Caren Mason
Analyst · Stephens. Your line is open
Thank you, Brian and good afternoon everyone. I will begin our discussion with general commentary on the state of the business. Steve will then review key first quarter 2016 financial results before we open the call for your questions. Our first quarter revenue of $19.3 million was solid especially following a record Q4 in 2015. In addition, in Q1 2015 we booked approximately $1 million in ICL revenue directly tied to backlog replenishment. This would then for comparison purposes only reduce the prior year's quarterly demand to $17.8 million. To further elaborate, if you compare the six months periods of Q4 2014 through Q1 2015 to Q4 2015 through Q1 2016 we increased total revenue by 13% and ICL units by 25%. Performance in this period included the tailwind effect of the manufacturing move to Monrovia and continuing variation in seasonality and distributor inventory demand. It is important to note that our ability to meet spheric and Toric ICL on-time delivery requirements has been steady for the last several quarters and we expect to continue this positive performance. We have built up inventory to appropriate levels to assure supply and it is reaping dividends in many international markets where the EVO lens formerly known as the CentraFLOW lens can be implanted on the same refractive surgery timetable measured from patient interest to procedure as other refractive surgeries. We've made it clear that as we move toward becoming a more premium and primary ICL practice partner for our surgeons, the traditional rather up and down cycles of our ordering partners should transition to a more steady and predictable pattern. The achievement of a central base business development is predicated on our becoming a far more significant and revenue generating portion of the refractive surgeon's business than we are today. In managing the larger and more transformational strategic partnerships we are providing co-marketing and branding support, social media and website integration, practice development, certified training, and other primary practice development support programs. We are working through this model most effectively in China and are bringing that experience to other major markets where we are in discussion with several large multi-clinic and [indiscernible] potential partners. That being said, we reiterate our 2016 goal to increase ICL units by double-digits, to expand our gross margins and to determine by year end what our ILL offerings should look like as a true cataract care business. I will spend the rest of my time giving a quick update on the FDA progress and the remainder covering the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the ASCRS meeting. FDA remediation and continuation of quality systems overhaul remains at the top of the list of our strategic priorities. The achievement of remediation and quality systems plan commitments as submitted to the FDA and assuring that our global quality certifications are maintained remain as essential goals. In Q1 our internal goal achievement was on-target and on-budget. Turning to the ASCRS, STAAR successfully introduced its new global branding ten-year clinical data analysis, surgeon training, practice development and brand ambassador in patient appearances at the ASCRS meeting in New Orleans from May 06, through the 10. The evolution in visual freedom initiative included the introduction of the new EVO+ line of expanded optic ICLs available in selected international markets in April. Dr. Jaime Aramberri, a renowned refractive surgeon from Spain, implanted the first EVO+ lenses in March. He presented his findings at the meeting and concluded that, "Increasing the optical zone diameter means improving the optics which is the goal of premium refractive surgery." Our Collamer ICL's with the CentraFLOW technology will be branded as EVO and EVO+ lenses and the EU version of our new consumer facing website will be discoverevo.com. The ICL lenses offered in the U.S. will remain branded as the Visian ICL with a new consumer facing website online today which is discovervisianicl.com. Major initiatives at the ASCRS included clinical data. Leading surgeons in ophthalmology presented results from peer-reviewed scientific literature highlighting the safety and effectiveness of STAAR's implantable Collamer lenses. These data presentations included key findings from a comprehensive meta-analysis now in press entitled ICL Decade in Review, authored by internationally recognized leader in Ophthalmology, Mark Packer, M.D. Dr. Packer cited the authors of a paper from the Journal Ophthalmology who noted that the ICL provides "significant gains across a broad range of life activities, and is clearly a life changing intervention." Meta-analysis of safety data from the peer-reviewed literature, including up to 10 years of experience, comprehensively demonstrated a low rate of complications. In Surgeon Training and Practice Development, STAAR's new practice development programs and initiation of the inaugural Clinical ICL Training Institute, "CITI", were introduced. Presenters included Barnett Delaney Perkins' CEO, Mark Rosenberg. Barnett Delaney Perkins is a 15 clinic and 9 surgery center practice in Arizona, which will be providing certified ICL training to surgeons and will become a new Strategic Partner for STAAR. Mr. Rosenberg's presentation highlighted the practice patterns and economics of successfully integrating ICL implant surgery as a premium and primary offering of a cataract and refractive surgery practice. Patients and Surgeons also highlighted the patient experience. Patients for whom the ICL truly has been a life changing experience along with their surgeons presented the rationale for choosing ICL and very compelling stories of life before and after the achievement of visual freedom with the ICL. Patients included, Dr. Alison Tendler, a leading cataract, lens implant and refractive surgeon, Ki-Shui Liao, a professional golfer and Dr. Jessica Hua, a Professor and Ecotoxicologist. Our newest Brand Ambassador, Eve Torres Gracie, an athlete, WWE champion, actress and advocate/trainer for women's self defense presented her professional and personal evolution to visual freedom upon having the ICL implanted. Eve's profile and video highlighting her six years with her ICL's can be found on discovervisianicl.com or on www.facebook.com/evetorres. Eve has over one million Twitter followers and advocates for visual freedom with the Visian ICL through social media and personal appearances. Fundamentally, at the ASCRS our progress in achieving our strategic priorities and creating the visual freedom market for implantable lenses, transforming the surgeon and patient experience, establishing the certified ICL Training Institute and sharing long term safety and effectiveness data for STAAR was clearly demonstrated. I encourage you to visit our new website staar.com and watch the Evolution video and then visit the discovervisianicl.com website designed for patient education and patient experience. To inspire a new generation to begin their pursuit of visual freedom, the new STAAR branding was largely created for millennial by millennials with a few boomers thrown in for good measure. We've had extraordinarily positive feedback and I am thrilled to launch the new STAAR with such a terrific team. I will now turn over the call to Steve for a review of our first quarter 2016 financial results.