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DATE
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET
CALL PARTICIPANTS
- Chief Executive Officer — Linda Tharby
- President and Chief Commercial Officer — Adam Kalbermatten
- Chief Financial Officer — Tom Adams
- Investor Relations — Louisa Smith
TAKEAWAYS
- Revenue -- $11.8 million, up 22% year over year, representing the highest quarterly result in company history.
- Domestic Core Growth -- 12% increase, attributed to new patient starts and competitive account conversions within the U.S. SCIg market.
- International Core Growth -- 35% gain, driven by prefilled syringe conversions in Europe and a significant distributor order in a new market.
- PST Revenues -- 166% growth, resulting from increased clinical trial product sales linked to advancing pharma collaborations.
- Gross Margin -- 61.5% versus 62.8% prior year; decline of 130 basis points due to higher production costs and tariffs, partly offset by geographic sales mix improvements.
- Tariff Impact on Margin -- 87-basis point reduction; excluding tariffs, gross margin would be 62.4%.
- Adjusted EBITDA -- Negative $10,000, a 95% improvement and nearly breakeven (compared to the prior year).
- Net Loss -- $800,000, reflecting a 33% improvement.
- Operating Expenses -- Increased 11% year over year, supporting sales, marketing, and R&D initiatives while maintaining cost discipline.
- Cash Position -- $8.8 million at quarter-end; cash usage limited to $100,000, with operational cash flow near breakeven.
- 2026 Guidance -- Revenue forecast range of $47.5 million–$50 million (15%–22% growth), gross margin of 61%–63%, positive adjusted EBITDA, and positive cash flow reaffirmed.
- Patient Base -- Servicing approximately 60,000 patients on the KORU platform.
- Non-Ig Pipeline Progress -- Eight active non-Ig drug opportunities; two advanced to Phase III clinical trials this quarter, supporting long-term diversification.
- Regulatory Submission -- 510(k) application submitted for Freedom Infusion System use with deferoxamine; estimated addressable market of 200,000 annual infusions.
- Vancomycin Program -- Removed from development pipeline based on low incremental revenue and clinical risk; 2026 guidance unaffected.
- International Geographies -- Prefilled conversions underway in five specific countries, each at different stages of uptake and rollout.
- Pharmaceutical Collaborations -- Four new collaborations targeted this year, with two already signed, expanding use cases for the Freedom platform.
- Oncology Opportunity -- Phesgo submission under active FDA review; projected market for oncology segment is $40 million today with expected growth to over $120 million in five years.
- Next-Generation Platform -- Freedom360 pump submission expected in second half of the year for both U.S. 510(k) and European MDR, enabling broader syringe compatibility.
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RISKS
- Tom Adams said, "The primary drivers of the decrease were higher production costs based on timing of production runs at the end of 2025 that were amortized in Q1 as well as tariff-related charges that did not occur in the prior period."
- Tom Adams said, "we are just cautious this year, just due to the geopolitical risk. We don't see the strength in the orders so far this year. So, we're just putting some caution around that Middle East distributor."
SUMMARY
KORU Medical Systems (KRMD +10.72%) reported record quarterly revenue, driven by double-digit domestic and international growth, an expanded active patient base, and strong clinical trial collaboration revenues. The company reiterated its full-year guidance for revenue, margins, and profitability targets despite first-quarter outperformance, citing variability in international market adoption and distributor dynamics. Management emphasized advancing its non-Ig pipeline, highlighted by two assets reaching Phase III and a new regulatory filing for deferoxamine, with the removal of vancomycin shifting resources toward higher-value opportunities. Oncology remains a strategic priority, with Phesgo under FDA review and additional high-volume assets under discussion, while KORU prepares for the launch of its next-generation infusion platform to maintain its competitive edge.
- Linda Tharby announced her final appearance as CEO; Adam Kalbermatten will assume the role on July 1, with the transition described as "progressing extremely well."
- Adam Kalbermatten stated, "Today, our international growth has been led by SCIg, but consistent with our domestic strategy, we are establishing a footprint designed to support an extension into non-Ig drugs over time."
- Tom Adams noted that operating cash flow was "essentially breakeven," contrasting with typical first-quarter seasonality, and forecasted Q2 as the heaviest cash-use period due to annual bonus payouts.
- KORU's three-pillar strategy continues to target domestic core protection, international expansion, and pipeline diversification through new drug indications and delivery channels.
- “all of the new drugs we're adding, we expect to add between $0.5 million and $1 million in 2026 via those new label additions,” according to Linda Tharby.
- Empaveli and an undisclosed pharma partner asset advanced to Phase III, while the estimated combined opportunity from these pipeline therapies exceeds 525,000 potential annual infusions.
- Kalbermatten estimated Phesgo represents “approximately 1.1 million, 1.2 million units a year,” with overall oncology market potential of "growing over the next five years to over $120 million."
- The company projects that 6 million potential annual infusions from new non-Ig therapies could approximately double current SCIg-based revenues; current infusion volume approaches 3 million annually.
- Plans for next-generation Freedom platform device filings (pump and flow controller) are scheduled for late 2026 or early 2027 in both U.S. and Europe.
INDUSTRY GLOSSARY
- SCIg: Subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy, a treatment for immunodeficient patients administered via infusion under the skin.
- SID: Secondary immunodeficiency, an immune deficiency occurring as a result of another condition, targeted as a new SCIg market segment.
- PST Revenues: Revenues from product sales related to clinical trial support and pharma collaborations, typically variable based on clinical milestones.
- Prefilled Syringe Conversion: Replacement of vial-based drug delivery with prefilled syringes, often requiring new infusion hardware and driving initial pump orders in international markets.
- 510(k) Application: Regulatory submission to the U.S. FDA seeking clearance to market a medical device based on demonstrated safety and efficacy.
- MDR: Medical Device Regulation, the European Union regulatory framework governing the approval and monitoring of medical devices.
Full Conference Call Transcript
Operator: Greetings, and welcome to the KORU Medical Systems First Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce Louisa Smith from Investor Relations.
Louisa Smith: Thank you, operator, and good afternoon, everyone. Joining me on the call today are Linda Tharby, Chief Executive Officer of KORU Medical Systems; Adam Kalbermatten, President and Chief Commercial Officer; and Tom Adams, Chief Financial Officer. Earlier today, KORU released financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. A copy of the press release is available on the company's website. I encourage listeners to have our press release in front of them, which includes our financial results and commentary on the quarter. Additionally, we will use slides to support further commentary in today's call, which are also available on the Investor Relations section of our website.
During this call, we may make certain forward-looking statements regarding our business plans and other matters. These comments are based on our predictions and expectations as of today. Actual events or results could differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including those mentioned in the associated press release and our most recent filings with the SEC. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. During the call, management will also discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures. You will find additional disclosures, including reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures with comparable GAAP measures, in our press release, the accompanying investor presentation, and SEC filings.
For the benefit of those listening to the replay, this call was held and recorded on Wednesday, May 6th, 2026, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Since then, the company may have made additional comments related to the topics discussed. I'd now like to turn the call over to Linda Tharby, Chief Executive Officer. Linda, please go ahead.
Linda Tharby: Thank you, Louisa, and good afternoon, everyone. Before we get into the quarter, I want to briefly acknowledge that this will be my final earnings call as CEO. As we shared last quarter, Adam has been appointed as my successor and will step into the role on July 1st. The transition is well underway and is progressing extremely well. I have great confidence in Adam's leadership and in the continued momentum of the business under his direction. I'll begin today with some commentary on our performance highlights in the quarter, and then Adam will step in to speak about our broader strategy. Tom will then walk through our financial results before we open the call for questions.
Q1 2026 was a record start to the year. We delivered $11.8 million in revenue, representing 22% growth over the prior year period. This reflects the strength and consistency of a recurring revenue model business built on the foundation of approximately 60,000 patients on the KORU platform. A few highlights. Domestic core grew 12% year-over-year, driven by new patient diagnosis starts in both legacy KORU accounts as well as competitive conversions, driving outperformance within a strong underlying SCIg market. International core grew 35%, driven by prefilled syringe conversions in Europe and strong distributor orders in a new market to support this growth.
Within our non-Ig pipeline, two of our existing pharma collaborations advanced assets within their Phase III clinical trials, including one for an expanded indication and the other restarting their trials for a new drug application. We executed to plan in submitting our 510(k) application for the use of the Freedom Infusion System with deferoxamine, reflecting further tangible progress in our growing commitment to expand beyond Ig. From a balance sheet perspective, we used only $100,000 in cash this quarter, ending the period with $8.8 million in cash, reflecting our continued progress towards sustainable profitability. We are reiterating our full-year 2026 guidance for revenue, gross margins, adjusted EBITDA, and cash flow.
Overall, this was a very good quarter, delivering strong revenue growth and continued execution against our strategic priorities. And now I am pleased to turn it over to Adam.
Adam Kalbermatten: Thank you, Linda. I'm encouraged by what lies ahead for KORU. Before I discuss our strategy more broadly, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on how our recent performance fits into the three-pillar strategy, protecting and growing our domestic core business, international expansion, and enabling more patients by adding more drugs to our Freedom Infusion System. The three strategic pillars we've been executing against are all moving in the right direction, and they remain central to our focus as I step into my role as CEO. The first pillar is protecting and growing our domestic core business.
Our U.S. business continues to outperform the underlying SCIg market, driven by capture of new patient diagnosis starts in both legacy KORU accounts as well as competitive account conversion and further supported by a strong recurring revenue base serving chronic immunodeficient patients. Regarding the recent clearance for RYSTIGGO on KORU's label, our commercial rollout with this asset is advancing as planned. We are working through clinical evaluations with specialty pharma companies, and we expect the incremental revenue contribution from RYSTIGGO this year to be modest.
Most importantly, however, this rollout represents meaningful progress as an entry point into the ambulatory infusion clinic channel and marks an important expansion of our platform beyond the home setting as RYSTIGGO is administered across both home and ambulatory infusion clinic environments. We believe this positions us well for increasingly meaningful contributions in this channel in the years ahead. We also want to highlight secondary immunodeficiency or SID as an important emerging opportunity for KORU. Outside the U.S., SID has already become a key priority for major pharma players, and there has been increasing focus on Ig manufacturers translating that success in the U.S. market with several ongoing pivotal trials expected to reach their endpoints in 2027.
Should reimbursement coverage expand in this area domestically, it could meaningfully broaden our addressable opportunity in SCIg with another indication. In terms of current market dynamics, the SID market growth has been tracking ahead of the broader SCIg market, with growth currently being driven primarily by immunologists. However, we anticipate that as the clinical trials conclude, SCIg manufacturers will begin actively marketing to hematologists and oncologists who recognize the unmet need for patients following courses of treatment with immunosuppressive drugs like chemotherapy and ultimately opening up an entirely new and incremental patient population that we believe KORU is well positioned to serve. The second pillar is international expansion, and this remains one of the most exciting areas of our business.
Today, our international growth has been led by SCIg, but consistent with our domestic strategy, we are establishing a footprint designed to support an extension into non-Ig drugs over time. In the first quarter, we delivered 35% international growth, and we believe we are still in the early stages of a much larger long-term opportunity. With key EU markets coming online in 2026 through the pharmaceutical manufacturer-driven vial to prefilled syringe conversions, there is significant runway for continued market penetration. Our growth rates in these markets will continue to be variable as we continue to deepen our knowledge and expand our capabilities across reimbursement, pharmaceutical and home care partnerships.
Beyond this core SCIg opportunity, we are also actively exploring the expansion of our oncology initiative into international markets, an area we view as a longer-term growth driver for the company and one for which we already have compelling market insight given some of our early hospital work on the KORU value proposition, including last year's Denmark nursing study. The third pillar is enabling more drugs to reach more patients. Our pipeline continues to advance meaningfully with new drug submissions, Phase III trials with the KORU Freedom Infusion System and multiple new feasibility agreements.
We are engaged in active conversations with partners across multiple therapeutic areas, conversations that we believe will translate into tangible opportunities for KORU in the years ahead. Turning to the pipeline. We now have eight active non-Ig drug opportunities in development, which together represent more than 6 million annual infusions worldwide, a meaningful reflection of the breadth and scale of what we are building. To put that in context, 6 million incremental annual infusions would represent approximately double our current SCIg business revenue, where we estimate we are enabling the delivery of nearly 3 million infusions a year, underscoring the significant long-term growth potential embedded in our pipeline. I want to highlight two important updates this quarter.
As Linda noted earlier, two of our existing non-Ig pharmaceutical collaborations have advanced to Phase III clinical trials, and we remain an infusion device supplier for those trials. Apellis continues to invest resources in adding new clinical indications for Empaveli, having progressed into Phase III trials for the drug's fourth indication, this one in DGF or delayed graft function. We estimate this unmet need within nephrology represents an additional 25,000 annual infusions across the pediatric patient base. And second, one of our undisclosed pharmaceutical partners has reinitiated Phase III clinical trials on one of its assets, for which we believe the opportunity to be 500,000 annual infusions.
The progression of both of these drugs in their clinical pipelines represents meaningful signals of forward momentum across our development portfolio and another step forward in potentially recognizing commercial revenue opportunity upon these drugs' commercial launches. Additionally, we submitted our 510(k) application this quarter for use of the Freedom Infusion System with deferoxamine, for which we estimate that there are approximately 200,000 annual infusions of this drug, another base hit for our non-Ig strategy. We also made the decision this quarter to remove vancomycin from our active development pipeline.
As we reviewed the market opportunity, the current usage we are already seeing and the risk of an infusion to the central artery, we chose to commit our resources to align to our greatest commercial opportunities. The incremental 2026 revenue associated with vancomycin was expected to be modest, and we remain confident that our current guidance still accurately reflects the strength and trajectory of the business going forward. Turning to oncology specifically. We continue to have highly constructive discussions with pharmaceutical partners on a range of oncology assets and the opportunity ahead remains strong.
We are in active communication with the FDA regarding our Phesgo submission, and we are also in early discussions around an additional high-volume oncology asset that we believe could be significant for us. We look forward to providing further updates as these discussions progress. The momentum building across our domestic business, international expansion and pipeline reflects progress on our three-pillar strategy. Each pillar is advancing and the compounding effect of that execution is what drives durable long-term value creation. We remain focused on maintaining that discipline as we move into the next phase of KORU's growth. I'll now turn things over to Tom for a review of our quarterly financial results and 2026 outlook.
Tom Adams: Thanks, Adam, and good afternoon, everyone. We are very pleased with another strong quarter with revenue of $11.8 million, which represents 22% year-over-year growth and speaks to the underlying strength of the business. Breaking down by segment, domestic core grew 12% year-over-year. Growth was driven by higher consumable volumes from new patient starts and market share gains within new and existing accounts against the healthy SCIg market backdrop. International core grew 35% year-over-year, driven by higher pumps and consumables volumes in support of prefilled syringe conversions in the EU market.
We saw strong first quarter distributor orders from one of our new 50 ml prefill markets, where we saw a bolus of pump orders for new patient starts and moving forward, we'll expect to see end user pull-through of our consumables. We remain highly encouraged by the opportunity ahead of us in the EU. PST revenues grew 166% over the prior year period, driven by higher clinical trial product revenues from our pharma collaborations who are advancing in their clinical trials. As always, this business will remain variable based on milestone and clinical trial timing, but the underlying activity level with pharmaceutical companies remains high.
On gross margin, we delivered 61.5% for the quarter to 62.8% in the prior year period, a 130-basis points reduction year-over-year. The primary drivers of the decrease were higher production costs based on timing of production runs at the end of 2025 that were amortized in Q1 as well as tariff-related charges that did not occur in the prior period. These were partially offset by favorable geographic sales mix. Adjusting for the 87-basis point tariff impact, gross margins for the quarter would have been 62.4%. Despite the tariff headwinds in the quarter, we remain confident in our full year guidance range of 61% to 63%. Turning to cash.
We ended the quarter with $8.8 million, reflecting minimal cash usage of $100,000 in the quarter. This was driven by 22% revenue growth and continued operating leverage. On a cash flow from operations basis, Q1 was essentially breakeven, a strong result given the normal seasonality patterns of the business. As we've noted before, Q2 is expected to be our heaviest cash usage quarter for the year, driven by the annual one-time cash outlay for last year's performance bonuses paid in April. We expect positive cash flow in the back half of the year as revenue ramps and planned operating leverage builds. Based on these dynamics, our full year guidance of positive cash flow remains intact.
And as a reminder, we also have access to our unused $10 million debt facility, which provides additional financial flexibility for incremental opportunities as we execute against our growth plan. Looking at the full picture for Q1, revenue grew 22%, gross margin was 61.5% and net losses improved 33% to $800,000 and adjusted EBITDA was minus $10,000, essentially breakeven and a 95% improvement versus the prior year period. Operating expenses increased 11% versus the prior year. We continue to invest strategically in sales and marketing and R&D to support growth while maintaining spending discipline across the business to drive operational leverage.
On guidance, we are reiterating our full year 2026 outlook with revenue of $47.5 million to $50 million, representing growth of 15% to 22%, gross margin of 61% to 63% and positive adjusted EBITDA and positive cash flow for the full year. Growth momentum in the business continued to advance in the quarter. We are maintaining the current range with the guidance we provided in March. Our Q1 results were benefited from strong PST revenues associated with clinical trial orders. We are also watching how dynamics related to how end user adoption develops behind the strong distributor orders we saw in Q1 in our prefill markets. Let me walk through each component in further detail.
On revenue, the primary growth drivers are continued U.S. and international share gains in SCIg, NRE and clinical trial revenue from ongoing and new collaborations and modest incremental revenue from pending 510 clearances. We continue to expect these drivers to build through the year, taking into account some upticks in initial orders. We expect the back half to be weighted more heavily as recent clearances and new prefilled geographies ramp up and patients are added. We have also incorporated geopolitical risk associated with the Middle East in our guidance. We continue to expect revenues to ramp in the second half. On gross margin, we are maintaining our full year range of 61% to 63%.
We expect pricing and manufacturing efficiencies to support our range through revenue mix variability in new markets and channels could move margin modestly in either direction quarter-to-quarter. We continue to be active and are making progress with cost improvement initiatives through our operational excellence programs to drive margins higher. On cash, we were disciplined in our usage this quarter. Q2 is expected to be our heaviest usage quarter from our annual one-time prior-year bonus payouts. And moving into the second half, we see operating leverage building through the year with a positive cash flow anticipated in the second half. I'll now turn the call back over to Adam for additional comments on our forward momentum. Adam?
Adam Kalbermatten: Thanks, Tom. I want to take a few minutes to talk about what lies ahead. On the domestic side, we now have two new non-Ig drugs on label. RYSTIGGO was cleared earlier this year in January in addition to the earlier Empaveli in the U.S., Aspaveli in the EU approvals starting in 2022, which are now generating broader patient indications. Our oncology opportunity continues to advance. Our Phesgo 510(k) is currently under active FDA review, and we are also in productive discussions related to another high-volume oncology asset. On the international side, we achieved EU MDR clearance of our Freedom60 with prefilled syringe compatibility earlier this year and are supporting the EU conversion.
We are also actively exploring the expansion of our oncology opportunity into international markets. Alongside our pipeline and market expansion work, we continue to invest in the next generation of the Freedom platform. We plan to submit a 510(k) and MDR applications for the next-generation Freedom60 pump in 2026, and we are targeting the submission for the flow controller in late '26 or early 2027. The pharmaceutical pipeline remains strong. We have four new collaborations targeted for this year, two of which have already been in signed. Two existing collaborations have advanced to Phase III clinical trials.
And with the deferoxamine 510(k) submitted this quarter, we are steadily building towards a diversified platform spanning multiple therapeutic areas, one that we believe will define the next chapter of recurring revenue growth for KORU. I want to close with a broader framing of where we are going because I believe the best is genuinely ahead of us. The foundation we have built is differentiated and durable, a growing recurring patient base, a patient-preferred delivery system, deep and expanding pharma partnerships and a platform purpose built to support multiple drug categories across multiple therapeutic areas. That foundation positions KORU for something meaningfully larger than where we are today.
Our long-term targets are clear, and we are executing toward them with discipline, $100 million in revenue, accelerated double-digit revenue growth, gross margins above 65% and EBITDA margins of 20% or greater. Achieving those targets requires continued focus on three things, growing our domestic market share, expanding internationally as we help to enable the pharmaceutical manufacturer vial to prefilled syringe market conversion and adding more drugs on our label. We know what we need to do, and we are doing it. The first quarter results are a tangible demonstration that we are on the right path. The pipeline is advancing. The platform is expanding, and the team is executing against the strategy in an exceptional way.
As I step into the role of CEO, I do so with a deep sense of responsibility and an equally deep sense of confidence in what this capable company is able to achieve. KORU's most significant chapter of growth is ahead of us, and I cannot be more energized about what that means coming next. With that, I'll turn it back to Linda for closing remarks.
Linda Tharby: Thank you, Adam. Q1 sets the tone for 2026, underscoring the results we've been working hard to deliver and is a reflection of how far this organization has come. As I step back from my role at KORU, I leave with real confidence in Adam's leadership, in the strategy and in this team's ability to execute against it. The strategic pillars are in place, the pipeline is advancing and the commercial momentum is there. I have no doubt that the path to $100 million in revenue, margins above 65% and EBITDA of 20% or greater is within reach. It has been a privilege to lead this company and to work alongside such a talented and dedicated group of people.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to our employees, our customers, our partners and our shareholders. To the entire KORU team, thank you. What we have built together and what you will continue to build is something I am incredibly proud of. I remain fully supportive during the transition, and I'm confident the company's best days are ahead. Operator, please open the line for questions.
Operator: [Operator Instructions] Our first question will hear from Caitlin Roberts with Canaccord Genuity.
Caitlin Cronin: Linda, again, congratulations on the next chapter of your journey. Just to start off, maybe just the rationale for keeping top line guidance the same despite the beat this quarter. And if you could give us some insight into the maybe updated cadence for the year.
Linda Tharby: Thank you, Caitlin, for your wishes. And yes, we are very excited that we have a strong quarter behind us and good momentum heading into the year. I will let Adam comment on the guidance for the year.
Adam Kalbermatten: Caitlin, thanks for the question. As Linda was mentioning, we're really, really happy with the strong start to the year in Q1. We have a lot of momentum. We're continuing to outperform the market and international growth remains strong. In addition, we're finding a lot of new opportunities. One of the things is we're going after bigger opportunities, we are seeing that there's some more variability there, really around the vial to prefill syringe conversions in Europe and how we're going about entering each of those markets. We continue to see a lot of really good momentum there.
But at the moment, we're pretty confident in our guidance, and we're just not looking to make any changes on that at the moment until the year plays out a little bit further.
Linda Tharby: I was just going to hand it to Tom for the cadence question, Caitlin.
Tom Adams: Caitlin, you can think of our -- in terms of our guidance, you can think of the pattern, specifically in Europe. similar to last year, where we have initial markets that are ordering pumps, if you will, to start their initial adoption. We expect to see that adoption play through in Q2. And then after that happens, we expect to see strength in the back half of the year. So very similar to what we saw last year in the case of the European and the international markets.
Caitlin Cronin: Understood. And then just thinking about adding new drugs to the core revenues, how much of your core mix is Empaveli and Aspaveli today? And do you have any expectations for non-Ig mix this year over the next few years?
Linda Tharby: Yes. Maybe just -- I'll start and then hand it to Adam for more specifics. So broadly, we don't comment on any specific drugs contribution. But what we have said is that all of the new drugs we're adding, we expect to add between $0.5 million and $1 million in 2026 via those new label additions. With that, I'll turn it to Adam.
Adam Kalbermatten: Yes. So, as we are thinking about non-Ig drugs, I mean, one of the recent ones we had approval on is with RYSTIGGO, and we're seeing some really good traction on that so far. Between RYSTIGGO and some of the other drugs outside Ig, we're continuing to look at anywhere between $0.5 million and $1 million overall is what we're targeting to plan. We're tracking really well against that overall, throughout the first quarter and looking forward to continuing to execute that plan as we get to the rest of the year. Tom, anything else you want to add to that?
Tom Adams: No, I think you guys hit it pretty well.
Operator: Next, we'll move to Frank Takkinen with Lake Street Capital Markets.
Frank Takkinen: Wishing you the best in retirement, Linda. I look forward to keeping in touch. I was hoping to start with some additional color on oncology conversations. I think Adam twice in the prepared remarks, you referenced kind of the what's up beyond Phesgo and large volume oncology infusions. Can you just maybe speak a little bit more about that? When could we see the second oncology? I know we're still waiting for the first, but when could we see the second oncology and maybe magnitude of size would be helpful color as well.
Adam Kalbermatten: Frank, great question. You picked up on that earlier. So, we're really excited about the oncology opportunity, right? Just to kind of frame that out at a higher level. We're seeing it today as almost a $40 million market opportunity growing over the next five years to over $120 million. Putting that in perspective, that's roughly 4 million units today, growing to over 10 million units. We did file for Phesgo at the end of last year. We are in active discussions with the FDA. So, we still continue to be really excited about that. We continue to expand into other areas where we have some other potential drugs that we're looking to bring on label.
So, we do have some active discussions ongoing now. As we see it continuing to go forward, we're hoping that towards the end of this year, hopefully, in the next quarter, we have an update on where we are with Phesgo moving forward. But at a high level, still really, really excited about where this is going and what it can do for us. Phesgo alone is approximately 1.1 million, 1.2 million units a year. So, we see that as being something that would be really, really great entering into these infusion clinics.
Frank Takkinen: Got it. That's helpful color. And then I was hoping to follow up on the distributor. I think last year, we saw this play out. And obviously, there was extreme growth from the geography launch with prefilled last year. But we had a distributor order come in, and I think there was a concern that, that was going to be the big order of the year. And then what we actually saw was orders increasing in magnitude of size throughout the year. Is there a chance that, that dynamic could actually happen again as this geography is just getting up and running on prefilled?
Tom Adams: Yes, Frank, thanks for the question. Yes, similar to last year, you are correct. We did see some nice orders in the first quarter of 2025. Then we saw a little bit of a lag after that in this particular market. And as I mentioned, as adoption and rollout happen, that took about a quarter. And then you're right, we saw the ramp-up really start to pick up in the second half of the year, particularly in our international business. So, we do expect a similar pattern. We entered the next phase of a launch in a particular market. And so, we see a similar pattern rolling out here in 2026.
Operator: And next, we'll move to Jason...
Jason Bednar: Can you hear me okay?
Linda Tharby: We can hear you, Jason.
Jason Bednar: Great. Linda, I will add to the well wishes here. Have been great working with you and wish you all the best. Adam, I want to follow up on, I think, Caitlin's question earlier on the revenue side. So, I think the midpoint of the guide, I mean I appreciate it's early in the year, still you left it unchanged, but it does imply a little bit of a decel from the revenue growth rate we saw in the first quarter. I think midpoint something like mid-teens implied over the balance of the year. So, what decels from here? Is it the U.S. that decels in the growth? Is it international that decel in the growth?
And then also within the whole answer, if you could, I think I heard you're building a little bit of cushion or uncertainty around the Middle East. So, if you can maybe quantify or size that for us, it would be helpful. And then also within the whole answer, if you could, I think I heard you're building a little bit of cushion or uncertainty around the Middle East. So, if you can maybe quantify or size that for us, it would be helpful.
Adam Kalbermatten: Yes. Absolutely. I heard a few things in there. So let me start, and then maybe I'll pass it to Tom. In terms of where we've started the year, we're feeling really, really good about everything ongoing, both domestically and internationally. As we look at international markets and where we see some of the high growth coming, it's really country by country and figuring out the pieces of the puzzle in each of these countries, how the health care systems work. As we're going forward, we're planning to do a lot of blocking and tackling. And depending on how that uptake continues to go, it's going to go at different speeds in different markets.
Compared to last year, when we converted the large international market, it's a little bit of a different approach, where it wasn't a pharma-driven tender. It's more of "How do we go out and actively convert those markets on our own?" And we're working with partners to do that, but it's a little bit of a different approach than last year. So, we want to continue to see how that plays out over the second quarter with the balance of the year. But overall, we're still seeing very positive momentum, very, very happy with how we started the year, and we're encouraged that we're on track and continuing to move forward in a very positive fashion.
But Tom, maybe you want to take that second part of the question.
Tom Adams: Yes. I'll just reiterate some of what Adam said. And the fact of the matter is that we are still largely a distributor market in our international business. And with that, you do get distributor orders that are ramping up for launches. So, we did see some of that in Q1. So, we know that some of that has to play out. We know that we need to see that patient conversion happens. And then we typically see it backed up by orders after that conversion starts to pull through. So, we did see some of that in Q1. And then again, the type of market is different.
The tender markets are generally faster because the pharmaceutical is the financial backer of the tender markets, and the reimbursement markets are generally a little slower. So, we're taking all those dynamics into effect with our phasing in our quarters. But I will say we start off pretty strong with our Q1 results.
Linda Tharby: He also asked about the timing of the phasing for the Middle East and the comment there. Tom, if you can comment on that.
Tom Adams: Yes. So, in terms of the Middle East, if you all remember last year, we started up a distributor in the Middle East. We have one large one that dominates it for us. And we saw some strength, we are just cautious this year, just due to the geopolitical risk. We don't see the strength in the orders so far this year. So, we're just putting some caution around that Middle East distributor. Not a meaningful part of our business, but one that we're just making sure that we're cautious with, given the risk in the region.
Jason Bednar: Okay. All right. That's helpful. And then just as a follow-up, I mean, actually kind of dovetailing off of that, the Middle East point. Now a lot of companies are dealing with fuel surcharges, freight increases as they source product, just given where oil is. So, I don't know if you're seeing that. Maybe you can speak to that a little bit, just how you're handling that in terms of are there mitigation actions underway if you are seeing that in your sourcing? And then also, are you passing along any fuel surcharges or price increases to your customers?
Tom Adams: Yes. Thanks, Jason. We're watching that situation closely, specifically with oil prices with respect to our supply chain. We do procure plastics from different parts of Asia, et cetera. So, we are watching it. So far, we haven't seen any impacts that are material to our business. But we will continue to monitor the situation. We know this conflict started in Q1. So, we think there will be some time before it really hits. But for now, we don't see any meaningful impacts.
Jason Bednar: Congrats, Linda.
Linda Tharby: Thank you, Jason. Pleasure to work with you as well.
Operator: And next, we'll move to Chase Knickerbocker with Craig-Hallum Capital Group.
Chase Knickerbocker: So, just first for me, if you could give us a quick update on kind of what you saw from an SCIg volume growth in the market in Q1? And then, just secondly, another one on international. If we kind of look at where the strength came from in Q1, maybe talk us through kind of how many geographies this reflects, as far as prefilled conversions? How many times has it occurred now? Is it one or two geographies that we may be sold into ahead of those conversions that kind of led to a little bit of a stocking benefit in Q1? Maybe just kind of some additional thoughts on those fronts.
Adam Kalbermatten: Chase, I'll start with your question. You had a few in there. On the international market side, we are seeing strong growth across a few different specific markets. In the past, we've mentioned five specific countries where we saw a large volume of prefilled syringes entering the market, and we are working in all of those markets. They continue to go through what I would describe as the initial conversions and continue to progress with those new patient starts and conversions. Each of them is a little bit different depending on how the pharmaceutical partners are introducing them, but we're following closely behind in all of them. So, we're making progress across the board.
I think you were specifically asking if we're one or two. We are tracking in all five of those that we previously mentioned. In terms of volume growth, Tom, I don't know if you want to take that one on the numbers side of things and what we're seeing so far.
Linda Tharby: I think it was for SCIg growth.
Tom Adams: Yes. On the SCIg side, we did see a strong -- in the U.S. market, we saw strong growth. In terms of the market, we did outpace the market. Our third-party marketing source had a number of around 8%, and we outpaced that with our performance. We see strength in the U.S. business. We expect that strength to continue, and we expect to continue to grow sequentially in our U.S. business. So, we left the quarter feeling very good about the future strength in that business.
Chase Knickerbocker: Got it. And then maybe just on the 510(k) submission for the next-gen pump. Can you just give us an idea of kind of what's left to do to enable that submission? And if we should think about the kind of timing on MDRs, kind of similar to 510(k), will those happen pretty concurrently?
Adam Kalbermatten: We're really excited about our Freedom360 pump. That's the new pump that we have under development right now, which is looking to accommodate all sizes of prefilled syringes in one device. So, this is super exciting as the market continues to progress from vials to prefilled syringes across the different geographies. In terms of where we are right now, we are at the end of our development process. We're actually in the middle of going through some final checks on that development side, called design verification testing. As we get to the second half of this year, we are looking to submit our regulatory filings in both the U.S. and Europe.
So, we're super excited about how this is continuing to progress. We've had a number of different industry meetings and specific pharmaceutical partner meetings where we've been discussing the pump across the board. We're getting very positive feedback. So, a lot of excitement is building here. And we're kind of at the 10-yard line looking to drive this one across the goal line pretty soon here towards the end of the year.
Operator: There are no further questions at this time. I would like to turn the floor back to Linda Tharby for any additional or closing remarks.
Linda Tharby: Great. So, thank you for your questions. I'm extremely proud of the strong track record of the company over the last five years, which reflects the strong team that I am leaving behind here at KORU. I want to thank Adam, who is knee-deep in this transition and is going extremely well. So, with the strategic momentum that we have ahead of us, I really think the company is well-positioned as we move forward. So, thanks to everyone for all the support. Operator, you can close the call.
Operator: Thank you. This does conclude today's teleconference. We thank you for your participation. You may disconnect your lines at this time.
