On February 4, 2020 Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZBH) reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019 (Press release, Zimmer Holdings, FEB 4, 2020, View Source [SID1234553861]). The Company reported fourth quarter net sales of $2.126 billion, an increase of 2.6% over the prior year period, and an increase of 3.2% on a constant currency basis. Net sales for the full year were $7.982 billion, an increase of 0.6% over 2018 and an increase of 2.2% on a constant currency basis. Net earnings for the fourth quarter were $321 million and $478 million on an adjusted basis, and for the full year were $1.132 billion and $1.626 billion on an adjusted basis.

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Diluted earnings per share were $1.54 for the fourth quarter and $5.47 for the full year. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $2.30 for the fourth quarter, an increase of 5.5% over the prior year period, and were $7.87 for the full year, an increase of 3.0% over 2018.

"In 2019 we continued to successfully execute our plan to reposition the company for success, driven by our global team’s focus on our One ZB mission and culture," said Bryan Hanson, President and CEO of Zimmer Biomet. "We continued to invest for growth and drove improved performance in 2019, especially in the second half of the year. We are operating from a position of strength for 2020 and beyond. I am proud of the entire ZB team and their unyielding commitment to the ZB mission and bettering the lives of patients around the world."

Key drivers in the fourth quarter included solid performance from the Americas and Asia Pacific, with continued strong results across our global Knee and Hip businesses. Additionally, ROSA Knee System sales accelerated from the third quarter of 2019.

Please see the attached schedules accompanying this press release for additional details on performance in the quarter, including sales by Zimmer Biomet’s three geographies and six product categories.

Recent Highlights

Fourth quarter launch, positive customer feedback and good momentum for the Persona Revision and Avenir Complete products
The Company began a number of restructuring initiatives, including reorganizing business units to create greater strategic alignment, increased efficiency and improved resource allocation for accelerated growth
Zimmer Biomet named 2019 Medtech Company of the Year by Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry (MD+DI)
Geographic and Product Category Sales

The following sales tables provide results by geography and product category for the three-month period and year ended December 31, 2019, as well as the percentage change compared to the prior year periods, on both a reported basis and a constant currency basis.

Cash Flow and Balance Sheet

Operating cash flow for the fourth quarter was $423 million and free cash flow was $295 million. In the fourth quarter, the Company paid down $161 million of debt, net of debt proceeds, paid $49 million in dividends and declared a dividend of $0.24 per share. Operating cash flow for the full year was $1.586 billion and free cash flow was $1.063 billion. In the full year, the Company paid down $716 million of debt, net of debt proceeds, paid $197 million in dividends and declared dividends of $0.96 per share.

Guidance

The Company is providing the following full-year 2020 financial guidance:

Projected Year Ending December 31, 2020

Expected to be negative in the first half of the year and slightly positive in the second half of the year based on current foreign currency exchange rates

These measures are non-GAAP financial measures for which a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is not available without unreasonable efforts. See "Forward-Looking Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

Conference Call

The Company will conduct its fourth quarter and full-year 2019 investor conference call today, February 4, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The audio webcast can be accessed via Zimmer Biomet’s Investor Relations website at https://investor.zimmerbiomet.com. It will be archived for replay following the conference call.

On February 4, 2020 Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE) reported that financial results for its third quarter fiscal 2020, which ended Dec. 28, 2019, are available on its Investor Relations website (Press release, Haemonetics, FEB 4, 2020, View Source [SID1234553860]).

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In addition, the Company is also posting the earnings release and results tables that will be referenced on its webcast.

Direct link to Earnings Release 3Q and YTD FY 20:

View Source

Direct link to Results Tables 3Q and YTD FY 20 for reference on webcast conference call:

View Source

The Company will host a conference call with investors and analysts to discuss and answer questions about the results at 8 a.m. EST Feb. 4, 2020. The call can be accessed with the following information:

U.S. / Canada toll free (877) 848-8880; International (716) 335-9512
Conference ID required for access: 1906607
A live webcast of the call can be accessed on Haemonetics’ Investor Relations website.
Direct link to conference call webcast: View Source

On February 4, 2020 Leap Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: LPTX), a biotechnology company focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics, reported that Douglas E. Onsi, Chief Financial Officer, will present a corporate overview at the 22nd Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference, being held in New York City on February 10-11, 2020 (Press release, Leap Therapeutics, FEB 4, 2020, View Source;investor-conference-300998023.html [SID1234553859]).

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Leap Presentation Details:

22nd Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference
Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Time: 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time

The presentation will be webcast live and may be accessed on the Investors page of the company’s website at View Source, where a replay of the event will also be available for a limited time.

On February 4, 2020 Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc., a medical device company pioneering a novel use of nanomedicine for selective thermal ablation, reported the start of a pivotal study to determine the efficacy of using MRI/US fusion imaging technology to direct focal ablation of prostate tissue using nanoparticle-directed laser ablation (Press release, Nanospectra Biosciences, FEB 4, 2020, View Source [SID1234553858]). The initial two patient procedures in the pivotal trial have been completed at the University of Michigan, which also participated in the pilot study. The AuroLase pivotal study follows the successful first-in-human pilot study that enrolled 46 subjects at three U.S. sites.

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Clinical and functional outcomes of a subset of subjects at the lead site in the feasibility study were published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) last August in a paper titled, ‘Gold Nanoshell-Localized Photothermal Ablation of Prostate Tumors in a Clinical Pilot Device Study’. Thirteen of the first 15 prostate cancer patients treated in the clinical trial of the nanoparticle-based, focal therapy showed no detectable signs of cancer upon biopsy in the target ablation zone a year after treatment. The final results of the feasibility study are expected later this year.

The pivotal study is an open-label, multi-center, single-treatment study of AuroLase Therapy for the focal ablation of prostate tissue via nanoparticle directed near infrared irradiation and approved by the FDA under the original IDE. Up to sixty patients will be enrolled at up to eight clinical trial sites throughout the U.S.

Efficacy of focal ablation of prostate tissue will be assessed by MRI/Ultrasound guided target biopsy six months after laser treatment and at one year via targeted biopsy and standard systematic biopsy. Per standard of care, patient follow up will continue beyond the one-year study visit but will be outside the scope of the study. Patients will be consented for up to five years in order to track their disease status and progression or recurrence, if any.

"With AuroLase Therapy, we aspire to deliver a new standard of care for primarily intermediate risk localized prostate cancer patients and clinicians with the potential to significantly reduce side effects, retain all downstream clinical options for future treatment, and enable a more rapid return to a normal lifestyle than surgery, radiation or traditional focal therapies," said David Jorden, CEO of Nanospectra. "We appreciate the high level of interest and collaboration that we have received from our expert investigators, regulatory authorities and partners that has enabled us to move forward expeditiously with this pivotal study while the final study visits for subjects in the feasibility study continue over the first half of this year."

Dr. Ardeshir Rastinehad, Vice Chair of Lenox Hill Urology and System Director of Prostate Cancer/Northwell Health System and the initial study’s lead principal investigator, will present preliminary feasibility study data at the 12th International Symposium on Focal Therapy and Imaging in Prostate and Kidney Cancer. The conference will be held at the Westin Washington DC City Center on February 9 – 11, 2020.

For additional information on the pivotal study titled "An Extension Study of MRI/US Fusion Imaging and Biopsy in Combination with Nanoparticle Directed Focal Therapy for Ablation of Prostate Tissue" visit www.clinicaltrials.gov referencing NCT04240639.

About AuroLase Therapy
Nanospectra’s AuroLase Therapy utilizes the unique ‘optical tunability’ of a new class of nanoparticles, called AuroShells. The particles are delivered intravenously and accumulate in the tumor. The tumor is illuminated with a near-infrared laser. The particles selectively absorb the photonic laser energy, converting the light into heat, which in turn, destroys the tumor and the blood vessels supplying it; sparing adjacent tissue. AuroLase Therapy is used with an FDA-cleared laser that emits near-infrared energy and an FDA-cleared fiber optic probe for energy delivery percutaneously. AuroShell particles (also known as "nanoshells") consist of a gold metal shell and a non-conducting silica core and serve as the exogenous absorber of the near-infrared laser energy delivered by the probe. Nanospectra’s proprietary technology platform is demonstrated to be safe and effective in initial clinical trials and viable for multiple applications including solid tumors, tissue and drug delivery.

On February 4, 2020 Biocept, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIOC), a leading commercial provider of liquid biopsy tests designed to provide physicians with clinically actionable information to improve the outcomes of patients diagnosed with cancer, reported that President and CEO Michael W. Nall will present a corporate overview at the 22nd Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference on Monday, February 10, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time (6:00 a.m. Pacific time) (Press release, Biocept, FEB 4, 2020, View Source;investor-conference-300998277.html [SID1234553857]). The conference is being held at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City.

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A live webcast of the conference presentation will be available on the Company’s website at ir.biocept.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days.

About BIO CEO & Investor Conference

The BIO CEO and Investor Conference is one of the largest investor conferences focused on established and emerging publicly traded and select private biotech companies. The event features issue-oriented plenary sessions, educational sessions focused on hot therapeutic areas and key business issues, company presentations, one-on-one meetings, and networking opportunities.