Stephen Tang
Analyst · Frank Takkinen from Lake Street Capital. You may begin
Thank you, Jeanne, and thank you everyone for joining us today. I hope you and your families are safe and well. I am pleased to report another record quarter for OraSure. Our 85% growth in first quarter net revenues represents the third quarter in a row of year-over-year double-digit revenue growth. Our sample collection devices for COVID-19 molecular testing continue to make a significant contribution to our revenues, and our genomics, microbiome, and domestic HIV diagnostic businesses showed strong performance as well. We achieved a significant milestone in March when we submitted our COVID-19 rapid antigen test to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Emergency Use Authorization, and look forward to bringing both a prescription home test and a professional test for point of care use to market. We are confident in the market potential for our COVID-19 products, as well as the resilience of our non-COVID businesses. Total net revenues of $58.6 million for the first quarter were driven by strong revenue performance of $43.2 million from the Molecular Solutions Business Unit. We recorded $27.4 million in revenue from our sample collection kits for COVID-19 molecular testing and expect our molecular sample collection kits to continue to meaningfully contribute to our business as testing remains a key strategy to combat the pandemic. Top of mind for investors is the outlook for COVID-19 testing given the downward trend in testing numbers. Before providing further detail on our activities, I’d like to offer our perspective on the global COVID-19 testing landscape. Here in the U.S., vaccines are readily available and the number of cases in the U.S. has dropped meaningfully since the start of the year. However, as variants continue to spread, testing will continue to play a crucial part in mitigating the spread of the virus and helping to safely reopen workplaces, schools, and other places where people gather. A recent McKinsey report notes that rapid, accurate testing will play a key role as the transition back to pre-pandemic routines continues. The emergence of new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus underscores the importance of testing to detect infection even as vaccination campaigns continue. Scientists are particularly concerned about the rising prevalence of variants, which they say could prolong the pandemic. When you factor in vaccine hesitancy, it becomes apparent that achieving herd immunity may take longer than hoped for – or even be elusive. Experts estimate that 70% to 85% of the population must be vaccinated to stop the spread of COVID-19. Yet, a quarter of Americans say they probably or definitely will not get vaccinated. In some states supply is now higher than demand. Outside the U.S., however, the vaccine rollout is slower. Bloomberg projects it will take years to achieve significant global herd immunity, while McKinsey notes that herd immunity may look different across the world, with some areas achieving it, others moving in and out of it, and some failing to achieve it due to vaccine hesitancy. Market research reports forecast a robust testing market with estimates of total global volumes for molecular and antigen tests in the range of two billion to four billion tests in 2021. Consequently, we believe the need for convenient, safe and accurate testing will continue alongside vaccination rollouts, and our tests and molecular sample collection kits will be critical to this effort. OraSure is dedicated to simplifying COVID-19 testing. Our tests and collection kits are all centered on the convenient, pain-free self-collection of samples, making it easier for people to know if they have COVID-19. This simplicity and ease of use can help increase access to testing, alleviate the burden on the healthcare system, minimize exposure risks, and conserve personal protective equipment. Our molecular sample collection kits made by our DNA Genotek subsidiary continue to drive performance showing continued sequential quarterly growth. Demand has been driven by both high-volume repeat orders from existing customers and from new customers engaged in back-to-work and back-to-school testing programs around the world. As a reminder, our OMNIgene ORAL and ORAcollect RNA collection devices have received EUAs from the FDA allowing for the unsupervised use of these devices at home or in healthcare settings when used as part of an approved or validated at-home test kit. They are also included in eight EUAs received by DNA Genotek’s customers. ORAcollect RNA saliva collection devices have been used in more than two million COVID-19 tests developed by DNA Genotek customer Quadrant Biosciences in partnership with SUNY Upstate Medical University, up from the one million administered tests SUNY announced in February of 2021. This test has been used extensively by State University of New York campuses since the start of the fall 2020 semester. Turning to our COVID-19 rapid antigen test, we were delighted to announce in March that we had submitted an EUA application to the FDA for our COVID-19 rapid antigen test for both Prescription Home Use and Professional Use at point of care settings. The concurrent submission for both products represented an acceleration of the Prescription Home Test use product and reflects our continued focus on the home testing market. This easy and intuitive ‘swab, swirl and see’ test detects active COVID-19 infection with no instrumentation, batteries or smartphone needed to read the results. Users simply swab their lower nostrils, swirl the swab in buffer solution and see the result right on the test stick a short time later. It’s that simple. With just a few steps to follow, we believe our test would be one of the simplest COVID-19 tests on the market. We expect that its simplicity will give users peace of mind that they performed the test correctly and can be confident in the result. Our rapid antigen tests are well suited for use by individuals at home, as well as health care providers, employers, pharmacies and universities. Because they do not rely on batteries, electricity, cell service or WiFi, our tests could be administered wherever testing is needed, such as in underserved communities where vaccinations are low and COVID incidence is high. We have begun manufacturing our antigen test as we await Emergency Use Authorization. We also plan to pursue an over-the-counter indication for our rapid antigen test. Given our experience selling our HIV test over-the-counter for close to 10 years, we are well suited to capitalize on this opportunity once authorized by the FDA. Turning to our oral fluid antibody test, we have collected the data requested by the FDA and plan to submit separate EUA applications for the ELISA microplate assay and the OraSure Oral Antibody Collection Device. This lab-based antibody test can aid in identifying individuals with an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2, indicating prior infection. Our test has the potential to be the first oral fluid antibody test to receive FDA Emergency Use Authorization. To date, all of the FDA authorized antibody tests require a venous blood draw or finger stick. Antibody tests can play a role in community surveillance efforts and seroprevalence studies. We continue to sell this pioneering product for research use only and it has been validated by numerous laboratories. With this qualitative test, individuals would self-collect an oral fluid sample using the OraSure Oral Antibody Collection Device, under the observation of a healthcare professional. The sample would be placed into a buffer vial for storage and transport, and later dispensed onto the OraSure Sars-CoV-2 ELISA microplate for testing in a laboratory. Each of OraSure’s accurate, easy-to-administer testing and collection methods, in conjunction with vaccination efforts, can play a key role in identifying COVID-19 cases, isolating the infected, controlling outbreaks and helping the world get back to normal. We are confident in the sustained market potential for our COVID-19 solutions. As the recent surges around the world have shown, COVID-19 is still having a significant impact worldwide. We are prepared to address this global opportunity, a molecular sample collection kits are already authorized in Europe and in Canada. We are actively working on the requirements for international regulatory approvals for our rapid antigen test and plan to leverage our existing infrastructure of teams and distributors. If we capture just a small percentage of the global COVID-19 testing market, it will have a meaningful impact on the company. And with that, I’ll turn it over to Roberto for a report on our financials and an update on our COVID-19 manufacturing capacity expansion. Roberto?