Joe Sardano
Analyst · Maxim Group. Please go ahead
Thank you, Kim, and many thanks to each of you for joining us this afternoon. And again, I’m happy to announce that our business momentum continued during the first quarter of 2018, and I’m very pleased to report our 10th consecutive quarter of double-digit year-over-year revenue growth. We achieved revenues of $6 million in the first quarter, which is up 37% over last year’s first quarter. Note that the revenues included continued strong sales of our featured-rich, premium-priced SRT-100 Vision system for the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer and keloids. In all, we sold 21 systems, of which more than half, or 12, were SRT-100 Vision systems. The contribution of Vision systems resulted in an increase in gross margin to 66.2%, up from 65.6% a year ago. As I’ve said in the past, growing demand for the SRT-100 Vision with image guidance using ultrasound to facilitate treatment planning is reflective of the dedication of our physician customers to bring the best possible technologies to their patients. We are pleased that growing numbers have recognized the capabilities of the Vision and we are willing to invest in these premium systems. Our results also include the sale of four laser units in our first month, offering these units to our market since our March 1st launch at the South Beach Symposium. We are offering three laser products under the Sensus Laser System brand. Specifically, we are offering a fractional CO2 laser used for surgical applications that require ablation, vaporization, excision, incision, coagulation of soft tissue; an IPL laser for hair removal, skin rejuvenation, vascular and pigmented lesions; and a Q-Switched ND:YAG laser for tattoo removal, pigmented lesions treatment, aging spots, freckles and sun spots. These lasers provide a wide range of aesthetic and clinical solutions, while providing our dedicated sales force with additional products as they call on dermatologists and Mohs surgeons. We opened a subsidiary in Tel Aviv during the quarter with a two-pronged goal. With SRT-100 Vision systems already installed in Israel, we see an opportunity to expand sales there while using this office as a springboard to the rest of the Middle East and Europe. Also, we are mindful of the wealth of aesthetic technology being developed in Israel and believe there are multiple opportunities for collaboration to expand our product portfolio. With respect to the lasers we have just launched, we believe we would be able to provide technological advances to these products based on our R&D capabilities in Israel and in our headquarters at Boca Raton, Florida and provide very competitive cutting-edge laser product offerings. We continue to be focused on business outside of the U.S. and have further expanded our reach with new distribution agreements in Mexico, Korea, Germany, Thailand and Costa Rica. In parallel, we continued to invest in research and development in the U.S., and are developing new applications, products and upgrades to offerings that are expected to support revenue growth for the foreseeable future. Note that this investment is reflected in the increased year-over-year R&D spend we recorded in the first quarter. We filed a 510(k) application with the U.S. FDA for our new SRT system for Intraoperative Radiation Therapy, or IORT, for breast and other cancers. Our application is progressing through the agency, and we are optimistic we’ll be able to be in a position to launch this system by year-end. With this in mind, we are dividing our sales responsibilities for international and domestic oncology markets. Last week, we announced that Rick Golin, Executive Vice President and Co-founder of the company, will focus on expanding our international business. In turn, we are very pleased to announce earlier this week the hiring of Rita Gable, a seasoned and well-respected sales professional who spent the last 15 years of her career in oncology market and specifically, the past 8 years in proton therapy with the market leader, IBA, a Belgium-based company, which has 50% market share in proton therapy market. Rita will lead our domestic sales team as Vice President of Sales, Oncology and will lead the introduction of IORT into the U.S. market upon FDA clearance. Note that during 2017, our sales and marketing expenses were quite a bit higher as compared with 2016, reflecting the expansion of our direct sales force and additional marketing activities. Our sales and marketing expense continued at approximately the same overall level year-over-year in the first quarter of 2018. I’m very pleased with the return on investment from the new sales professionals and their field management, which will only increase throughout the year as they become more productive and add additional products to sell. We continue to keep an active schedule of trade shows and dermatology conferences. I mentioned during our last conference call, our booth presence with the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting, which was held in San Diego in February. Continuing in the future, we’ll be showcasing our products, including some new products. We have flagged the upcoming trade shows on our website, if you’re interested in seeing where we’ll be. We’re also continuing our studies with range rage for the treatment of psoriasis to help support marketing for the additional indication. These studies are being conducted at sites in Austin, Texas and Tallahassee, Florida. Turning now to China. As many of you know, last year, the SRT-100 received clearance for the China FDA for the treatment and prevention of keloids. And we launched the product for this indication during the fourth quarter at the premier Dermatology Conference in Shanghai, then into Beijing. I’m pleased with our joint progress in China, along with our China distribution partner, Chindex Medical. Together, we are excited about the growth opportunity this new indication represents, as the numbers of Chinese with keloid scars is very, very large. We hope to receive clearance from the China FDA for the SRT-100 Vision system by the end of the year. Preliminary indications to KOLs were well received due to the many additional features of the SRT-100 Vision. So we expect the Vision to have a good adoption rate for that market. I had the opportunity to return to China in the first quarter of this year to present at the B. Riley FBR China Inaugural Healthcare Investing and Partnering Symposium and had a number of potentially fruitful discussions with various Chinese companies. As reported in today’s news release, we expect our installed base of SRT systems to increase to more than 400 by the end of 2018, and our confidence is supported by the excellent start to the year. As a reminder, the U.S. alone, there are approximately 950 Mohs surgeons, about 14,000 dermatologists, 5,500 radiation oncologists, 6,500 plastic surgeons and 1,400 hospitals and surgery centers that comprise our target market. So in spite of our initial market gains, we’re just beginning. While we are open to gaining mass through a strategic acquisition, we continue to invest in R&D and in sales and marketing to grow Sensus organically. We intend to be judicious with respect to any acquisitions and we’ll vet them carefully. I’m now going to turn the call over to Arthur Levine for an in-depth discussion of our financial results. Arthur?