life, disability, and health insurance (including medical, dental and vision), dependent care and flexible spending accounts, paid time off, leaves (including medical, maternity and paternity leaves), Employee Stock Purchase Program, a 401(k) plan with a company match and educational assistance. It is our expressed intent to be an employer of choice in our industry by providing market-competitive compensation and benefits package.

Health, Safety, and Wellness

The health, safety, and wellness of our employees is a priority in which we have always invested and will continue to do so. We provide our employees and their families with access to a variety of innovative, flexible, and convenient health and wellness programs. Program benefits are intended to provide protection and security, so employees can have peace of mind concerning events that may require time away from work or that may impact their financial well-being.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We believe a diverse workforce is critical to our success and we are fundamentally committed to creating and maintaining a work environment in which employees are treated fairly, with dignity, decency, respect and in accordance with all applicable laws. We strive to create a professional work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination and bullying in the workplace, including sexual harassment and any form of retaliation. We are an equal opportunity employer and we strive to administer all human resources actions and policies without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification or expression, past or present military or veteran status, marital status, familial status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Our management team and employees are expected to exhibit and promote honest, ethical, and respectful conduct in the workplace. All employees must adhere to a code of business conduct and ethics and our employee handbook, which combined, define standards for appropriate behavior and are annually trained to help prevent, identify, report, and stop any type of discrimination and harassment. Our recruitment, hiring, development, training, compensation, and advancement is based on qualifications, performance, skills, and experience without regard to gender, race, or ethnicity.

Training and Development

We believe in encouraging employees in becoming lifelong learners by providing ongoing learning and leadership training opportunities. As part of onboarding of new employees, we provide comprehensive training regarding CGMP, environmental, health and safety practices, as well as job function specific training. Many of these training programs are repeated annually and are supplemented by other periodic training programs to maintain and improve employee awareness of safety and other issues. Several times per year we provide supervisory training to newly promoted, or soon to be promoted employees, as well as sponsor more senior employees’ participation in external leadership programs. We listen to the needs of our employees and employ appropriate training methods ranging from in-house, partnering with outside vendors, attending conferences and networking events. Additionally, we applied for and received training funds through a State of California program supporting the biotechnology industry through the development of future biotech workers. This program provides us with additional funds to help supplement our training programs.

We have a formal annual review process not only to determine pay and equity adjustments tied to individual contributions, but to identify areas where training and development may be needed. In addition, we strive to provide real-time recognition of employee performance, including through a web-based portal where employees can be nominated for various levels of spot awards and accumulate points towards the purchase of gifts.

Company Culture

We are committed to instilling a company culture that is focused on integrity, transparency, quality and respect. We expect our employees to observe the highest levels of business ethics, integrity, mutual respect, tolerance and inclusivity. Our employee handbook and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics set forth policies reflecting these values and provide direction for registering complaints in the event of any violation of our policies. We maintain an “open door” policy at all levels of our organization and any form of retaliation against an employee is strictly prohibited.

Employee Engagement

We believe that in order to be successful, we must build and maintain a relationship with our employees that focuses on transparency and listening to their recommendations. We proactively communicate through all-employee meetings, department meetings, one-on-one meetings and check-ins. Employee input regarding our organizational climate is solicited at least annually through a combination of internal and external surveys solicited from all employees. We routinely use the information gathered in these processes to address identified key areas for improvement.

Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability

In fiscal 2022 we engaged a third-party consultant to assist us with our establishment of a more formal environmental, social, governance (“ESG”) and sustainability program. Working with the consultant, and under the oversight of our Corporate Governance Committee, we embarked on a comprehensive initiative to assess, benchmark and prioritize our ESG and sustainability practices. In addition, our executive leadership team assembled a working team to formally launch the first phase of this initiative focusing on sustainable procurement and other environmental initiatives, including the engagement of EcoVadis, a leading global corporate social responsibility and sustainability company, to help us establish and enhance processes supporting strong ESG practices throughout our supply chain. This arrangement provides an independent supplier assessment against 21 criteria in categories of environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. During fiscal 2023 we focused on building our supplier procurement program with EcoVadis, ultimately onboarding more than 90% of our procurement spend with rated suppliers in the EcoVadis program. As we continue to build our sustainable procurement program, we have also approved a supplier code of conduct, which formalizes our commitment to build a network of suppliers consisting of ethical and reliable partners. In addition to our sustainable procurement program, we have formalized an executive steering team to drive overall ESG initiatives and their associated workstreams for our people, community and environment.

Company Information

We were originally incorporated in the State of California in June 1981 and reincorporated in the State of Delaware in September 1996. Our principal executive offices are located at 14191 Myford Road, Tustin, California, 92780 and our telephone number is (714) 508-6100. Our principal website address is www.avidbio.com. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this Annual Report.

Available Information

This Annual Report, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and our proxy statements, and all amendments to those reports filed with or furnished to the SEC are available, free of charge, through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and our website at www.avidbio.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this Annual Report.

You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto, before making a decision to invest in our securities. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently believe are not material, also may become important factors that affect us and impair our business operations. The occurrence of any of the events or developments discussed in the risk factors below could have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and, in such case, our future prospects would likely be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Business

A significant portion of our revenues comes from a limited number of customers.

Our revenues have historically been derived from a limited number of customers. Although we continue to expand our customer base, we remain dependent on a limited number of customers for a substantial majority of our revenues. For example, for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we derived approximately 65%, 60% and 76% of our revenues from our top three customers, respectively. The loss of, or a significant reduction of business from, any of our primary customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We generally do not have long-term customer contracts and our backlog cannot be relied upon as a future indicator of revenues.

We generally do not have long-term contracts with our customers, and existing contracts and purchase commitments may be canceled under certain circumstances. As a result, we are exposed to market and competitive price pressures on every order, and our agreements with customers do not provide assurance of future revenues. Our customers are not required to make minimum purchases and, in certain circumstances, may cease using our services at any time without penalty. Our backlog should not be relied on as a measure of anticipated demand or future revenue, because the orders constituting our backlog may be subject to changes in delivery schedules or cancellation without significant penalty to the customer. Any reductions, cancellations or deferrals in customer orders would negatively impact our business.

We are making a significant investment by expanding our CDMO service offering into the development and manufacture of viral vectors which will subject us to a number of risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect our operations and financial results.

Our expansion of our CDMO service offering into viral vector development and manufacturing services for the cell and gene therapy market involves a number of risks that could adversely affect our operations and financial results, including the following risks: 

In addition to the foregoing, we have commenced a service offering that is currently dominated by a small number of larger organizations with established viral vector operations and significantly greater financial resources with whom we may experience difficulties in competing for talent and customers. If we are unable to manage these risks, our business and operating results could be materially harmed.

We have made a significant capital investment in our Myford facility in order to meet potential future mammalian cell culture development and manufacturing needs and, as a result, we depend on the success of attracting new and retaining existing customers’ business.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, we completed the expansion of our Myford facility, which significantly expanded its production capacity. This expansion represents a substantial investment in our manufacturing capabilities, and has resulted in a significant increase in our fixed costs. If we are not able to utilize the additional capacity from this expansion, our margins could be adversely affected. Further, our future revenues may not be sufficient to ensure the economical operation of this expanded capacity, in which case, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our rapid growth during the past three fiscal years may not be indicative of our future growth, and if we continue to grow rapidly, we may fail to manage our growth effectively.

From the fiscal year ended April 30, 2020 through the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023, our revenues have increased from $59.7 million to $149.3 million, representing growth in revenues of 150% over the three year period. We believe our ability to continue to experience revenue growth will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to:

Moreover, we continue to expand our headcount and operations. We grew from 227 employees as of April 30, 2020 to 365 employees as of April 30, 2023. We anticipate that we will continue to expand our operations and headcount in the near term and beyond. This potential future growth could place a significant strain on our management, administrative, operational and financial resources, company culture and infrastructure. Our success will depend in part on our ability to manage this growth effectively while retaining personnel. To manage the expected growth of our operations and personnel, we will need to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls and our reporting systems and procedures. Failure to effectively manage growth could result in difficulty or delays in adding new customers, maintaining our strong quality systems, declines in quality or customer satisfaction, increases in costs, system failures, difficulties in introducing new features or solutions, the need for more capital than we anticipate or other operational difficulties, and any of these difficulties could harm our business performance and results of operations.

We rely on third parties to supply most of the necessary raw materials and supplies for the products we manufacture on behalf of our customers and our inability to obtain such raw materials or supplies may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our operations require various raw materials, including proprietary media, resins, buffers, and filters, in addition to numerous additional raw materials supplied primarily by third parties. We or our customers specify the raw materials and other items required to manufacture their product and, in some cases, specify the suppliers from whom we must purchase these raw materials. In certain instances, the raw materials and other items can only be supplied by a limited number of suppliers and, in some cases, a single source, or in limited quantities. If third-party suppliers do not supply raw materials or other items on a timely basis, it may cause a manufacturing run to be delayed or canceled which would adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, we do not have long-term supply contracts with any of our single source suppliers. If we experience difficulties acquiring sufficient quantities of required materials or products from our existing suppliers, or if our suppliers are found to be non-compliant with the FDA’s quality system regulation, CGMPs or other applicable laws or regulations, we would be required to find alternative suppliers. If our primary suppliers become unable or unwilling to perform, any resulting delays or interruptions in the supply of raw materials required to support our manufacturing of CGMP pharmaceutical-grade products would ultimately delay our manufacture of products for our customers, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. Furthermore, third-party suppliers may fail to provide us with raw materials and other items that meet the qualifications and specifications required by us or our customers. If third-party suppliers are not able to provide us with raw materials that meet our or our customers’ specifications on a timely basis, we may be unable to manufacture their product or it could prevent us from delivering products to our customers within required timeframes. Any such delay in delivering our products may create liability for us to our customers for breach of contract or cause us to experience order cancellations and loss of customers. In the event that we manufacture products with inferior quality components and raw materials, we may become subject to product liability claims caused by defective raw materials or components from a third-party supplier or from a customer, or our customer may be required to recall its products from the market.

We, and certain of our customers may, maintain cash at financial institutions, often in balances that exceed federally-insured limits. The failure of financial institutions could adversely affect our access to to our funds, our ability to pay operational expenses or make other payments, and the ability of our customers to pay us for our services.

We, and certain of our customers may, maintain cash in accounts that exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. If such banking institutions were to fail, we and/or potentially certain of our customers could lose all or a portion of those amounts held in excess of such insurance limitations. For example, the FDIC took control of Silicon Valley Bank on March 10, 2023. Although we did not have any cash or cash equivalents at Silicon Valley Bank and the Federal Reserve subsequently announced that account holders would be made whole, the FDIC may not make all account holders whole in the event of future bank failures. In addition, even if account holders are ultimately made whole with respect to a future bank failure, account holders’ access to their accounts and assets held in their accounts may be substantially delayed. Any material loss that we and/or our customers may experience in the future or inability for a material time period to access our or their cash and cash equivalents could have an adverse effect on our ability to pay our operational expenses or make other payments, and/or our customers’ ability to pay us for services rendered (or may cause them to cancel scheduled services) which could adversely affect our business.

All of our manufacturing facilities are situated in Orange County, California, which increases our exposure to significant disruption to our business as a result of unforeseeable developments in a single geographic area.

We operate our manufacturing facilities in Orange County, California. It is possible that we could experience prolonged periods of reduced production due to unforeseen catastrophic events occurring in or around our facilities. It is also possible that operations could be disrupted due to other unforeseen circumstances such as power outages, explosions, fires, floods, earthquakes or accidents. As a result, we may be unable to shift manufacturing capabilities to alternate locations, accept materials from suppliers, meet customer shipment needs or address other severe consequences that may be encountered, and we may suffer damage to our reputation. Our financial condition and results of our operations could be materially adversely affected were such events to occur.

Our manufacturing services are highly complex, and if we are unable to provide quality and timely services to our customers, our business could suffer.

The manufacturing services we offer are highly complex, due in part to strict regulatory requirements. A failure of our quality control systems in our facilities could cause problems to arise in connection with facility operations for a variety of reasons, including equipment malfunction, viral contamination, failure to follow specific manufacturing instructions, protocols and standard operating procedures, problems with raw materials or environmental factors. Such problems could affect production of a single manufacturing run or a series of runs, requiring the destruction of products, or could halt manufacturing operations altogether. In addition, our failure to meet required quality standards may result in our failure to timely deliver products to our customers, which, in turn, could damage our reputation for quality and service. Any such incident could, among other things, lead to increased costs, lost revenue, reimbursement to customers for lost drug substance, damage to and possibly termination of existing customer relationships, time and expense spent investigating the cause and, depending on the cause, similar losses with respect to other manufacturing runs. With respect to our commercial manufacturing, if problems are not discovered before the product is released to the market, we may be subject to regulatory actions, including product recalls, product seizures, injunctions to halt manufacture and distribution, restrictions on our operations, civil sanctions, including monetary sanctions, and criminal actions. In addition, such issues could subject us to litigation, the cost of which could be significant.

If we do not enhance our existing, or introduce new, service offerings in a timely manner, our offerings may become obsolete or noncompetitive over time, customers may not buy our offerings and our revenues and profitability may decline. 

Demand for our manufacturing services may change in ways that we may not anticipate due to evolving industry standards and customer needs that are increasingly sophisticated and varied, as well as the introduction by others of new offerings and technologies that provide alternatives to our offerings. In the event we are unable to offer or enhance our service offerings or expand our manufacturing infrastructure to accommodate requests from our customers and potential customers, our offerings may become obsolete or noncompetitive over time, in which case our revenue and operating results would suffer. For example, if we are unable to respond to changes in the nature or extent of the technological or other needs of our customers through enhancing our offerings, our competition may develop offerings that are more competitive than ours, and we could find it more difficult to renew or expand existing agreements or obtain new agreements. Potential innovations intended to facilitate enhanced or new offerings generally will require a substantial capital investment before we can determine their commercial viability, and we may not have financial resources sufficient to fund all desired innovations. Even if we succeed in creating enhanced or new offerings, however, they may still fail to result in commercially successful offerings or may not produce revenue in excess of our costs of development, and they may be rendered obsolete by changing customer preferences or the introduction by our competitors of offerings embodying new technologies or features. Finally, the marketplace may not accept our innovations due to, among other things, existing patterns of clinical practice, the need for regulatory clearance and/or uncertainty over market access or government or third-party reimbursement.

If we use hazardous and biological materials in a manner that causes injury or violates applicable law, we may be liable for damages.

Our contract manufacturing operations involve the controlled use of hazardous materials and chemicals. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations in the United States governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of hazardous materials and chemicals. Although we believe that our procedures for using, handling, storing and disposing of these materials comply with legally prescribed standards, we may incur significant additional costs to comply with applicable laws in the future. Also, even if we are in compliance with applicable laws, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting from hazardous materials or chemicals. As a result of any such contamination or injury, we may incur liability, or local, city, state or federal authorities may curtail the use of these materials and interrupt our business operations. In the event of an accident, we could be held liable for damages or penalized with fines, and the liability could exceed our resources. Compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations is expensive, and current or future environmental regulations may impair our contract manufacturing operations, which could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected by pandemics or similar public health crises.

Public health crises such as pandemics or similar outbreaks may affect our operations and those of third parties on which we rely, including our customers and suppliers. Our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be affected by: disruptions in our customers’ abilities to fund, develop, or bring to market products as anticipated; delays in or disruptions to the conduct of clinical trials by our customers; cancellations of contracts or confirmed orders from our customers; and inability, difficulty, or additional cost or delays in obtaining key raw materials, components, and other supplies from our existing supply chain; among other factors caused by a public health crises.

For example, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of various responses, including government-imposed quarantines, travel restrictions and other public health safety measures. The extent to which future pandemics impact our operations and/or those of our customers and suppliers will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable, including the duration or recurrence of outbreaks, potential future government actions, new information that will emerge concerning the severity and impact of that pandemic and the actions to contain the pandemic or address its impact in the short and long term, among others.

The business disruptions associated with a global pandemic could impact the business, product development priorities and operations of our customers and suppliers. For example, disruptions in supply chains and disruptions to the operations of the FDA and other drug regulatory authorities, could result in, among other things, delays of inspections, reviews, and approvals of our customers’ products, as well as the volume and timing of orders from these customers. Such disruptions could result in delays in the development programs of our customers or impede the commercial efforts for our customers’ approved products, resulting in potential reductions or delays in orders from our customers which could have a material negative effect on our business in the future.

Potential product liability claims, errors and omissions claims in connection with services we perform and potential liability under indemnification agreements between us and our officers and directors could adversely affect us.

We manufacture products intended for use in humans. These activities could expose us to risk of liability for personal injury or death to persons using such products. We seek to reduce our potential liability through measures such as contractual indemnification provisions with customers (the scope of which may vary by customer, and the performances of which are not secured) and insurance maintained by us and our customers. We could be materially adversely affected if we are required to pay damages or incur defense costs in connection with a claim that is outside the scope of the indemnification agreements, if the indemnity, although applicable, is not performed in accordance with its terms or if our liabilities exceed the amount of applicable insurance or indemnity. In addition, we could be held liable for errors and omissions in connection with the services we perform. Although we currently maintain product liability and errors and omissions insurance with respect to these risks, such coverage may not be adequate or continue to be available on terms acceptable to us.

We also indemnify our officers and directors for certain events or occurrences while the officer or director is serving at our request in such capacity. The maximum potential amount of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited. Although we have a director and officer insurance policy that covers a portion of any potential exposure, we could be materially and adversely affected if we are required to pay damages or incur legal costs in connection with a claim above such insurance limits.

Any claims beyond our insurance coverage limits, or that are otherwise not covered by our insurance, may result in substantial costs and a reduction in our available capital resources.

We maintain property insurance, employer’s liability insurance, product liability insurance, general liability insurance, business interruption insurance, and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, among others. Although we maintain what we believe to be adequate insurance coverage, potential claims may exceed the amount of insurance coverage or may be excluded under the terms of the policy, which could cause an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results from operations. Generally, we would be at risk for the loss of inventory that is not within customer specifications. These amounts could be significant. In addition, in the future we may not be able to obtain adequate insurance coverage or we may be required to pay higher premiums and accept higher deductibles in order to secure adequate insurance coverage.

Third parties may claim that our services or our customer’s products infringe on or misappropriate their intellectual property rights.

Any claims that our services infringe the rights of third parties, including claims arising from any of our customer engagements, regardless of their merit or resolution, could be costly and may divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. We may not prevail in such proceedings, given the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property litigation. If such proceedings result in an adverse outcome, we could be required, among other things, to pay substantial damages, discontinue the use of the infringing technology, expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology, license such technology from the third party claiming infringement (which license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all) and/or cease the manufacture, use or sale of the infringing processes or offerings, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

In addition, our customers’ products may be subject to claims of intellectual property infringement and such claims could materially affect our business if their products cease to be manufactured and they have to discontinue the use of the infringing technology which we may provide. Any of the foregoing could affect our ability to compete or could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on key personnel and the loss of key personnel could harm our business and results of operations.

We depend on our ability to attract and retain qualified scientific and technical employees, as well as a number of key executives. These employees may voluntarily terminate their employment with us at any time. We may not be able to retain key personnel, or attract and retain additional qualified employees. We do not maintain key-man or similar policies covering any of our senior management or key personnel. Our inability to attract and retain key personnel would have a material adverse effect on our business.

We have federal and state net operating loss, or NOL, carry forwards which could be used to offset/defer federal and state income taxes. Our ability to use such carry forwards to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations related to changes in ownership of our stock and decisions by California and other states to limit or suspend NOL carry forwards.

As of April 30, 2023, we had federal and state NOL carry forwards of approximately $442.4 million and $294.7 million, respectively. These NOL carry forwards could potentially be used to offset certain future federal and state income tax liabilities. The federal net operating loss carry forwards generated prior to January 1, 2018 expire in fiscal years 2024 through 2038, unless previously utilized. The federal net operating loss generated after January 1, 2018 of $77.9 million can be carried forward indefinitely. Utilization of net operating losses generated subsequent to 2020 are limited to 80% of future taxable income. However, utilization of NOL carry forwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation pursuant to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, as well as similar state provisions due to ownership changes that have occurred previously or that could occur in the future. In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from transactions increasing the ownership of certain stockholders or public groups in the stock of a corporation by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period. A Section 382 analysis has been completed through the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, which it was determined that no such change in ownership had occurred. However, ownership changes occurring subsequent to April 30, 2022 may impact the utilization of our NOL carry forwards and other tax attributes. Additionally, states may impose other limitations on the use of state NOL carry forwards. Any limitation may result in expiration of a portion of the carry forwards before utilization. If we were not able to utilize our carry forwards, we would be required to use our cash resources to pay taxes that would otherwise have been offset, thereby reducing our liquidity.

We have recorded significant deferred tax assets, and we might never realize their full value, which would result in a charge against our earnings.

As of April 30, 2023, we had deferred tax assets of $113.6 million. Realization of our deferred tax assets is dependent upon our generating sufficient taxable income in future years to realize the tax benefit from those assets. Deferred tax assets are reviewed on a periodic basis for realizability. A charge against our earnings would result if, based on the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized beyond our existing valuation allowance, if any. This could be caused by, among other things, deterioration in performance, adverse market conditions, adverse changes in applicable laws or regulations, including changes that restrict the activities of or affect the services provided by our business and a variety of other factors.

If a deferred tax asset net of our valuation allowance, if any, was determined to be not realizable in a future period, the charge to earnings would be recognized as an expense in our results of operations in the period the determination is made.  Additionally, if we are unable to utilize our deferred tax assets, our cash flow available to fund operations could be adversely affected.  Depending on future circumstances, it is possible that we might never realize the full value of our deferred tax assets. Any future impairment charges related to a significant portion of our deferred tax assets could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our effective tax rate may fluctuate, and we may incur obligations in tax jurisdictions in excess of accrued amounts.

Our effective tax rate is derived from a combination of applicable tax rates in the various places that we operate. In preparing our financial statements, we estimate the amount of tax that will become payable in each such place. Nevertheless, our effective tax rate may be different than experienced in the past due to numerous factors, including the impact of stock-based compensation, changes in the mix of our profitability between tax jurisdictions, the results of examinations and audits of our tax filings, our inability to secure or sustain acceptable agreements with tax authorities, changes in accounting for income taxes and changes in tax laws. Any of these factors could cause us to experience an effective tax rate significantly different from previous periods or our current expectations and may result in tax obligations in excess of amounts accrued in our financial statements.

In addition, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, we determined, based on our facts and circumstances, that it was more likely than not that our deferred tax assets would be realized and, as a result, we fully released our valuation allowance related to federal and state deferred tax assets. This resulted in a substantial increase in our reported net income and our earnings per share compared to our operating results for fiscal 2022. As such, fiscal 2022 net income is not indicative of the actual or future profitability trend of our business. Starting in fiscal 2023, we commenced recording income tax expense at an estimated tax rate that approximates statutory tax rates, which could result in a significant reduction in our net income and net income per share.

We may be subject to various litigation claims and legal proceedings.

We, as well as certain of our directors and officers, may be subject to claims or lawsuits during the ordinary course of business. Regardless of the outcome, these lawsuits may result in significant legal fees and expenses and could divert management’s time and other resources. If the claims contained in these lawsuits are successfully asserted against us, we could be liable for damages and be required to alter or cease certain of our business practices. Any of these outcomes could cause our business, financial performance and cash position to be negatively impacted.

We have become increasingly dependent on information technology and any breakdown, interruption or breach of our information technology systems could subject us to liability or interrupt the operation of our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are increasingly dependent upon sophisticated information technology systems and infrastructure in connection with the conduct of our business. We must constantly update our information technology infrastructure and our various current information technology systems throughout the organization may not continue to meet our current and future business needs. Furthermore, modification, upgrade or replacement of such systems may be costly. In addition, due to the size and complexity of these systems, any breakdown, interruption, corruption or unauthorized access to or cyber-attack on these systems could create system disruptions, shutdowns or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. While we attempt to take appropriate security and cyber-security measures to protect our data and information technology systems and to prevent such breakdowns and unauthorized breaches and cyber-attacks, these measures may not be successful and these breakdowns and breaches in, or attacks on, our systems and data may not be prevented. Such breakdowns, breaches or attacks may cause business interruption and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and could cause the market value of our shares of common stock to decline, and we may suffer financial damage or other loss, including fines or criminal penalties because of lost or misappropriated information.

Increasing attention to ESG matters may impact our business, financial results or stock price. 

Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny from stakeholders related to their ESG practices and disclosures, including practices and disclosures related to climate change, diversity and inclusion and governance standards. Investor advocacy groups, certain institutional investors, lenders, investment funds and other influential investors are also increasingly focused on ESG practices and disclosures and in recent years have placed increasing importance on the implications and social cost of their investments. In addition, government organizations are enhancing or advancing legal and regulatory requirements specific to ESG matters. The heightened stakeholder focus on ESG issues related to our business requires the continuous monitoring of various and evolving laws, regulations, standards and expectations and the associated reporting requirements. A failure to adequately meet stakeholder expectations may result in noncompliance, the loss of business, reputational impacts, diluted market valuation, an inability to attract customers and an inability to attract and retain top talent. In addition, our adoption of certain standards or mandated compliance to certain requirements could necessitate additional investments that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of complementary businesses, and the failure to manage acquisitions, or the failure to integrate them with our existing business, could harm our financial condition and operating results.

From time to time, we may consider opportunities to acquire other companies, products or technologies that may enhance our manufacturing capabilities, expand the breadth of our markets or customer base, or advance our business strategies. Potential acquisitions involve numerous risks, including: problems assimilating the acquired service offerings, products or technologies; issues maintaining uniform standards, procedures, quality control and policies; unanticipated costs associated with acquisitions; diversion of management’s attention from our existing business; risks associated with entering new markets in which we have limited or no experience; increased legal and accounting costs relating to the acquisitions or compliance with regulatory matters; and unanticipated or undisclosed liabilities of any target.

We have no current commitments with respect to any acquisition. We do not know if we will be able to identify acquisitions we deem suitable, whether we will be able to successfully complete any such acquisitions on favorable terms or at all, or whether we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired service offerings, products or technologies. Our potential inability to integrate any acquired service offerings, products or technologies effectively may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Customers

The consumers of the products we manufacture for our customers may significantly influence our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We depend on, and have no control over, consumer demand for the products we manufacture for our customers. Consumer demand for our customers’ products could be adversely affected by, among other things, delays in health regulatory approval, the inability of our customers to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of their products, the loss of patent and other intellectual property rights protection, the emergence of competing or alternative products, including generic drugs and the degree to which private and government payment subsidies for a particular product offset the cost to consumers and changes in the marketing strategies for such products. Additionally, if the products we manufacture for our customers do not gain market acceptance, our revenues and profitability may be adversely affected.

We believe that continued changes to the healthcare industry, including ongoing healthcare reform, adverse changes in government or private funding of healthcare products and services, legislation or regulations governing the privacy of patient information or patient access to care, or the delivery, pricing or reimbursement of pharmaceuticals and healthcare services or mandated benefits, may cause healthcare industry participants to purchase fewer services from us or influence the price that others are willing to pay for our services. Changes in the healthcare industry’s pricing, selling, inventory, distribution or supply policies or practices could also significantly reduce our revenue and profitability.

If production volumes of key products that we manufacture for our customers decline, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Our customers’ failure to receive or maintain regulatory approval for their product candidates could negatively impact our revenues and profitability.

Our success depends upon the regulatory approval of the products we manufacture. As such, if our customers experience a delay in, or a failure to receive, approval for any of their product candidates or fail to maintain regulatory approval of their products, and we are not able to manufacture these products, our revenue and profitability could be adversely affected. Additionally, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority does not approve of our facilities for the manufacture of a customer product, or if it withdraws such approval in the future, our customers may choose to identify alternative manufacturing facilities and/or relationships, which could significantly impact our ability to expand our manufacturing capacity and capabilities and achieve profitability.

We depend on spending and demand from our customers for our contract manufacturing and development services and any reduction in spending or demand, whether due to a deterioration in macroeconomic conditions or unfavorable research and development results, could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability.

The amount that our customers spend on the development and manufacture of their products or product candidates, particularly the amount our customers choose to spend on outsourcing these services to us, substantially impacts our revenue and profitability. During times of greater economic uncertainty, such as the biopharmaceutical industry is currently experiencing, our smaller customers with products in earlier stages of development tend to be much more negatively impacted due to the tightening of the access to capital. As a result, such earlier stage customers may be forced to delay or cancel our services in an effort to conserve cash which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability. In addition, the outcomes of our customers’ research, development and marketing also significantly influence the amount that our customers choose to spend on our services and offerings. Our customers determine the amounts that they will spend on our services based upon, among other things, the clinical and market success of their products, available resources and their need to develop new products which, in turn, depend upon a number of other factors, including their competitors’ research, development and product initiatives and the anticipated market for any new products, as well as clinical and reimbursement scenarios for specific products and therapeutic areas. Further, increasing consolidation in the pharmaceutical industry may impact such spending, particularly in the event that any of our customers choose to develop or acquire integrated manufacturing operations. Any reduction in customer spending on biologics development and related services as a result of these and other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our customers’ proprietary information, we may be subject to claims.

Many of the formulations used and processes developed by us in the manufacture of our customers’ products are subject to trade secret protection, patents or other intellectual property protections owned or licensed by such customer. While we make significant efforts to protect our customers’ proprietary and confidential information, including requiring our employees to enter into agreements protecting such information, if any of our employees breach the non-disclosure provisions in such agreements, or if our customers make claims that their proprietary information has been disclosed, our reputation may suffer damage and we may become subject to legal proceedings that could require us to incur significant expense and divert our management’s time, attention and resources.

Risks Related to the Industry in Which We Operate

Failure to comply with existing and future regulatory requirements could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our industry is highly regulated. We are required to comply with the regulatory requirements of various local, state, provincial, national and international regulatory bodies having jurisdiction in the countries or localities in which we manufacture products or in which our customers’ products are distributed. In particular, we are subject to laws and regulations concerning development, testing, manufacturing processes, equipment and facilities, including compliance with CGMPs, import and export, and product registration and listing, among other things. As a result, most of our facilities are subject to regulation by the FDA, as well as regulatory bodies of other jurisdictions where our customers have marketing approval for their products including, but not limited to, the EMA, ANVISA and/or Health Canada, depending on the countries in which our customers market and sell the products we manufacture on their behalf. As we expand our operations, we may be exposed to more complex and new regulatory and administrative requirements and legal risks, any of which may require expertise in which we have little or no experience. It is possible that compliance with new regulatory requirements could impose significant compliance costs on us. Such costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

These regulatory requirements impact many aspects of our operations, including manufacturing, developing, storage, distribution, import and export and record keeping related to customers’ products. Noncompliance with any applicable regulatory requirements can result in government refusal to approve: (i) facilities for testing or manufacturing products or (ii) products for commercialization. The FDA and other regulatory agencies can delay, limit or deny approval for many reasons, including:

In addition, if new legislation or regulations are enacted or existing legislation or regulations are amended or are interpreted or enforced differently, we may be required to obtain additional approvals or operate according to different manufacturing or operating standards. This may require a change in our development and manufacturing techniques or additional capital investments in our facilities. Any related costs may be significant. If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements in the future, then we may be subject to warning letters and/or civil or criminal penalties and fines, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product recalls, seizure of products, restrictions on the import and export of our products, debarment, exclusion, disgorgement of profits, operating restrictions and criminal prosecution and the loss of contracts and resulting revenue losses. Inspections by regulatory authorities that identify any deficiencies could result in remedial actions, production stoppages or facility closure, which would disrupt the manufacturing process and supply of product to our customers. In addition, such failure to comply could expose us to contractual and product liability claims, including claims by customers for reimbursement for lost or damaged active pharmaceutical ingredients or recall or other corrective actions, the cost of which could be significant.

In addition, certain products we manufacture must undergo pre-clinical and clinical evaluations relating to product safety and efficacy before they are approved as commercial therapeutic products. The regulatory authorities having jurisdiction in the countries in which our customers intend to market their products may delay or put on hold clinical trials or delay approval of a product or determine that the product is not approvable. The FDA or other regulatory agencies can delay approval of a drug if our manufacturing facility, including any newly commissioned facility, is not able to demonstrate compliance with CGMPs, pass other aspects of pre-approval inspections or properly scale up to produce commercial supplies. The FDA and comparable government authorities having jurisdiction in the countries in which we or our customers intend to market their products have the authority to withdraw product approval or suspend manufacture if there are significant problems with raw materials or supplies, quality control and assurance or the product we manufacture is adulterated or misbranded. If our manufacturing facilities and services are not in compliance with FDA and comparable government authorities, we may be unable to obtain or maintain the necessary approvals to continue manufacturing products for our customers, which would materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in a highly competitive market and competition may adversely affect our business.

We operate in a market that is highly competitive. Our competition in the contract manufacturing market includes full-service contract manufacturers and large pharmaceutical companies offering third-party manufacturing services to fill their excess capacity. We may also compete with the internal operations of those pharmaceutical companies that choose to source their product offerings internally. In addition, most of our competitors may have substantially greater financial, marketing, technical or other resources than we do. Moreover, additional competition may emerge, particularly in lower-cost jurisdictions such as India and China, which could, among other things, result in a decrease in the fees paid for our services, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Common Stock 

Our issuance of additional capital stock pursuant to our stock incentive plan, or in connection with financings, acquisitions, or otherwise will dilute the interests of other security holders and may depress the price of our common stock.

We expect to issue additional capital stock in the future that will result in dilution to all other stockholders. We expect to grant equity awards to employees, directors and consultants under our stock incentive plan. We may also raise capital through equity financings in the future. As part of our growth strategy, we may seek to acquire companies and issue equity securities to pay for any such acquisition. Any such issuances of additional capital stock may cause stockholders to experience significant dilution of their ownership interests and the per share value of our common stock to decline. Furthermore, if we issue additional equity or convertible debt securities, the new equity securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock. For example, if we elect to settle our conversion obligation under our 1.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (“Convertible Notes”) in shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, the issuance of such common stock may dilute the ownership interests of our stockholders and sales in the public market could adversely affect prevailing market prices.

Our highly volatile stock price may adversely affect the liquidity of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock has generally been highly volatile and is likely to continue to be highly volatile. For instance, the market price of our common stock has ranged from $5.08 to $34.51 per share over the last three fiscal years ended April 30, 2023.

The market price of our common stock may be significantly impacted by many factors including the following:

These and other external factors have caused and may continue to cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of our common stock, and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock.

Anti-takeover provisions in our certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws, the Indenture, as well as provisions of Delaware law could prevent or delay a change in control of our company, even if such change in control would be beneficial to our stockholders.

Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of our company, even if such change in control would be beneficial to our stockholders. These include: authorizing the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock that could be issued by our board of directors to increase the number of outstanding shares and thwart a takeover attempt; no provision for the use of cumulative voting for the election of directors; limiting the ability of stockholders to call special meetings; requiring all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders (i.e. no provision for stockholder action by written consent); and establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings.

Further, in connection with our Convertible Notes issuances, we entered into an indenture dated as of March 12, 2021 as amended by a first supplemental indenture dated April 30, 2021 (as amended or supplemented, the “Indenture”) with U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. Certain provisions in the Indenture could make it more difficult or more expensive for a third party to acquire us. For example, if a takeover would constitute a fundamental change, holders of the Convertible Notes will have the right to require us to repurchase their Convertible Notes in cash. In addition, if a takeover constitutes a make-whole fundamental change, we may be required to increase the conversion rate for holders who convert their Convertible Notes in connection with such takeover. In either case, and in other cases, our obligations under the Convertible Notes and the Indenture could increase the cost of acquiring us or otherwise discourage a third party from acquiring us or removing incumbent management.

In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits us, except under specified circumstances, from engaging in any mergers, significant sales of stock or assets or business combinations with any stockholder or group of stockholders who owns at least 15% of our common stock.

Our amended and restated bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, or other employees to us, any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, any action to interpret, apply, enforce, or determine the validity of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock, so any returns will be limited to the value of our stock.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividend on our common stock. We currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings, if any, for the development, operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any return to stockholders will therefore be limited to the appreciation of the trading price of our common stock.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research reports about us, or if they issue adverse opinions about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business will influence the market for our common stock. If one or more analysts who cover us issues an adverse opinion about us, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases research coverage of us or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets which, in turn, could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. Further, if we fail to meet the market expectations of analysts who follow our stock, our stock price likely would decline.

Risks Related to Our Outstanding Convertible Notes

We may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to make payments on our significant debt when due, and we may incur additional indebtedness in the future.

In March 2021, we issued the Convertible Notes in a private offering to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act. We may be required to use a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to pay interest and principal on our indebtedness. Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal and to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness, including the Convertible Notes, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.

In addition, we may incur substantial additional debt in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our future debt agreements, some of which may be secured debt. We are not restricted under the terms of the Indenture governing the Convertible Notes, from incurring additional debt, securing existing or future debt, recapitalizing our debt, repurchasing our stock, pledging our assets, making investments, paying dividends, guaranteeing debt or taking a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the Indenture governing the Convertible Notes that could have the effect of diminishing our ability to make payments on the Convertible Notes when due.

The conditional conversion feature of our Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

In the event the conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes is triggered, holders of the Convertible Notes will be entitled to convert the notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes when these conversion triggers are satisfied, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.

The capped call transactions may affect the value of our Convertible Notes and our common stock.

In connection with the pricing of the Convertible Notes, we entered into capped call transactions with the option counterparties. The capped call transactions cover, subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments, the aggregate number of shares of our common stock that initially underlie the Convertible Notes. The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to our common stock as a result of conversion of the Convertible Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount of the converted Convertible Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap. In connection with establishing their initial hedges of the capped call transactions, the option counterparties or their respective affiliates may have purchased shares of common stock and/or entered into various derivative transactions with respect to our common stock concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the Convertible Notes, including with certain investors in the Convertible Notes.

In addition, the option counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to our common stock and/or purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the Convertible Notes and prior to the maturity of the Convertible Notes. They are likely to do so on each exercise date for the capped call transactions, which are expected to occur during each 40-trading day period beginning on the 41st scheduled trading day prior to the maturity date of the Convertible Notes, or following any termination of any portion of the capped call transactions in connection with any repurchase, redemption or early conversion of the Convertible Notes. This activity could also cause or prevent an increase or decrease in the price of our common stock or the Convertible Notes. The potential effect, if any, of these transactions on the price of our common stock or the Convertible Notes will depend in part on market conditions and cannot be ascertained at this time. Any of these activities could adversely affect the value of our common stock.

We are subject to counterparty risk with respect to the capped call transactions.

The counterparties to the capped call transactions are financial institutions, and we will be subject to the risk that one or more of the option counterparties may default, fail to perform or exercise their termination rights under the capped call transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of the option counterparties will not be secured by any collateral. If a counterparty to the capped call transactions becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at the time under such transaction. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, our exposure will increase if the market price or the volatility of our common stock increases. In addition, upon a default, failure to perform or a termination of the capped call transactions by a counterparty, we may suffer more dilution than we currently anticipate with respect to our common stock.

Not applicable.

Our corporate offices and CDMO facilities are all located in Orange County, California. We currently lease an aggregate of approximately 239,000 square feet of office, manufacturing, laboratory and warehouse space in five buildings under four separate operating lease agreements that expire on various dates between August 2023 and May 2032. These leases contain renewal options that could extend our lease terms to between August 2035 and May 2042.

We believe that the facilities we lease are adequate to meet our current needs and that, if necessary, additional space would be available to accommodate any future growth.

In the ordinary course of business, we are at times subject to various legal proceedings and disputes. We make provisions for liabilities when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.  Such provisions, if any, are reviewed at least quarterly and adjusted to reflect the impact of any settlement negotiations, judicial and administrative rulings, advice of legal counsel, and other information and events pertaining to a particular case. We currently are not a party to any legal proceedings, the adverse outcome of which, in management’s opinion, individually or in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

Not applicable.

PART II

Market Information

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the trading symbol “CDMO.”

Holders of Common Stock

As of June 9, 2023, we had 605 stockholders of record of our common stock. This number does not include beneficial owners whose shares are held in street name.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to declare cash dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

None.

Performance Graph

Notwithstanding any statement to the contrary in any of our previous or future filings with the SEC, the following information relating to the price performance of our common stock shall not be deemed to be “filed” with the SEC or to be “soliciting material” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and it shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of our filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.

The following chart shows the performance from April 30, 2018 through April 30, 2023 of Avid Bioservices, Inc. common stock, compared with an investment in the stocks represented in the NASDAQ U.S. Benchmark Pharmaceuticals TR Index and the NASDAQ U.S. Benchmark TR Index assuming the investment of $100 at the beginning of the period and the reinvestment of dividends, if any. The total return data for the comparative indexes were prepared by NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes.

COMPARISON OF FIVE-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN
VALUE OF INVESTMENT OF $100 ON APRIL 30, 2018

The underlying data for the preceding graph is as follows:

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes thereto set forth in “Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, but not limited to, those set forth under “Item 1A—Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report.

For discussion related to changes in financial condition and our results of operations for fiscal year 2022 compared to fiscal year 2021, refer to “Part II, Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on June 29, 2022.

Overview

We are a dedicated contract development and manufacturing organization (“CDMO”) that provides a comprehensive range of services from process development to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (“CGMP”) clinical and commercial manufacturing of biologics for the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries. With 30 years of experience producing biologics, our services include clinical and commercial product manufacturing, bulk packaging, release and stability testing and regulatory submissions support. We also provide a variety of process development services, including upstream and downstream development and optimization, analytical methods development, cell line development, testing and characterization.  

Strategic Objectives

We have a growth strategy that seeks to align with the growth of the biopharmaceutical drug substance contract services market. That strategy encompasses the following objectives:

Fiscal Year 2023 Highlights

The following summarizes select highlights from our fiscal year ended April 30, 2023:

Facility Expansions

During fiscal year 2021, we announced plans for a two-phased expansion of our Myford facility. The first phase, which expanded the production capacity of our Myford facility by adding an additional downstream processing suite, was completed in January 2022. The second phase, which was recently completed in March 2023, further expanded our capacity with the addition of a second manufacturing train, including both upstream and downstream processing suites.

In June 2022, we announced plans to further expand the process development capacity of our mammalian cell culture services, by adding new suites within our existing process development laboratory space. This expansion was completed in April 2023.

During fiscal year 2022, we announced plans to expand our CDMO service offerings into viral vector development and manufacturing services for the rapidly growing cell and gene therapy (“CGT”) market. This expansion consists of a two-phased approach to the construction of a world-class, single purpose-built CGT development and CGMP manufacturing facility in Costa Mesa, California (the “CGT Facility”). In June 2022, we completed the first phase with the opening of our new analytical and process development laboratories. The second phase of construction is the build out of CGMP manufacturing suites, which is expected to be online by the end of the third calendar quarter of 2023. We estimate that as of April 30, 2023, the remaining cost to complete our CGT Facility construction is approximately $14 million.

Upon completion of these expansion projects, we estimate that our combined facilities will have the potential to bring our total revenue generating capacity to up to approximately $400 million annually, depending on the mix of future customer projects.

Performance and Financial Measures

In assessing the performance of our business, we consider a variety of performance and financial measures. The key indicators of the financial condition and operating performance of our business are revenues, gross profit, selling, general and administrative expenses, operating income, interest expense, other income (expense), net, and income tax (expense) benefit.

We intend for this discussion to provide the reader with information that will assist in understanding our consolidated financial statements, the changes in certain key items in those consolidated financial statements from period to period and the primary factors that accounted for those changes.

Revenues

Revenues are derived from services provided under our customer contracts and are disaggregated into manufacturing and process development revenue streams. Manufacturing revenue generally represents revenue from the manufacturing of customer products derived from mammalian cell culture covering clinical through commercial manufacturing runs. Process development revenue generally represents revenue from services associated with the custom development of a manufacturing process and analytical methods for a customer’s product.

Gross Profit

Gross profit is equal to revenues less cost of revenues. Cost of revenues reflects the direct cost of labor, overhead and material costs. Direct labor costs primarily include compensation, benefits, recruiting fees, and stock-based compensation within the manufacturing, process and analytical development, quality assurance, quality control, validation, supply chain, project management and facilities functions. Overhead costs primarily include the rent, common area maintenance, utilities, property taxes, security, materials and supplies, software, small equipment and deprecation costs incurred at our manufacturing and laboratory locations.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses are composed of corporate-level expenses, including compensation, benefits, recruiting fees and stock-based compensation of corporate functions such as executive management, finance and accounting, business development, legal, human resources, information technology, and other centralized services. SG&A expenses also include corporate legal fees, audit and accounting fees, investor relation expenses, non-employee director fees, corporate facility related expenses, and other expenses relating to our general management, administration, and business development activities.

Interest Expense

Interest expense consists of interest costs related to our outstanding convertible senior notes, revolving credit facility and finance lease, including amortization of debt issuance costs.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income (expense), net primarily consists of interest earned on our cash and cash equivalents, net of gains (losses) from the disposal of long-lived assets.

Income Tax (Expense) Benefit

We are subject to taxation in the United States and various states jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. We prepare our income tax provision based on our interpretation of the income tax accounting rules and each jurisdiction’s enacted tax laws and regulations. For additional information refer to Note 7, Income Taxes, of the notes to consolidated financial statements.

Results of Operations

The following table compares the operating results of our operations for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Fiscal Year 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year 2022

Revenues

Revenues were $149.3 million in fiscal 2023, compared to $119.6 million in fiscal 2022, an increase of approximately $29.7 million or 25%. The year-over-year increase in revenues can primarily be attributed to increases in manufacting runs and process development services provided to new customers. The increase in revenues was attributed to the following components of our revenue streams:

Gross Profit

Gross profit was $31.5 million (21% gross margin) in fiscal 2023 compared to $36.6 million (31% gross margin) in fiscal 2022, a decrease of approximately $5.2 million. The decrease in gross profit can primarily be attributed to increases in compensation and benefit related expenses and facility and equipment related costs, partially offset by increased revenues. During fiscal 2023 as compared with fiscal 2022, our labor, overhead and depreciation expenses increased primarily due to the hiring of personnel and additional facility and equipment related costs in anticipation of the commissioning of our mammalian and cell and gene therapy CGMP facility expansions. This decrease in margin was partially offset by a current year period benefit to margin from revenue associated with a change in variable consideration under a contract where uncertainties have been resolved. In addition, the same period in the prior year included a margin benefit from unutilized capacity fees.

We expect our gross profit will continue to be impacted in the near-term due to our increased fixed cost base related to the recent hiring of personnel, additional facility and equipment related costs, and increased depreciation expense from our facility expansion efforts.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

SG&A expenses were $27.9 million in fiscal 2023, compared to $21.2 million in fiscal 2022, an increase of $6.7 million, or 31%. The net increase in SG&A expenses was attributed to the following components:

As a percentage of revenues, SG&A expenses for the fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022 were 19% and 18%, respectively. SG&A expenses are generally not directly proportional to revenues, but we expect such expenses to increase over time to support the needs of our growing company.

Operating Income

Operating income was $3.6 million for fiscal 2023, compared to $15.4 million for fiscal 2022. This $11.8 million decrease in year-over-year operating income can be attributed to the $5.2 million decrease in gross profit described above combined with the $6.7 million increase in SG&A expenses described above.

Other Income (Expense), net

Other income (expense), net (“OI&E”) was $1.0 million for fiscal 2023 compared to expense of $0.1 million for fiscal 2022. The $1.1 million increase in year-over-year OI&E can primarily be attributed to an increase in interest income of $0.8 million combined with a $0.3 million decrease in loss on disposal of property and equipment.

Income Tax (Expense) Benefit

Income tax expense was $1.4 million in fiscal 2023 compared to income tax benefit of $115.0 million in fiscal 2022. The increase in income tax expense is due to the recording of our first year of income tax expense in the current year whereas in the prior year there was a non-cash income tax benefit due to the release of our valuation allowance during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 (as described in Note 7 of the notes to consolidated financial statements). Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2023 was 72% and was computed based on the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 21% adjusted primarily for the tax impact of state income taxes, stock-based compensation, non-deductible officers’ compensation and transportation fringe benefits.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our discussion and analysis of our consolidated financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures. We review our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for our judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may vary from what we anticipate and different assumptions or estimates about the future could change our reported results. While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 of the notes to consolidated financial statements, we believe the following accounting policies to be critical to the assumptions and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue when we transfer promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition for contracts with customers we perform the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) we satisfy a performance obligation.

Revenue recognized from services provided under our customer contracts is disaggregated into manufacturing and process development revenue streams.

Manufacturing revenue

Manufacturing revenue generally represents revenue from the manufacturing of customer products recognized over time utilizing an input method that compares the cost of cumulative work-in-process to date to the most current estimates for the entire cost of the performance obligation. Under a manufacturing contract, a quantity of manufacturing runs are ordered at a specified scale with prescribed delivery dates, where the product is manufactured according to the customer’s specifications and typically includes only one performance obligation. Each manufacturing run represents a distinct service that is sold separately and has stand-alone value to the customer. The products are manufactured exclusively for a specific customer and have no alternative use. The customer retains control of its product during the entire manufacturing process and can make changes to the process or specifications at its request. Under these agreements, we are entitled to consideration for progress to date that includes an element of profit margin.

Process development revenue

Process development revenue generally represents revenue from services associated with the custom development of a manufacturing process and analytical methods for a customer’s product. Process development revenue is recognized over time utilizing an input method that compares the cost of cumulative work-in-process to date to the most current estimates for the entire cost of the performance obligation. Under a process development contract, the customer owns the product details and process, which has no alternative use. These process development projects are customized to each customer to meet its specifications and typically includes only one performance obligation. Each process represents a distinct service that is sold separately and has stand-alone value to the customer. The customer also retains control of its product as the product is being created or enhanced by our services and can make changes to its process or specifications upon request. Under these agreements, we are entitled to consideration for progress to date that includes an element of profit margin.

The timing of revenue recognition, billings and cash collections results in billed accounts receivables, contract assets (unbilled receivables), and contract liabilities (customer deposits and deferred revenue). Contract assets are recorded when our right to consideration is conditioned on something other than the passage of time. Contract assets are reclassified to accounts receivable on the consolidated balance sheet when our rights become unconditional. Contract liabilities represent customer deposits and deferred revenue billed and/or received in advance of our fulfillment of performance obligations. Contract liabilities convert to revenue as we perform our obligations under the contract.

The transaction price for services provided under our customer contracts reflects our best estimates of the amount of consideration to which we are entitled in exchange for providing goods and services to our customers. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, we allocate transaction price to each performance obligation identified in a contract on a relative standalone selling price basis. We generally determine relative standalone selling prices based on the price observed in the customer contract for each distinct performance obligation. If observable standalone selling prices are not available, we may estimate the applicable standalone selling price based on the pricing of other comparable services or on a price that we believe the market is willing to pay for the applicable service.

In determining the transaction price, we also considered the different sources of variable consideration including, but not limited to, discounts, credits, refunds, price concessions or other similar items. We have included in the transaction price some or all of an amount of variable consideration, utilizing the most likely method, only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. The actual amount of consideration ultimately received may differ.

In addition, our customer contracts generally include provisions entitling us to a cancellation or postponement fee when a customer cancels or postpones its commitments prior to our initiation of services, therefore not utilizing their reserved capacity. The determination of such cancellation and postponement fees are based on the terms stated in the related customer contract but are generally considered substantive for accounting purposes and create an enforceable right and obligation due to us when the cancellation or postponement occurs. Accordingly, we recognize such fees, subject to variable consideration, as revenue upon the cancellation or postponement date utilizing the most likely method.

Management may be required to exercise judgment in estimating revenue to be recognized. Judgment is required in identifying performance obligations, estimating the transaction price, estimating the stand-alone selling prices of identified performance obligations, estimating variable consideration, and estimating the progress towards the satisfaction of performance obligations. If actual results in the future vary from our estimates, the estimates will be adjusted, which will affect revenues in the period that such variances become known.

Stock-based Compensation

We maintain equity compensation plans, which provide the ability for us to grant stock options, restricted stock units, performance stock units and other forms of stock-based awards. The estimated fair value of stock options granted to employees in exchange for services is measured at the grant date, using a fair value based method, such as a Black-Scholes option valuation model, and is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods, which is generally the vesting period. The fair value of restricted stock units and performance stock units is measured at the grant date based on the closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant. For restricted stock units, the fair value is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods. For performance stock units, which are subject to performance conditions, the fair value is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods when the achievement of such performance condition is determined to be probable. If a performance condition is not determined to be probable or is not met, no stock-based compensation expense is recognized, and any previously recognized expense is reversed. Forfeitures are recognized as a reduction of stock-based compensation expense as they occur.

The use of a valuation model requires us to make certain estimates and assumptions with respect to selected model inputs. The expected volatility is based on the daily historical volatility of our common stock covering the estimated expected term. The expected term of options granted reflects actual historical exercise activity and assumptions regarding future exercise activity of unexercised, outstanding options. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury notes with terms within the contractual life of the option at the time of grant. The expected dividend yield assumption is based on our expectation of future dividend payouts. We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and currently do not anticipate paying such cash dividends.

Valuation Allowance

We utilize the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the liability method, deferred taxes are determined based on the differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Significant judgment is required by management to determine our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities, and the valuation allowance to record against our net deferred tax assets, which are based on complex and evolving tax regulation. We provide a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets will not be realized. On a periodic basis, we reassess the valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets, weighing positive and negative evidence to assess the recoverability of the deferred tax assets. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, we reassessed the valuation allowance noting the shift of positive evidence outweighing negative evidence, including significant revenue growth, continued profitability, and expectations regarding future profitability. After assessing both the positive evidence and negative evidence, we determined it was more likely than not that our deferred tax assets would be realized and therefore fully released our valuation allowance related to federal and state deferred tax assets on April 30, 2022 (as described in Note 7, Income Taxes, of the notes to consolidated financial statements). We maintained the same position that our federal and state deferred tax assets did not require a valuation allowance as of April 30, 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of liquidity are our existing cash and cash equivalents on hand. As of April 30, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $38.5 million. We believe that our existing cash on hand and our anticipated cash flows from operating activities will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months from the date of this Annual Report.

If our existing cash on hand and our anticipated cash flows from operations are not sufficient to support our operations or capital requirements, including our cell and gene therapy facility expansion, then we may, in the future, draw on our existing revolving credit facility, which is subject to covenant compliance and availability (as described in Note 7 of the notes to consolidated financial statements) and/or obtain additional equity or debt financing to fund our future operations and/or such expansion. We may raise these funds at the appropriate time, accessing the form of capital that we determine is most appropriate considering the markets available to us and their respective costs of capital, such as through the issuance of debt or through the public offering of our securities. These financings may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Our ability to raise additional capital in the equity and debt markets is dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the market demand for our common stock. The market demand or liquidity of our common stock is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our financial results, economic and market conditions, and global financial crises and economic downturns, which may cause extreme volatility and disruptions in capital and credit markets. In addition, even if we are able to raise additional capital, it may not be at a price or on terms that are favorable to us or it may contain restrictions on the operations of our business.

Cash Flows

The following table compares our cash flow activities for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities during fiscal 2023 was a result of net income of $0.6 million combined with non-cash adjustments to net income of $20.8 million primarily related to stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization expense, amortization of debt issuance costs and deferred income taxes, offset by a reduction in working capital as a result of a net change in operating assets and liabilities of $34.3 million.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during fiscal 2023 consisted of $77.6 million used to acquire property and equipment primarily related to the expansion of our Myford facility and the construction of our CGT Facility.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities during fiscal 2023 consisted of $3.4 million in net proceeds from the issuance of common stock under our equity compensation plans, offset by $0.5 million in principal payments on a finance lease.

Cash Requirements

Our material cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations.

Convertible Senior Notes Due 2026

In March 2021, we issued $143.8 million in aggregate principal amount of 1.25% exchangeable senior notes due 2026 (“Convertible Notes”) in a private offering to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The net proceeds we received from the issuance of Convertible Notes was $138.5 million, after deducting initial purchaser discounts and other debt issuance related expenses of $5.3 million.

The Convertible Notes are senior unsecured obligations and accrue at a rate of 1.25% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears on March 15 and September 15 of each year. The Convertible Notes mature on March 15, 2026, unless earlier redeemed or repurchased by us or converted at the option of the holders. The Convertible Notes are convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, at our election in the manner and subject to the terms and conditions provided in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes.

As of April 30, 2023, the aggregate principal amount outstanding or our Convertible Notes was $143.8 million. For additional information regarding our Convertible Notes, see Note 3 of the notes to consolidated financial statements.

Leases

We lease certain office, manufacturing, laboratory, and warehouse space located in Orange County, California under operating lease agreements. Our leased facilities have original lease terms ranging from 7 to 12 years, contain multi-year renewal options, and scheduled rent increases of 3% on either an annual or biennial basis. We also lease certain manufacturing equipment under a 5-year finance lease that expires in December 2026. As of April 30, 2023, we had outstanding lease payment obligations of $79.3 million, of which $4.8 million is payable in fiscal 2024, $4.7 million is payable in fiscal 2025, $4.8 million is payable in fiscal 2026, $4.6 million is payable in fiscal 2027, $4.0 million is payable in fiscal 2028, and $56.4 million is payable thereafter.

Capital Expenditures

We currently anticipate that cash required for capital expenditures during fiscal 2024 is approximately $30 million, which includes accrued and unpaid capital expenditures of approximately $14 million as of April 30, 2023. The remaining costs are primarily related to the completion of our cell and gene therapy facility as further discussed in the “Facility Expansions” section above.

Revolving Credit Facility

In March 2023, we entered into a credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and letter of credit issuer (the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement provides for a revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) $50 million, and (ii) a borrowing base calculated as the sum of (a) 80% of the value of certain of our eligible accounts receivable, plus (b) up to 100% of the value of eligible cash collateral. The Revolving Credit Facility will mature on March 13, 2024 and is secured by substantially all of our assets. As of April 30, 2023, there were no outstanding loans under the Revolving Credit Facility.

Loans under the Revolving Credit Facility will bear interest at either (1) a term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) rate for a specified interest period plus a SOFR adjustment (equal to 0.10%) plus a margin of 1.40% or (2) base rate plus a margin of 0.40% at our option. Interest on any outstanding loans is due and payable monthly and the principal balance is due at maturity. In addition, we pay a quarterly unused revolving line facility fee of 0.20% per annum on the average unused facility.

The Credit Agreement includes certain customary affirmative and negative covenants, including limitations on mergers, consolidations and sales of assets, limitations on liens, limitations on certain restricted payments and investments, limitations on transactions with affiliates and limitations on incurring additional indebtedness. In addition, the Credit Agreement requires maintenance of a minimum consolidated EBITDA, as defined in the Credit Agreement, of $15 million for the most recently completed four (4) fiscal quarters as measured at the end of each fiscal quarter. As of April 30, 2023, we were in compliance with the Credit Agreement’s financial covenant.

The Credit Agreement also provides for certain customary events of defaults, including, among others, failure to make payments, breach of representations and warranties, and default of convenants.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

For a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements applicable to us, see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the notes to consolidated financial statements.

Our cash and cash equivalents are primarily invested in money market funds with one major commercial bank with the primary objective to preserve our principal balance. Our deposits held with this bank exceed the amount of government insurance limits provided on our deposits and, therefore, we are exposed to credit risk in the event of default by the major commercial bank holding our cash balances. However, these deposits may be redeemed upon demand. In addition, while changes in U.S. interest rates would affect the interest earned on our cash balances at April 30, 2023, such changes would not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations, based on historical movements in interest rates.

Our Convertible Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 1.25% per year and therefore would not be affected by changes in U.S. interest rates.

Loans under our Revolving Credit Facility will bear interest at either (1) a term SOFR rate for a specified interest period plus a SOFR adjustment (equal to 0.10%) plus a margin of 1.40% or (2) base rate plus a margin of 0.40% at our option. As of April 30, 2023, we had no loans outstanding under our Revolving Credit Facility.

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Avid Bioservices, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Avid Bioservices, Inc. (the Company) as of April 30, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended April 30, 2023, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at April 30, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended April 30, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of April 30, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated June 21, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the account or disclosure to which it relates.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1999.

Irvine, California

June 21, 2023

AVID BIOSERVICES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except par value)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

AVID BIOSERVICES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(in thousands, except per share information)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

AVID BIOSERVICES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(in thousands, except per share information)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

AVID BIOSERVICES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

AVID BIOSERVICES, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS