Merit Medical Systems Inc: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2025

Our Company

Merit Medical Systems, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of proprietary medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology, oncology, critical care and endoscopy. We strive to be the most customer-focused company in healthcare. Each day we are determined to make a difference by understanding our customers’ needs and innovating and delivering a diverse range of products that improve the lives of people and communities throughout the world. We believe that long-term value is created for our customers, employees, shareholders, and communities when we focus outward and are determined to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Merit Medical Systems, Inc. was founded in 1987 by Fred P. Lampropoulos, Kent W. Stanger, Darla Gill and William Padilla. Initially, we focused our operations on injection and insert molding of plastics. Our first product was a specialized control syringe used to inject contrast solution into a patient’s arteries for a diagnostic cardiac procedure called an angiogram. Since that time, our products and product lines have expanded substantially, both through internal research and development projects and through strategic acquisitions.

Business Strategy

Our business strategy focuses on five target areas as follows:

• enhancing global growth and profitability through research and development, sales model optimization, cost discipline and operational focus;
• optimizing our operational capability through lean processes, cost effective environments and asset utilization;
• targeting high-growth, high-return opportunities by understanding, innovating and delivering in our core divisions;
• maintaining a highly disciplined, customer-focused enterprise guided by strong core values to globally address unmet or underserved healthcare needs; and
• creating a sustainable business for our employees, shareholders and community.

We conduct our operations through a number of domestic and foreign subsidiaries and representative offices. Our principal offices are located at 1600 West Merit Parkway, South Jordan, Utah, 84095, and our telephone number is (801) 253-1600. We maintain an internet website at www.merit.com (http://www.merit.com).

Products

We design, develop, market and manufacture, through our own operations and contract manufacturers, medical products that offer a high level of quality, value and safety to our customers, as well as the patients they serve. Our products are used in the following clinical areas: radiology; diagnostic and interventional cardiology; interventional radiology; neurointerventional radiology; vascular, general and thoracic surgery; electrophysiology; cardiac rhythm management; interventional pulmonology; interventional nephrology; orthopedic spine surgery; interventional oncology; pain management; breast cancer surgery, outpatient access centers; intensive care; imaging; and interventional gastroenterology.

The success of our products is enhanced by the extensive experience of our management team in the healthcare industry, our experienced direct sales force and distributors, our ability to provide custom procedural solutions such as kits, trays and procedural packs at the request of our customers, and our dedication to offering facility-unique solutions in the markets we serve worldwide.

We conduct our business through two operating segments: cardiovascular and endoscopy. For information relating to our operating segments and product categories, see Note 13 Segment Reporting and Foreign Operations to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report and Management’s Discussion and Analysis set forth in Item 7 of this report.

The following sections describe our principal product offerings by reporting segment and product category.

Cardiovascular

We offer a broad line of medical devices used to gain and maintain vascular access. These products include our micropuncture kits, angiographic needles, family of Prelude® Introducer Sheaths and wide range of guide wires and safety products. Our cardiovascular segment includes the following product categories: peripheral intervention, cardiac intervention, custom procedural solutions, and original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”).

Peripheral Intervention

Our peripheral intervention products support the minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment of diseases in peripheral vessels and organs throughout the body, excluding the heart. Products in our peripheral intervention product category are organized into the following product groups: peripheral intervention, and oncology.

Merit Vascular – Peripheral

Our peripheral intervention products include product offerings in the following product portfolios: access (peripheral), angiography, drainage, delivery systems, embolotherapy, and intervention (peripheral). The renal therapies portion of our access (peripheral) portfolio includes the following key products:

• Merit Wrapsody® Cell-Impermeable Endoprosthesis (the “Wrapsody Device”), a cell-impermeable endoprosthesis which is designed to maintain long-term vessel patency in patients with obstructions in the dialysis outflow circuit;
• HeRO® (Hemodialysis Reliable Outflow) Graft, a fully subcutaneous vascular access system, which is intended for use in maintaining long-term vascular access for chronic hemodialysis patients;
• CentrosFLO® Long-Term Hemodialysis Catheter and ProGuide® Chronic Dialysis Catheter, which are designed to maintain optimal blood flow;
• BioFlo DuraMax® Catheter, which provides optimal ease of insertion and high flow rates at modest arterial pressure;
• Broad offering of peritoneal dialysis catheters, accessories and implantation kits for home dialysis therapy; and
• Surfacer® Inside-Out® Access Catheter System that restores and preserves access in chronically occluded veins.

The products in our angiography portfolio are used to identify blockages and other disease states in blood vessels. The principal product offerings in our angiography portfolio include our:

• Merit SplashWire® hydrophilic Steerable Guide Wires, combining optimum lubricity, exceptional torque response and enhanced visibility;
• Performa® and Impress® Diagnostic Catheters, a catheter offering designed for traversing difficult to access peripheral blood vessels; and
• Performa Vessel Sizing Catheters for vessel measurement.

We offer a broad line of drainage products. The principal product offerings in our drainage portfolio include our:

• Aspira® Pleural Effusion Drainage and Aspira® Peritoneal Drainage Systems, a compassionate treatment option for end-stage cancer, allowing patients to spend more time at home by reducing the need for frequent hospital visits to treat their drainage needs;
• Family of ReSolve® Drainage Catheters, including our ReSolve ConvertX® Stent System and ReSolve Mini™ Locking Drainage Catheter, and our related tubing sets and drainage bag;
• One-Step® and Valved One-Step® Drainage Catheters, sold individually and in kits, for quickly removing unwanted fluid accumulation; and
• Revolution™ Catheter Securement Device and StayFIX® Fixation Device, used to stop migration, movement and accidental removal of percutaneous catheters.

The principal product offerings in our delivery systems portfolio include our:

• SwiftNINJA® Steerable Microcatheter, an advanced microcatheter with a 180-degree articulating tip;
• Merit Maestro® and Merit Pursue™ Microcatheters, small microcatheters designed for pushability and trackability through small and tortuous vessels; and
• True Form® Reshapable Guide Wire, designed to be reshaped multiple times, reducing the need for multiple guide wires.

Our embolotherapy products treat disease by blocking or slowing the flow of blood into the arteries or delivering chemotherapy drugs in the treatment of primary and metastatic liver cancer. The principal product offerings in our embolotherapy portfolio include our:

• Embosphere® Microspheres, a highly-studied, round embolic for consistent and predictable results;
• HepaSphere® Microspheres, soft embolics with a consistent cross-sectional diameter for predictable, flow-directed targeting; and
• Siege® Vascular Plug, a self-expanding vascular implant designed for peripheral arterial embolization in vessels measuring 1.5mm to 6.0mm in diameter.

The products in our intervention (peripheral) portfolio are chiefly used to remove blood clots, retrieve foreign bodies in blood vessels and assist with placing balloons and stents to treat arterial disease. The principal product offerings in our intervention (peripheral) portfolio include our:

• ClariVein® Specialty Infusion Catheter which is designed for controlled 360-degree dispersion of physician specified agents to the peripheral vasculature;
• Dynamis AV™ PTA Dilatation Catheter, a line of balloon catheters that facilitates the opening of blockages located in the arteriovenous system of dialysis patients;
• Q50X™ and Q50® Stent Graft Balloon Catheters, a line of catheters that treat abdominal and thoracic endovascular aortic repair procedures and reinterventions;
• Fountain® Infusion System and Mistique® Infusion Catheters, a line of catheters that treat arterial and hemodialysis graft occlusions and deep vein thrombosis; and
• EN Snare® and One Snare® Endovascular Snare Systems, a complete line of snares designed to manipulate, capture and retrieve foreign material in the body.

Merit Oncology

Our oncology products are dedicated to the accurate diagnosis and localization of breast and soft tissue tumors and the innovative treatment of early-stage breast cancer. We also offer an extensive line of soft tissue biopsy products and accessories. Our primary product offerings in our oncology portfolio include our:

• SCOUT® Radar Localization System, a nonradioactive, wire-free tumor localization system that facilitates successful surgical removal of marked lesions and lymph nodes, improving workflow and the patient experience;
• CorVocet® Biopsy System, one of our innovative soft tissue core needle biopsy and accessory products, designed to cut a full core of tissue and provide large specimens for pathological examination;
• Achieve®, Temno® and Tru-Cut® Soft Tissue Biopsy Devices which are designed to produce superior soft tisuue biopsy samples;
• BioSentry® biopsy tract sealant system designed to address the issues of biopsy-related pneumothorax; and
• SAVI® Brachytherapy, a precise, targeted approach to accelerated partial breast irradiation with lower toxicities and reduced treatment duration.

Cardiac Intervention

We manufacture and sell a variety of products designed to treat various heart conditions. Products in our cardiac intervention product category are organized into the following product portfolios: access (cardiac), angiography, electrophysiology and CRM, fluid management, hemodynamic monitoring, hemostasis, and intervention (cardiac).

Merit Vascular – Cardiac

The principal product offerings in our access portfolio (cardiac) include our family of Prelude Introducer Sheaths, for both radial and femoral access, featuring our recently-launched Prelude Wave™ Hydrophilic Sheath Introducer with SnapFix™ technology and our Prelude IDeal™ Hydrophilic Sheath Introducer, an ultra-thin wall introducer sheath that provides more room for the insertion of catheters and other devices in the radial artery.

The principal product offerings in our angiography portfolio include our InQwire® Guide Wires and Performa Diagnostic and Ultimate™ catheters for femoral and radial procedures.

Electrophysiology is the study of diagnosing and treating abnormal electrical activities of the heart. Cardiac rhythm management (“CRM”) is the field of cardiac disease therapy that relates to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias or the improper beating of the heart. The principal product offerings in our electrophysiology and CRM portfolio include our:

• Evolution® system for lead removal procedures relating to pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators;
• Worley™ Advanced LV Delivery System, used to aid in the insertion and implantation of left ventricular pacing leads;
• HeartSpan® Transseptal Needle, for left-heart access procedures;
• HeartSpan® Steerable and Fixed Curve Sheath Introducer, featuring a neutral position indicator and tactile click to help physicians identify curve orientation with an expanded product line that includes fixed curve shapes; and
• SafeGuard Focus® and Focus CoolTM compression devices, used to protect closed surgical sites in the immediate postoperative period.

The product offerings in our fluid management portfolio include manifolds, control syringes and tubing.

The principal products we offer in our hemodynamic monitoring portfolio include the Meritrans DTXPLUS® disposable transducer, SAFEDRAW® closed arterial blood sampling system and related accessories.

The principal product offerings in our hemostasis portfolio include our Prelude SYNC EVO®, PreludeSYNC Distal™, PreludeSYNC EZTM Radial Compression devices (designed to reduce and stop blood flow after radial access procedures), and the SafeGuard® Pressure Assisted Device which provides hemostasis after femoral procedures.

The principal product offerings in our intervention (cardiac) portfolio include a full line of inflation devices and hemostasis valves, including the BasixSKY®, BasixCompak®, basixTOUCH®, Blue Diamond® and DiamondTouch™ inflation devices, the PhD™ Hemostasis Valve, and the 10Fore™ Hemostasis Valve, the latest addition to our hemostasis valve portfolio.

Custom Procedural Solutions

Our custom procedural solutions product category is comprised of standard and custom kit and pack solutions that include items needed for peripheral procedures, safety and waste management products, and hemostasis accessories. Our kit and pack solutions can optimize efficiency and reduce cost and waste. The principal product offerings in this product category include:

• Critical care products;
• Medallion® syringes;
• Manifold kits; and
• Trays and packs.

OEM

Our global OEM Division sells components and finished devices, including molded components, sub-assembled goods, custom kits and bulk non-sterile goods, to other medical device manufacturers. Additionally, we provide coating services for medical tubes and wires under OEM brands in addition to many of the products identified above. We offer coated tubes and wires to customers on a spool or as further manufactured components, including guide wire components, coated mandrels/stylets and coated needles.

We also manufacture and sell sensor components for microelectromechanical systems. These components consist of piezoresistive pressure sensors in various forms, including bare silicon die, die mounted on ceramic substrates, and fully calibrated components for numerous applications both inside and outside the healthcare industry.

Merit Spine

In 2025, we reorganized our sales teams and product categories to include our spine products under our OEM product category. Our spine products are used in the treatment of vertebral compression fractures and metastatic spinal tumors and in musculoskeletal biopsy procedures. Our spine product line includes the following product portfolios: vertebral augmentation, radiofrequency ablation, and bone biopsy systems. Our primary product offerings in the vertebral augmentation and radiofrequency ablation portfolios include our:

• STAR™ Tumor Ablation System, designed to provide palliative treatment of painful metastatic spinal tumors in cancer patients by targeted radiofrequency ablation;
• Arcadia® Steerable and straight balloons, designed to achieve controlled, precise, targeted cavity creation in vertebral augmentation procedures; and
• StabiliT® MX Vertebral Augmentation System, which uses our inflation devices to deliver bone cement.

The bone biopsy systems portfolio comprises a full offering of manual bone biopsy products, including our Madison™, Huntington™, Kensington™, Preston™ and Westbrook™ biopsy products.

Endoscopy

The products in our endoscopy operating segment, Merit Medical Endotek®, are organized in two product portfolios: gastroenterology and pulmonary.

Our gastroenterology products include a complete range of innovative, gastrointestinal solutions. Our primary product offerings in our gastroenterology portfolio include our:

• Recently-launched Resilience Through-the-Scope Esophageal Stent which provides luminal patency in the esophagus;
• Recently-acquired C2 CryoBalloon® device and related technology intended to treat patients suffering from Barretts esophagus and other gastrointestinal disorders;
• EsophyX® Z+ system for minimally invasive non-pharmacological treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease;
• Alimaxx-ES™ and EndoMAXX® Fully Covered Esophageal Stents for maintaining esophageal luminal patency in certain esophageal strictures;
• BIG60® and BIG60 ALPHA® Inflation Devices, 60-mL syringes and gauges designed to inflate and deflate non-vascular balloon dilators while monitoring and displaying inflation pressures up to 12 atmospheres; and
• Elation® Fixed Wire, Wire Guided and new 5-stage Balloon Dilators, intended for use in the alimentary tract.

Our pulmonary products consist of laser-cut tracheobronchial stents, advanced over-the-wire and direct visualization delivery systems and dilation balloons to endoscopically dilate strictures. Our primary product offerings in our pulmonary portfolio include our:

• AERO®, AEROmini® and AERO DV® Fully Covered Tracheobronchial Stents, for the treatment of tracheobronchial strictures produced by malignant neoplasms; and
• Elation® Pulmonary™ Balloon Dilator, for the dilation of strictures of the trachea and bronchi.

We also offer a variety of kits and accessories for endoscopy and bronchoscopy procedures.

Marketing and Sales

Target Market/Industry. Our principal target markets are peripheral intervention (including, renal therapies), cardiac intervention, interventional oncology, critical care and endoscopy. Within these markets our products are used in the following clinical areas: diagnostic and interventional cardiology; interventional radiology; neurointerventional radiology; vascular, general and thoracic surgery; electrophysiology; cardiac rhythm management; interventional pulmonology; interventional nephrology; orthopedic spine surgery; interventional oncology; pain management; breast cancer surgery; outpatient access centers; intensive care; imaging; and interventional gastroenterology.

According to statistics published by the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease continues to be a leading cause of death and a significant global health problem. Treatment options range from dietary changes to surgery, depending on the nature of the specific disease or disorder. Endovascular techniques, including angioplasty, stenting and endoluminal stent grafts, continue to represent important therapeutic options for the treatment of vascular disease. We derive a large percentage of our revenues from sales of products used during percutaneous diagnostic and interventional procedures such as angiography, angioplasty and stent placement, and we intend to pursue additional sales growth by building on our existing market position in both core technology and accessory products.

Marketing Strategy. Traditionally, as part of our product sales and marketing efforts, we attend major medical conventions throughout the world pertaining to our target markets and invest in market development including physician training, peer-to-peer education, and patient outreach. Additionally, we are developing digital and direct-to-customer programs to increase awareness of our products, and we work closely with major healthcare facilities and physicians involving our primary target markets in the areas of training, therapy awareness programs, clinical studies and ongoing product research and development. In general, our target markets are characterized by rapid change resulting from technological advances and scientific discoveries. We plan to continue to develop and launch innovative products to support clinical trends and to address the increasing demands of these markets.

Product Development Strategy. Our product development is focused on identifying and introducing a regular flow of profitable products that meet customer needs. To stay abreast of customer needs, we work closely with health care professionals working in the fields of medicine in which we offer or develop products. Suggestions for new products and product improvements may also come from engineers, marketing and sales personnel, and physicians and technicians who perform clinical procedures.

When we believe that a product suggestion demonstrates a sustainable competitive advantage, meets customer needs, fits strategically and technologically with our business and has a good potential financial return, we generally assemble a “project team” comprised of individuals from our sales, marketing, engineering, manufacturing, legal, regulatory and quality assurance departments. This team works to identify the customer requirements, develop the design, compile necessary documentation and testing, and prepare the product for market introduction. We believe that one of our competitive strengths is our capacity to rapidly conceive, design, develop and introduce new products that meet customer needs.

U.S. and International Sales. Sales of our products in the U.S. accounted for 60%, 59% and 58% of our net sales for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. In the U.S., we have dedicated, direct sales organizations primarily focused on selling to end-user physicians, hospitals and alternate site facilities (e.g., office-based labs), major buying groups and integrated healthcare networks.

Internationally, we employ sales representatives and contract with independent distributor organizations and custom procedure tray manufacturers to distribute our products worldwide, including territories in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Oceania, Central and South America, Mexico and Canada. In 2025, our international sales grew 9.1% over our 2024 international sales and accounted for 40% of our net sales. Our largest non-U.S. market is China where we maintain a distribution center and administrative office in Beijing and sales offices in other major cities. We sell our products through more than 500 distributors in mainland China, who are responsible for reselling our products, primarily to hospitals. We use the “modified direct” sales approach in China, employing sales personnel throughout China who work with our distributors to promote the clinical advantages of our products to clinicians and other decision makers at hospitals.

In 2019, China announced a volume-based procurement (“VBP”) policy applicable to medical device manufacturers that is designed to reduce the price of medical devices sold in China. We began experiencing the impact of the VBP policy in 2022 in the form of decreased sales prices and revenue. The negative impacts of the VBP policy have persisted since 2022 and we expect to continue to experience these negative impacts in 2026. For further discussion of the risks and uncertainties associated with the VBP policy, please refer to disclosure under the heading “Consolidation in the healthcare industry, group purchasing organizations and public cost-containment measures have led to demands for price concessions, which may reduce our revenues and harm our ability to sell our products at prices necessary to support our current business strategies.” set forth in Item 1A “Risk Factors.”

In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”), we have direct, modified direct and distributor sales operations. Such sales operations are active throughout the region, including the largest markets in Western, Southern, Central and Eastern Europe and the emerging markets within EMEA.

Our direct sales personnel are principally engaged in each of our divisions. Marketing teams responsible for each division operate clinical education programs, often directed by leading subject matter personnel, who provide technical instruction on techniques and therapies to physicians, nurses and technologists. We are currently conducting education programs specific to radial access, spinal intervention, surgical grafts, wire-free tumor localization, electrophysiology, endoscopy, dialysis and embolism.

We require our international distributors to store products and sell directly to customers within defined sales territories. Each of our products must be approved for sale under the laws of the country in which it is sold. International distributors are responsible for compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as all applicable laws and regulations in their respective countries.

We consider training to be a critical factor in the success of our sales force. Members of our sales force are trained by our clinical marketers, our staff professionals, consulting physicians, and senior field trainers in their respective territories.

OEM Sales. Our global OEM Division sells components and finished devices, including molded components, sub-assembled goods, custom kits and bulk non-sterile goods, to medical device manufacturers. These products may be combined with other components and products from other companies and sold under a Merit or customer label. Products sold by our OEM Division can be customized and enhanced to customer specifications, including packaging, labeling and a variety of physical modifications. Our OEM Division serves customers with a staff of regional sales representatives based in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and a dedicated OEM engineering and customer service group.

Customers

We provide products to hospitals and alternate site-based physicians, technicians and nurses. Hospitals and acute care facilities in the U.S. purchase our products through our direct sales force, distributors, OEM partners, or custom procedure tray manufacturers who assemble and combine our products in custom kits and packs. Outside the U.S., hospitals and acute care facilities generally purchase our products through our direct sales force, or, in the absence of a sales force, through independent distributors or OEM partners.

Research and Development

Our research and development operations have been central to our historical growth, and we believe they will be critical to our continued growth. In recent years, our commitment to innovation has led to the introduction of several new products, improvements to our existing products and expansion of our product lines, as well as enhancements in our research and development facilities.

We continue to develop new products and make improvements to our existing products utilizing many different sources. In 2025, we endeavored to facilitiate cross-functional collaboration by aligning our research and development and marketing teams with our sales organization to enhance the integration of physician feedback into new product development and project prioritization. This alignment strengthens our ability to execute on product development strategies and accelerate new product introductions. By more effectively incorporating customer feedback into our innovation process, we are better positioned to deliver solutions that meet clinical needs and improve patient outcomes. This approach supports disciplined resource allocation, fosters operational efficiency, and reinforces our commitment to delivering differentiated products that drive long-term growth.

In 2025, we completed projects that resulted in the newest additions to our product lineup: the 10FoRe™ hemostasis valve, Ventrax® Delivery System, MAK™ Gold Mini Access Kits, and Prelude Wave™ Hydrophilic Sheath Introducer with SnapFix™ technology. Other products added to our new product portfolio include simplified connections to our Centesis and Aspira® drainage systems to facilitate compatibility with a broader range of drainage tools.

Currently, we have research and development facilities in California, Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Ireland and France.

Manufacturing

We manufacture many of our products using our proprietary technology and our expertise in plastic injection molding, insert molding and extrusion and in embolotherapy products production, along with many other technologically advanced manufacturing processes. We generally contract with third parties for the tooling of our molds, but we design and own most of our molds. We have also received various International Organization of Standardization (“ISO”) certifications for many of our facilities; for further details, please refer to Item 1. “Business - Sustainability” below. Merit Sensor Systems, Inc. (“Merit Sensors”) develops and markets silicon pressure sensors to a range of enterprises and presently supplies the sensors we use in our digital inflation devices and blood pressure sensors.

We have specialized manufacturing personnel at most of our eleven global manufacturing facilities. Consequently, we possess the capability to flexibly locate or shift the manufacture of products to the facilities providing the most strategic advantages. The determination of manufacturing location is based upon multiple factors, including facility technological capabilities, market demand, acquisition and integration activities and economic and competitive conditions.

We have packaging and manufacturing facilities located in Texas, Florida, Virginia, Utah, Minnesota, Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, and Singapore. See Item 2. “Properties.”

We ship our products through distribution centers located in Virginia, Utah, Canada, Brazil, The Netherlands, United Kingdom (“UK”), South Africa, South Korea, India, New Zealand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Mexico, Colombia and Australia.

Competition

Merit operates in the complex, highly competitive and challenging global medical technology marketplace, specifically in the areas of cardiology, radiology, oncology, critical care and endoscopy. This marketplace is characterized by rapid technological advancement, industry and customer consolidation, customer demands for price reductions, regulatory reform, and evolving patient needs. We compete with companies of varying sizes. Many of our competitors are much larger than we are and have access to greater resources. We also compete with smaller companies that sell single or limited numbers of products in specific product lines or geographies. In certain countries, and particularly in China and Japan, we also face competition from domestic medical device companies that may benefit from their status as local suppliers. We also face competition from non-medical device companies offering alternative therapies for disease states that could also be treated using our products.

The principal competitive factors in the markets in which our products are sold are quality, price, product features, customer service, breadth of line, and customer relationships. We believe our products are attractive to customers due to their innovative designs, the quality of materials and workmanship, clinical performance, our strong focus on customer needs, and our prompt attention to customer requests. As a company, some of our primary competitive strengths are our relative stability in the marketplace; comprehensive, broad line of ancillary products; manufacturing integration to secure our supply chain; commitment to innovation and strong cadence of new products and product line extensions that enhance our portfolio.

Our primary competitors in our peripheral intervention market are Teleflex Incorporated (“Teleflex”), Cook Medical Incorporated (“Cook Medical”), Medtronic plc (“Medtronic”), Boston Scientific Corporation (“Boston Scientific”), and Becton, Dickinson and Company (“BD”). Our primary competitors in our cardiac intervention market are BD, Teleflex, Medtronic, Abbott Laboratories, Terumo Corporation, Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, Cook Medical, and Boston Scientific. Our primary competitors in our spine market are Medtronic, Stryker Corporation, and Johnson & Johnson. Our primary competitors in our oncology market are BD, Hologic, Inc., Argon Medical Devices, Inc. and Cook Medical. Our primary competitors in our endoscopy market are Getinge AB, Boston Scientific, Cook Medical, and Olympus Corporation.

Based on available industry data, with respect to the number of procedures performed, we believe we are a leading provider of digital inflation technology in the world. In addition, we believe we are one of the market leaders in the U.S. for analog inflation devices. We believe we are a market leader in the U.S. for control syringes, radar localization, waste-disposal systems, embolic beads, tubing and manifolds. Although we believe our recent and planned additions to these product lines will help us compete even more effectively in both the U.S. and international markets, we cannot give any assurance that we will be able to maintain our existing competitive advantages or compete successfully in the future.

Sources and Availability of Raw Materials

Raw materials essential to our business are generally purchased worldwide and are normally available in quantities adequate to meet the needs of our business. Where there are exceptions, the temporary unavailability of those raw materials has not historically had a material adverse effect on our financial results; however, fluctuations and uncertainties in supply chain, transportation logistics, and freight expenses that we have experienced during the past several years have challenged our operating capabilities and could result in disruptions in our operations and materially impact our financial results. For further discussion of the risks and uncertainties associated with recent disruptions in supply chain and logistics, please refer to disclosure under the heading “Disruptions in the supply from third-party vendors of the materials and components used in manufacturing or sterilizing our products could adversely affect our business, operations or financial condition.” set forth in Item 1A “Risk Factors.”

Proprietary Rights and Litigation

We rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights and confidentiality agreements to protect our intellectual property. We have a number of U.S. and foreign-issued patents and pending patent applications, including rights to patents and patent applications acquired through strategic transactions, which relate to various aspects of our products and technology. The duration of our patents is determined by the laws of the country of issuance and, for the U.S., is typically 20 years from the date of filing of the patent application. As of December 31, 2025, we owned approximately 2,200 U.S. and international patents and patent applications.

Additionally, we hold exclusive and non-exclusive licenses to a variety of third-party technologies covered by patents and patent applications. In the aggregate, our intellectual property assets are critical to our business, but no single patent, trademark or other intellectual property asset is of material importance to our business.

The Merit® name and logo are trademarks in the U.S. and other countries. In addition to the Merit name and logo, we have used, registered or applied for registration of other specific trademarks and service marks to help distinguish our products, technologies and services from those of our competitors in the U.S. and foreign countries. See Item 1. “Business - Products” above. The duration of our trademark registrations varies from country to country; in the U.S. we can generally maintain our trademark rights and renew any trademark registrations for as long as the trademarks are in use. As of December 31, 2025, we owned approximately 840 U.S. and foreign trademark registrations and trademark applications.

There is substantial litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights in the medical device industry. At any given time, we may be involved as either a plaintiff or a defendant, as well as a counter-claimant or counter-defendant, in patent, trademark, and other intellectual property infringement actions. If a court rules against us in any intellectual property litigation we could be subject to significant liabilities, be forced to seek licenses from third parties, or be prevented from marketing certain products. In addition, intellectual property litigation is costly and may consume significant time of employees and management.

Regulation

Corporate Integrity Agreement. In October 2020, we entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement (“CIA”) with the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), a five-year agreement that was a condition of our settlement with the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”). The CIA, which expired in October 2025, subjected us to certain compliance, monitoring, reporting, certification, oversight and training obligations. On January 23, 2026, we received a letter from OIG that signaled formal completion of the CIA. We intend to continue our compliance program with continual improvements tailored to the nature of our medical device business.

Regulatory Approvals. Our products and operations are global and are subject to regulations by the FDA and various other federal and state agencies, as well as by foreign governmental agencies. These agencies enforce laws and regulations that control the design, development, testing, clinical trials, manufacturing, labeling, storage, advertising, marketing, distribution, import and export, and post-market surveillance of our medical products. Further, approval by one governmental agency does not assure approval by another governmental agency, although sometimes test results from one country can be used in applications for regulatory approval in another country. Finally, changes in government administrations may result in changed administrative or legislative priorities and could also prevent or delay approval of our current or future products, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell our current or future products for which we obtain marketing approval.

The time required to obtain approval by the FDA and foreign governmental agencies can be lengthy and complicated given that the regulatory requirements may differ in each jurisdiction. For example, in May 2017, the European Union (E.U.) adopted Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (“MDR”), which replaced Council Directive 93/92/EEC (“MDD”) as of May 26, 2021. Under transitional provisions, medical devices with notified body certificates issued under the MDD prior to May 26, 2021, for which we intend to seek approval under the MDR and which meet certain other requirements, may continue to be placed on the E.U. market until December 31, 2027 or December 31, 2028 depending on risk classification. After the expiry of the applicable transitional period, only devices that have been CE marked under the MDR may be placed on the market in the E.U.

We are preparing to comply with these new regulations under the MDR before the transitional period expires. However, there will be products that we will instead choose to discontinue or postpone introduction in the E.U. This decision will depend on a number of factors, including, without limitation, changing business strategies, timing and cost of obtaining MDR certification, availability of necessary data and the capacity of notified bodies. The MDR includes increasingly stringent requirements in multiple areas, such as pre-market clinical evidence, review of high-risk devices, labeling, post-market surveillance and post-market clinical follow-up. Under the MDR, pre-market clinical data will now be required to obtain CE mark approval for high-risk, new and modified medical devices.

U.S. and foreign counter-part regulatory approval processes for medical devices are expensive, uncertain and lengthy. In certain circumstances, human clinical trials are required for regulatory clearance or approval for devices, which can be expensive, time-consuming and produce uncertain results. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain necessary regulatory approvals for any product on a timely basis or at all. Delays in, or failure to receive, such approvals, the loss of previously received approvals, or the failure to comply with existing or future regulatory requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. Further, even if a regulatory approval or clearance is issued by the FDA, the FDA may impose post-clearance or post-approval marketing restrictions or other regulatory requirements regarding a medical product that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions, operations or prospects. Finally, even after regulatory approval or clearance, Merit is subject to several laws, rules and regulations, and the failure to comply with any applicable laws, rules or regulations at any time during the lifecycle of a product, including without limitation, after approval or clearance, may subject us to a variety of administrative or judicial proceedings, penalties or sanctions, including refusal by the applicable regulatory authority to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, imposition of a clinical hold, issuance of warning letters and other types of letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement of profits, or civil or criminal investigations and penalties brought by the FDA and the Department of Justice or other governmental entities.

Quality System Requirements. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and its counterpart non-U.S. laws require us to comply with quality system regulations (“QSR”) pertaining to all aspects of our product design, purchasing and supplier controls, manufacturing, distribution, servicing, complaint handling, corrective and preventive action and internal quality system audits. The FDA, Notified Bodies, and foreign regulators enforce these requirements through periodic inspections of medical device manufacturers. These requirements are complex, technical and require substantial resources to remain compliant. Our failure or the failure of our distributors or suppliers to maintain compliance with these requirements could result in the shutdown of our manufacturing operations or the recall of our products, or could restrict our ability to obtain new product approvals or certificates from regulatory authorities, such as the FDA, that are necessary for import and export of our products. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business. If one of our suppliers fails to maintain compliance with our quality requirements, we may have to qualify a new supplier and could experience manufacturing delays as a result. We also could be subject to injunctions, product seizures, or civil or criminal penalties.

Labeling and Promotion. Our labeling and promotional activities are also subject to scrutiny by the FDA and foreign regulators. Labeling includes not only the label on a device, but also includes any descriptive or informational literature that accompanies or is used to promote the device. Among other things, labeling violates the law if it is false or misleading in any respect or it fails to contain adequate directions for use. Moreover, product claims that are outside the approved or cleared labeling (for example, an uncleared or unapproved use) violate the FDCA and other applicable laws. If the FDA determines that our promotional materials constitute promotion of an uncleared or unapproved use, or otherwise violate the FDCA, it could request that we modify our promotional materials or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions, including the issuance of an untitled letter, a notice of violation, a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fines or criminal penalties. Allegations of off-label promotion can also result in enforcement action by federal, state, or foreign enforcement authorities and trigger significant civil or criminal penalties, including exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs and liability under the False Claims Act, discussed further below.

Our product promotion is also subject to regulation by the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”), which has primary oversight of the advertising of unrestricted devices, including FDA-cleared devices. The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, as well as unfair or deceptive practices such as the dissemination of any false or misleading advertisement pertaining to medical devices. FTC enforcement can result in orders requiring, among other things, limits on advertising, corrective advertising, consumer redress, rescission of contracts and such other relief as the FTC may deem necessary.

In addition, under the federal Lanham Act and similar state laws, competitors and others can initiate litigation relating to advertising claims.

Import and Export Requirements. Our operations are global and are subject to complex federal and foreign laws relating to the import and export of medical devices. Among other requirements, the laws of the U.S. require imported articles to have their labels accurately marked with the appropriate country of origin, the violation of which may result in confiscation, fines and penalties. Products for export are subject to foreign countries’ import requirements and the exporting requirements of the exporting countries’ regulating bodies, as applicable.

Additionally, the export of our products is subject to restrictions due to trade and economic sanctions imposed by the U.S., the E.U. and other governments and organizations. The U.S. Departments of Justice, Commerce, State and Treasury and other federal agencies and authorities have a broad range of civil and criminal penalties they may seek to impose against corporations and individuals for violations of economic sanctions laws, export control laws, and other federal statutes and regulations, including those established by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. With the U.S. and other countries imposing export sanctions on certain countries and actors in response to escalating tensions in certain parts of the world, any such export restrictions may affect the company’s business in certain regions of the world, including the requirement to obtain specific export licenses to enable the continuation of Merit’s business in those regions.

Additional Post-Market Requirements. As a medical device manufacturer, we are subject to other post-market requirements in multiple jurisdictions, including (i) product listing, (ii) establishment registration, (iii) Unique Device Identification (“UDI”), and (iv) reports of corrections and removals. We are also subject to regulations that require manufacturers to report to the FDA, or an equivalent foreign regulatory body, any incident in which their device may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury, or has malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction of the device or a similar device were to recur. The FDA also regularly inspects companies to determine compliance with the QSRs and other post-market requirements. Please refer to our discussion of the risks and uncertainties associated with these post-market requirements under the heading “The FDA regulatory clearance process is extensive and dynamic, and the failure to obtain and maintain required regulatory clearances and approvals could prevent us from commercializing our products.” set forth in Item 1A “Risk Factors.”

Reimbursement. Our products are generally used in medical procedures that are covered and reimbursed by governmental payers, such as Medicare, and/or private health plans. In general, these third-party payers cover a medical device and/or related procedure in which the device is used only when the payer determines that healthcare outcomes are supported by medical evidence and the device and procedure is medically necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of the patient’s illness or injury. Even if a device has received clearance or approval for marketing by the FDA or, for uses outside of the U.S., a similar foreign regulatory agency, there is no certainty that third-party payers will cover and reimburse for the cost of the device and/or related procedures involving the use of the device. Because of increasing cost-containment pressures, some private payers in the U.S. and government payers in foreign countries may also condition payment on the cost-effectiveness of the device and/or procedure. Even if coverage is available, third-party payers may place restrictions on the circumstances in which they provide coverage or may offer reimbursement that is not sufficient to cover the cost of our products. If healthcare providers such as hospitals and physicians cannot obtain adequate coverage and reimbursement for our products or the procedures in which they are used, this may affect demand for our products and our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows could suffer a material adverse impact.

Anti-Corruption Laws. Our international operations are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act and other foreign anti-corruption laws. The FCPA prohibits offering, paying, or promising to pay anything of value to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or maintaining an improper business advantage. The FCPA also requires that we maintain fair and accurate books and records and devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. In certain countries, the individuals and entities that we regularly interact with may meet the definition of a foreign government official for purposes of the FCPA. As part of our compliance program, we train our U.S. and international employees, and we also train and monitor foreign third parties with whom we contract (e.g., distributors), to comply with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws. Failing to comply with the FCPA or any other anti-corruption law could result in fines, penalties or other adverse consequences.

As we expand our international operations, we continue to increase the scope of our compliance programs to match the risks relating to the potential for violations of the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws. Our compliance program includes (i) policies addressing not only the FCPA, but also the provisions of a variety of anti-corruption laws in multiple foreign jurisdictions, (ii) provisions relating to books and records that apply to us as a public company, and (iii) effective training for our personnel and relevant third parties.

Transparency Laws. The U.S. Physician Payment Sunshine Act, and similar state laws, include annual reporting and disclosure requirements for device manufacturers aimed at increasing the transparency of the interactions between device manufacturers and healthcare providers. Reports submitted under these requirements are placed in a public database. A number of other jurisdictions outside the U.S. have also adopted or begun adopting similar transparency laws. In addition to the burden of establishing processes for compliance, if we fail to provide these reports, or if the reports we provide are not accurate, we could be subject to significant penalties.

Anti-Kickback Statutes. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons and entities from, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce the purchase, order, lease, or recommendation of a good or service for which payment may be made in whole or part under a federal healthcare program, such as Medicare or Medicaid, unless the arrangement fits within one of several statutory exemptions or regulatory “safe harbors.” The definition of remuneration has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value, including, for example, gifts, discounts, the furnishing of supplies or equipment, credit arrangements, payments of cash and waivers of payments. Violations can result in significant penalties, imprisonment and exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs. Exclusion of a manufacturer would preclude any federal healthcare program from paying for the manufacturer’s products. Under the Affordable Care Act, a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute is deemed to be a violation of the False Claims Act, which is discussed in more detail below. A party’s failure to fully satisfy the obligations of a regulatory “safe harbor” provision may result in increased scrutiny by government enforcement authorities.

In addition to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, many states have their own anti-kickback laws. Often, these laws closely follow the language of the federal law, although they do not always have the same exceptions or safe harbors. In some states, these anti-kickback laws apply with respect to all payers, including commercial health insurance companies.

Government officials continue their vigorous enforcement efforts on the sales and marketing activities of pharmaceutical, medical device and other healthcare companies, including the pursuit of cases against individuals or entities that allegedly offered unlawful inducements to potential or existing customers to procure their business. Settlements of these government cases have involved significant fines and penalties and, in some instances, criminal proceedings.

False Claims Laws. The False Claims Acts prohibit any person from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to the federal government or knowingly making, or causing to be made, a false statement to get a claim paid. The Civil False Claims Act can be violated without actual knowledge and only requires reckless disregard or deliberate ignorance, while the Criminal False Claims Act requires a higher knowledge standard of actual knowledge and intent to violate. Manufacturers can be held liable under the False Claims Acts, even if they do not submit claims to the government, if they are found to have caused the submission of false claims (e.g., by third parties such as healthcare providers). The Civil False Claims Act also includes whistleblower provisions that allow private citizens to bring suit against an entity or individual on behalf of the U.S. and to recover a portion of any monetary recovery. Many of the recent, highly publicized settlements in the healthcare industry relating to sales and marketing practices have been cases brought under the Civil False Claims Act. Most states also have adopted statutes or regulations similar to the federal laws, which apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs. Sanctions under the federal False Claims Acts and similar state laws may include civil monetary penalties, treble damages, criminal fines and/or imprisonment.

Labor Standards Laws. We are also subject to corporate social responsibility (“CSR”) laws and regulations which require us to monitor the labor standards in our supply chain, including the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, the UK Modern Slavery Act, and U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulations regarding Combating Trafficking in Persons. These CSR laws and regulations may impose additional processes and supplier management systems and have led certain key customers to impose additional requirements on medical device companies, including audits, as a prerequisite to selling products to such customers, which could result in increased costs for our products, the termination or suspension of certain suppliers, and reductions in our margins and profitability.

Environmental Regulation. We are subject to various environmental laws, directives and regulations both in the U.S. and internationally. Our operations involve the use of substances regulated under environmental laws, primarily in the manufacturing and sterilization process. We believe our policies and practices comply, in all material respects, with applicable environmental laws and regulations. We strive to continuously improve our environmental management system with a goal of reducing pollution, minimizing depletion of natural resources and reducing our overall environmental footprint. Specifically, we are working to optimize energy and resource usage, ultimately reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste.

Privacy and Security. Due to Merit’s global presence, we are impacted by the privacy and data security requirements of U.S. and foreign governments, those of various regional, provincial, state and local governments, as well those targeted towards our specific industry. More privacy and data security laws and regulations are being adopted and enforced, with increasingly significant fines and financial penalties for violations in the jurisdictions in which we conduct our operations. Compliance with these evolving and complex data privacy and cybersecurity laws and regulations has resulted and will likely continue to result in new compliance challenges and increased costs. Our business relies on the secure electronic transmission, storage and hosting of personal and sensitive personal information, including protected health information, financial information, intellectual property and other sensitive information related to our customers and workforce.

Internationally, Merit is impacted by a number of stringent privacy regimes, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) in the E.U. and the Personal Information Protection Law (“PIPL”) in China. Non-compliance could result in the imposition of significant fines, penalties, and/or orders to stop non-compliant activities.

In the U.S., data privacy is regulated at the federal and state levels. U.S. federal and state laws protect the confidentiality of certain patient health information, including patient medical records (“PHI”), and restrict the use and disclosure of patient health information by healthcare providers. “Privacy” and “Security” Rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), as amended, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the “HITECH Act”), govern the use, disclosure, and security of protected health information. Merit may be subject to these laws in certain instances.

Additionally, several U.S. states have enacted comprehensive data privacy laws. In general, these laws give residents the right to obtain their personal information from companies, request to have their personal information deleted, and opt out of having that information sold to third parties. The state laws also compel companies to post clear privacy policies that detail the types of personal information they collect about consumers, with whom they share this data, and how consumers can control their personal data.

We post on our websites our privacy notices, policies and practices regarding the collection, use and disclosure of user data, as well as providing our privacy policies to our employees (including job applicants) by linking to the Merit privacy policy (posted on the Merit website) from our Employee Handbook and our job application board. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our posted privacy notices or policies or with any applicable regulatory requirements or orders, or privacy, data protection, information security or consumer protection-related privacy laws and regulations in one or more jurisdictions could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or, in some jurisdictions, individuals, including class action privacy litigation, subject us to significant fines, penalties, judgments and negative publicity, require us to change our business practices, increase the costs and complexity of compliance, and adversely affect our business.

Because privacy and data security laws and regulations continue to expand, differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and are subject to evolving (and at times inconsistent) governmental interpretation, compliance with these laws and regulations may require significant additional cost expenditures or changes in products or business that increase competition or reduce revenue. Noncompliance with such laws or regulations could result in the imposition of fines, penalties, or orders to stop noncompliant activities, as well as harm to reputation, or other consequences. If our customers were to reduce their use of our products and services as a result of these concerns, our business could be materially harmed. We are also subject to the possibility of security and privacy breaches, which themselves may result in a violation of these privacy laws.

Seasonality

Our worldwide sales have not historically reflected a significant degree of seasonality; however, customer purchases have historically been lower during the third quarter of the year, as compared to other quarters. This reflects, among other factors, lower demand during summer months in countries in the northern hemisphere.

Sustainability

Under the oversight of our Board of Directors and management team, we continue to make sustainability a key focus of our business. We have a cross-functional Corporate Sustainability Council that is driving long-term environment, social and governance goals across our enterprise. These efforts have included proactive actions to address both risks and opportunities related to our sustainability program, as we strive for continued growth and profitability.

The majority of our products are disposable medical devices and are generally disposed of after a single use due primarily to the risks of exposing patients to bloodborne pathogens capable of transmitting disease or other potentially infectious materials. Additionally, repeated sterilization to address such risks is not possible because it may adversely affect the quality of the materials used in many of our products and result in the failure of our product to function properly if used in multiple medical procedures. Consequently, many of our used products will likely end up in regulated medical waste disposal facilities at the end of their usefulness. We continually look for opportunities to deliver sustainable, long-term growth of our business. Our sustainability practices are an integral component of our business strategy.

We have identified sustainability opportunities, and have developed areas of focus where we are positioned to make a positive impact. These include programs designed to reduce waste, improve efficiencies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect the environment. Our sustainability values in action include:

• achievement of the ISO 14001 certification (international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system) at nine facilities including eight manufacturing facilities (eight in scope) and one large distribution facility (one in scope). A key part of our ISO 14001 program is energy management which includes yearly energy reviews and procurement controls for energy efficient purchasing;
• establishment and support of employee gardens that promote pollination and provide farm-to-table nutrition for our employees at our headquarters in South Jordan, Utah;
• use of re-usable pallets where possible and methods to move products in reusable bulk containers, reducing intra-company shipping materials;
• reduction in water consumption at our water-stressed location in South Jordan, Utah by investing in campus-wide xeriscaping and water recirculation systems within our most water intensive operations;
• reduction in packaging materials by implementing product family packaging reviews to consolidate shipments by better understanding our customers' purchasing practices-these reviews often allow us to increase quantities

per box, eliminate the usage of intermediate packaging, reduce film thickness and re-use original product packaging where possible;

• transition from paper work orders to electronic work orders through our internally designed eWorq program. Currently, 84% of our global work orders are managed by eWorq, with a goal to be at 93% by the end of 2026. This project saves millions of pieces of paper and thousands of plastic sleeves annually. Currently, our eWorq program is in place at five of our largest manufacturing sites. We estimate that we eliminated 4,931,000 pages of paper during 2025. We plan to continue implementing this program at our manufacturing facilities globally to eliminate as much paper as we can within our operations;
• recycling programs where we recycle materials, including food waste, paper, plastic, cardboard, beverage containers, scrap metal, and pallets;
• Waste to energy (WtE) programs where we divert hard-to-recycle items from the landfill to certified WtE plants that utilize advanced pollution controls to burn the waste and create steam to drive turbines, resulting in the production of electricity and heat for homes and businesses;
• placement of free car charging stations for employees who have transitioned to electric vehicles;
• installation of efficient heating and cooling systems that operate on variable efficiency drives, increasing our energy efficiency at our headquarters in South Jordan, Utah and our transition to Light Emitting Diode ("LED") lighting in our global facilities;
• operation of an environmental tracking system at our world-wide facilities to facilitate monthly reporting and accountability for energy, water, waste, recycling, and scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions metrics—this system supports our 2030 operational sustainability goals; and
• engaged in a comprehensive materiality assessment to better align environmental, social and governance expectations from our internal and external stakeholders.

To learn more about our sustainability programs and accomplishments, you may visit www.merit.com/about/corporate-sustainability/ (http://www.merit.com/about/corporate-sustainability/).

Our People

As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately 7,500 employees located in approximately 43 countries performing a variety of roles. In the highly competitive medical device industry, we consider attracting, developing, and retaining talented people in technical, operational, marketing, sales, research, management, and other positions to be critical to our overall long-term growth strategy. Our ability to recruit and retain such talent depends on several factors, including our work environment, employee engagement, compensation and benefits, talent and career development, and employee wellness. We invest in our people and cultivate a company culture committed to supporting an inclusive workforce.

Work Environment. We strive to create a global work environment where employees feel welcomed, respected, and valued. With this goal in mind, our Chief Human Resources Officer has been charged with working with our leadership team to strengthen and enhance our inclusion efforts company wide. We are committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. In the U.S., we are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to making employment decisions without regard to race, religion, ethnicity or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristics protected by law. To further promote a culture of inclusion, during 2021 we started the Women’s Leadership Initiative (“WLI”), our first ever affinity group led by women and open to all Merit employees. The WLI contributes to our long-term strategies by promoting a culture of inclusion through (i) sponsoring professional development activities focused on overcoming barriers and restraints to the advancement of women’s careers, (ii) facilitating external interactions with organizations and thought leaders, and (iii) providing resources focused on improving inclusion. Through the WLI, the first global Strategic Leadership Program was launched in 2025 in partnership with the University of Utah and an external leadership development partner.

Employee Engagement. The engagement of our workforce is critical to delivering on our competitive strategy, and we place high importance on informed and engaged employees. We communicate frequently with our employees through a variety of communication methods, including video and written communications, town hall meetings, and our company intranet, and we acknowledge individual contributions to Merit by celebrating milestones of service in five-year increments. Since 2021, we have substantially strengthened our employee communication capabilities through the addition of dedicated internal resources and programs aimed at doing even more to communicate with and engage our workforce. In partnership with the Gallup organization, in 2022 we launched our first ever global employee engagement survey and have continued this survey in each subsequent year, with increasing participation and engagement results. This survey provides us with many insights into the engagement of our employees from which we have been able to develop action plans at the team and company level in order to further strengthen employee engagement. The employee participation rate in the engagement survey reached a high of 93% in 2025.

Additionally, for five consecutive years, our subsidiary in China has been recognized as a “China Top Employer” by the Top Employers Institute. This award reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence in human resources practices. In selecting recipients of the award, the Top Employers Institute considers a variety of factors, including people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning and development, employee well-being, and diversity and inclusion.

The Merit Way—Our Core Values. In July 2025, Merit celebrated the one-year anniversary of the launch of our values program known as “The Merit Way,” which is an employee initiative designed to create a single global culture united by common values that honors Merit’s past and future. The Merit Way values are described with the acronym H.E.A.R.T. as follows:

• Health – Committed to employee and patient well-being
• Excellence – Deliver your best with the highest of standards
• Agility – Decide, act, and adapt to change
• Responsibility – Own your decisions, actions and results
• Teamwork – Collaborate and communicate to achieve a common goal.

In 2025, the Merit Way values were embedded in performance management recognition programs in addition to global and local communications.

Compensation and Benefits. Because our mission is to create innovative medical devices that improve lives, we aim to hire and develop employees who want to build something special through hard work, team effort, and commitment. That is why we provide our employees with competitive total rewards packages and strive to provide the most cost-effective medical benefits and wellness programs. As a result of our focus on competitive health and wellness benefits, we have achieved our tenth consecutive year of zero health care plan cost increases for our U.S. employees who participate in our group healthcare plans. Our total rewards package includes competitive pay, annual incentive awards and bonus opportunities, healthcare and retirement benefits, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, paid time off and sick leave, paid parental leave, flexible work schedules, remote working opportunities, and a wellness program.

Talent Development. Since 2021, we have been building and strengthening global programs around strategic talent management, employee performance, development, succession planning and engagement. In 2025, we launched an automated global performance management program with a focus on The Merit Way values using our global HR information system. Employee development programs are also being executed at different global and local levels with a focus on management and leadership development. For example, we deployed Gallup’s “Conversations That Matter” training to more than 500 managers worldwide in our operations, quality assurance and research and development departments.

Community. Our employees are actively involved in their communities and supporting causes. At our headquarters, we provide an onsite garden where employees take part in growing and distributing produce to employees and to the local community. Employees also actively support causes by raising awareness and funds for non-profit organizations. Areas that our employees have supported in recent years include Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Heart Health Month, children’s charities and supporting those in need. In 2025, we continued our support of humanitarian missions through Merit product donations in Belize, Honduras, Ethiopia, Peru, Tanzania, Haiti, Mauritius, Nicaragua, and Syria. Merit also conducts and/or participates in medical education conferences around the globe.

Wellness. Wellness is at the foundation of creating a positive employee experience and is the reason for “Health” being the first of the Merit Way values. At both our company headquarters in Utah and at our largest manufacturing location in Tijuana, Mexico, we have an onsite medical clinic available for our employees and their families where we provide preventative and general medical care. We have a monthly wellness committee meeting and create a “Get Healthy”

wellness program available to all sites across the globe. Programs include providing health information from medical and nutrition experts, newsletters with wellness and dietary tips, and activities promoting health and wellbeing such as walking groups and fitness challenges. Some programs include suicide prevention awareness, on-site diabetes screenings, mental health awareness, lifestyle modification to prevent diseases, tobacco cessation and breast cancer awareness. Additionally, we continue to offer our Smart Choice meal program designed by our onsite dietician and culinary team to provide a free healthy meal option to employees at our Utah headquarters.

Additionally, Merit Medical Ireland has held the KeepWell Mark™ accreditation since 2021, recognizing our commitment to employee wellbeing. This year, our Ireland subsidiary was honored with the “Best in Class - Mental Health” award, reflecting our strong focus on mental health and wellness culture. Retaining the KeepWell Mark™ demonstrates our ongoing dedication to workplace health, safety, and wellbeing, with senior management playing an active role in promoting these values.

Health and Safety. Ensuring our employees’ safety is a top priority. We strive to foster a safety-oriented culture, and we maintain an occupational health and safety management system that covers all our employees and contractors. By minimizing risks at our production facilities and implementing training to enhance awareness of hazards, we are able to promote safe practices that can preserve the health of our employees. We maintain high standards for workplace safety, and our orientation for employees includes training about safe procedures. Our programs and policies are in compliance with applicable local, regional, and federal laws, including U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements. We have obtained ISO 45001 certification at eight manufacturing facilities (eight in scope) and one distribution facility (one in scope). This is a globally recognized standard for employee occupational health and safety, established by the International Organization for Standardization, which provides a voluntary framework to identify key occupational health and safety aspects associated with our business helping to deliver continuous improvement.

We also have formal plans in place to protect our employee’s safety in the event of an emergency and maintain emergency action plans that employees receive training on annually. Our emergency action plans describe procedures that employees should follow when faced with a variety of unexpected health and safety events. As part of this initiative, we train certain employees to use automated external defibrillators, provide first aid, and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In addition, we conduct periodic health and safety audits of our facilities to monitor the effectiveness of our programs and drive continual improvement in our overall safety performance.

Recent Developments

None.

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of the SEC’s internet website is www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov).

Our internet address is www.merit.com (http://www.merit.com). On our Investor Relations website, www.merit.com/investors (http://www.merit.com/investors), we make available, free of charge, a variety of information for investors. Our goal is to maintain the Investor Relations website as a portal through which investors can easily find or navigate to pertinent information about us, including:

• Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file that material with or furnish it to the SEC.
• Press releases on our quarterly earnings and other pertinent information, including product launches, corporate initiatives, and participation in upcoming investor conferences.
• Corporate governance information including our corporate governance guidelines, committee charters, and codes of business conduct and ethics.

Additionally, we provide electronic and paper copies of such filings free of charge upon request.

Financial Information About Foreign and Domestic Sales

For financial information relating to our foreign and domestic sales see Note 2 Revenues and Note 13 Segment Reporting and Foreign Operations to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report.

Our business, operations and financial condition are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results will vary, and may vary materially, from those anticipated, estimated, projected or expected. Among the key factors that may have a direct bearing on our business, operations or financial condition are the factors identified below:

Business, Economic, Industry and Operational Risks

Disruptions in the supply from third-party vendors of the materials and components used in manufacturing or sterilizing our products could adversely affect our business, operations or financial condition.

We rely on third-party vendors to supply raw materials, component parts, finished products and services in connection with our business. Our reliance on these third-party vendors exposes us to product or service shortages and unanticipated price increases, whether due to inflationary pressure, regulatory changes, tariffs and related measures, geopolitical tensions, the discretion of such vendors or otherwise. For example, we rely on a relatively small number of service providers to sterilize our products. If any of these service providers ceases operations, ceases to provide services to us or fails to comply with quality or regulatory requirements, we may be unable to find a suitable service provider to replace them. This could significantly delay or stop production and adversely affect sales of such products. Additionally, many of our products have components that are manufactured using resins, plastics and other petroleum-based materials which are available from a limited number of suppliers. There is no assurance that crude oil supplies will be uninterrupted or that petroleum-based manufacturing materials will be available for purchase in the future. Tensions in the Middle East and Venezuela and the military conflict in Ukraine may increase the likelihood of supply interruptions and hinder our ability to obtain the materials we need to make our products. Supply disruptions are making it harder for us to obtain the materials we need, putting upward pressure on our costs and increasing the risk that we may be unable to acquire the materials we need to continue to manufacture certain products. If we are unable to manage the challenges associated with supply disruptions or delays, our business, operations or financial condition could be adversely impacted.

Cost volatility could adversely affect our operations.

The cost of the raw materials, components and services required to operate our business are affected by a variety of factors beyond our control, including existing and potential tariffs and related counter-measures, changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions, labor and transportation costs, climate change, competition, import duties, currency exchange rates, regulatory changes and political uncertainty around the world. In particular, we purchase large quantities of resins, which are oil-based components used to manufacture certain products. Any significant increase in resin costs could adversely impact future operating results. In addition to increased resin costs, increases in oil prices could also increase our packaging and transportation costs.

The overall costs of raw materials, transportation, construction, services and energy necessary for the production and distribution of our products continue to increase and be volatile. During 2025, we experienced significantly elevated commodity and supply chain costs, including the costs of labor, raw materials, energy, packaging materials and other inputs necessary for the production and distribution of our products. Those elevated costs may continue in 2026, which could adversely affect our business, operations or financial condition.

Our ability to recover increased costs may depend upon our ability to raise prices on our products. Due to the highly competitive nature of the healthcare industry and the cost-containment efforts of our customers and third-party payers, we may be unable to pass along cost increases through higher prices. If we are unable to recover these costs through price increases or offset these increases through cost reductions, we could experience lower margins and profitability, and our business, operations or financial condition could be materially harmed.

Changes in economic and geopolitical conditions, domestic and foreign trade policies, monetary policies and other factors beyond our control may adversely impact our business, operations or financial condition.

Our operations and performance are significantly impacted by global, regional and U.S. economic and geopolitical conditions. The global macroeconomic environment continues to be challenging due to the effects of inflation, instability in global credit markets, uncertainty regarding global monetary policies, instability in the geopolitical environment in many parts of the world and other factors. Periods of diplomatic or armed conflict, such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East and in Venezuela and China-Taiwan relations, may result in (i) new or evolving sanctions and trade restrictions, which may impair trade with sanctioned individuals and countries, and (ii) negative impacts to regional trade ecosystems among our customers, partners, and us. Non-compliance with sanctions, as well as general ecosystem disruptions, could result in reputational harm, operational delays, monetary fines, lost revenues, increased costs, lost export privileges or criminal sanctions.

During 2025 and 2026, the U.S. government announced changes to its trade policies, including increasing tariffs on imports, in some cases significantly, and potentially negotiating or terminating existing trade agreements. Many of the announced tariffs apply to countries from which we import our raw materials, component parts and finished products, including Mexico, Ireland and China, and have increased our manufacturing costs. The current tariff environment is dynamic and uncertain, as the U.S. government has imposed, modified and paused tariffs multiple times since the beginning of 2025. Changes to tariffs and other trade policies can be announced at any time with little or no notice, and recent judicial action and executive response in the U.S. have added to the uncertainty of the situation. We cannot predict with certainty the future trade policy of the United States or other countries. We continue to evaluate the potential impact of trade policies on our business and financial condition in 2026. However, the ultimate impact of any announced or future tariffs will depend on various factors, including (i) whether such tariffs are ultimately implemented or suspended, (ii) the timing and duration of implementation or suspension and the amount, scope and nature of such tariffs and (iii) potential exclusions from the application of those tariffs.

Additionally, potential tariffs or other U.S. trade policy measures could trigger retaliatory actions by other countries, including by countries that are significant markets for our products, such as China. The escalation of trade tensions could impact us in a variety of ways, including (i) increases in manufacturing costs, (ii) disruptions or delays to our global supply chain, (iii) limitations on our ability to sell our products, and (iv) reductions in sales volumes and gross margins for our products, any of which could negatively affect our business, operations and financial condition.

Furthermore, tariffs or other trade restrictions may lead to continuing uncertainty and volatility in U.S. and global financial and economic conditions and commodity markets, significant inflation, and reduced demand for our products. Also, disruptions and volatility in the financial markets may lead to adverse changes in the availability, terms and cost of capital. Such adverse changes could increase our costs of capital and limit our access to external financing sources to fund acquisitions, capital expenditures, or refinance debt maturities on similar terms, which could in turn reduce our cash flows and limit our ability to pursue growth opportunities.

The above factors, as well as other economic and geopolitical factors in the U.S. and abroad, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition, including:

• changes in economic, monetary and fiscal policies in the U.S. and abroad;
• a global or regional economic slowdown in any of our market segments;
• public health crises, and government and social responses;
• government cost-reduction initiatives;
• policies in various countries that favor domestic industries or restrict foreign companies;
• postponement of spending, in response to tighter credit, financial market volatility and other factors;
• rapid escalation of the cost of regulatory compliance and litigation; and
• credit risks, longer payment cycles and other challenges in collecting accounts receivable.

Volatile geopolitical turmoil, including popular uprisings, regional conflicts, terrorism and war could result in market instability, which could negatively impact our financial results.

We are a global company with international operations, and we sell our products in countries throughout the world. Regional conflicts, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East and Venezuela, and the risk of increased tensions between China and Taiwan, could negatively impact our ability to sell our products in or source materials from sanctioned countries. In addition, international conflicts could further result in global or regional market instability, insurrections and civil unrest, increased energy costs, and increased risk of cybersecurity attacks, any of which could adversely impact our financial results.

Any damage or interruption to our operations, facilities, manufacturing processes or information technology systems, or those of our suppliers, could have an adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.

Damage or interruption to our facilities or systems, or those of our suppliers, because of extreme weather conditions, natural disaster, power loss, communications failure, geopolitical disruption, labor strikes, civil unrest, cyber-attack, public health crises, unauthorized entry or other events could significantly disrupt our operations, the operations of suppliers or critical infrastructure. These events may delay or prevent product manufacturing and shipment during the time required to repair, rebuild or replace the damaged facilities or systems. Climate change may increase both the frequency and severity of natural disasters and, consequently, risks to our operations and growth. In the event of any such delay or interruption of our operations, facilities or systems, or those of our suppliers, we may experience a loss of market share and harm to our reputation, which could adversely affect our business, operations or financial condition.

Consolidation in the healthcare industry, group purchasing organizations and public cost-containment measures have led to demands for price concessions with respect to our products, which may reduce our revenues and harm our ability to sell our products at prices necessary to support our current business strategies.

Healthcare costs have risen significantly over the past decade, which has led to numerous cost containment measures and other healthcare reforms by legislators, regulators and third-party payers. Cost reform has triggered a consolidation trend in the healthcare industry to aggregate purchasing power, which has created more requests for pricing concessions and is expected to continue. Additionally, many of our customers belong to group purchasing organizations or integrated delivery networks that aggregate their market power to consolidate purchasing decisions for these customers. These customers are often able to obtain lower prices and more favorable terms, which has led to lower revenues and required us to take on additional liability.

Furthermore, we may find limited demand for otherwise promising new products unless reimbursement approval is obtained from private and governmental third-party payers. Legislative or administrative reforms to the reimbursement systems in the U.S., Japan, China, or other countries in a manner that significantly reduces or eliminates reimbursement for procedures using our medical devices, including price regulation, competitive bidding and tendering, coverage and payment policies, comparative effectiveness of therapies, and heightened clinical data requirements, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The global trend toward limiting growth of healthcare costs has impacted us in international markets, including China, our largest international market in terms of revenue. China has implemented the VBP policy, which has the specific aim of decreasing prices for medical devices. China’s VBP policy has negatively impacted our product pricing and revenue in China since 2022. Due to uncertainties with the application of the VBP tender process, we are unable to reliably forecast the impact of the VBP policy on our China revenues in 2026. However, we expect that the VBP tender process in China will continue to negatively impact our revenue from China in 2026, and there can be no assurance that the VBP policy will not have a materially adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.

We may be unable to compete in our markets, particularly if there is a significant change in practices or technology.

We are a global company that faces significant competition from a wide range of existing competitors and new market entrants. These include large medical device companies with extensive product lines, many of which may have greater financial and other resources than we do, as well as firms which are more specialized than we are with respect to particular markets or product lines. Nontraditional entrants, such as technology companies, are also entering into the healthcare industry and some may have greater financial or other resources than we do.

The medical device industry is also subject to rapid technological change and frequent product introductions. Our ability to compete successfully is dependent, in part, upon our response to changes in technology and our efforts to develop and market new products which achieve significant market acceptance. Companies with substantially greater resources than us are actively engaged in research and development of new methods, treatments, drugs, and procedures that could limit the market for our products and eventually make our products obsolete. Furthermore, our existing competitors and new market entrants may respond more quickly to or integrate new or emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (“AI”) and machine learning in their product offerings, which could also limit the market for our products. A reduction in demand for our products could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.

The development, deployment and use of AI in our business operations could result in regulatory action, legal liability, operational challenges or reputational harm and our failure to adapt to developments related to AI in a timely manner (or at all) could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We have integrated AI into our some of our product development activities and into our business operations generally. We expect to continue to utilize AI in our operations, as well as pursue new AI technology partnerships with third parties. The development, deployment and use of AI (particularly generative AI) is rapidly evolving and presents various risks, including from confidentiality, privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and compliance perspectives, and raises intellectual property, legal, regulatory, reputational, ethical, operational, technological and other concerns. AI systems may fail, underperform or disrupt our business operations. If we do not effectively adopt and integrate AI into our business in a timely manner and manage the associated risks, our competitive position could be adversely affected, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition or results of operation.

Strategic, Business Development and Employee Attraction and Retention Risks

We may incur substantial costs when evaluating, negotiating and closing acquisitions, and our failure to integrate acquired businesses may adversely impact our business and financial results.

We seek to supplement our internal growth through strategic acquisitions and transactions. We regularly evaluate potential acquisitions and transactions, certain of which may be significant. We have incurred, and will likely continue to incur, significant expenses in connection with evaluating, negotiating and consummating acquisition and other transactions.

Our integration of acquired businesses requires considerable efforts, which may include corporate restructuring and the coordination of information technologies, research and development, sales and marketing, operations, regulatory, supply chain, manufacturing, quality systems and finance. These efforts result in additional expenses and require significant management time. Some of the factors that could affect the success of our acquisitions include the effectiveness of our due diligence process, our ability to execute our business plan for the acquired operations, the strength of the acquired technology, results of clinical trials, regulatory approvals and reimbursement levels of the acquired products and related procedures, the performance of critical transition services, our ability to adequately fund acquired research and development projects and retain key employees and our ability to achieve synergies with the acquired businesses. Foreign acquisitions involve unique risks, including those related to integration of operations across different geographies, cultures and languages, currency risks and risks associated with the economic, political, legal and regulatory environment in specific countries. In addition, we have and may in the future acquire less than full ownership interests in other businesses, which involve unique challenges for effective collaboration. Our failure to effectively integrate acquired businesses could have an adverse impact on our business and our future growth. In addition, we cannot be certain that the businesses we acquire or invest in will become profitable or remain so, and if our acquisitions or investments are not successful, we may record related asset impairment charges in the future or experience other negative consequences on our operating results.

Past and future acquisitions and transactions may increase the risks of competition we face by, among other things, extending our operations into industry segments and product lines where we have few existing customers or experienced sales personnel and limited expertise. Further, as a result of certain acquisitions, we are selling capital equipment, in addition to our historical sales of disposable medical devices. The sale of capital equipment may create additional risks and potential liability, which may negatively affect our business, operations or financial condition.

In addition, we may not realize competitive advantages, synergies or other benefits anticipated in connection with any acquisition or other transaction. If we do not adequately identify and value targets for, or manage issues related to, acquisitions and other transactions, such transactions may not produce the anticipated benefits and could have an adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.

Failure to realize the benefits expected from recent acquisitions could adversely affect our business, operating results or financial condition.

We have completed a series of strategic acquisitions and transactions in recent years, some of which have been significant, such as the acquisitions of assets or businesses from each of the following companies: AngioDynamics, Inc. on June 8, 2023; EndoGastric Solutions, Inc. on July 1, 2024; Cook Medical Holdings, LLC on November 1, 2024; Biolife, L.L.C. on May 20, 2025; and Pentax of America, Inc. on November 3, 2025 (collectively, the “Recent Acquisitions”). The benefits we expect from the Recent Acquisitions are based on projections and assumptions about the performance of the acquired assets under our ownership, which may not materialize as expected. Our business, operating results or financial condition could be adversely affected if we are unable to realize the anticipated benefits from the Recent Acquisitions on a timely basis, if at all. Achieving the benefits of the Recent Acquisitions will depend, in part, on our ability to integrate the acquired businesses and operations successfully and efficiently with our business. The challenges involved in these integrations include:

• integrating operations and production lines;
• limiting business disruptions, preserving customer and other important relationships of the acquired businesses, and attracting new business and operational relationships;
• coordinating and integrating research and development and engineering teams across technologies and product lines to enhance product development while reducing costs;
• consolidating and integrating corporate, IT, cybersecurity, finance and administrative infrastructures;
• coordinating branding, sales and marketing efforts to effectively position acquired products; and
• integrating employees and human resource systems and benefits, maintaining employee productivity and retaining key employees.

If we do not successfully manage the challenges inherent in integrating an acquired business, we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the Recent Acquisitions on our anticipated timeframe, if at all, and our business, operations or financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

If we fail to achieve projected benefits from business acquisitions or strategic investments or identify underperforming products, we may dispose of the acquired or underperforming assets, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

We may acquire businesses or assets which do not produce the benefits projected at the time of acquisition or we may identify legacy operations and products that are underperforming, do not fit with our longer-term business strategy or become subject to unforeseen operating difficulties. We may divest these underperforming businesses, operations or products. The resulting divestiture may be financially disadvantageous to us, which could adversely affect our results of operations. If we cannot divest an underperforming business, operation or asset on acceptable terms, we may voluntarily cease operations related to that business, operation or asset. In such event, we may be required to take impairment charges or write-downs in connection with acquisitions and divestitures, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our future growth is dependent in part upon the development of new products and the enhancement of existing products, and there can be no assurance that such products be developed or enhanced.

An important component of our business strategy is to increase revenue growth through innovation and new product development. The development of new products and enhancement of existing products requires significant investment in research and development, clinical trials and regulatory approvals. Our product development efforts may be affected by a number of factors, including our ability to anticipate customer needs, innovate and develop new products, efficiently complete clinical trials, obtain regulatory approvals and reimbursement approvals in the U.S. and abroad, efficiently manufacture products, obtain and enforce intellectual property rights and gain and maintain market approval of our products. There can be no assurance that any product we have recently launched, are preparing for launch, are now developing or that we may seek to develop in the future, will achieve technological feasibility, obtain regulatory or reimbursement approval, gain market acceptance or command prices consistent with expectations or profitability. If we are unable to develop and launch new and enhanced products, our ability to maintain or expand our market position in the markets in which we participate may be adversely impacted.

Additionally, the development or enhancement of certain products or groups of products, for example the Wrapsody Device, may have a disproportionate impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We have devoted and currently devote significant research and development resources to certain products and groups of products. In light of the significant investment of financial and personnel resources to the development of these products, failure to meet development timelines or growth projections, poor clinical outcomes, increasing regulatory requirements, failure to obtain reimbursement approvals, launch delays and inability to effectively scale manufacturing and achieve targeted margins with respect to any of these products or groups of products in particular may adversely impact our business, operations or financial condition.

We may be unable to accurately forecast customer demand for our products and manage our inventory.

To ensure adequate supply, we must forecast our inventory needs and place orders with our suppliers based on estimates of future demand for particular products. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be negatively affected by many factors, including product introductions by our competitors, an increase or decrease in customer demand for our products or for products of our competitors, unanticipated changes in general market conditions or regulatory matters and weakening of economic conditions, or decreased consumer confidence. Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs, which would impact our results of operation. Conversely, if we underestimate customer demand, our manufacturing facilities may not be able to deliver products to meet our order requirements, which could damage our reputation and customer relationships.

Our reliance on third-party distributors could negatively impact the commercialization of our products.

In many countries, we rely on third-party distributors to market, distribute and sell our products, which exposes us to multiple risks. These distributors are often the main point of contact for the healthcare professionals and customers who buy and use our products. If we are unable to enter into or maintain distribution agreements with these distributors on acceptable terms, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our products in certain countries. The sales of our products in these countries may be at risk if third-party distributors become insolvent, cease selling our products or choose to sell competing products. In addition, although our contract terms require our distributors to comply with applicable laws regarding the sale of our products, including anti-competition, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and sanctions laws, we may not be able to ensure proper compliance. Our reliance on third-party distributors exposes us to various risks, including commercial, legal, compliance and reputational risks, the realization of any of which could harm our results of operations and business.

If we are unable to effectively execute our leadership succession plans and attract, develop and retain key employees, our business or results of operations could be harmed.

Effective succession planning is critical to our long-term success. Failure to ensure the transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving executives and other key employees could hinder our strategic planning and execution. Changes in our management team may be disruptive to our business, and any failure to successfully integrate key new hires or promote employees could adversely affect our operations.

Effective October 3, 2025, Fred Lampropoulos resigned as Chief Executive Officer and President of Merit and Merit’s Board of Directors appointed Martha G. Aronson as a Director and as Merit’s new Chief Executive Officer and President. Additionally, effective January 4, 2026, Mr. Lampropoulos resigned as a Director and Chair of the Board of Merit. While we have endeavored to manage this leadership transition carefully, changes in leadership are inherently difficult and may negatively impact relationships with key customers, suppliers, investors and employees, cause operational or administrative inefficiencies or disruptions, distract from the achievement of our strategic business objectives, harm our workplace culture, result in loss of institutional knowledge, cause additional volatility in our stock price, or other adverse consequences resulting from the anticipated transition, the occurrence of any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.

We do not maintain key man life insurance on Ms. Aronson. The loss of Ms. Aronson or of certain other key management personnel could have a materially adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition.

Our ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to attract, develop and retain executives and key employees. The market for experienced and talented employees, particularly for persons with certain technical competencies, is highly competitive. Inflationary pressures, labor demand and shortages and other macroeconomic factors have increased and could further increase the cost of labor, particularly in Mexico, and could harm our ability to recruit, hire and retain talented employees. If we are unable to maintain (i) competitive and equitable compensation and benefit programs, and (ii) an inclusive work culture that aligns our workforce with our mission and values, our ability to recruit, hire, develop, engage, motivate and retain talented and experienced employees could be negatively affected, which could adversely impact our business or results of operation.

Regulatory, Litigation, Tax and Legal Compliance Risks

The FDA regulatory clearance process is extensive and dynamic, and the failure to obtain and maintain required regulatory clearances and approvals could prevent us from commercializing our products.

Before we can introduce a new device or a new claim for an existing medical device in the U.S., we must generally obtain clearance or approval from the FDA, unless an exemption from premarket review or an alternative clearance or approval procedure applies. The process of obtaining and maintaining FDA clearances and approvals for our devices could require a significant period of time, require the expenditure of substantial resources, involve rigorous clinical testing and post-market surveillance, require changes to our products or result in limitations on the indicated uses of our products.

We may make changes to our cleared or approved devices without seeking additional clearances or approvals if we determine such clearances or approvals are not necessary and document the basis for that conclusion. However, the FDA may disagree with our determination or may require additional information, including clinical data, to be submitted before a determination is made, in which case we may be required to delay the introduction and marketing of our modified products, redesign our products, conduct clinical trials to support any modifications or pay significant regulatory fines or penalties. In addition, the FDA may not approve or clear our products for the indications that are necessary or desirable for successful commercialization.

Further, the FDA may change its clearance and approval policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations, or take other actions which may prevent or delay approval or clearance of our products or impact our ability to modify our currently cleared products on a timely basis. Delays in receipt of, or failure to obtain, regulatory clearances or approvals for any product enhancements or new products we develop could result in delayed or no realization of revenue from such product enhancements or new products and in substantial additional costs, which could decrease our profitability.

In addition, we are required to continue to comply with applicable FDA and other regulatory requirements once we have obtained clearance or approval for a product, including good manufacturing practices, timely adverse event reporting, completion of required post-market studies, timely annual and other periodic reports and other requirements. We cannot provide assurance that we will comply with all of these requirements or successfully maintain the clearances or approvals we have received or may receive in the future. The loss of previously received clearances or approvals, or the failure to comply with existing or future regulatory requirements, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our products are subject to regulation in foreign countries in which we sell them. We have expended significant resources and experienced delays in obtaining foreign approvals and clearances and we will likely continue to incur significant expense, and experience delays, as we seek to obtain further approvals or clearances.

In order to sell our products in foreign countries, generally we must obtain regulatory approvals and comply with applicable regulations of those countries. These regulations, including the requirements for approvals or clearances and the time required for regulatory review, vary from country to country. See our related discussion under Item 1. “Business – Regulation – Regulatory Approvals.”

In general, we intend to obtain MDR approvals for our principal products sold in the E.U. ahead of transition deadlines; however for multiple reasons, including but not limited to changing business strategies, limited labor pool and contract resources, administrative delays, increased costs of obtaining MDR certification, availability of necessary data and notified body capacity, there will be some products that will not be fully compliant by the transition deadline. The additional time and resources required to obtain MDR certification has been a significant factor in, and will likely continue to influence, our decisions to discontinue sales and distribution of certain products in the E.U.

The global regulatory environment is becoming increasingly stringent and unpredictable. Complying with and obtaining regulatory approval in foreign countries, including our efforts to comply with changing requirements and with the requirements of the MDR, have caused and will likely continue to cause us to experience more uncertainty, risk, expense and delay in commercializing products in certain foreign jurisdictions, which could have a material adverse impact on our net sales, market share and financial results from our international operations.

Unsuccessful pre- and post-market clinical trials relating to our products could have a material adverse effect on our prospects.

As a part of the process of obtaining regulatory clearance or approval for new products and new indications for existing products, we conduct and participate in clinical trials with a variety of study designs and patient populations. We are developing and expect to continue to develop products that are increasingly therapeutic in nature. Pursuit of our business strategy for therapeutic products will likely increase our need for, and dependance on, clinical trials. Such clinical trials are inherently uncertain and there can be no assurance that these trials will be completed in a timely or cost-effective manner or result in a commercially viable product or indication. Unfavorable, unexpected or inconsistent clinical data from existing or future clinical trials conducted by us, by our competitors or by third parties, or the FDA's, foreign regulatory authorities’ or the market's perception of this clinical data, may adversely impact our ability to obtain and maintain product clearances and approvals, our position in, and share of, the markets in which we participate and our prospects.

The medical device industry is subject to extensive scrutiny and regulation by governmental and other authorities. If governmental authorities determine that we have violated laws or regulations, our company or our employees may be subject to various penalties, including civil or criminal penalties.

Our products and business activities are subject to rigorous regulation by the FDA and other federal, state and foreign governmental authorities. These authorities and domestic and foreign legislators continue to scrutinize the medical device industry. In recent years, the U.S. Congress and multiple federal agencies, as well as foreign counterparts, have issued subpoenas and other requests for information to medical device manufacturers.

We anticipate that governmental authorities will continue to scrutinize our industry closely, and that additional regulation by governmental authorities may increase compliance costs, exposure to litigation and other adverse effects on our operations. If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, we may be subjected to a wide variety of sanctions, including warning letters that require corrective action, injunctions, product recalls, suspension of product manufacturing, revocation of approvals, import or export prohibitions, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, civil fines and/or criminal penalties, which in turn may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

We are subject to laws targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry, the violation of which could adversely affect our business, operations or financial condition.

Our operations are subject to state and federal laws targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry, including the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibit knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing or arranging for an item or service, for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Violations of these laws are punishable by criminal or civil sanctions, including substantial fines, imprisonment and exclusion from participation in such programs, any of which could harm our business or negatively impact our financial results. Allegations of such violations could lead to expensive and time-consuming investigations by government authorities and result in settlement costs and additional restrictions.

Furthermore, our contracts with government-sponsored healthcare entities are subject to specific procurement requirements. Failure to comply with applicable rules or regulations or with contractual or other requirements may result in monetary damages and criminal or civil penalties, as well as termination of our government contracts or our suspension or debarment from government contract work.

We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions, and our failure, or the failure of our distributors or agents, to comply with these laws could subject us to civil and criminal penalties and adversely affect our business, operations or financial condition.

We currently conduct our business in various foreign countries, and we expect to continue to expand our foreign operations. As a result, we are subject to the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act, and similar anti-corruption laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions. These laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from illegally offering things of value to any individual for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business.

Compliance with the FCPA and other anti-bribery laws presents challenges to our operations. Our policies mandate compliance with the FCPA and all other applicable anti-bribery laws. Further, we expect our employees, distributors, agents and others who work for us or on our behalf to comply with these anti-bribery laws. Despite our training and compliance programs, our internal control policies and procedures may not always protect us from negligent, reckless or criminal acts or other violations committed by our employees, distributors or agents. If our employees, distributors or agents violate the provisions of the FCPA or other anti-bribery laws, or even if there are allegations of such violations, we could be subject to investigations or civil and criminal penalties or other sanctions, which could have a material, adverse effect on our reputation, business, operations or financial condition.

Limits on reimbursement imposed by governmental and other programs may adversely affect our business and results of operation.

We sell our products to hospitals and other healthcare providers around the world that typically receive reimbursement for the services provided to patients from third-party payers such as government programs (e.g., Medicare and Medicaid in the U.S.) and private insurance programs. The ability of our customers to obtain adequate reimbursement for the health care procedures that use our products, such that the cost of our products is covered, is critical to our business. Limits on reimbursement imposed by such third-party payers may adversely affect our customers’ decisions to purchase our products, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Third-party payers, whether foreign, domestic, governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In general, a third-party payer covers a medical procedure only when the plan administrator is satisfied that the product or procedure is reasonable and necessary to the patient’s treatment; however, for certain payers the cost-effectiveness of the treatment may also be a condition. In addition, in the U.S., no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for procedures using our products exists among payers. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for procedures using our products can differ significantly from payer to payer and, in some cases, jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In addition, payers regularly review new and existing technologies for possible coverage and can, without notice, deny, change or reverse coverage decisions or alter prior authorization requirements for new or existing products and procedures. If we are not successful in reversing non-coverage or unfavorable coverage policies, or if third-party payers that currently cover or reimburse certain procedures involving the use of our products reverse, change or limit their coverage of such procedures in the future, our business and results of operation could be adversely impacted.

Our business is subject to evolving domestic and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy and data protection. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation and could result in claims, changes to our business practices, penalties, increased cost of operations, or declines in user growth or engagement, or otherwise harm our business.

The U.S. and other countries in which we operate have adopted laws and regulations protecting certain data, including medical and personal data (including HIPAA and the HITECH Act), and requiring data holders and controllers to implement administrative, logical and technical controls and procedures in order to protect the privacy of such data. Individual states have also enacted data privacy laws giving consumers the right to demand certain information and actions from companies who collect personal information. A significant number of countries where we operate have enacted privacy or data protection laws and regulations, many of which restrict outbound data transfers, creating significant compliance challenges as we seek to maintain our global reach, with significant penalties for non-compliance. These domestic and international laws and regulations have been, and may continue to be, inconsistent with each other, requiring different approaches in different jurisdictions. In addition, the interpretation and application of privacy and data protection laws and regulations in the U.S., Europe, Asia and elsewhere are often uncertain and in flux. Further, we have incurred, and will likely continue to incur, significant expense in connection with our efforts to comply with those laws and regulations. It is possible that those laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our privacy and data protection practices, may result in significant liability, fines or orders requiring that we change our data practices, which could, in turn, harm our business.

Use of our products in unapproved circumstances could expose us to liabilities.

The marketing clearances and approvals from the FDA and other authorities of certain of our products are, or are expected to be, limited to specific uses. We are prohibited from marketing or promoting any uncleared or unapproved use of our products. However, physicians may use these products in ways or circumstances other than those strictly within the scope of the regulatory approval or clearance. The use of our products for unauthorized purposes could arise from our sales personnel or third-party distributors violating our policies by providing information or recommendations about such unauthorized uses. Consequently, claims may be asserted by the FDA or other authorities that we are not in compliance with applicable laws or regulations or have improperly promoted our products for uncleared or unapproved uses. The FDA or such other authorities could require a recall of products or allege that our promotional activities misbrand or adulterate our products or violate other legal requirements, which could result in investigations, prosecutions, fines or other civil or criminal actions.

Our products may be subject to product liability claims and warranty claims.

The design, manufacture and marketing of medical devices involve various risks. Frequently, our products are used in connection with invasive procedures, surgical and intensive care settings and in other contexts that entail an inherent risk of product liability claims. If medical personnel or their patients suffer injury or death in connection with the use of our products, whether as a result of a failure of our products to function as designed, an inappropriate design, inadequate disclosure of product-related risks or information, improper use, or for any other reason, we could be subject to lawsuits seeking significant compensatory and punitive damages, safety alerts or product recalls. We have faced, and currently face, claims by patients claiming injuries from our products. To date, these claims have not had a material adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition. The outcome of this type of personal injury litigation is difficult to assess or quantify. We maintain product liability insurance; however, there is no assurance that this coverage will be sufficient to satisfy any claim made against us. Moreover, any product liability claim brought against us could result in significant costs, divert our management’s attention from other business matters or operations, increase our product liability insurance rates, or prevent us from securing insurance coverage in the future.

We generally offer a limited warranty for the return of products due to defects in quality and workmanship. We attempt to estimate our potential liability for future product returns and establish reserves on our financial statements in amounts that we believe will be sufficient to address our warranty obligations; however, our actual liability for product returns may significantly exceed the amount of our reserves. If we underestimate our potential liability for future product returns, or if unanticipated events result in returns that exceed our historical experience, our financial condition and operating results could be materially harmed.

In addition, the occurrence of such an event or claim could result in a recall of products from the market or a safety alert relating to such products. Such a recall could result in significant costs, reduce our revenue, divert management’s attention from our business, and harm our reputation.

Our employees, independent contractors, consultants, manufacturers and distributors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, consultants, manufacturers and distributors may engage in misconduct or illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless or negligent conduct, or unauthorized activities that violate the laws and regulations of the FDA and other federal, state and international authorities. We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics, and a global anti-corruption policy, but it is not possible to identify and deter all misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties.

We are routinely a party to litigation, which could affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are routinely a party, including as a defendant, to or otherwise involved in legal proceedings, claims or other legal matters. Although we endeavor to mitigate our legal risk, we are potentially subject to a wide variety of claims in the conduct of our business, including claims relating to products liability, labor matters, securities laws, regulatory compliance and breach of contract. Legal proceedings can be complex, expensive, time-consuming and disruptive to our operations, with the final outcome depending on a number of variables, many of which are beyond our control. The ultimate resolution and potential financial impact of any such proceedings on us are uncertain. If a legal proceeding is resolved against us, it could result in significant compensatory damages or injunctive relief that could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to changes in tax laws, fluctuations in tax rates, the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities, which may adversely affect our effective tax rate, business, financial condition, or results of operations.

We are subject to taxation in numerous countries, states and other jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate is derived from a combination of applicable tax rates in the various countries, states and other jurisdictions in which we operate. In preparing our financial statements, we estimate the amount of tax that will become payable in each of these jurisdictions. Our effective tax rate may, however, differ from the estimated amount due to numerous factors, including a change in the mix of our profitability from country to country and changes in tax laws. Any of these factors could cause us to experience an effective tax rate significantly different from previous periods or our current expectations, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operation.

In many countries, including the United States, we are subject to transfer pricing and other tax regulations designed to ensure that appropriate levels of income are reported as earned by our U.S. or local entities and are taxed accordingly. Although we believe we are in substantial compliance with applicable regulations and restrictions, we are subject to the risk that governmental authorities could assert that we owe additional taxes. In the event that audits, assessments, or other determinations by governmental authorities are concluded adversely to us, they could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operation.

Changes in the tax laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate could increase our tax expense or tax payments, increase tax uncertainty and have a material adverse impact on our results of operations. For example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development published Pillar Two Model Rules which impose a 15% minimum tax on income of large multinational enterprises in the jurisdictions in which they operate. In 2025, Pillar Two legislation became effective in some of the jurisdictions in which we operate. We continue to evaluate the impacts of the enacted Pillar Two legislation. Tax laws in the U.S. and in other countries in which we and our affiliates operate could change on a prospective or retroactive basis, and any such changes could have a material impact on our effective tax rate and on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Environmental, Health and Safety and Corporate Social Responsibility Risks

Our failure to comply with applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could negatively affect our business, operations or financial condition.

We manufacture and assemble certain products that require the use of materials that are subject to domestic and foreign laws and regulations governing the protection of the environment, health and safety. Existing and prospective environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could lead to business interruption, increased costs and other adverse consequences. Compliance with future regulations may also require additional capital investments or other expenses. Additionally, we are subject to certain risks of future liabilities, lawsuits and claims resulting from substances we manufacture, dispose of or release. Certain environmental laws and regulations may impose “strict liability” for the conduct of, or conditions caused by, others, or for acts that were in non-compliance with applicable laws at the time the acts were performed, rendering us liable without regard to our negligence or fault. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations may have an adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.

Some of our products are composed of materials that contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). Regulations are being considered in the European Union and other countries that would limit or ban the use of PFAS in consumer and medical products. If these regulations were to restrict our use of PFAS in the production of our products, our business, operations and financial condition could be materially harmed.

Environmental laws and regulations could also impact the way in which our products are sterilized. Most of our products are sterilized using Ethylene Oxide (“EtO”). Regulations are being considered in the U.S., EU and other countries that would limit the use of EtO for the sterilization of medical products. The impact of these regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our operations are also subject to various laws and regulations relating to occupational health and safety. We maintain safety, training and maintenance programs as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Compliance with applicable health and safety laws and regulations has required and continues to require significant expenditures.

We could be negatively impacted by corporate social responsibility laws, regulations, practices and expectations.

We are subject to CSR laws and regulations which require us to monitor the labor standards in our supply chain, including the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, the UK Modern Slavery Act, and U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulations regarding Combating Trafficking in Persons. These laws and regulations may impose additional processes and supplier management systems and have led certain key customers to impose additional requirements on medical device companies as a prerequisite to selling products to such customers, which could result in increased costs for our products, the termination or suspension of certain suppliers or customers, and reductions in our margins and profitability.

Governments, investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders have focused on CSR practices and disclosures, and expectations in this area are rapidly evolving. The criteria by which our CSR practices are assessed may change due to evolving social and regulatory landscape, which could result in greater regulatory requirements or expectations of us and cause us to undertake costly initiatives to satisfy such new criteria. If we are unable to satisfy evolving criteria, investors may conclude that our policies and actions with respect to CSR matters are inadequate and our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted.

Our business and operations are subject to risks related to climate change.

Risks associated with climate change are subject to increasing societal, regulatory and political focus in the United States and globally. Shifts in weather patterns caused by climate change are projected to increase the frequency, severity or duration of certain adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, droughts or flooding, which could cause significant business and supply chain interruptions, damage to our products and facilities as well as the infrastructure of hospitals, medical care facilities and other customers, reduced workforce availability, increased costs of raw materials and components and increased liabilities. In addition, increased public concern over climate change could result in new legal or regulatory requirements designed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Such developments could result in increased compliance costs and adverse impacts on raw material sourcing, manufacturing operations and the distribution of our products, which could adversely affect our business and operations.

Intellectual Property

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property, which could harm our business and financial condition.

Our ability to remain competitive is dependent, in part, upon our ability to protect our intellectual property rights. We seek to protect our intellectual property through a combination of confidentiality and license agreements, maintaining trade secrets, and through registrations under patent, trademark, and copyright laws. However, these measures afford only limited protection and may be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented by third parties. Additionally, these measures may not prevent competitors from duplicating our products or gaining access to our proprietary information and technology. Third parties may copy all or portions of our products or otherwise use our intellectual property without authorization, and we may not be able to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our intellectual property by consultants, vendors and former and current employees. Despite our efforts to restrict such unauthorized disclosure or use through nondisclosure agreements and other contractual restrictions, we may not be able to enforce these contractual provisions or we may incur substantial costs enforcing our legal rights.

Third parties may also develop similar or superior technology independently or by designing around our patents. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not offer the same level of protection for our intellectual property as U.S. laws. No assurances can be given that any patent application we have filed or may file will result in a patent being issued, or that any existing or future patents will afford adequate or meaningful protection against competitors or against similar technologies. All of our patents and copyrights will eventually expire and some of our patents, including patents protecting significant elements of our technology, will expire within the next several years.

Filing, prosecuting and defending our intellectual property in countries throughout the world may be impractical and expensive. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights claimed by others. Any such litigation could be expensive, time-consuming and divert management’s attention from our business. Litigation also puts our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly. Moreover, the legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protections, which makes it difficult to stop infringement. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially valuable.

Third parties claiming that we infringe their intellectual property rights could cause us to incur significant legal or licensing expenses and prevent us from selling our products.

Our commercial success will depend in part on not infringing or violating the intellectual property rights of others. From time to time, third parties may claim that we have infringed their intellectual property rights, including claims regarding patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and confidential information. Because of constant technological change in the medical device industry in which we compete, the extensive patent coverage of existing technologies, and the rapid rate of issuance of new patents, it is possible that the number of these claims may grow. Any such claim, with or without merit, could result in costly litigation, distract management from day-to-day operations and harm our reputation, which in turn could harm our business or results of operations. If we are not successful in defending such claims, we could be required to (i) stop selling our products, (ii) redesign our products, (iii) discontinue the use of related trademarks, technologies or designs, (iv) pay damages or indemnification obligations, or (v) enter into royalty or licensing arrangements. Royalty or licensing arrangements that we may seek in such circumstances may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all and we may not be able to redesign applicable products in a way to avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of others.

Information Technology and Cybersecurity Risks

We rely on the proper function, availability and security of information technology systems to operate our business, and a material disruption of critical information systems or a material breach in the security of our systems may adversely affect our business, reputation or financial condition.

We rely on information technology (including technology from third-party providers) to process, transmit, and store electronic information in our operations, including sensitive personal information and proprietary or confidential information. We also rely on our technology infrastructure to interact with customers and suppliers, fulfill orders, collect and make payments, ship products, support customers and otherwise conduct business. Our internal information technology systems, as well as those systems maintained by third-party providers, may be subjected to leaks, computer viruses or other malicious code, unauthorized access attempts, and ransom or other cyber-attacks (including through phishing emails, attempts to induce employees to disclose information, and the exploitation of software and operating vulnerabilities), any of which could compromise our confidential or proprietary information and disrupt our operations. Cyber-attacks continue to increase in frequency, sophistication (including the use of AI) and intensity, and are becoming increasingly difficult to detect. Such attacks are often carried out by highly-skilled actors, who are increasingly well-resourced. AI is increasingly being used by malicious actors to create more targeted cyberattacks and spread misinformation. Geopolitical events have also increased cybersecurity risks. Additionally, the continuing evolution of technology we use, including cloud-based computing, data hosting and AI, create additional exposure to security breaches and loss of access to our confidential or proprietary information. There can be no assurance that our protective measures have prevented or will prevent security breaches, any of which could have a significant impact on our business, reputation or financial condition.

We rely on third-party vendors to supply and support certain aspects of our information technology systems. These vendors could become vulnerable to cyber-attacks, malicious intrusions, breakdowns, interference or other significant disruptions, and their systems may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could result in system disruption or compromise the information security of our own systems. In addition, we continue to grow in part through business and product acquisitions and may face risks associated with defects and vulnerabilities in the systems operated by the other parties to those transactions, or difficulties or other breakdowns or disruptions in connection with the integration of the acquired businesses and products into our information technology systems.

Cyber-attacks could also result in unauthorized access to our systems and products, including personal information of individuals, which could trigger notification requirements, encourage actions by regulatory bodies, result in adverse publicity, prompt us to offer credit support products or services and lead to litigation. If we fail to maintain or protect our information technology systems and data integrity or fail to anticipate, plan for or manage significant disruptions to these systems, we could lose customers, be subject to fraud, breach our agreements with or duties toward customers, physicians or other parties, be subjected to regulatory sanctions or penalties, incur expenses or lose revenues, sustain damage to our reputation, or suffer other adverse consequences. Unauthorized tampering, adulteration or interference with our products may also create issues with product functionality that could result in a loss of data, risk to patient safety, and product recalls or field actions. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation or financial condition.

The SEC has adopted rules that require us to provide disclosure regarding cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance, as well as material cybersecurity incidents. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur in order to comply with these rules or the timing of such costs. These rules may also require us to report a cybersecurity incident before we have been able to fully assess its impact or remediate the underlying issue. Efforts to comply with such reporting requirements could divert management's attention from our incident response and could potentially reveal system vulnerabilities to threat actors. Failure to timely report incidents under these or other similar rules could also result in monetary fines, sanctions or subject us to other forms of liability.

Market, Liquidity and Credit Risks

The agreements and instruments governing our debt contain restrictions and limitations that could significantly affect our ability to operate our business, as well as significantly affect our liquidity.

On June 6, 2023, we entered into a Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (“Fourth A&R Credit Agreement”), with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, and other financial institutions named therein. On December 5, 2023, we executed an amendment to the Fourth A&R Credit Agreement (as amended, the "Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement”) to facilitate the issuance of our Convertible Notes described below.

We have pledged substantially all of our assets as collateral for the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement. Our breach of any covenant in the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement could result in a default under that agreement and could trigger acceleration of the underlying obligations. Any default under the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement could adversely affect our ability to service our debt and to fund capital expenditures and ongoing operations. The administrative agent, joint lead arrangers, joint bookrunners and lenders under the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement have available to them the remedies typically available to lenders and secured parties, including the ability to foreclose on the collateral we have pledged.

On December 8, 2023, we issued $747.5 million aggregate principal amount of 3.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029 (the “Convertible Notes”) pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Convertible Notes are unsecured and bear interest at 3.00% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on February 1 and August 1 of each year, beginning on August 1, 2024. The Convertible Notes will mature on February 1, 2029, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date.

The Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement and the Indenture which governs the Convertible Notes (the “Note Indenture”) contain restrictive covenants that could adversely affect our ability to operate our business, our liquidity or our results of operations. These covenants restrict, among other things, our incurrence of indebtedness, creation of liens or pledges on our assets, mergers or similar combinations or liquidations, asset dispositions, repurchases or redemptions of equity interests or debt, issuances of equity and payment of dividends and certain distributions.

The Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement provides for potential borrowings of up to $850 million. Increased borrowing pursuant to the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement may make it more difficult for us to comply with leverage ratios and other restrictive covenants in that agreement. We may also have less cash available for operations and investments in our business, as we will be required to use additional cash to satisfy the minimum payment obligations associated with the increased indebtedness.

Our management has broad discretion regarding the use of proceeds of the Convertible Notes and other borrowed funds.

Our management has broad discretion with respect to the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Convertible Notes and borrowed funds under the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement. Some of these uses could prove to be ineffective or unproductive and could negatively impact our business. We used a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Convertible Notes and borrowed funds under the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement to finance the Recent Acquisitions. Our failure to utilize borrowed funds effectively and productively or find suitable investments or assets to acquire in a timely manner or on acceptable terms could result in financial losses, violation of financial covenants, limitations on our ability to access additional liquidity resources or have other negative consequences, any of which could result in a material adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.

We may not be able to service all of our indebtedness.

As of December 31, 2025, our total outstanding indebtedness under the Convertible Notes and the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement was $747.5 million. Under the terms of the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement, we are potentially able to borrow up to $697 million in additional funds, which could result in total indebtedness under the Convertible Notes and Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement of up to $1,444.5 million.

We depend on our cash on hand and free cash flow from operations to fund our debt obligations, capital expenditures and ongoing operations. Our ability to service our debt and to fund our planned capital expenditures and ongoing operations will depend on our ability to continue to generate cash flow which, in turn, is dependent on a range of economic, competitive, and business factors, many of which are outside our control. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow or we are unable to access additional liquidity sources, we may not be able to service or repay our debt, operate our business, respond to competitive challenges, or fund our other liquidity and capital needs, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The fundamental change repurchase feature of the Convertible Notes may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to acquire us.

Certain provisions in the Note Indenture may make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire us. For example, the Note Indenture requires us, in certain circumstances, to repurchase the Convertible Notes for cash upon the occurrence of a fundamental change and, in certain circumstances, to increase the conversion rate for a holder that converts its Convertible Notes in connection with a make-whole fundamental change. A takeover of Merit may trigger the requirement that we repurchase the Convertible Notes and/or increase the conversion rate, which could make it more costly for a potential acquirer to engage in such takeover. Such additional costs may have the effect of delaying or preventing a takeover of Merit that would otherwise be beneficial to investors.

The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile.

The market price of our common stock has at times, been, and may in the future be, volatile for various reasons, including those discussed in these risk factors. Other events that could cause volatility in our stock include variances in our financial results; analysts’ and other projections or recommendations regarding our common stock specifically or medical technology stocks generally; any restatement of our financial statements; governmental or regulatory investigations; actions taken by activist investors or other shareholders; significant litigation or a decline, or rise, of stock prices in capital markets generally.

In connection with the sale of the Convertible Notes, we entered into capped call transactions with certain of the initial purchasers of the Convertible Notes and/or their affiliates (the “Option Counterparties”). The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce potential dilution to our common stock upon conversion of any Convertible Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted Convertible Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap. Certain actions taken by the Option Counterparties, including modifying their hedge positions, purchasing or selling our common stock, or defaulting on their obligations, could negatively impact the market price of our common stock.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may negatively impact our financial results.

We report our financial results in United States Dollars. However, a substantial amount of our revenue is derived from sales in foreign currencies. Thus, the revenues we report with respect to our operations outside the U.S. have been and may continue to be adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. These exchange rate fluctuations are caused by a number of factors, including changes in a country's political and economic policies and inflationary conditions. Currency exchange rates have been especially volatile in recent years, and these currency fluctuations have affected, and may continue to affect, the reported value of our assets and liabilities, as well as our cash flows. Those fluctuations could have a negative impact on our margins and financial results. During 2025, 2024 and 2023, the exchange rate between all applicable foreign currencies and the U.S. Dollar resulted in increases/(decreases) in our net sales of $5.2 million, $(7.2) million and $(6.4) million, respectively.

For the year ended December 31, 2025, $510.3 million, or 34%, of our net sales, were denominated in foreign currencies, with our Chinese Yuan- and Euro-denominated sales representing our largest currency risks. If the rate of exchange between foreign currencies declines against the U.S. Dollar, we may not be able to increase the prices we charge our customers for products whose prices are denominated in those currencies. Furthermore, we may be unable or elect not to enter into hedging transactions which could mitigate the effect of declining exchange rates. As a result, if the rate of exchange between foreign currencies declines against the U.S. Dollar, our financial results may be negatively impacted.

We maintain strong cybersecurity systems to guard against unauthorized access, malicious software, corruption of data, disruption of our networks and systems and unauthorized release of confidential information. We employ an experienced and dedicated information security team, strive to follow industry best practices, and work with our employees globally to create awareness and mitigate cyber risk. On an ongoing basis, we assess risks (including our exposure from significant information technology suppliers, significant software as a service providers and major vendors with access to our data and information technology systems) and implement procedures and practices designed to improve the security, confidentiality, integrity and availability of our systems. We voluntarily engage third-party security auditors to test our systems and controls at least annually against the most widely recognized security standards and regulations. We have developed and continue to implement a continuing cyber awareness training program which is designed to increase awareness of cybersecurity threats throughout our company and reduce the risk of human error. We conduct periodic phishing testing on all our employees with e-mail access and emphasize information security in training events and programs we host throughout the year.

We have established controls and procedures to escalate enterprise-level issues, including cybersecurity matters, to the appropriate management levels within our organization and our Board of Directors, or members or committees thereof, as appropriate. Our Board of Directors provides oversight of our enterprise risk management, including our approach to managing cybersecurity risk, and has delegated responsibility for review of information security risks to its Audit Committee. The Audit Committee regularly reviews information security risks and receives reports from our Chief Information Officer and other members of the Company’s management regarding those risks. Our cybersecurity program is managed by a dedicated Chief Information Officer whose global team, including the Vice President, Information Security, is responsible for leading enterprise-wide cybersecurity strategy, policy, standards, architecture and processes. Our Chief Information Officer has over 30 years of relevant industry experience, including 19 years with Merit. Our Vice President, Information Security, functions as our senior information security officer and has over 19 years of relevant industry experience. Further, team members who support our cybersecurity program have relevant educational and industry experience through various roles involving information technology, security, auditing, compliance, systems and programming, as well as cybersecurity certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

Under our framework, cybersecurity issues are analyzed by subject matter experts for potential financial, operational, and reputational risks, based on, among other factors, the nature of the matter and breadth of impact. Matters determined to present potential material impacts to the Company’s financial results, operations, and/or reputation are immediately reported by management to our Board of Directors or the Audit Committee, as appropriate, in accordance with our escalation framework. In addition, we have established procedures to ensure that management responsible for overseeing the effectiveness of disclosure controls is informed in a timely manner of known cybersecurity risks and incidents that may materially impact our operations and that timely public disclosure is made as appropriate.

We maintain cyber insurance coverage that may, subject to policy terms, conditions and limitations, cover certain aspects of cybersecurity risks; however, such insurance coverage may be unavailable or insufficient to cover all losses or all types of claims that may arise in the continually evolving area of cyber risk.

During the last three years, we have not experienced a material security breach and, as a result, we have not incurred any material expenses from such a breach. Furthermore, during such time, we have not been penalized or paid any amount under any information security breach settlement.

Our world headquarters is located in South Jordan, Utah, with our principal office for European operations located in Galway, Ireland and our principal office for Asian distribution located in Beijing, China. We also support our European operations from a distribution and customer service facility located in Maastricht, The Netherlands. In addition, we lease commercial space in India, Hong Kong, Italy, Dubai, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, South Africa, Singapore, Great Britain, Vietnam, Taiwan, New Zealand, Indonesia, and France, as well as in California and Texas. Our principal manufacturing and packaging facilities are located in Utah, Virginia, Texas, Florida, Ireland, Brazil, Singapore, Mexico, France and The Netherlands. Our research and development activities are conducted principally at facilities located in Utah, California, Texas, Ireland and France.

Our total manufacturing, commercial, distribution, and research space is approximately 2.2 million square feet, of which approximately 1.2 million square feet is owned, and 1.0 million square feet is leased.

The following is a summary of the approximate square footage of our key facilities:

Operations associated with our cardiovascular segment utilize all of our facilities, while operations associated with our endoscopy segment are conducted primarily from our facilities located in Utah and Texas.

We believe our existing and proposed facilities will generally be adequate for our present and future anticipated levels of operations.

See Note 10 Commitments and Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report and incorporated herein by reference.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes thereto set forth in Item 8 of this report.

Discussion of the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 is included in Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and is incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.

Overview

We design, develop, manufacture, market and sell medical products for interventional and diagnostic procedures. For financial reporting purposes, we report our operations in two operating segments: cardiovascular and endoscopy. Our cardiovascular segment consists of four product categories: peripheral intervention, cardiac intervention, custom procedural solutions, and OEM. Within these product categories, we sell a variety of products, including cardiology and radiology devices (which assist in diagnosing and treating coronary arterial disease, peripheral vascular disease and other nonvascular diseases), as well as embolotherapeutic, cardiac rhythm management, electrophysiology, critical care, breast cancer localization and guidance, biopsy, and interventional oncology and spine devices. Our endoscopy segment consists of gastroenterology and pulmonology devices which assist in the palliative treatment of expanding esophageal, tracheobronchial and biliary strictures caused by malignant tumors.

For the year ended December 31, 2025, we reported sales of $1.516 billion, up $159.4 million or 11.8%, compared to 2024 sales of $1.357 billion. Our revenue results for the year ended December 31, 2025 were driven primarily by demand in the U.S. and favorable international sales trends, particularly in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”) region.

Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 48.7% for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 47.4% for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $128.5 million, or $2.13 per share, as compared to $120.4 million, or $2.03 per share, for the year ended December 31, 2024.

In May 2025, we completed a merger transaction with Biolife Delaware, L.L.C. (“Biolife”), a manufacturer of unique patented hemostatic devices under the brand names StatSeal® and WoundSeal®. In November 2025, pursuant to the terms of an asset purchase agreement between Merit and Pentax of America, Inc., we acquired the C2 CryoBalloon® device and related technology.

In February 2024, we introduced our “Continued Growth initiatives” Program with muti-year financial targets for the three-year period ending December 31, 2026, which reflects our commitment to better-position Merit for long-term, sustainable growth and enhanced profitability.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth certain operational data as a percentage of sales for the years indicated:

Sales

Listed below are the sales by product category within each operating segment for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands, other than percentage changes):

*Commencing January 1, 2025, we reorganized our sales teams and product categories to include revenues from the sale of our spine devices under our OEM product category. Revenue figures for 2024 and 2023 have been recast to reflect this realignment of our portfolio of spine products, representing approximately $22.6 million and $22.4 million in revenue, respectively, within the OEM product category to provide comparability between the reported periods.

Cardiovascular Sales. Our cardiovascular sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 were $1.443 billion, up 10.9%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2024 of $1.302 billion. Sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 were favorably affected by increased sales of:

(a) Cardiac intervention products, which increased by $80.0 million, or 21.7%, from the corresponding period of 2024. This increase was driven primarily by $35.3 million in incremental sales associated with products acquired from Cook in November 2024, $11.9 million in sales associated with products acquired in connection with the Biolife Merger in May 2025 and increased sales of our intervention, cardiac rhythm management/electrophysiology (“CRM/EP”), angiography, access and fluid management products.

(b) Peripheral intervention products, which increased by $47.1 million, or 8.8%, from the corresponding period of 2024. This increase was driven primarily by increased sales of our embolotherapy, radar localization, access, delivery systems and drainage products.

(c) Custom procedural solutions products, which increased by $9.3 million, or 4.6% from the corresponding period of 2024. This increase was driven primarily by increased sales of our kits, trays and critical care products.

(d) OEM products, which increased by $5.0 million, or 2.5% from the corresponding period of 2024. This increase was driven primarily by increased sales of our intervention, CRM/EP, kits and peripheral intervention products, offset partially by decreased sales of our access and coated tube and wire products.

Endoscopy Sales. Our endoscopy sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 were $72.9 million, up 33.0%, when compared to sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 of $54.8 million. Sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 were favorably affected by increased sales of our EsophyX® Z+ device acquired from Endogastric Solutions, Inc. in July 2024.

Geographic Sales

Listed below are sales by geography for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands, other than percentage changes):

United States Sales: U.S. sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 were $909.5 million, or 60.0% of net sales, up 13.6% when compared to 2024. The increase in our domestic sales in 2025 was driven primarily by our U.S. direct, endoscopy, and OEM businesses.

International Sales. International sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 were $606.4 million, or 40.0% of net sales, up 9.1% when compared to 2024. The increase in our international sales during 2025 was primarily a result of higher sales in EMEA, which increased $37.9 million or 15.3%, higher Rest of World (“ROW”) sales which increased $7.0 million or 12.2%, and higher sales in our Asia Pacific region, which increased $5.8 million or 2.3%, compared to the corresponding period of 2024.

Our international sales are subject to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations between the natural currency of a foreign country and the U.S. Dollar. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, calculated by using the applicable average foreign exchange rates for the prior year increased sales 0.3% for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to 2024.

Gross Profit

Our gross profit as a percentage of sales was 48.7%, 47.4%, and 46.4% for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase in gross profit as a percentage of sales for 2025, as compared to 2024, was primarily due to favorable changes in pricing and product mix, partially offset by higher intangible amortization expense as a percentage of sales associated with acquisitions and unfavorable manufacturing variances.

Operating Expenses

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Our selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses as a percentage of sales were 30.0%, 29.5% and 29.7% for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. SG&A expenses increased $55.5 million, or 13.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to 2024. The increase in SG&A expenses for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily due to an increase in labor-related costs including (i) variable compensation associated with performance-based bonus programs, commissions associated with sales growth, as well as an increase in expense associated with both performance and non-performance based equity awards; and (ii) headcount additions to support investment in the business and growth from acquisitions, including those in connection with the Cook Transaction and the Biolife Merger. In addition, higher marketing, advertising, and travel expenditures contributed to the year‑over‑year increase in 2025.

Research and Development Expenses. Our research and development (“R&D”) expenses as a percentage of sales were 6.4%, 6.4% and 6.6% for the years ended December 31 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively. R&D expenses increased by $9.9 million or 11.3% to $97.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $87.5 million in 2024. The increase in R&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily related to increased labor-related costs including variable compensation associated with bonus and equity award programs and increased consulting services and clinical trials.

Contingent Consideration Expense. For the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, we recorded $1.0 million, $0.4 million and $1.7 million, respectively, of net contingent consideration expense from changes in the estimated fair value of our contingent consideration obligations stemming from our previously disclosed business acquisitions. The expense in each fiscal year relates to changes in the probability and timing of achieving certain revenue and operational milestones, as well as expense for the passage of time.

Operating Income

Our operating profit by operating segment for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 was as follows (in thousands):

Cardiovascular Operating Income. Our cardiovascular operating income for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $166.1 million, compared to cardiovascular operating income of $150.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. This increase in cardiovascular operating income was primarily related to increased sales and gross profit, partially offset by increased SG&A and R&D expenses.

Endoscopy Operating Income. Our endoscopy operating income for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $18.6 million, compared to operating income of $5.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. This increase in endoscopy operating income relative to 2024 was primarily due to increased sales and gross profit.

Other Income (Expense)

Our other expense for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 was $13.8 million, $5.7 million, and $11.9 million, respectively. The increase in other expense for 2025 compared to 2024 was principally the result of a decrease in interest income associated with decreased average cash and cash equivalents during the period, partially offset by reduced interest expense associated with borrowings under the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement.

Effective Tax Rate

Our provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 was a tax expense of $42.4 million, $29.6 million and $17.7 million, respectively, which resulted in an effective income tax rate of 24.8%, 19.8%, and 15.8%, respectively. The increase in the effective income tax rate for 2025 compared to 2024 was primarily the result of decreased benefit from discrete items such as share-based compensation and contingent liabilities and increased permanent tax differences in various jurisdictions and items related to the budget reconciliation package enacted during the period and retroactive to the beginning of the year.

Net Income

Our net income for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 was $128.5 million, $120.4 million, and $94.4 million, respectively. The increase in net income for 2025, when compared to 2024, was primarily related to higher sales and higher gross margin as a percentage of sales; partially offset by higher SG&A, R&D, other expense and income tax expense.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Capital Commitments and Contractual Obligations

Our most significant contractual obligations as of December 31, 2025 included total long-term debt obligations of $747.5 million, interest payments on this debt, contingent consideration liabilities of $4.5 million, of which $3.2 million is recorded in current liabilities, and operating lease liabilities of $87.5 million, of which $10.9 million is recorded in current liabilities. Additional information about these obligations is contained in Notes 8, 15 and 17 to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report.

Cash Flows

At December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $448.5 million and $378.8 million respectively, of which $66.0 million and $50.6 million, respectively, were held by foreign subsidiaries. We do not consider our foreign earnings to be permanently reinvested. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, approximately $2.1 million and $2.1 million respectively, of our cash and cash equivalents represents restricted cash for the payment of certain import and other taxes for our subsidiary in China. Cash held by our subsidiary in China is subject to local laws and regulations that require government approval for the transfer of such funds to entities located outside of China. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash, held by our subsidiary in China was $20.0 million and $18.1 million, respectively.

Cash flows provided by operating activities. We generated cash from operating activities of $297.4 million, $220.8 million and $145.2 million during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Net cash provided by operating activities increased $76.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the year ended December 31, 2024. Significant changes in operating assets and liabilities affecting cash flows during these years included:

• Net income was $128.5 million and $120.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
• Depreciation and amortization was $123.2 million and $102.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, primarily due to an increase in intangible assets as a result of acquisitions.
• Cash paid for income taxes was $31.4 million and $45.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, primarily as the result of increased taxes payable and an increased portion of our total tax expense relating to deferred tax expense.
• Stock-based compensation expense was $43.5 million and $28.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The increase in stock-based compensation expense during 2025 is primarily associated with the increase in the Company’s stock price and grants of restricted stock units.
• Cash used for inventories was $21.6 million and $2.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The increase in inventories during 2025 was principally associated with our strategy to proactively invest in our inventory balances to encourage high customer service levels, as well as to build bridge inventory for production line transfers and increases in safety stock due to vendor supply delays.

Cash flows used in investing activities. We used cash in investing activities of $247.4 million, $368.7 million, and $175.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We invested in capital expenditures for property and equipment of $81.7 million, $35.1 million, and $34.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Capital expenditures in each period were primarily related to investment in property and equipment to support development and production of our products and in 2025 includes costs for the construction of a new distribution facility in South Jordan, Utah. Historically, we have incurred significant expenses in connection with facility construction, production automation, product development and the introduction of new products. We anticipate that we will spend approximately $80 to $100 million in 2026 for property and equipment.

Cash outflows invested in acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2025 were $144.8 million and were primarily related to payments required by our merger agreement with Biolife LLC ($120.0 million) and our asset purchase agreement with Pentax of America, Inc. ($19 million). Cash outlfows invested in acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $320.2 million and were primarily related to payments required by our asset purchase agreements with Cook Medical Holdings LLC ($210.0 million), Endogastric Solutions, Inc. ($105.0 million) and Scholten Surgical Instruments, Inc. ($3.0 million). Cash outflows invested in acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2023 were $134.5 million and were primarily related to payments required by our asset purchase agreements with AngioDynamics, Inc. ($100 million), Bluegrass Vascular Technologies, Inc. ($32.7 million) and ART ($1.5 million).

Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities. Cash provided by (used in) financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 was $16.0 million, $(60.0) million, and $559.3 million, respectively. In 2025 we had cash proceeds from the issuance of common stock of $28.2 million. In 2024 we decreased our net borrowings under our Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement by $99.1 million and had cash proceeds from the issuance of common stock of $40.9 million. In 2023 we issued convertible debt of $747.5 million, paid $66.5 million for the purchase of capped call options, and decreased our net borrowings under our Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement by $99.1 million.

As of December 31, 2025, we had outstanding borrowings of $747.5 million and issued letter of credit guarantees of $2.8 million, with additional available borrowings of approximately $697 million under the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement, based on the leverage ratio required pursuant to the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement. Our interest rate as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 was a fixed rate of 3.0% on our Convertible Notes. See Note 8 Debt to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report for additional details regarding the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement and our Convertible Notes.

We currently believe that our existing cash balances, anticipated future cash flows from operations and borrowings under our long-term debt agreements will be adequate to fund our current and currently planned future operations for the next twelve months and the foreseeable future. In the event we pursue and complete significant transactions or acquisitions in the future, additional funds may be required to meet our strategic needs, which may require us to raise additional funds in the debt or equity markets.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report. While these significant accounting policies affect the reporting of our financial condition and results of operations, the SEC has requested that all registrants address their most critical accounting policies. The SEC has indicated that a “critical accounting policy” is one which is both important to the representation of the registrant’s financial condition and results and requires management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. We base our estimates on past experience and on various other assumptions our management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results will differ and may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Additionally, changes in accounting estimates could occur in the future from period to period. The following paragraphs identify our most critical accounting policies:

Inventory Obsolescence. Our management reviews inventory quantities on hand and records provisions for estimated excess, slow moving and obsolete inventory. Based on this review, we provide adjustments for any slow-moving finished good products or raw materials that we believe will expire prior to being sold or used to produce a finished good and any products that are unmarketable. This review of inventory quantities for unmarketable and/or slow moving products is based on forecasted product demand derived from our historical experience of product sales and production raw material usage. If market conditions become less favorable than those projected by our management, additional inventory write-downs may be required. During the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, we recorded obsolescence expense of approximately $11.2 million, $10.6 million, and $11.5 million, respectively, and wrote off approximately $9.0 million, $12.0 million, and $11.9 million, respectively. Based on this historical trend, we believe that our inventory balances as of December 31, 2025 have been accurately adjusted for any unmarketable and/or slow moving products that may expire prior to being sold.

Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets. We allocate any excess purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination to goodwill. We base the fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination on valuations that use information and assumptions that a market participant would use, including assumptions for estimated revenue projections, growth rates, cash flows, discount rates, useful life, and other relevant assumptions.

We test our goodwill balances for impairment annually as of July 1, or whenever impairment indicators arise. When impairment indicators are identified, we may elect to perform an optional qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units has fallen below their carrying value. Our election to perform a qualitative impairment assessment for an individual reporting unit in a given year is influenced by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the size of the reporting unit's goodwill, the significance of the excess of the reporting unit's estimated fair value over carrying value at the last quantitative assessment date, the amount of time since the last quantitative analysis was performed, and other performance and market indicators. During a qualitative assessment, if we determine that it is not more likely than not that the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than its carrying amount, no further testing is necessary. If we do not perform a qualitative assesment, or we determine that it is more likely than not that the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than its carrying amount, we perform a quantitative assessment, which uses a combination of a guideline public company market-based approach and a discounted cash flow income-based approach. The quantitative assessment considers whether the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, in which case an impairment charge is recorded to the extent the reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value. This analysis requires significant judgment, including estimation of the amount, timing and duration of future cash flows, which is based on internal forecasts, and a determination of a discount rate based on our weighted average cost of capital. During our annual impairment test performed during the third quarter of 2025, we evaluated each of our four reporting units using a qualitative assessment. As a result of the assessment, we determined that it was not more likely than not that the implied fair value was less than its carrying amount for each of our four reporting units, and no detailed quantitative assessment was necessary.

We evaluate long-lived assets, including amortizing intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. We perform the impairment analysis at the asset group for which the lowest level of identifiable cash flows is largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities. We first compare undiscounted cash flows to the carrying amount of the asset group to determine if impairment exists, and then determine the fair value of our amortizing assets based on estimated future cash flows discounted back to their present value using a discount rate that reflects the risk profiles of the underlying activities. This analysis requires similar significant judgments as those discussed above regarding goodwill. In-process technology intangible assets, which are not subject to amortization until projects reach commercialization, are assessed for impairment at least annually and more frequently if events occur that would indicate a potential reduction in the fair value of the assets below their carrying value.

We did not have any goodwill or intangible asset impairments for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023. See Note 5 Goodwill and Intangible Assets to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report for additional details regarding goodwill and intangible asset balances.

Currency Exchange Rate Risk

Our consolidated financial statements are denominated in, and our principal currency is, the U.S. Dollar. For the year ended December 31, 2025, a portion of our net sales ($510.3 million, representing 33.7% of our aggregate net sales), was attributable to sales that were denominated in foreign currencies. All other international sales were denominated in U.S. Dollars. Our principal market risk relates to changes in the value of the Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY) and Euro (EUR) relative to the U.S. Dollar (USD), with limited market risk relating to various other currencies. In general, a strengthening of the U.S. Dollar against CNY has a negative effect on our operating income. Our Euro-denominated expenses associated with our European operations (manufacturing sites, a distribution facility and sales representatives) provide a natural hedge for Euro-denominated revenues. Accordingly, a strengthening of the U.S. Dollar against the Euro will generally have a positive effect on our operating income.

We forecast our net exposure related to sales and expenses denominated in foreign currencies. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had entered into foreign currency forward contracts, which qualified as cash flow hedges, with aggregate notional amounts of $138.6 million and $117.5 million, respectively. We also forecast our net exposure in various receivables and payables to fluctuations in the value of various currencies, and we enter into foreign currency forward contracts to mitigate that exposure. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had entered into foreign currency forward contracts, which were not designated as hedging instruments, related to those balance sheet accounts with aggregate notional amounts of $107.6 million and $95.7 million, respectively.

A sensitivity analysis of changes in the fair value of all currency exchange rate derivative contracts at December 31, 2025 and 2024 indicates that, if the U.S. Dollar strengthened or weakened by 10% against all currencies, it would have the following impact on the fair value of these contracts (in thousands):

Gains or losses on the fair value of derivative contracts would generally be offset by gains and losses on the underlying hedged transaction or net exposure. These offsetting gains and losses are not reflected above. See Note 9 Derivatives to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report for additional discussion of our foreign currency forward contracts.

Interest Rate Risk

As discussed in Note 8 Debt to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Item 8 of this report, as of December 31, 2025, we had no outstanding borrowings under the Amended Fourth A&R Credit Agreement. Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to variable interest earned on cash balances. Accordingly, our earnings and after-tax cash flow are affected by changes in interest rates. Assuming the current level of cash balances remained the same and no additional borrowings are withdrawn, it is estimated that our interest income before income taxes would change by approximately $4.5 million annually for each one percentage point change in the average interest rate associated with these cash holdings.

EVALUATION OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined under Rule 13a-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act, as of December 31, 2025. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that as of December 31, 2025, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective, at a reasonable assurance level, to ensure that information we are required to disclose in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (a) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and is (b) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. of America.

Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission ("COSO") in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on the criteria discussed above and our management’s assessment, our management concluded that, as of December 31, 2025, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.

CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

Except as set forth below, during the quarter ended December 31, 2025, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act).

On May 20, 2025, we completed the Biolife Merger. We are currently integrating the policies, processes, employees, technology and operations of Biolife. Management does not currently expect a material change to our internal controls over financial reporting as we fully integrate Biolife. Management will continue to evaluate our internal control over financial reporting as we execute acquisition integration activities.

Our independent registered public accountants have also issued an audit report on our internal control over financial reporting. Their report appears below.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the stockholders and the Board of Directors of Merit Medical Systems, Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2025, of the Company and our report dated February 24, 2026, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Salt Lake City, Utah

February 24, 2026