On August 8, 2018 Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. ("Apollo") (Nasdaq: APEN), a global leader in less invasive medical devices for bariatric and gastrointestinal procedures, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 (Press release, Apollo Endosurgery, AUG 8, 2018, View Source [SID1234528549]).

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Second Quarter 2018 Highlights

OverStitch became Apollo’s top selling product in U.S. and OUS direct markets
Completed public offering of common stock generating net proceeds of $21.9 million
Received Special 510(k) clearance from the FDA for OverStitch Sx Endoscopic Suturing System
Todd Newton, CEO of Apollo, commented, "During the second quarter, we made progress on a number of fronts. OverStitch sales were up 37% compared to the second quarter of 2017, becoming our top selling product in direct markets, while we also saw strong growth in sales of Orbera365 in the markets in which it is available. At the beginning of June, we received FDA approval for updated U.S. Orbera labeling to reflect the product’s most current safety information to both physicians and patients. We continued to move closer to the introduction of OverStitch Sx and made progress both on our margin improvement projects and our clinical data initiatives."

Second Quarter 2018 Results

Total revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $15.8 million, compared to $17.1 million in the second quarter 2017, a decrease of 8%.

Total Endo-bariatric product sales increased 13% to $10.8 million in the second quarter 2018 compared to $9.5 million in the second quarter 2017 and comprised 68% and 56% of total revenues, respectively.

Total Endoscopic Suturing System ("ESS") product sales increased 37% to $5.5 million in the second quarter 2018 compared to $4.0 million in the second quarter 2017. Outside the U.S. ("OUS") ESS product sales increased 44%, to $2.8 million and U.S. ESS product sales increased 31% to $2.7 million due to new user adoption and greater product utilization in existing accounts.

Total Intragastric balloon product ("IGB") sales decreased 4% to $5.3 million in the second quarter 2018 compared to $5.5 million in the second quarter 2017. OUS IGB product sales increased 4%, to $3.6 million as higher unit sales and average selling prices of Orbera365 in Europe was partially offset by weaker six-month balloon sales in Brazil. In the U.S., IGB product sales decreased 18% to $1.7 million due to decreased consumer demand in reaction to the June 4, 2018 FDA letter to Health Care Professionals issued to highlight the new U.S. Orbera labeling.

Total Surgical product sales decreased $2.7 million, or 36% in the second quarter 2018 compared to the second quarter 2017 due to reductions in gastric banding procedures being performed worldwide.

Gross margin for the second quarter 2018 was 58%, compared to 61% for the second quarter 2017 as the result of a greater proportion of our overall product sales coming from our ESS products which realize a lower gross margin than our other products. While gross margin was down due to our changing sales mix, ESS product gross margin improved compared to the same period in 2017 due to completed gross margin improvement projects and higher selling prices. We expect additional ongoing and planned gross margin improvement projects to further improve Endo-bariatric product gross margin in 2019.

Total operating expenses increased $0.8 million to $16.7 million in the second quarter 2018, compared to the second quarter 2017. The increase was due to higher research and development expenses in the second quarter attributable to clinical study activities associated with our ESS and IGB products.

Net loss for the second quarter 2018 was $9.5 million compared to $6.9 million for the second quarter 2017. The increased net loss was primarily due to lower gross margin and higher research and development expenses.

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were $35.4 million as of June 30, 2018, which includes total net proceeds of approximately $21.9 million from the Company’s follow-on common stock offering that closed on June 22, 2018.

Conference Call

Apollo will host a conference call on August 8, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. Central Time / 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss Apollo’s operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018.

To participate in the conference call dial (800) 263-0877 for domestic callers and (646) 828-8143 for international callers. The conference ID number is 7723529. A live webcast of the conference call will be made available on the "Events and Presentations" section of our Investor Relations website: www.ir.apolloendo.com.

A replay of the webcast will remain available on Apollo’s website, www.apolloendo.com, until Apollo releases its third quarter 2018 financial results. In addition, a telephonic replay of the call will be available until August 14, 2018. The replay dial-in numbers are (844) 512-2921 for domestic callers and (412) 317-6671 for international callers. The replay conference ID number is 7723529.