v3.26.1
Related Party Transactions
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions

11. Related Party Transactions

Fresenius Medical Care investments and distribution agreement

In June 2018, the Company completed a $150 million financing transaction pursuant to which Fresenius Medical Care purchased shares of series D redeemable convertible preferred stock that at the Closing Date converted into 15,812,735 shares of Common Stock. In August 2021, Fresenius Medical Care invested $25 million as part of a private placement offering related to the Merger and received an additional 2.5 million shares of Common Stock.

In addition, the Company entered into a distribution agreement with Fresenius Medical Care in June 2018 which, as amended as of February 16, 2021, granted Fresenius Medical Care and its affiliates exclusive rights to develop outside the United States and European Union and commercialize outside of the United States the Company’s 6 millimeter x 42 centimeter ATEV and all improvements thereto, and modifications and derivatives thereof (including any changes to the length, diameter or configuration of the foregoing), for use in vascular creation, repair, replacement or construction, including renal replacement therapy for dialysis access, the treatment of peripheral artery disease, and the treatment of vascular trauma, but excluding coronary artery bypass graft (“CABG”), pediatric heart surgery, or adhering pancreatic islet cells onto the outer surface of the distribution product for use in diabetic patients. Within the United States, Fresenius Medical Care will collaborate with the Company in its commercialization of the product in the field, including adoption of the distribution product as a standard of care in patients for which such use is supported by clinical results and health economic analyses.

The Company is responsible for developing and seeking regulatory approval for the distribution product in the field in the United States. For countries outside the United States, the parties agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to satisfy certain agreed minimum market entry criteria for the distribution product in the field in such country. For the EU, once such criteria have been satisfied for the applicable country, or if the parties otherwise mutually agree to obtain regulatory approval for the distribution product in the field in the applicable country, the Company agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain such regulatory approval (other than pricing approval), and Fresenius Medical Care agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the corresponding pricing approval. For the rest of the world (i.e., outside the United States and the EU), once such criteria have been satisfied for the applicable country, or if the parties otherwise mutually agree to obtain regulatory and pricing approval for the distribution product in the field in the applicable country, Fresenius Medical Care agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain such approvals, and the Company agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to support Fresenius Medical Care in its efforts.

Under the distribution agreement, the Company granted an exclusive, sublicensable license to Fresenius Medical Care under the patents, know-how and regulatory materials controlled by the Company during the term to commercialize the distribution product in the field outside the United States, subject to the Company’s retained rights to carry out its obligations under the distribution agreement. The Company also granted a non-exclusive, sublicensable license to Fresenius Medical Care under the patents, know-how and regulatory materials controlled by the Company during the term to develop the distribution product in accordance with the terms of the distribution agreement. In addition, the Company granted to Fresenius Medical Care, among other things, a perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive sublicensable license under the patents and know-how that primarily relate to the distribution product or its manufacture and that were created, conceived or developed solely or jointly by or on behalf of Fresenius Medical Care in the performance of its activities under the distribution agreement.

The distribution agreement provides that the Company will own all know-how and patents that primarily relate to the distribution product or its manufacture that are created, conceived or developed by or on behalf of either party in the performance of activities under the distribution agreement. Ownership of all other know-how, patents, materials and other intellectual property created, conceived or developed during the performance of activities under the distribution agreement will be determined in accordance with U.S. patent laws for determining inventorship.

The Company is obligated to make payments to Fresenius Medical Care based on a share of aggregate net sales by or on behalf of the Company of the distribution product in the United States in the field. Such revenue-share payments will be a percentage of net sales in the low double digits, without regard to the calendar year in which such net sales are attributable, until such time that the Company has paid to Fresenius Medical Care a certain total amount, at which time the revenue-share will decrease to a percentage of net sales in the mid-single digits. The amounts that Fresenius Medical Care will be obligated to pay the Company under the distribution agreement for sales of the distribution product in the field outside of the United States will vary. Fresenius Medical Care agreed to pay the Company initially, on a country-by-country basis for sales outside of the United States, the amount equal to the average cost of manufacturing the Company’s distribution product plus a fixed dollar amount per unit. Following a specified period, on a country-by-country basis outside of the United States, Fresenius Medical Care will pay the Company a fixed percentage of net sales for each unit sold in such country, such that the Company will receive more than half of such net sales.

The distribution agreement will generally continue on a country-by-country basis until the later of (a) the tenth anniversary of the launch date of the distribution product in the relevant country or (b) the expiration of the last-to-expire valid claim of specified patents in such country. Each party is permitted to terminate the distribution agreement for insolvency of, or, under certain circumstances, including various cure periods, material breach by the other party. Subject to a cure period, Fresenius Medical Care may also terminate the distribution agreement in its entirety or on a country-by-country basis (i) for certain withdrawals of regulatory approval or (ii) for termination or expiration of any of the Company’s in-licenses that is necessary for the exercise of Fresenius Medical Care’s rights, or the satisfaction of its obligations, under the distribution agreement. In addition, Fresenius Medical Care may terminate the distribution agreement for convenience on a country-by-country basis upon not less than 12 months’ written notice to the Company, although Fresenius Medical Care is not permitted to give such notice prior to the end of the second year following launch of the distribution product in such country. Each party is required to indemnify one another for certain third-party claims.

As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, there were $0.2 million of royalties payable to Fresenius Medical Care, based on the Company’s product revenue recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2026 and the year ended December 31, 2025. On April 21, 2026, the Company and Fresenius further amended the distribution agreement. See Note 12, “Subsequent Events.

Agreements with Frenova Renal Research

In June 2024, the Company entered into a master services agreement with Frenova Renal Research (“Frenova”), a subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care, that sets forth the terms by which the Company may engage Frenova to provide certain services for projects, with the services for each project being described in a separate statement of work. As of March 31, 2026, Frenova was engaged to perform clinical research services related to the Company’s V012 Phase 3 clinical trial. During the three months ended March 31, 2026 and March 31, 2025, amounts expensed under the Frenova agreement were insignificant. Amounts payable to Frenova were also insignificant as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, and were included in accrued expenses on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.

In July 2024, the Company entered into a service agreement with Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH (“Fresenius GmbH”), which provides medical scientific research services through Frenova. Frenova agreed to conduct a study to review patient data of adult hemodialysis patients who received treatment in certain European countries at dialysis centers that are part of Fresenius Medical Care AG. Fresenius Medical Care AG is the German parent company of Fresenius GmbH and ultimately of Fresenius Medical Care. During the three months ended March 31, 2026 and March 31, 2025, there was no expense recognized in relation to this agreement with Fresenius GmbH. As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, no amount payable to Fresenius GmbH was included in accounts payable on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Arrangements with Yale University

The Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Laura Niklason M.D., PhD., serves as an Adjunct Professor in Anesthesia at Yale University. As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the Company was a party to license agreements with Yale University as described in Note 10, Commitments and Contingencies, above. Amounts expensed in relation to the license agreements with Yale University were insignificant during the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025. There was an insignificant amount payable to Yale as of both March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025 included in accounts payable on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.