NYSE: OWLTW
Owlet, Inc.CIK 0001816708 · Measuring & Controlling Devices
Owlet is a leading pediatric health platform and the only company globally to offer U.S. FDA-cleared and internationally medically-certified wearable pediatric monitors for home use. By delivering hospital-grade technology through a consumer-friendly interface, we bridge the critical gap between… About this business →
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About Owlet, Inc.
Source: Item 1 (Business) from the 10-K filed March 9, 2026. Description as filed by the company with the SEC.
Item 1. Business
We are Owlet
Owlet is a leading pediatric health platform and the only company globally to offer U.S. FDA-cleared and internationally medically-certified wearable pediatric monitors for home use. By delivering hospital-grade technology through a consumer-friendly interface, we bridge the critical gap between clinical care and the home.
Our ecosystem—comprising clinically tested monitoring systems, an integrated video platform, and an intuitive mobile app—supports families from "night one" and throughout the most challenging parts of the parenting journey. Since 2012, more than 2.5 million parents have trusted Owlet to provide the real-time insights in support of their child's well-being and to promote restful sleep for the entire family.
Globally, over 140 million new lives are brought into the world every year. While welcoming a new child is a meaningful milestone for families, the first year of life is often marked by sleep disruption, health concerns, and increased stress for caregivers. In the United States alone, we estimate families lose an average of 44 nights of sleep in the first year, and young children account for millions of annual sick visits and emergency room consultations.
We believe these challenges underscore a dire need for a paradigm shift in pediatric wellness. Rather than relying solely on reactive care, Owlet enables a more proactive, data-informed approach to infant and early childhood health. We are moving beyond simple monitoring to provide a comprehensive window into a child's health, helping parents stay informed, get more rest, and find lasting peace of mind.
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Our vision is to become the world’s most trusted parenting platform, providing insights and care for every family. We are committed to:
•Guiding parents through the unknown: Delivering real-time, clinically grounded insights that help families navigate the earliest stages of parenting with confidence.
•Supporting health, safety and sleep: Prioritizing the core needs of the early years to improve well-being for both children and caregivers.
•Leading in pediatric data and insights: Leveraging one of the world’s largest datasets of pediatric health and sleep information to drive continuous innovation, personalized experiences, and responsible integration with the broader healthcare ecosystem.
By pairing advanced medical technology with human-centric design and AI-powered intelligence, Owlet is building more than a monitoring solution. We are building a platform that advances health and wellness outcomes for families and fosters a trusted partnership with parents that begins on night one and continues well beyond.
Products and Services
Our integrated platform delivers a dual-value proposition: medical-grade monitoring for health and safety and data-driven insights for long-term family wellness.
Owlet provides medically certified, over-the-counter wearable monitors that bring hospital-grade technology into the home. Our wearable sensors provide a notification to the caregiver when a child’s pulse rate and/or oxygen saturation values moves outside of preset ranges (“Health Notifications”) and displays the child’s live pulse rate and oxygen saturation values and trends (“Live Health Readings”). This combination creates a medical-grade safety net designed to provide parents with the security of knowing they will be alerted when their attention is required.
Beyond health monitoring, our software services transform physiological data into actionable guidance, helping parents get more sleep and provide more informed care. We leverage one of the world's largest pediatric datasets to provide parents with personalized data and insights. By analyzing sleep trends and health patterns, we empower caregivers to make informed decisions and shift from reactive monitoring to proactive wellness. These app-based services are designed to reduce uncertainty during the early months of the parenting journey. By providing a clear window into a child’s well-being, our software services can help reduce parental anxiety and enable a more restful home environment. This emphasis on clarity and confidence helps families feel safe, well-rested, and supported in their daily routines.
Dream Sock: An award-winning wearable infant health monitor equipped with pulse oximetry technology that tracks vital signs, including pulse rate, oxygen level, activity, and sleep patterns. It delivers real-time notifications to caregivers when pulse rate and/or oxygen saturation values fall outside preset ranges and provides tailored sleep insights in the Owlet Dream App. Dream Sock with Live Health Readings and Health Notifications has received FDA marketing authorization in the United States, and has regulatory clearances in the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India, and Israel. A version of Dream Sock without Live
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Health Readings and Health Notifications is available in Canada and tracks Sleep Quality Indicators, including heart rate and 10-minute historic average oxygen levels. Dream Sock is the next-generation monitor that replaced our legacy Smart Sock product.
BabySat: Designed for infants who may benefit from additional monitoring at home under the supervision of a physician. It is a prescription version of our wearable monitor that offers customizable alarm limits through the Owlet Care+ App. This device is best suited for infants with conditions such as RSV, pneumonia, bronchitis, croup, or other diagnoses. Supported by insurance reimbursement, eligible families may access vital monitoring at low or no cost. BabySat is FDA-cleared and available in the U.S. only. The BabySat pulse oximeter is indicated for use in measuring and displaying functional oxygen saturation values of arterial hemoglobin (SpO2) and Pulse rate. It is indicated for spot-checking and/or continuous monitoring of well-perfused patients greater than one month old up to 18 months old and weighing between 6 and 30 lbs., in the home environment.
Dream Sight: A smart audio and video monitor that enables parents to monitor their child from anywhere. It features Wi-Fi enabled 2k HD video, motion and cry detection, 4x zoom, and two-way audio to help caregivers stay connected regardless of distance. Dream Sight is the first baby monitor to receive the SGS Cybersecurity Mark, a global certification that recognizes high standards of digital safety and privacy.
Dream Duo: Integrates Dream Sock and Dream Sight to create a connected health and safety system, combining biometric monitoring, sleep analytics, and HD video to provide deeper visibility into a child’s well-being.
Owlet360: Owlet’s innovative subscription service leverages the Company’s pediatric health and sleep data to provide parents and caregivers with a deeper, personalized understanding of their child’s development, health, and sleep trends. The service provides caregivers with actionable information designed to support informed decision-making and greater peace of mind. Owlet360 is available to all new and existing Owlet Dream App users in English-speaking markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. We plan to expand access to Owlet360 in additional languages and other international markets in 2026.
Accessories: Enhancing the Owlet experience, offered accessories include fabric accessory socks in various colors and patterns, and the Owlet Sock Travel Case.
Our Platform and Pipeline
Since our inception, over 2.5 million Owlet devices have been sold worldwide, generating one of the largest proprietary data sets of infant health and sleep. We believe that data is an invaluable tool in bridging the current healthcare gap between hospital and home, and that through leveraging our data, our platform can improve access to individualized care. We plan on continuing to develop our software and data insights in order to bring additional solutions into the home.
We are building our data platform with the goal to be parents’ go-to wellness brand in the areas of sleep, safety, health and well-being information. We will remain focused on commercializing our Dream Sock and BabySat devices, which we believe will open the door to launch additional services to continue the expansion of our data platform. We believe that we can use our data sets to enhance our product with additional valuable data insights as part of new subscription models and increasingly predictive technologies.
We believe we have developed deep and enduring relationships with our users and brand advocates around the world. We believe these parents are more likely to be early technology adopters and have a high affinity towards actionable insight to care for their children. This is evidenced by the millions of downloads of the Owlet applications and high social media engagement across our multiple platforms. We expect these relationships continue to grow and develop in tandem with our novel product and software additions to our connected ecosystem, feature enhancements, omni-channel distribution, and marketing efforts. As and to the extent we are able to bring this valued relationship with consumers into new medical communities, we believe that our platforms will continue to evolve and expand.
Go-to-Market Channels
Owlet products are marketed and distributed in the United States and internationally through consumer and, more recently, through healthcare distribution channels.
Direct to Consumer & Digital Engagement: The Owlet brand resonates deeply with over 1 million social media followers, hundreds of millions of views and engagements and millions of website visitors each year. Our focus on engaging directly with our customers is driving significant sales through direct channels and increases demand through our retail partnerships. Our digital presence is a cornerstone of our strategy, enhancing customer lifetime value and fostering brand loyalty.
Retail Partnerships: Our products are widely available across major U.S. retailers, including Amazon, Baby List, Best Buy. Target, and Walmart.
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Global Reach & Distribution: Our international strategy continues to grow, with distribution partners in key global markets including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and throughout the rest of the European Union. We intend to continue expanding our global footprint and accessibility, underscoring our commitment to global health and well-being.
Healthcare Distribution & Insurance Reimbursement: The FDA clearance and subsequent launch of BabySat marks a significant opportunity to expand into healthcare distribution, opening potential new channels for insurance reimbursement and professional recommendations. We believe that this development not only broadens access, but also cements Owlet's role in the healthcare ecosystem. For example, we recently announced a new durable medical equipment (DME) partnership with 1 Natural Way, a leading national mom-and-baby-focused DME provider. Also, as further discussed below, we recently launched a collaboration with Children's Hospital of The Kings Daughters. Owlet is focused on enlisting a wide variety of healthcare partners to increase the accessibility and affordability of our products while increasing our margin.
Our Strategy
2025 - Year of Scale and Transformation
In 2025, we made significant progress in our transition from a hardware-centric company to a comprehensive pediatric health platform. Our monitoring devices are the foundation of our medical-grade ecosystem and throughout the year, we saw accelerated adoption of our Dream Sock, and expanded pathways for prescription and insurance reimbursement for our BabySat devices. We believe that our continued leadership as the provider of the first and only FDA-cleared baby monitors in the market has created strong brand awareness among parents and healthcare providers, directly addressing the safety and monitoring needs of our customers while fulfilling our commitment to regulatory excellence.
We have experienced growth and success in our currently active international markets, while we continue to pursue additional international certifications to broaden our global presence. We received regulatory clearance in India late in the year, paving the way for commercial launch in early 2026. This expansion demonstrates our ability to scale our innovative technology globally while maintaining the rigorous quality standards required by international health authorities.
A key pillar of our 2025 transformation was the rapid scaling of our digital services and data platform. Following its full launch in January 2025, our Owlet360 subscription service exceeded expectations, gaining over 98,000 subscribers by the end of 2025. The success of our product and platform strategies was reflected in a historic year for our financial performance. For the second consecutive year we set Company records in revenue, gross profit, gross margin and Adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2025. We recognized $105.7 million in revenue, representing approximately 35.4% growth year-over-year, and achieved 50.6% gross margin, improving 20 basis points year over year despite headwinds in global trade. Furthermore, in 2025 we reported a net loss of $39.7 million and achieved approximately $2.0 million in Adjusted EBITDA, our first full year of positive Adjusted EBITDA. For additional information on Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP equivalent, see Part II, Item 7, “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Non-GAAP Financial Measures.” Our continued execution of our financial strategy, supported by a successful warrant exchange and follow-on equity offering in late 2025, has significantly strengthened our balance sheet, enabling us to invest more in our growth.
As we look toward 2026, we remain dedicated to our mission of providing every parent with the tools they need to keep their children safe. The progress made in 2025—marked by sustained growth, international scale, and the evolution of our subscription ecosystem—demonstrates that through continued strategy execution we continue to strengthen our operational, financial, and regulatory foundations. We believe we are well-positioned as a sustainable, data-driven leader in the pediatric health space, with a goal to deliver long-term value to our shareholders and life-changing technology to families worldwide.
Strategy Overview
Driving Growth: Our vision is clear - we see health sensing technology for children becoming as ubiquitous as car seats and breast pumps for newborns. With the momentum we have gained from FDA marketing authorizations, the launch of Owlet360 subscription service, the introduction of insurance coverage and reimbursement for BabySat, increased credibility in medical communities, and an increased retail presence, we see Owlet as strategically positioned for substantial growth.
We have outlined strategic focus areas that we believe are most critical to driving growth:
Drive Domestic Adoption: In 2024, we introduced FDA-cleared device Dream Sock to deliver improved comfort to parents wishing for better safety and monitoring for their children. Our de novo classification of Dream Sock as an over-the-counter device was the first of its kind, and Dream Sock is currently the only monitor on the market in our product category authorized by the FDA. We intend to leverage the differentiation and scale of Dream Sock to drive continued domestic adoption in the United States.
Drive International Adoption: We have received 7 international regulatory clearances for Dream Sock in addition to the United States including the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Israel. We are leveraging these endorsements of our technologies to drive expansion of our global footprint and are currently selling Owlet products in over 30
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countries. We intend to continue to drive adoption in these current geographic sales channels as well as opening additional sales channels through regulatory clearances.
Expand the Owlet360 Subscription Platform: In January 2025, we launched Owlet360, our first subscription service. Owlet360 puts the value from Owlet’s vast pediatric health dataset of health and sleep information directly in the hands of parents and caregivers. Owlet360 is aimed to empower parents, at home, with information that can help them better manage care for their children. We believe that unlocking care at home is the key to improving overall infant health outcomes and reducing costs. Priced at $9.99 per month, we have grown our total paying subscribers to over 110,000. We anticipate introducing additional features, enhancements, and international expansion for Owlet360. This service helps to bridge the gap between hospital and home care, driving predictable recurring revenue, boosting lifetime value, and growing our connected ecosystem.
Grow the Healthcare Channels: In 2024, we introduced FDA-cleared device BabySat to offer an insurance reimbursable baby monitor, with a focus on newborns deemed high-risk. We believe that the FDA marketing authorization for BabySat is an important differentiation to gain trust of healthcare professionals, as well as parents desiring better safety and monitoring for their children. We have made progress in expanding our insurance coverage network, ending 2025 with 37 states on Medicaid reimbursement, and over 250 commercial insurance carriers. We also launched a consignment agreement with Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters through which providers can prescribe Owlet devices in the hospital, thereby enabling patients to obtain insurance prior-authorization prior to hospital discharge, and take home our medical-grade infant monitoring devices. This agreement represents an important milestone for our healthcare opportunity as we look to replicate this business model with other hospitals and medical facilities.
Expanding Lifetime Value (LTV): We view Owlet's brand as synonymous with engagement and loyalty in our industry, supported by a rich dataset that underpins our market understanding. Expanding our lifetime value is at the core of our strategy to support parents in the journey of parenthood. With the introduction of our Owlet360 subscription service and Dream Sight camera in 2025, we believe we are well-positioned to forge deeper connections among parents, their children, and healthcare providers, and deliver increasing lifetime value to all customers. Our strategy is not just about growth; it is about enriching the ecosystem of pediatric care with Owlet at its heart, fostering a healthier future for the next generation.
Market Landscape and Competitive Dynamics
Owlet has a clear and specific market in pediatrics serving the needs of parents and their children across key markets in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Canada, with a product launch anticipated for India and other international markets throughout 2026. With over 33 million infants born annually in these regions, we see the potential for a steady demand for our products and refreshment of our Total Addressable Market ("TAM"). Despite declining birth rates in some regions, we believe the emphasis on infant care and the financial investment in the well-being of newborns have seen a consistent increases over the years. We believe this trend underscores a growing market resilience, notably within the baby care sector, which has remained robust against broader economic fluctuations affecting consumer spending.
Since its inception, Owlet has been at the forefront of the consumer digital health monitoring space for children and their families. We believe that our pioneering achievement of obtaining the first de novo authorization for at-home monitoring without the need for a prescription underscores our trailblazing efforts and helps set a high regulatory bar for new entrants in our industry. This distinction is critical as it denotes that any comparable product with medical applications will likely require similar regulatory endorsements.
In addition to spearheading the health monitoring category, Owlet competes within the broader realm of general video/audio baby monitors. We believe our strategic edge is encapsulated in Dream Duo, the combination product that includes Dream Sock and Dream Sight, which provides parents with a holistic view of their child's health and well-being. This product allows parents to see, hear, and be assured of their child's condition through our app, offering an unmatched value proposition.
We believe that we are uniquely positioned to address our market opportunity as a result of our regulatory marketing authorizations, extensive distribution network, intellectual property including our proprietary data, and comprehensive feature set. We believe that this combination not only differentiates us from our competitors but also solidifies our commitment to extending the benefits of our technology to every infant.
Our competition spans from established players to emerging innovators in the space, including companies that sell non-FDA cleared sound and video monitors. Owlet is the only company in the market to offer a baby monitor with FDA-clearance in addition to multiple international regulatory certifications.
We expect the industry in which we operate will continue to evolve and may be significantly affected by new product introductions and other market activities of industry participants. Certain potential competitors have substantially greater capital resources, larger product portfolios, larger user bases, larger sales forces and greater geographic presence, and have built relationships with retailers and distributors that may be more effective than ours. Our products and services face additional competition from companies developing products and services for use with third-party monitoring systems, as well as from companies that currently market similar products and services of their own and may face further pressure from technology companies that have not historically operated in our industry.
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Continuing technological advances and new product introductions within the home-use childcare electronics, medical monitoring and service industry place our products and services at risk of obsolescence. Our long-term success depends upon the development and successful commercialization of new products and services, new or improved technologies and additional applications for our existing technologies, including products or applications that may be subject to the oversight of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities and could require marketing authorization by the FDA or similar approval, clearance, authorization or certification from comparable foreign regulatory authorities or notified bodies. The research and development process is time-consuming and costly and may not result in products and services or applications that we can successfully commercialize.
We believe that the primary competitive factors in our market are:
•product quality and performance, including the size, quality, comfort, battery life, reliability, connectivity of the device to the application and/or monitor, and accuracy of data provided to customers;
•FDA marketing authorizations and similar foreign regulatory authorities marketing authorizations and notified bodies certifications;
•customer purchasing experience;
•pricing;
•product support and service;
•effective marketing and education;
•brand recognition;
•breadth and depth of offerings;
•greater market penetration;
•technological innovation, product enhancements and speed of innovation; and
•sales and distribution capabilities.
We believe our ability to continue to compete effectively in our industry will also depend in part on our ability to respond more quickly and effectively than our peers to new or changing opportunities, technologies, regulatory standards or customer requirements. We anticipate that we will face increased competition in the future as existing companies and competitors develop new or improved products and distribution strategies and as new companies enter the market with new technologies and distribution strategies. With our 510(k) clearance and de novo authorization, we believe competitors or new entrants will also have the benefit of using our devices as predicate devices in their own regulatory clearance pursuits. Increased competition in the future could adversely affect our revenue, revenue growth rate, margins and market share.
Research and Development
We are committed to ongoing research and development to create new products and enhance the design, operation, and quality of our existing offerings. Our research and development organization includes individuals with expertise in engineering, product design, clinical science, consumer electronics, healthcare technologies, data science, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and embedded software. Our technical capabilities and disciplined development processes enable us to deliver product enhancements on an accelerated timeline while maintaining a focus on reliability, security, and regulatory compliance.
In 2025, we successfully launched our subscription service, Owlet360, extending our platform from hardware-focused products to an integrated ecosystem of connected devices, software, and services. Ongoing research and development efforts are focused on expanding the capabilities, personalization, and overall value of this subscription offering across our product portfolio.
A core area of investment is the integration of artificial intelligence ("AI") and computer vision to our camera products. These technologies are being developed to improve environmental awareness, detection, and contextual understanding within the nursery, supporting more intelligent monitoring and enhanced user experiences over time.
We are also investing in AI-driven personalization for our wearable products. By leveraging machine learning techniques and longitudinal, anonymized data, we seek to deliver insights and experiences that adapt to a baby’s age, patterns, and developmental stage, while maintaining strong standards for data privacy and security.
In parallel, we continue to evaluate emerging wearable sensor technologies that may enable additional physiological measurements and new use cases beyond our current offerings, including temperature trends, hydration-related indicators, and other health signals. These initiatives remain in exploratory and feasibility stages.
Our current research and development activities are focused on enhancing the customer experience of our existing products, expanding subscription functionality, advancing new product development, and supporting the commercialization and regulatory pathways of our medical devices. These efforts may include pursuing expanded indications or intended populations, as well as developing improved methods for delivering information that parents and caregivers find meaningful and actionable.
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We believe that responsibly leveraging the pediatric data we have accumulated through our products and services can support innovation in infant care and contribute to broader medical understanding. Through collaboration with healthcare professionals and participation in clinical research initiatives, we aim to translate these efforts into enhanced products and services that support families throughout early parenthood.
Regulatory Interactions
We have cooperated with and have worked diligently to seek marketing authorizations for our products with medical device functionality. In 2023, Owlet reached an important inflection point from a pioneer in the consumer-facing, in-home, digital health smart baby monitoring industry to a company that received two innovative regulatory authorizations from the FDA for its products. In June 2023, Owlet received a clearance of a premarket notification submitted to FDA pursuant to Section 510(k) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“510(k) clearance”) for its prescription-required pulse oximeter device, BabySat, which is indicated for spot-checking and/or continuous monitoring of certain well-perfused infants in the home environment. In November 2023, Owlet then received a first-of-its kind, de novo authorization from the FDA for Dream Sock, enabling both displays of a baby’s live health readings, including pulse rate and oxygen saturation values, as well as Health Notifications, which will alert caregivers with lights and alarm sounds if their infant’s readings fall outside of preset ranges. These notifications and associated data can be used to supplement the decision by caregivers to seek additional guidance for medical care of the infant and provide more helpful data in those moments. The FDA’s marketing authorizations for both BabySat and Dream Sock are significant foundational breakthroughs in our journey to bring care to the home and empower parents, to signify not only our commitment to innovation in the infant health category, but more importantly, our dedication to helping ensure the health and well-being of every baby. These clearances transform Owlet from solely a consumer technology company into a medical device company.
After Owlet received 510(k) clearance for its prescription-required pulse oximeter device, BabySat, which is indicated for spot-checking and/or continuous monitoring of certain well-perfused infants in the home environment, Owlet launched in the United States in January 2024 this FDA-cleared pulse-oximetry technology incorporating our advanced, wire-free and consumer-adopted sock design. BabySat, which requires a prescription from a physician or other authorized, licensed healthcare provider, has allowed Owlet to enter the medical and healthcare markets and compete with traditional hospital dispensed medical devices. BabySat is designed to be able to be utilized by various telehealth platforms and is designed specifically for babies with diagnosed illnesses and health conditions. The device uses pulse oximetry technology and is intended to be prescribed by physicians to assist with the in-home monitoring of babies under a physician’s care. We believe BabySat provides significant advantages to the large, wired hospital monitoring technologies on the market today with its wireless, wearable form factor and cloud connected data integration designed for home use.
While our existing primary market is the United States, we have continued to expand into international and new geographic markets. Dream Sock has been CE and UKCA marked, as defined below, under European Union (“EU”) and United Kingdom (“UK”) Medical Device Regulations. Additional international clearances for Dream Sock include Australia, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. As our retail penetration increases and brand awareness grows outside of the United States, we intend to further leverage retail channels and locations to ensure efficient and strategic global customer acquisition in key markets in the future.
Government Regulation
Certain of our products or their features and our operations are subject to regulation by the FDA and other federal and state authorities in the U.S., as well as comparable authorities in foreign jurisdictions.
U.S. Regulation
The FDA regulates the development, design, non-clinical and clinical research, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, labeling, packaging, storage, installation, servicing, recordkeeping, premarket clearance or approval, adverse event reporting, advertising, promotion, marketing and distribution, and import and export of medical devices to ensure that medical devices distributed domestically are safe and effective for their intended uses and otherwise meet the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”).
FDA Premarket Clearance and Approval Requirements
Unless an exemption applies, each medical device commercially distributed in the U.S. requires either FDA clearance of a premarket notification submitted under Section 510(k) of the FDCA or approval of a premarket approval application, or PMA. Under the FDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes—Class I, Class II or Class III—depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of manufacturer and regulatory control needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Class I includes devices with the lowest risk to the patient and are those for which safety and effectiveness can be assured by adherence to the FDA’s General Controls for medical devices, which include compliance with the applicable portions of the Quality Management System Regulation (“QMSR”), facility registration and product listing, reporting of adverse medical events, and truthful and non-misleading labeling, advertising, and promotional materials. Class II devices are subject to the FDA’s General Controls, and special controls as deemed necessary by the FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device. These special controls can include performance standards, post-market surveillance, patient registries and FDA guidance documents.
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While most Class I devices are exempt from the 510(k) premarket notification requirement, manufacturers of most Class II devices are required to submit to the FDA a premarket notification under Section 510(k) of the FDCA requesting permission to commercially distribute the device. The FDA’s permission to commercially distribute a device subject to a 510(k) premarket notification is generally known as 510(k) clearance. Devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risks, such as life sustaining, life supporting or some implantable devices, or devices that have a new intended use, or use advanced technology that is not substantially equivalent to that of a legally marketed device, are placed in Class III, requiring approval of a PMA. Some pre-amendment devices are unclassified, but are subject to FDA’s premarket notification and clearance process in order to be commercially distributed.
510(k) Clearance Marketing Pathway
To obtain 510(k) clearance, we must submit to the FDA a premarket notification submission demonstrating that the proposed device is “substantially equivalent” to a legally marketed predicate device. A predicate device is a legally marketed device that is not subject to premarket approval, i.e., a device that was legally marketed prior to May 28, 1976 (pre-amendments device) and for which a PMA is not required, a device that has been reclassified from Class III to Class II or I, or a device that was found substantially equivalent through the 510(k) process. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance process usually takes from three to twelve months but may take longer. The FDA may require additional information, including clinical data, to make a determination regarding substantial equivalence. In addition, the FDA collects user fees for certain medical device submissions and annual fees and for medical device establishments.
If the FDA agrees that the device is substantially equivalent to a predicate device currently on the market, it will grant 510(k) clearance to commercially market the device. If the FDA determines that the device is “not substantially equivalent” to a previously cleared device, the device is automatically designated as a Class III device. The device sponsor must then fulfill more rigorous PMA requirements, or can request a risk-based classification determination for the device in accordance with the “de novo” process, which is a route to market for novel medical devices that are low to moderate risk and are not substantially equivalent to a predicate device.
After a device receives 510(k) clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change or modification in its intended use, will require a new 510(k) clearance or, depending on the modification, PMA approval. The FDA requires each manufacturer to determine whether the proposed change requires submission of a 510(k) or a PMA in the first instance, but the FDA can review any such decision and disagree with a manufacturer’s determination. If the FDA disagrees with a manufacturer’s determination, the FDA can require the manufacturer to cease marketing and/or request the recall of the modified device until such marketing authorization has been granted. Also, in these circumstances, the manufacturer may be subject to significant regulatory fines or penalties.
De Novo Classification
Medical device types that the FDA has not previously classified as Class I, II, or III are automatically classified into Class III regardless of the level of risk they pose. The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 established a new route to market for low to moderate risk medical devices that are automatically placed into Class III due to the absence of a predicate device, called the “Request for Evaluation of Automatic Class III Designation,” or the de novo classification procedure. This procedure allows a manufacturer whose novel device is automatically classified into Class III to request down-classification of its medical device into Class I or Class II on the basis that the device presents low or moderate risk, rather than requiring the submission and approval of a PMA application. Prior to the enactment of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, or FDASIA, in July 2012, a medical device could only be eligible for de novo classification if the manufacturer first submitted a 510(k) premarket notification and received a determination from the FDA that the device was not substantially equivalent. FDASIA streamlined the de novo classification pathway by permitting manufacturers to request de novo classification directly without first submitting a 510(k) premarket notification to the FDA and receiving a not substantially equivalent determination. The FDA's stated goal is to make a decision about a de novo classification request in 150 review days.
Over the last several years, the FDA has proposed reforms to its 510(k) clearance process, and such proposals could include increased requirements for clinical data and a longer review period, or could make it more difficult for manufacturers to utilize the 510(k) clearance process for their products.
PMA Approval Pathway
Class III devices require PMA approval before they can be marketed, although some pre-amendment Class III devices for which FDA has not yet required a PMA are cleared through the 510(k) process. The PMA process is more demanding than the 510(k) premarket notification process. In a PMA, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the device is safe and effective, and the PMA must be supported by extensive data, including data from preclinical studies and human clinical trials. The PMA must also contain a full description of the device and its components, a full description of the methods, facilities, and controls used for manufacturing, and proposed labeling. Following receipt of a PMA, the FDA determines whether the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. If the FDA accepts the application for review, it has 180 days under the FDCA to complete its review of a PMA, although in practice, the FDA’s review often takes significantly longer, and can take up to several years. An advisory panel of experts from outside the FDA may be convened to review and evaluate the application and provide recommendations to the FDA as to the approvability of the device. The FDA may or may not accept the panel’s recommendation. In addition, the FDA will generally conduct
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a pre-approval inspection of the applicant or its third-party manufacturers’ or suppliers’ manufacturing facility or facilities to ensure compliance with the QMSR.
The FDA will approve the new device for commercial distribution if it determines that the data and information in the PMA constitute valid scientific evidence and that there is reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended use(s). The FDA may approve a PMA with post-approval conditions intended to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device, including, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution, and collection of long-term follow-up data from patients in the clinical study that supported PMA approval or requirements to conduct additional clinical studies post-approval. The FDA may condition PMA approval on some form of post-market surveillance when deemed necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and efficacy data for the device in a larger population or for a longer period of use. In such cases, the manufacturer might be required to follow certain patient groups for a number of years and to make periodic reports to the FDA on the clinical status of those patients. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in material adverse enforcement action, including withdrawal of the approval.
Certain changes to an approved device, such as changes in manufacturing facilities, methods, or quality control procedures, or changes in the design performance specifications, which affect the safety or effectiveness of the device, require submission of a PMA supplement. PMA supplements often require submission of the same type of information as a PMA, except that the supplement is limited to information needed to support any changes from the device covered by the original PMA and may not require as extensive clinical data or the convening of an advisory panel. Certain other changes to an approved device require the submission of a new PMA, such as when the design change causes a different intended use, mode of operation, and technical basis of operation, or when the design change is so significant that a new generation of the device will be developed, and the data that were submitted with the original PMA are not applicable for the change in demonstrating a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA and de novo classification and are sometimes required to support a 510(k) submission. All clinical investigations of devices to determine safety and effectiveness must be conducted in accordance with the FDA’s investigational device exemption, or IDE, regulations which govern investigational device labeling, prohibit promotion of the investigational device, and specify an array of recordkeeping, reporting and monitoring responsibilities of study sponsors and study investigators. If the device presents a “significant risk” to human health, as defined by the FDA, the FDA requires the device sponsor to submit an IDE application to the FDA, which must become effective prior to commencing human clinical trials. If the device under evaluation does not present a significant risk to human health, then the device sponsor is not required to submit an IDE application to the FDA before initiating human clinical trials, but must still comply with abbreviated IDE requirements when conducting such trials.
A significant risk device is one that presents a potential for serious risk to the health, safety or welfare of a patient and either is implanted, used in supporting or sustaining human life, substantially important in diagnosing, curing, mitigating or treating disease or otherwise preventing impairment of human health, or otherwise presents a potential for serious risk to a subject. An IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory test results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA unless the FDA notifies the company that the investigation may not begin. If the FDA determines that there are deficiencies or other concerns with an IDE for which it requires modification, the FDA may permit a clinical trial to proceed under a conditional approval.
Regardless of the degree of risk presented by the medical device, clinical studies must be approved by, and conducted under the oversight of, an Institutional Review Board, or IRB, for each clinical site. The IRB is responsible for the initial and continuing review of the IDE, and may impose additional requirements for the conduct of the study. If an IDE application is approved by the FDA and one or more IRBs, human clinical trials may begin at a specific number of investigational sites with a specific number of patients, as approved by the FDA. If the device presents a non-significant risk to the patient, a sponsor may begin the clinical trial after obtaining approval for the trial by one or more IRBs without separate approval from the FDA, but must still follow abbreviated IDE requirements, such as monitoring the investigation, ensuring that the investigators obtain informed consent, and complying with labeling and record-keeping requirements. In some cases, an IDE supplement must be submitted to, and approved by, the FDA before a sponsor or investigator may make a change to the investigational plan that may affect its scientific soundness, study plan or the rights, safety or welfare of human subjects.
Post-market Regulation
After a device is cleared or approved for marketing, numerous and pervasive regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include:
•establishment registration and device listing with the FDA;
•QMSR requirements, which require manufacturers, including third-party manufacturers, to follow stringent design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures during all aspects of the design and manufacturing process;
•labeling regulations and FDA prohibitions against the promotion of investigational products, or the promotion of “off-label” uses of cleared or approved products;
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•requirements related to promotional activities;
•clearance or approval of product modifications to 510(k)-cleared devices that could significantly affect safety or effectiveness or that would constitute a major change in intended use of one of our cleared devices, or approval of certain modifications to PMA-approved devices;
•medical device reporting regulations, which require that a manufacturer report to the FDA if a device it markets may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury, or has malfunctioned and the device or a similar device that it markets would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury, if the malfunction were to recur;
•correction, removal and recall reporting regulations, which require that manufacturers report to the FDA field corrections and product recalls or removals if undertaken to reduce a risk to health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the FDCA that may present a risk to health;
•the FDA’s recall authority, whereby the agency can order device manufacturers to recall from the market a product that is in violation of governing laws and regulations; and
•post-market surveillance activities and regulations, which apply when deemed by the FDA to be necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and effectiveness data for the device.
Manufacturing processes for medical devices are required to comply with the applicable portions of the QMSR, which cover the methods and the facilities and controls for the design, manufacture, testing, production, processes, controls, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, distribution, installation and servicing of finished devices intended for human use. The QMSR also requires, among other things, maintenance of a device master file, device history file, and complaint files. As a manufacturer, we are subject to periodic scheduled and unscheduled inspections by the FDA. Failure to maintain compliance with the QMSR requirements could result in the shut-down of, or restrictions on, manufacturing operations and the recall or seizure of marketed products. The discovery of previously unknown problems with any marketed products, including unanticipated adverse events or adverse events of increasing severity or frequency, whether resulting from the use of the device within the scope of its clearance or approval, or off-label by a physician in the practice of medicine, could result in restrictions on the device, including the removal of the product from the market or voluntary or mandatory device recalls.
The FDA has broad regulatory compliance and enforcement powers. If the FDA determines that a manufacturer has failed to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, it can take a variety of compliance or enforcement actions, which may result in any of the following sanctions:
•warning letters, untitled letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties;
•recalls, withdrawals, or administrative detention or seizure of our products;
•operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
•refusing or delaying requests for 510(k) clearance or PMA approvals of new products or modified products;
•withdrawing 510(k) clearances or PMA approvals that have already been granted;
•refusal to grant export approvals for our products; or
•criminal prosecution.
Low Risk General Wellness Products
The FDA has established a compliance policy for certain products that may fall within the definition of a medical device, but that are intended for only “general wellness use” and present a low risk to the safety of users and other persons. The FDA defines a “general wellness use” to be (i) an intended use that relates to maintaining or encouraging a general state of health or a healthy activity, or (ii) an intended use that relates the role of healthy lifestyle with helping to reduce the risk or impact of certain chronic diseases or conditions and where it is well understood and accepted that healthy lifestyle choices may play an important role in health outcomes for the disease or condition. For example, the FDA identifies sleep management – such as a product intended to track sleep trends – as an intended use of a product that falls within a general wellness use, provided that the product claims do not make reference to any diseases or conditions. As such, if a medical device includes features that fall within the definition of a “low risk general wellness product,” those features may not be subject to enforcement of medical device requirements under the FDA’s compliance policy for such products and/or features.
Foreign Government Regulation
In addition to U.S. regulations, we are subject to a variety of foreign government regulations applicable to general consumer products and medical devices.
Regulation of General Consumer Products in the European Union
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In the European Union (“EU”), since December 13, 2024, consumer products must comply with the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 which repealed and replaced Directive 2001/95/EC. The Regulation covers all products intended for consumers (and products designed exclusively for professional use, but which subsequently reach the consumer market), placed onto the EU market, unless a specific product safety regulation applies. The General Product Safety Regulation strengthened the safety and conformity requirements as well as post-market surveillance obligations for manufacturers and importers. Manufacturers must undertake and document a conformity assessment that covers the risks and risk categories associated with the product. The recommended method of undertaking such an assessment is through the application of voluntary European Harmonized Standards, but other options are available, such as using European Commission guidelines and using product safety codes of good practice. The required conformity assessment consists of a self-assessment with no requirement to involve a third party. Manufacturers also have the obligation to report to the national competent authorities of the different EU member states any risks to the consumer that are incompatible with the general safety requirements. The Regulation further imposes other obligations such as collecting information related to use of products after they have been made available to consumers.
The General Product Safety Regulation also increased market surveillance powers. National authorities have more powers to conduct more effective inspections of products and take action against unsafe ones.
Unlike directives, which must be implemented into the national laws of the EU member states, regulations are directly applicable (i.e., without the need for adoption of EU member state laws implementing them) in all EU member states and are intended to eliminate current differences in the regulation of consumer products among EU member states. Penalties applicable to infringements of regulations remain mainly determined at national level.
Additional regulations may apply to our products and impose further requirements, including the possible application of EU Regulation No 1007/2011 on textile products, which imposes specific labeling and marking requirements. In addition, we may also need to comply with requirements set forth by RoHs Directive No 2011/65/EU, which imposes specific restrictions on the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, and/or the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (“REACH”) Regulation (EU) No 1907/2006, which restricts substances of very high concern and imposes substance registration requirements.
The advertising and promotion of consumer products is subject to EU directives concerning misleading and comparative advertising and unfair commercial practices and specific EU member state legislation governing the advertising and promotion of these products.
The aforementioned EU rules are generally applicable in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) which consists of the 27 EU member states plus Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.
Regulation of Medical Devices in the European Union
The EU has adopted specific directives and regulations regulating the design, manufacture, clinical investigations, conformity assessment, labeling and adverse event reporting for medical devices. Until May 25, 2021, medical devices were regulated by the Council Directive 93/42/EEC (the “EU Medical Devices Directive”), which has been repealed and replaced by Regulation (EU) No 2017/745 (the “EU Medical Devices Regulation”). Unlike the EU Medical Devices Directive, the EU Medical Devices Regulation is directly applicable in all EU member states without the need for member states to implement it into national law.
In the EU, there is currently no premarket government review of medical devices. However, all medical devices placed on the market in the EU must meet the relevant general safety and performance requirements laid down in Annex I to the EU Medical Devices Regulation including the requirement that a medical device must be designed and manufactured in such a way that, during normal conditions of use, it is suitable for its intended purpose. The medical device must be safe and effective and must not compromise the clinical condition or safety of patients, or the safety and health of users and – where applicable – other persons, provided that any risks which may be associated with their use constitute acceptable risks when weighed against the benefits to the patient and are compatible with a high level of protection of health and safety, taking into account the generally acknowledged state of the art. The European Commission has adopted various standards applicable to medical devices. These include standards governing common requirements, such as sterilization and safety of medical electrical equipment and product standards for certain types of medical devices. There are also harmonized standards relating to design and manufacture. While not mandatory, compliance with these standards is viewed as the easiest way to satisfy the general safety and performance requirements as a practical matter as it creates a rebuttable presumption that the device satisfies that general safety and performance requirement.
Compliance with the general safety and performance requirements of the EU Medical Devices Regulation is a prerequisite for European conformity marking (CE mark) without which medical devices cannot be marketed or sold in the EU. To demonstrate compliance with the general safety and performance requirements laid down in Annex I to the EU Medical Devices Regulation, medical device manufacturers must undergo a conformity assessment procedure, which varies according to the type of medical device and its (risk) classification. As a general rule, demonstration of conformity of medical devices and their manufacturers with the general safety and performance requirements must be based, among other things, on the evaluation of clinical data supporting the safety and performance of the products during normal conditions of use. Specifically, a manufacturer must demonstrate that the device achieves its intended performance during normal conditions of use, that the known and foreseeable risks, and any adverse events, are minimized and acceptable when weighed against the benefits of its intended performance, and that any claims made about the
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performance and safety of the device are supported by suitable evidence. Except for low-risk medical devices (Class I), where the manufacturer can self-assess the conformity of its products with the general safety and performance requirements (except for any parts which relate to sterility or metrology or reuse aspects), a conformity assessment procedure requires the intervention of a notified body. Notified bodies are independent organizations designated by EU member states to assess the conformity of devices before being placed on the market. A notified body would typically audit and examine a product’s technical dossiers and the manufacturer's quality system (notified body must presume that quality systems which implement the relevant harmonized standards – which is ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Devices Quality Management Systems – conform to these requirements). If satisfied that the relevant product conforms to the general safety and performance requirements, the notified body issues a certificate of conformity, which the manufacturer uses as a basis for its own declaration of conformity. The manufacturer may then apply the CE mark to the device, which allows the device to be placed on the market throughout the EU.
Throughout the term of the certificate of conformity, the manufacturer will be subject to periodic surveillance audits to verify continued compliance with the applicable requirements. In particular, there will be a new audit by the notified body before it will renew the relevant certificate(s).
The EU Medical Devices Regulation requires that before placing a device, other than a custom-made device, on the market, manufacturers (as well as other economic operators such as authorized representatives and importers) must register by submitting identification information to the European Database for Medical Devices (“EUDAMED”), unless they have already registered. The information to be submitted by manufacturers (and authorized representatives) also includes the name, address and contact details of the person or persons responsible for regulatory compliance. The regulation also requires that before placing a device, other than a custom-made device, on the market, manufacturers must assign a unique identifier to the device and provide it along with other core data to the unique device identifier (“UDI”) database. These new requirements aim at ensuring better identification and traceability of the devices. Each device – and as applicable, each package – will have a UDI composed of two parts: a device identifier (UDI-DI) specific to a device, and a production identifier (UDI-PI) to identify the unit producing the device. Manufacturers are also notably responsible for entering the necessary data on EUDAMED, which includes the UDI database, and for keeping it up to date. Certain obligations for registration in EUDAMED are expected to become applicable in the first quarter of 2026 (as EUDAMED is not yet fully functional). Until EUDAMED is fully functional, the corresponding provisions of the EU Medical Devices Directive continue to apply for the purpose of meeting the obligations laid down in the provisions regarding exchange of information, including, and in particular, information regarding registration of devices and economic operators.
All manufacturers placing medical devices into the market in the EU must comply with the EU medical device vigilance system which has been reinforced by the EU Medical Devices Regulation. Under this system, serious incidents and Field Safety Corrective Actions (“FSCAs”) must be reported to the relevant authorities of the EU member states. These reports will have to be submitted through EUDAMED – once functional – and aim to ensure that, in addition to reporting to the relevant authorities of the EU member states, other actors such as the economic operators in the supply chain will also be informed. Until EUDAMED is fully functional, the corresponding provisions of the EU Medical Devices Directive continue to apply. Manufacturers are required to take FSCAs, which are defined as any corrective action for technical or medical reasons to prevent or reduce the risk of a serious incident associated with the use of a medical device that is made available on the market. A serious incident is any malfunction or deterioration in the characteristics or performance of a device on the market (e.g., inadequacy in the information supplied by the manufacturer, undesirable side-effect), which, directly or indirectly, might lead to either the death or serious deterioration of the health of a patient, user, or other persons, or to a serious public health threat. An FSCA may include the recall, modification, exchange, destruction or retrofitting of the device. FSCAs must be communicated by the manufacturer or its legal representative to its customers and/or to the end users of the device through Field Safety Notices. For similar serious incidents that occur with the same device or device type and for which the root cause has been identified or a FSCA implemented or where the incidents are common and well documented, manufacturers may provide periodic summary reports instead of individual serious incident reports.
The advertising and promotion of medical devices is subject to some general principles set forth in EU legislation. According to the EU Medical Devices Regulation, only devices that are CE marked may be marketed and advertised in the EU in accordance with their intended purpose. Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising and Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, while not specific to the advertising of medical devices, also apply to the advertising thereof and contain general rules, for example, requiring that advertisements are evidenced, balanced and not misleading. Specific requirements are defined at a national level. EU member states’ laws related to the advertising and promotion of medical devices, which vary between jurisdictions, may limit or restrict the advertising and promotion of products to the general public and may impose limitations on promotional activities with healthcare professionals.
Many EU member states have adopted specific anti-gift statutes that further limit commercial practices for medical devices, in particular vis-à-vis healthcare professionals and organizations. Additionally, there has been a recent trend of increased regulation of payments and transfers of value provided to healthcare professionals or entities and many EU member states have adopted national “Sunshine Acts” which impose reporting and transparency requirements (often on an annual basis), similar to the requirements in the U.S., on medical device manufacturers. Certain countries also mandate implementation of commercial compliance programs. The aforementioned EU rules are generally applicable in the EEA.
In the EU, regulatory authorities have the power to carry out announced and, if necessary, unannounced inspections of companies, as well as suppliers and/or sub-contractors and, where necessary, the facilities of professional users. Failure to comply with regulatory
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requirements (as applicable) could require time and resources to respond to the regulatory authorities' observations and to implement corrective and preventive actions, as appropriate. Regulatory authorities have broad compliance and enforcement powers and if such issues cannot be resolved to their satisfaction, they can take a variety of actions, including untitled or warning letters, fines, consent decrees, injunctions, or civil or criminal penalties.
Brexit and Regulation of Medical Devices in the United Kingdom
Since the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1, 2021, Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) has not been directly subject to EU laws, however under the terms of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, EU laws generally apply to Northern Ireland.
The EU laws that have been transposed into UK law through secondary legislation remain applicable in Great Britain, however, new legislation such as the EU Medical Devices Regulation is not applicable in Great Britain.
The UK government has passed the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021, which introduced delegated powers in favor of the Secretary of State or an ‘appropriate authority’ to amend or supplement existing regulations in the area of medicinal products and medical devices. This allows new rules to be introduced in the future by way of secondary legislation, which aims to allow flexibility in addressing regulatory gaps and future changes in the fields of human medicines, clinical trials and medical devices.
The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”) came into effect on January 1, 2021. The TCA does not specifically refer to medical devices but does provide for cooperation and exchange of information in the area of product safety and compliance, including market surveillance, enforcement activities and measures, standardization related activities, exchanges of officials, and coordinated product recalls (or other similar actions). For medical devices that are locally manufactured but use components from other countries, the “rules of origin” criteria will need to be reviewed.
Since January 1, 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) has become the sovereign regulatory authority responsible for Great Britain. New regulations require all medical devices to be registered with the MHRA, and since January 1, 2022, manufacturers based outside the UK have been required to appoint a UK responsible person that has a registered place of business in the UK to register devices with the MHRA.
Furthermore, on December 16, 2024, the UK government published an amendment to the Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (UK Medical Devices Regulations) to clarify and strengthen the post-market surveillance requirements for medical devices in Great Britain. This amendment will come into force on June 16, 2025, and aims to facilitate greater traceability of incidents and trends enabling the MHRA to act swiftly when needed to address safety issues and support the entire health system in better protecting patients. In addition, the MHRA launched a consultation between November 14, 2024 and January 5, 2025 on proposals to update the pre-market requirements for medical devices in Great Britain, covering four topics, namely: (1) a new international reliance scheme to enable swifter market access for certain devices that have already been approved in a comparable regulator country; (2) the new UKCA mark and, in particular, proposals to remove the requirement to place such UKCA marking on devices; (3) conformity assessment procedures for in vitro diagnostic devices; and (4) maintaining in UK law certain pieces of “assimilated” EU law which are due to sunset in 2025. This consultation builds on the MHRA’s previous consultation between September and November 2021, and the UK government’s response to that consultation which was published on June 26, 2022. The MHRA has stated that it will incorporate feedback to its recent consultation into new legislation on pre-market requirements for medical devices in Great Britain. The new legislation is expected to be implemented in 2026 and aims to enable greater international collaboration and practices, with more patient-centered, proportionate requirements for medical devices which are responsive to technological advances.
Under the UK Medical Devices Regulations, in order to be lawfully placed on the Great Britain market, class I (non-sterile, non-measuring or non-re-useable) medical devices need to be “UKCA” self-certified, and other medical devices need to be “UKCA” certified by a UK approved body. However, certain medical devices in compliance with: (1) the EU Medical Devices Directive can continue to be placed on the Great Britain market until the sooner of certificate expiration or June 30, 2028; or (2) the EU Medical Devices Regulation can continue to be placed on the Great Britain market until the sooner of certificate expiration or June 30, 2030.
Under the terms of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland follows EU rules on medical devices, including the EU Medical Devices Regulation, and medical devices marketed in Northern Ireland require assessment according to the EU regulatory regime. Such assessment may be conducted by an EU notified body, in which case a CE mark is required before placing the device on the market in Northern Ireland. Alternatively, if a UK approved body conducts such assessment, a ‘UKNI’ mark and a CE mark are applied and the device may only be placed on the market in Northern Ireland and not the EU.
Other Foreign Regulations
Similarly, we are subject to regulations and product registration requirements in many foreign countries in which we may sell our products, including in the areas of:
•design, development, manufacturing, and testing;
•product standards;
•product safety;
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•product safety reporting;
•marketing, sales, and distribution;
•packaging and storage requirements;
•labeling requirements;
•content and language of instructions for use;
•record keeping procedures;
•advertising and promotion;
•recalls and field corrective actions;
•import and export restrictions; and
•tariff regulations, duties, and tax requirements;
We may also become subject to the following additional requirements in many foreign countries in which we may sell future medical devices, including in the areas of:
•clinical testing;
•post-market surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries and malfunctions that, if they were to recur, could lead to death or serious injury;
•registration for reimbursement; and
•necessity of testing performed in country by distributors for licensees.
Other Healthcare Laws and Regulations
Coverage and Reimbursement
Sales of any product that we may develop and for which we may obtain marketing authorization or certification from the FDA and/or comparable foreign regulatory authorities or notified bodies depend, in part, on the extent to which such product or services associated with such product will be covered by third-party payors, such as federal, state, and foreign government healthcare programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations, and the level of reimbursement for such product or services associated with such product by third-party payors. Even though a new product may have been cleared or otherwise authorized, or certified for commercial distribution by the FDA, foreign regulatory authorities or notified bodies, we may find limited demand for the product unless and until reimbursement approval has been obtained from governmental and private third-party payors.
With respect to Dream Sock and Dream Sight, we utilize a direct-to-consumer model where consumers purchase our products directly from us or one of our retailers. Currently, these products are not covered or reimbursed by any third-party payor.
Decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided are made on a plan-by-plan basis. These third-party payors are increasingly reducing reimbursements for medical devices and services. In addition, the U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have continued implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on coverage and reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit sales of any product. Decreases in third-party reimbursement for any product or a decision by a third-party payor not to cover the product or the services associated with the product could reduce physician usage and patient demand for the product and also have a material adverse effect on sales.
Healthcare Fraud and Abuse
Federal and state governmental agencies and equivalent foreign authorities subject the healthcare industry to intense regulatory scrutiny, including heightened civil and criminal enforcement efforts. These laws constrain the sales, marketing and other promotional activities of medical device manufacturers by limiting the kinds of financial arrangements we may have with hospitals, physicians and other potential purchasers and prescribers of our products. Federal healthcare fraud and abuse laws apply to our business when a customer submits a claim for an item or service that is reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid, or other federally funded healthcare programs. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:
• the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order, arrangement for, or recommendation of, items or services for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under federal healthcare programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value, and the government can establish a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute without proving that a person or entity had actual knowledge of, or a specific intent to violate, the law;
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• the federal civil False Claims Act, which prohibits, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, false or fraudulent claims for payment of government funds; knowingly making, using, or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement to get a false claim paid or to avoid, decrease, or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. A claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act. Actions under the False Claims Act may be brought by the government or as a qui tam action by a private individual in the name of the government and to share in any monetary recovery. There are also criminal penalties for making or presenting a false or fictitious or fraudulent claim to the federal government;
• the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other actions, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program including private third-party payors, or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing, or covering up a material fact or making a materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation, or making or using any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items, or services;
• the federal Civil Monetary Penalties law, which prohibits, among other things, offering or transferring remuneration to a federal healthcare beneficiary that a person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s decision to order or receive items or services reimbursable by the government from a particular provider or supplier;
• the federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act, implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) as the Open Payments program, which requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program to report annually to the CMS, information related to payments and other “transfers of value” made to physicians (currently defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), other healthcare professionals (including physician assistants and nurse practitioners), and teaching hospitals, and requires applicable manufacturers to report annually to CMS ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members and payments or other “transfers of value” to such physician owners;
• analogous state and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers and patients; state laws that require device companies to comply with the industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the applicable compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state beneficiary inducement laws, and state laws that require device manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.
Violations of any of the above laws may result in significant administrative, civil and criminal penalties, including imprisonment, exclusion from participation in federal health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, significant fines, monetary penalties and damages, the restructuring or curtailment of our operations, imposition of compliance obligations and monitoring, and reputational harm.
Data Privacy and Security Laws
Numerous state, federal and foreign laws, including consumer protection laws and regulations, govern the collection, dissemination, use, access to, confidentiality and security of personal information, including health-related information. In the U.S., numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including data breach notification laws, health information privacy and security laws and consumer protection laws and regulations that govern the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of health-related and other personal information could apply to our operations or the operations of our partners. In addition, certain foreign laws govern the privacy and security of personal data, including health-related data in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts. Failure to comply with these laws, where applicable, can result in the imposition of significant civil and/or criminal penalties and private litigation. Privacy and security laws, regulations, and other obligations are constantly evolving, may conflict with each other to complicate compliance efforts, and can result in investigations, proceedings, or actions that lead to significant civil and/or criminal penalties and restrictions on data processing.
Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws
We may also be subject to similar anti-corruption legislation implemented in Europe through EU Member State laws and under the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
Intellectual Property
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Since inception, we have been methodical around our intellectual property strategy. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws and confidentiality and invention assignment agreements to protect our intellectual property rights. As of February 27, 2026, we had 63 issued patents (with numerous others pending) and 61 registered trademarks. Our patents include utility patents covering technology ranging from placement of electrodes to the base of the baby monitor. We have foreign patents and patent applications pending in the European region (including the EU and the United Kingdom), Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam. Our issued patents with claims generally directed to wireless infant monitoring and related sock-based sensor features are expected to expire in the U.S. and certain international jurisdictions in 2033. Our issued patents with claims generally directed to additional sensing, monitoring, and related technologies have expiration dates extending into the late 2030s and early 2040s. In addition, our pending applications, if issued, would be expected to have expiration dates that extend into the 2040s and beyond (including, for certain granted rights, into 2051). We continually review our development efforts to assess the scope and patentability of new intellectual property.
Our pending patent applications may not result in issued patents, and we cannot assure you that any current or subsequently issued patents will protect our intellectual property rights. Third parties may challenge certain patents issued to us as invalid, may independently develop similar or competing technologies or may design around any of our patents. We cannot be certain that any of the steps we have taken will prevent the misappropriation of our intellectual property, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights in these countries as fully as in the U.S.
Manufacturing
We rely on several third-party suppliers for single source components used in our devices, including the WiFi chips, microcontrollers, batteries, accelerometers, temperature sensors, plastics and circuit boards.
We follow strict quality guidelines, including a detailed risk-based audit plan following our ISO certified quality management system that dictates how often and to what degree we audit our suppliers. We check all quality, regulatory, and safety standards for products that our contract manufacturers make. We deploy a robust manufacturer and supplier selection process including site audits, tooling design and setup quotes, open book pricing, quality specifications, and vendor guides. Dream Sock is currently manufactured at ISO 13485 certified standards and are required to adhere to specific quality requirements in accordance with the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) and Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP). We received ISO 13485 and MDSAP certifications, as we work to implement and maintain the requirements applicable to medical device manufacturer quality management systems. We believe that third-party facilities are adequate to meet our current and anticipated manufacturing needs, and we utilize multiple sites in different geographies to diversify political and natural disaster risks. We do not currently plan to manufacture our products or any related components ourselves.
Manufacturing Services Agreement with Benchmark Electronics
In October 2017, we entered into a manufacturing services agreement with Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (“Benchmark”), pursuant to which Benchmark provides us certain manufacturing and related services for the production of Dream Sock, BabySat, and Dream Duo offerings out of its facilities in Thailand, including procuring materials and assembling and testing finished products. In 2026 we plan to expand our manufacturing partnership with Benchmark at a new site in Mexico.
The initial term of the agreement was one year and automatically extends for additional one-year periods until either we or Benchmark provide notice of non-renewal at least 90 days prior to the end of the then-current term or extension. Among other things, either party may terminate the agreement for convenience upon 90-day notice, in the case of Owlet, or 180 day notice, in the case of Benchmark, to the other party. Either party may also terminate the agreement under certain other customary conditions, including if the other party materially breaches the agreement, for uncured breaches of the agreement, or in the event of the other party’s insolvency. Benchmark has exclusive manufacturing rights through May 31, 2027, for Dream Sock and Dream Duo products, including all revisions and future generations of those products and/or product families.
In connection with the services provided under the agreement, we have agreed to indemnify Benchmark against certain claims, including infringement of third-party intellectual property rights and noncompliance of our products with safety or other regulations. We are also entitled to customary indemnification rights, subject to certain caps.
Manufacturing Services Agreement with Aoni
In June 2018, we entered into a manufacturing and supply agreement with Shenzhen Aoni Electronic Co., Ltd (“Aoni”), pursuant to which Aoni provides certain manufacturing and related services for the production of our Dream Sight product, including procuring materials and assembling and packaging finished products. We manufacture product with Aoni at sites in China and Vietnam. Dream Sight product sold in Europe and Asia-Pacific countries is manufactured in China, while product sold in North America is manufactured in Vietnam.
We have extended the term of the agreement several times following the expiration of the initial term of the agreement, and most recently extended the term through June 2026. We have the right to terminate the agreement, without cause, upon six months’ prior
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written notice to Aoni. Additionally, either party may terminate the agreement under certain other customary conditions, including for uncured breaches of the agreement or in the event of the other party’s insolvency.
In connection with the services provided under the agreement, Aoni has agreed to indemnify us against certain claims and liabilities, including claims arising in connection with product defects, breach of the agreement, negligence and violations of applicable law.
Technology Platform & Infrastructure
Our digital ecosystem is built on a scalable, secure, and hybrid technology platform designed to support millions of connected devices and process vast amounts of health and sleep data in real-time. We utilize a combination of third-party Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity providers and our own proprietary cloud infrastructure, hosted primarily on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and some on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to ensure high availability and redundancy.
This platform supports the core functionality of our Owlet Dream App, BabySat and Dream Sock, enabling parents to monitor their children, receive real-time health notifications, and access historical sleep insights, in addition to viewing live video streams. We are actively investing in the modernization of our backend architecture to enhance data integration capabilities and support advanced analytics. This infrastructure serves as the foundation for our research and development initiatives, allowing us to leverage proprietary algorithms and artificial intelligence to derive meaningful insights from our proprietary data set of infant health and sleep.
Security and data privacy are central to our technology strategy. We implement rigorous cybersecurity protocols to protect user data and maintain the integrity of our connected ecosystem. We continuously validate our security posture through internal reviews and external certifications, such as the SGS Cybersecurity Mark, to ensure compliance with evolving global data protection standards.
Environmental Matters
Our operations, properties and products are subject to a variety of U.S. and foreign environmental laws and regulations governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges, management and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous materials and waste and remediation of releases of hazardous materials. We believe, based on current information, that we are in material compliance with environmental laws and regulations applicable to us. However, our failure to comply with present and future requirements under these laws and regulations, or environmental contamination or releases of hazardous materials on our leased premises, as well as through disposal of our products, could cause us to incur substantial costs, including clean-up costs, personal injury and property damage claims, fines and penalties, costs to redesign our products or upgrade our facilities and legal costs, or require us to curtail our operations, any of which could seriously harm our business.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, we had 108 full-time employees and 6 part-time employees. None of our employees is represented by a labor union, and we consider our employee relations to be good. Our human capital resources objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and additional employees. The principal purposes of our equity incentive plans are to attract, retain and motivate selected employees, consultants and directors, through the granting of stock-based compensation awards and cash-based performance bonus awards.
We believe our innovation and operational excellence stems directly from our community and our common commitment to inclusion and equal access to healthcare. One cornerstone of our approach lies in our belief that every baby deserves access to monitoring, regardless of their background or circumstances. Through Owlet Cares, our advocacy initiative, we are dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of babies and parents. We recognize that parenthood is a journey marked by a range of experiences, challenges, and joys. As such, we are dedicated to supporting all parents from a rich tapestry of backgrounds and perspectives.
Corporate Information
Owlet Baby Care Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on February 24, 2014, as a Delaware corporation. SBG was incorporated in Delaware on June 23, 2020. On July 15, 2021, SBG closed the Merger with Owlet Baby Care Inc. As a result of the Merger, Owlet Baby Care, Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBG, and SBG changed its name to Owlet, Inc.
Available Information
Our website address is www.owletcare.com. The contents of, or information accessible through, our website are not part of this Report. We make our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports, as well as beneficial ownership filings available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such reports with, or furnish such reports to, the SEC.
We may use our website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. Financial and other important information regarding the Company is routinely posted on and accessible through the Investors sections of its website at https://investors.owletcare.com. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about the Company when you enroll your email address under the “Resources” menu on the Investors section of our website at https://investors.owletcare.com.
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The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on or available through our website, and you should not consider such information to be a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.