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Nephros

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FY2024 Annual Report · Nephros
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UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
DC 20549
 
FORM
10-K
 
☒
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
 
☐
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For
the transition period from to
 
Commission
File Number 001-32288
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
(Exact
name of registrant specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
 
13-3971809
(State
or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
 
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
 
380
Lackawanna Place
South
Orange, NJ 07079
(Address
of Principal Executive Offices)
 
(201)
343-5202
(Telephone
Number, Including Area Code)
 
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
 
Title
of each class
 
Trading
symbol
 
Name
of exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value
$0.001 per share
 
NEPH
 
The Nasdaq Stock Market
LLC
 
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: None
 
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
 
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
 
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
 
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of
Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files).
Yes ☒ No ☐
 
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting
company, or
emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller
reporting company,” and “emerging growth company”
in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:
 
Large accelerated filer ☐
Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒
Smaller reporting company ☒
 
Emerging growth company ☐
 
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new
or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
 
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control
over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or
issued its audit report. ☐
 
If
securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant
included in the
filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
 
Indicate
by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation
received
by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
 

Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
 
The
aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, as of June 30, 2024, was $14,091,124. Such aggregate
market value
was computed by reference to the closing price of the common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market on June 30, 2024.
For purposes of making
this calculation only, the registrant has defined affiliates as including only directors and executive officers
and stockholders holding greater than 10% of the
voting stock of the registrant as of June 30, 2024.
 
As
of March 17, 2025, there were 10,600,350 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value, outstanding.
 
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
 
Certain
portions of the registrant’s proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the 2025
Annual Meeting
of Stockholders (the “2025 Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report
on Form 10-K. The 2025 Proxy Statement
will be filed within 120 days of December 31, 2024.
 
 
 
 

 
 
NEPHROS,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
 
PART I
4
 
Item 1. Business
4
 
Item 1A. Risk Factors
12
 
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
20
 
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
20
 
Item 2. Properties
22
 
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
22
 
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
22
PART II
23
 
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
23
 
Item 6. Reserved
23
 
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
23
 
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
26
 
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
26
 
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
48
 
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
49
 
Item 9B. Other Information
49
PART III
49
 
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
49
 
Item 11. Executive Compensation
49
 
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
50
 
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
50
 
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
50
PART IV
50
 
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
50
 
Item 16. Form 10K Summary
53
SIGNATURES
54
 
2

 
 
FORWARD
LOOKING STATEMENTS
 
The
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements. Certain statements
in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K constitute “forward-looking statements.” Such statements include statements regarding
the efficacy and intended use of our technologies under
development, the timelines and strategy for bringing such products to market,
the timeline for regulatory approval of our products, the availability of
funding sources for continued development of such products,
and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements that may be preceded
by the words “intends,” “may,”
“will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,”
“estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or
similar words. Forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known
and unknown risks
and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations contained in the
forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the risks that:
 
●
we face significant challenges
in obtaining market acceptance of our products, which, if not obtained, could adversely affect our potential sales and
revenues;
●
product-related deaths
or serious injuries or product malfunctions could trigger recalls, class action lawsuits and other events that could cause us to
incur expenses and may also limit our ability to generate revenues from such products;
●
we face potential liability
associated with the production, marketing and sale of our products, and the expense of defending against claims of product
liability
could materially deplete our assets and generate negative publicity, which could impair our reputation;
●
to the extent our products
or marketing materials are found to violate any provisions of the U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the “FDC Act”) or
any
other statutes or regulations, we could be subject to enforcement actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”)
or other governmental
agencies;
●
we may not be able to obtain
funding when needed or on terms favorable to us in order to continue operations;
●
we may not have sufficient
capital to successfully implement our business plan;
●
we may not be able to effectively
market and sell our products;
●
we may not be able to sell
our water filtration products at competitive prices or profitably;
●
we may encounter problems
with our suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors;
●
we may encounter unanticipated
internal control deficiencies or weaknesses or ineffective disclosure controls and procedures;
●
we may not be able to obtain
appropriate or necessary regulatory approvals to achieve our business plan;
●
we may not be able to secure
or enforce adequate legal protection, including patent protection, for our products; and
●
we may not be able to achieve
sales growth in key geographic markets.
 
More
 detailed information about us and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements, including the forward-looking
statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, is set forth in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”),
including our
other periodic reports filed with the SEC. We urge investors and security holders to read those documents free of charge
 at the SEC’s web site at
www.sec.gov. We do not undertake to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements because of
new information, future events or otherwise,
except as required by law.
 
3

 
 
PART
I
 
Item
1. Business
 
Overview
 
We
are a commercial-stage company that develops and sells high performance water solutions to the medical and commercial markets.
 
In
medical markets, we sell water filtration products. Our medical water filters, mostly classified as ultrafilters, are used primarily
by hospitals for the
prevention of infection from waterborne pathogens, such as legionella and pseudomonas, and in dialysis centers for
the removal of biological contaminants
from water and bicarbonate concentrate. Because our ultrafilters capture contaminants as small
as 0.005 microns in size, they minimize exposure to a wide
variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and endotoxins.
 
In
commercial markets, we manufacture and sell water filters that improve the taste and odor of water and reduce biofilm, bacteria, heavy
metals, chemical
compounds, scale build-up in downstream equipment, and other various contaminants. Our products are marketed primarily
to the food service, hospitality,
convenience store, and health care markets. These commercial products are also marketed into medical
markets, as supplemental filtration to our medical
filters.
 
We
were founded in 1997 by healthcare professionals affiliated with Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital to
develop and
commercialize an alternative method to hemodialysis. We have extended our filtration technologies to meet the demand for
liquid purification in other
areas, in particular, water purification.
 
Our
Products
 
Water
Filtration Products
 
We
develop and sell water filtration products used in both medical and commercial applications. Our water filtration products employ multiple
filtration
technologies, as described below.
 
In
medical markets, our primary filtration mechanism is to pass liquids through the pores of polysulfone hollow fiber. Our filters’
pores are significantly
smaller than those of competing products, resulting in highly effective elimination of waterborne pathogens,
including legionella bacteria (the cause of
Legionnaires disease) and viruses, which are not eliminated by most other microbiological
filters on the market. Additionally, the fiber structure and pore
density in our hollow fiber enables significantly higher flow rates
than in other polysulfone hollow fiber.
 
Our
primary sales strategy in medical markets is to sell through value-added resellers (“VARs”). Leveraging VARs has enabled
us to rapidly expand our
access to target customers with limited sales staff expansion. In addition, while we are currently focused on
medical markets, the VARs that support these
customers also support a wide variety of commercial and industrial customers. We believe
that our VAR relationships have and will continue to facilitate
growth in filter sales outside of the medical industry. In addition to
VARs, we also utilize a direct salesforce that targets key geographic regions throughout
the country, as well as focuses on the hospital
and dialysis markets.
 
In
commercial markets, we develop and sell our filters, for which carbon-based absorption is the primary filtration mechanism. These products
allow us to
improve water’s odor and taste, to reduce scale and heavy metals, and to reduce other water contaminants for customers
who are primarily in the food
service, convenience store, and hospitality industries. These commercial products are also sold into medical
markets, as supplemental filtration to our
medical filters.
 
In
commercial markets, our model combines both direct and indirect sales. Through our employee sales staff, we have sold products directly
to a number of
convenience stores, hotels, casinos, and restaurants. We have also signed an agreement with a partner to be the exclusive
distributor to resell select water
filters and related products to customers in the commercial food and beverage markets subject to meeting
certain minimum thresholds.
 
Target
Markets
 
Our
ultrafiltration products currently target the following markets:
 
 
●
Hospitals and Other Healthcare
Facilities: Filtration of water for washing and drinking as an aid in infection control. The filters produce water that
is suitable
for wound cleansing, cleaning of equipment used in medical procedures, and washing of surgeons’ hands.
 
●
Dialysis Centers and Home/Portable
Dialysis Machines: Filtration of water or bicarbonate concentrate used in hemodialysis.
 
●
Commercial Facilities:
Filtration and purification of water for consumption, including for use in ice machines and soft drink dispensers.
 
●
Military and Outdoor Recreation:
Individual water purification devices used by soldiers and backpackers to produce drinking water in the field, as
well as filters
customized to remote water processing systems.
 
Hospitals
and Other Healthcare Facilities. Nephros filters are a leading tool used to provide proactive protection to patients in high-risk
areas (e.g., ice
machines, surgical rooms, NICUs) and reactive protection to patients in broader areas during periods of water pathogen
outbreaks. Our products are used in
hundreds of medical facilities to aid in infection control, both proactively and reactively.
 
As
of 2023, according to the American Hospital Association, there are approximately 6,129 hospitals in the U.S., with approximately 920,000
beds. Over
34 million patients were admitted to these hospitals. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”)
estimates that healthcare associated
infections (“HAI”) occur in approximately 1 out of every 31 hospital patients, which
calculates to over one million patients in 2023. HAIs affect patients in
hospitals or other healthcare facilities and are not present
or incubating at the time of admission. They also include infections acquired by patients in the
hospital or facility, but appearing
after discharge, and occupational infections among staff. Many HAIs are caused by waterborne bacteria and viruses that
can thrive in
aging or complex plumbing systems often found in healthcare facilities.
 
4

 
 
In
January 2022, the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) expanded
its requirements –
originally implemented in 2017 – for facilities to develop policies and procedures that inhibit the growth
and spread of legionella and other opportunistic
pathogens in building water systems. In this 2022 update, CMS requires teams to be assigned
to the development of formal water management plans
(“WMPs”), as well as detailed documentation regarding the development
of the WMPs and their execution. CMS surveyors regularly review policies,
procedures, and reports documenting water management implementation
 results to verify that facilities are compliant with these requirements. These
policies must be in accordance with The American Society
of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 188-2015 and
the CDC toolkit. Facilities must regularly monitor
water systems and take corrective actions when needed to ensure safe water for patients, residents and
visitors. We believe that these
CMS regulations may have a positive impact on the sale of our HAI-inhibiting ultrafilters.
 
We
currently have FDA 510(k) clearance on the following portfolio of medical device products for use in the hospital setting to aid in infection
control:
 
 
●
The DSU-H and SSU-H are
 in-line, 0.005-micron ultrafilters that provide dual- and single-stage protection, respectively, from waterborne
pathogens. They
are primarily used to filter potable water feeding ice machines, sinks, and medical equipment, such as endoscope washers and
surgical
room humidifiers. The DSU-H has an up to 6-month product life in a typical hospital setting, while the SSU-H has an up to 3-month
product life.
 
 
 
 
●
The S100 is a point-of-use,
0.01-micron microfilter that provides protection from waterborne pathogens. The S100 is primarily used to filter
potable water feeding
sinks and showers. The S100 has an up to 3-month product life when used in a hospital setting.
 
 
 
 
●
The
HydraGuardTM and HydraGuardTM - Flush are 0.005-micron cartridge ultrafilters that provide single-stage protection
 from waterborne
pathogens. The HydraGuard ultrafilters are primarily used to filter potable water feeding ice machines and medical
equipment, such as endoscope
washers and surgical room humidifiers. The HydraGuard has an up to 6-month product life and the HydraGuard
- Flush has an up to 12-month
product life when used in a hospital setting.
 
Our
complete 
hospital 
infection 
control 
product 
line, 
including 
in-line, 
and 
point-of-use 
can 
be 
viewed 
on 
our 
website 
at
https://www.nephros.com/infection-control/.
We are not including the information on our website as a part of, nor incorporating it by reference into, this
Annual Report on Form
10-K.
 
Dialysis
Centers - Water/Bicarbonate. In the dialysis water market, Nephros ultrafiltration products are among the highest performing
products on the
market. The DSU-D, SSU-D and the SSUmini have become the standard endotoxin filter in many portable reverse osmosis systems.
The EndoPur®, our
large-format ultrafilter targeted at dialysis clinic water systems, provides the smallest pore size
available.
 
To
 perform hemodialysis, all dialysis clinics have dedicated water purification systems to produce water and bicarbonate concentrate, two
 essential
ingredients for making dialysate, the liquid that removes waste material from the blood. According to the American Journal
of Kidney Diseases, there are
approximately 7,100 dialysis clinics in the United States servicing approximately 500,000 patients annually.
We estimate that there are over 100,000
hemodialysis machines in operation in the United States.
 
We
currently have FDA 510(k) clearance on the following portfolio of medical device products for use in the dialysis setting to aid in bacteria,
virus, and
endotoxin retention:
 
 
●
The DSU-D, SSU-D and SSUmini
are in-line, 0.005-micron ultrafilters that provide protection from bacteria, viruses, and endotoxins. All of these
products have
an up to 12-month product life in the dialysis setting and are used to filter water following treatment with a reverse osmosis (“RO”)
system, and to filter bicarbonate concentrate. These ultrafilters are primarily used in the water lines and bicarbonate concentrate
lines leading into
dialysis machines, and as a polish filter for portable RO machines.
 
 
 
 
●
The EndoPur is a 0.005-micron
cartridge ultrafilter that provides single-stage protection from bacteria, viruses, and endotoxins. The EndoPur has
an up to 12-month
product life in the dialysis setting and is used to filter water following treatment with an RO system. More specifically, the
EndoPur
is used primarily to filter water in large RO systems designed to provide ultrapure water to an entire dialysis clinic. The EndoPur
is a
cartridge-based, “plug and play” market entry that requires no plumbing at installation or replacement. The EndoPur
is available in 10”, 20”, and
30” configuration.
 
5

 
 
Commercial
 and Industrial Facilities. Our commercial NanoGuard® product line accomplishes ultrafiltration via small pore
 size (0.005 micron)
technology, filtering bacteria and viruses from water. In addition, our commercial filtration offerings include technologies
that are primarily focused on
improving odor and taste and on reducing scale and heavy metals from filtered water.
 
Our
commercial market focus is on the hotel, restaurant, and convenience store markets. In March 2022, we entered into an agreement with
Donastar LLC
to provide water filtration systems to an organization that services approximately 3,000 Quick Service Restaurants
(“QSR”). Effective January 1, 2023, we
entered into a new supply agreement with Donastar, which
 superseded the March 2022 agreement. Under the January 2023 agreement, we engaged
Donastar to be our exclusive
distributor to the food, beverage and hospitality industries. Effective September 2024, we ended our exclusive relationship
with
Donastar. Although Donastar continues to distribute our products on a non-exclusive basis, we are expanding our distribution in the commercial
market in order
to pursue other national accounts, which, over time, may result in step-change increases in commercial market revenue.
 
Over
time, we believe that the same water safety management programs currently underway at medical facilities may migrate to commercial markets.
As
the epidemiology of waterborne pathogens expands, links to contamination sources will become more efficient and the data more readily
available. In cases
where those sources are linked to restaurants, hotels, office buildings and residential complexes, the corporate
owners of those facilities will likely face
increasing liability exposure. We expect that building owners will come to understand ASHRAE-188,
which outlines risk factors for buildings and their
occupants, and provides water safety management guidelines. We believe, in time,
most commercial buildings will need to follow the basic requirements of
ASHRAE-188: create a water management plan, perform routine testing,
and establish a plan to treat the building in the event of a positive test.
 
As
demand for water testing and microbiological filtration grows, we will be ready to deploy our expertise and solutions based on years
of experience
servicing the medical market. We believe that we have an opportunity to offer unique expertise and products to the commercial
market, and that our future
revenue from the commercial market could even surpass our infection control revenue.
 
We
currently market the following portfolio of proprietary products for use in the commercial, industrial, and food service settings:
 
 
●
The NanoGuard set of products
are in-line, 0.005-micron ultrafilter that provides dual-stage retention of any organic or inorganic particle larger
than 15,000
Daltons. NanoGuard products are designed to fit a variety of existing plumbing configurations, including 10” and 20”
 standard
housings, and Nephros and Everpure® manifolds. Included in the NanoGuard product line are both conventional and flushable
filters.
 
 
 
 
●
The Nephros line of commercial
filters provide a variety of technology solutions that improve water quality in food service, convenience store,
hospitality, and
industrial applications. Nephros filters improve water taste and odor, and reduce sediment, dirt, rust particles and other solids,
chlorine and heavy minerals, lime scale build-up, and both particulate lead and soluble lead.
 
Nephros
commercial products combine effectively with NanoGuard ultrafiltration technologies to offer full-featured solutions to the commercial
water
market, including to existing users of Everpure filter manifolds.
 
Corporate
Information
 
We
were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in April 1997. Our principal executive offices are located at 380 Lackawanna
Place, South
Orange, New Jersey 07079, and our telephone number is (201) 343-5202. We also have an office in Whippany, New Jersey. For
more information about
Nephros, please visit our website at www.nephros.com. We are not including the information on our
website as a part of, nor incorporating it by reference
into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 
6

 
 
Manufacturing
and Suppliers
 
We
do not, and do not intend to in the near future, manufacture any of our medical device filtration products. We do manufacture some of
our commercial
filtration products in our facility in South Orange, New Jersey.
 
On
April 23, 2012, the Company entered into a License and Supply Agreement (as thereafter amended, the “License and Supply Agreement”)
with Medica
S.p.A. (“Medica”), an Italy-based medical product manufacturing company, for the marketing and sale of certain
filtration products based upon Medica’s
proprietary Medisulfone ultrafiltration technology in conjunction with the Company’s
filtration products, and for an exclusive supply arrangement for the
filtration products. Under the License and Supply Agreement, as
amended, Medica granted us an exclusive license, with right of sublicense, to market,
promote, distribute, offer for sale and sell the
filtration products worldwide, with certain limitations on territory, during the term of the License and Supply
Agreement. In addition,
the Company granted to Medica an exclusive license under the Company’s intellectual property to make the filtration products
during
the term of the License and Supply Agreement. The filtration products covered under the License and Supply Agreement include both certain
products based on Medica’s proprietary Versatile microfiber technology and certain filtration products based on Medica’s
 proprietary Medisulfone
ultrafiltration technology In December 2023, the Company signed a new agreement with Medica which extends the
term until December 31, 2028, unless
earlier terminated by either party in accordance with the terms of the License and Supply Agreement.
As of December 11, 2023, the Company has agreed
with Medica to pay interest per month at the EURIBOR 360-day rate plus 500 basis points
calculated on the principal amount of any outstanding invoices
that are overdue by more than 15 days beyond the original payment terms.
 
In
exchange for the rights granted, we agreed to make minimum annual aggregate purchases from Medica throughout the term of the License
and Supply
Agreement.
 
Sales
and Marketing
 
Our
New Jersey headquarters oversees global sales and marketing activity of our ultrafilter products. We work with multiple distributors
for our ultrafilter
products in the hospital and dialysis water markets. For the food service and hospitality markets, as discussed
above, we had contracted with Donastar LLC
as our exclusive distributor. Effective September 2024, we ended our exclusive
relationship with Donastar. Although Donastar continues to distribute our
products on a non-exclusive basis, we are broadening our
 market reach through new distributor relationships. For other prospective markets for our
ultrafilter products, we are pursuing
alliance opportunities for joint product development and/or distribution. Our ultrafilter manufacturer in Europe shares
certain
intellectual property rights with us for one of our dual stage ultrafilter designs.
 
Research
and Development
 
Our
research and development efforts continue on several fronts directly related to our current product lines. For the ultrafiltration systems
business, we are
continually working with existing and potential distributors of ultrafilter products to develop solutions to meet customer
needs.
 
Major
Customers
 
For
the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the following customers accounted for the following percentages of our revenues, respectively:
 
Customer
 
2024
   
2023
 
A
   
25%   
23%
B
   
8%   
11%
Total
   
33%   
34%
 
As
of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the following customer accounted for the following percentage of our accounts receivable:
 
Customer
 
2024
   
2023
 
A
   
13%   
12%
 
7

 
 
Competition
 
With
respect to the water filtration market, we compete with companies that are well-entrenched in the water filtration domain. These
companies include
Pall Corporation (wholly owned by Danaher Corporation), which manufactures point-of-use microfiltration products,
as well as 3M Company and Pentair,
which manufacture the Cuno® and Everpure® brands of water filtration and purification
products, respectively. Our methods of competition in the water
filtration domain include:
 
 
●
developing and marketing
products that are designed to meet critical and specific customer needs more effectively than competitive devices;
 
●
offering unique attributes
that illustrate our product reliability, “user-friendliness,” and performance capabilities;
 
●
selling products to specific
customer groups where our unique product attributes are mission-critical; and
 
●
pursuing alliance and/or
acquisition opportunities for joint product development and distribution.
 
Intellectual
Property
 
Patents
 
We
 protect our technology and products through patents and patent applications. In addition to the United States, we also apply for patents
 in other
jurisdictions, such as the European Patent Office, Canada, and Japan, to the extent we deem appropriate. We have built a portfolio
 of patents and
applications covering our products, including their hardware design and methods of hemodiafiltration.
 
We
believe that our patent strategy will provide a competitive advantage in our target markets, but our patents may not be broad enough
to cover our
competitors’ products and may be subject to invalidation claims. Our U.S. patent for the “Method and Apparatus
for a Hemodiafiltration Module for use
with a Dialysis Machine,” has claims that cover the OLpūr MDHDF filter series and
the method of hemodiafiltration employed in the operation of the
products. Technological developments in end stage renal disease (“ESRD”)
therapy could reduce the value of our intellectual property. Any such reduction
could be rapid and unanticipated. We have issued patents
on our water filtration products and applications in process to cover various applications in
residential, commercial, and remote environments.
 
As
of December 31, 2024, we had five U.S. patents and one Canadian patent. Notably, the fifth U.S. patent, granted in 2024, pertains to
filter technologies,
including liquid purification filter systems that are particularly suited for use in harsh environments.
 
Trademarks
 
As
 of December 31, 2024, in the United States, we secured registrations of the trademarks ENDOPUR, HYDRAGUARD, NANOGUARD, and
NEPHROS. In
the US, we filed one trademark application for BECAUSE WATER MATTERS. In the UK, we secured registrations for the trademarks
NANOGUARD,
NEPHROS HYDRAGUARD, and PATHOGUARD.
 
Governmental
Regulation
 
The
research and development, manufacturing, promotion, marketing, and distribution of our ESRD therapy products in the United States, Europe
and
other regions of the world are subject to regulation by numerous governmental authorities, including the FDA, the European Union
 and analogous
agencies.
 
8

 
 
United
States
 
The
FDA regulates the manufacture and distribution of medical devices in the United States pursuant to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics (FDC)
Act. All of
our ESRD therapy products are regulated in the United States as medical devices by the FDA under the FDC Act. Under the FDC
Act, medical devices are
classified into one of three classes, namely Class I, II or III, on the basis of the controls deemed necessary
by the FDA to reasonably ensure their safety and
effectiveness.
 
 
●
Class I devices are medical
devices for which general controls are deemed sufficient to ensure their safety and effectiveness. General controls
include provisions
 related to (1) labeling, (2) producer registration, (3) defect notification, (4) records and reports and (5) quality service
requirements
(“QSR”).
 
 
 
 
●
Class II devices are medical
devices for which the general controls for the Class I devices are deemed not sufficient to ensure their safety and
effectiveness
and require special controls in addition to the general controls. Special controls include provisions related to (1) performance
and
design standards, (2) post-market surveillance, (3) patient registries and (4) the use of FDA guidelines.
 
 
 
 
●
Class III devices are the
most regulated medical devices and are generally limited to devices that support or sustain human life or are of substantial
importance
in preventing impairment of human health or present a potential, unreasonable risk of illness or injury. Pre-market approval by the
FDA is the required process of scientific review to ensure the safety and effectiveness of Class III devices.
 
Before
a new medical device can be introduced to the market, Section 510(k), and Section 515 of the FDC Act require a manufacturer who intends
to
market a medical device to submit a premarket notification (Section 510(k)) or a request for premarket approval (Section 515), to
the FDA.
 
A
510(k) clearance will be granted if the submitted information establishes that the proposed device is “substantially equivalent”
to a legally marketed
Class I or Class II medical device or to a Class III medical device for which the FDA has not called for premarket
approval under Section 515. The 510(k)
clearance process is generally faster and simpler than the premarket approval process.
 
Premarket
approval (PMA) is the FDA’s process of scientific and regulatory review to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Class III medical
devices.
Class III devices are those that support or sustain human life, are of substantial importance in preventing impairment of human
health, or which present a
potential, unreasonable risk of illness or injury, or are new and present unknown safety or effectiveness
issues or risks. PMA is the most stringent type of
device marketing application required by the FDA. To gain approval, the manufacturer
must present adequate scientific evidence to assure that the device is
safe and effective for its intended use(s).
 
For
any devices cleared through the 510(k) clearance process, modifications or enhancements that could significantly affect the safety or
effectiveness of
the device or that constitute a major change to the intended use of the device will require a new 510(k) clearance submission.
Accordingly, if we do obtain
Section 510(k) clearance for any of our ESRD therapy and/or filtration products, we will need to submit
 another Section 510(k) notification if we
significantly affect that product’s safety or effectiveness through subsequent modifications
or enhancements.
 
All
of our products have been cleared by the FDA as Class II devices, such as:
 
 
●
DSU Dual Stage UltraFilter:
In June 2009, we received FDA 510(k) clearance of the DSU to be used to filter biological contaminants from water
and bicarbonate
concentrate used in hemodialysis procedures.
 
 
 
 
●
SSU-D/DSU-D Dual Stage
UltraFilter: In July 2011, we received FDA 510(k) clearance of the SSU/DSU to be used to filter water or bicarbonate
concentrate
used in hemodialysis procedures.
 
 
 
 
●
OLpūr H2H Module
and OLpūr MD 220 Hemodiafilter: In April 2012, we received FDA 510(k) clearance of the OLpūr H2H Module and OLpūr
MD 220 Hemodiafilter for use with a UF controlled hemodialysis machine that provides ultrapure dialysate in accordance with current
ANSI/AAMI/ISO standards, for the treatment of patients with chronic renal failure in the United States.
 
 
 
 
●
DSU-H/SSU-H: In
October 2014, we received FDA 510(k) clearance of the DSU-H and SSU-H ultrafilters to be used to filter EPA quality
drinking water.
The filters retain bacteria, viruses, and endotoxin. By providing ultrapure water for patient washing and drinking, the filters aid
in
infection control.
 
9

 
 
 
●
S100 Point of Use Filter:
In April 2016, we received FDA 510(k) clearance of the S100 point-of-use filter to be used to filter EPA quality drinking
water.
The filters retain bacteria. By retaining bacteria in water for washing and drinking, the filter may aid in infection control.
 
 
 
 
●
HydraGuard: In December
2016, we received FDA 510(k) clearance of the HydraGuard 10” ultrafilter intended to be used to filter EPA quality
drinking
water. The filter retains bacteria, viruses and endotoxins. By providing ultrapure water for patient washing and drinking, the filter
aids in
infection control.
 
 
 
 
●
EndoPur: In March
2017, we received FDA 510(k) clearance of the EndoPur ultrafilter intended to be used to filter water used in hemodialysis
devices.
It assists in providing hemodialysis quality water. The device is not a complete water treatment system but serves to remove biological
contaminants. Therefore, it must be used in conjunction with other water treatment equipment (Reverse Osmosis, Deionization, etc.).
 
The
FDC Act requires that medical devices be manufactured in accordance with the FDA’s current QSR regulations which require, among
other things,
that:
 
 
●
the design and manufacturing
processes be regulated and controlled by the use of written procedures;
 
●
the ability to produce
medical devices which meet the manufacturer’s specifications be validated by extensive and detailed testing of every aspect
of the process;
 
●
any deficiencies in the
manufacturing process or in the products produced be investigated;
 
●
detailed records be kept,
and a corrective and preventative action plan be in place; and
 
●
manufacturing facilities
be subject to FDA inspection on a periodic basis to monitor compliance with QSR regulations.
 
In
addition to the requirements described above, the FDC Act requires that:
 
 
●
all medical device manufacturers
and distributors register with the FDA annually and provide the FDA with a list of those medical devices which
they distribute commercially;
 
●
information be provided
to the FDA on death or serious injuries alleged to have been associated with the use of the products, as well as product
malfunctions
that would likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury if the malfunction were to recur; and
 
●
certain medical devices
not cleared with the FDA for marketing in the United States meet specific requirements before they are exported.
 
We
and our contract manufacturers are required to manufacture our products in compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)
requirements
set forth in the QSR. The QSR requires a quality system for the design, manufacture, packaging, labeling, storage, installation,
and servicing of marketed
devices, and it includes extensive requirements with respect to quality management and organization, device
design, buildings, equipment, purchase and
handling of components or services, production and process controls, packaging and labeling
 controls, device evaluation, distribution, installation,
complaint handling, servicing, and record keeping. The FDA evaluates compliance
with the QSR through periodic unannounced inspections that may
include the manufacturing facilities of our subcontractors. If the FDA
believes that we or any of our contract manufacturers, or regulated suppliers, are not
in compliance with these requirements, there may
be a material adverse effect on our manufacturing operations, effecting our ability to sell.
 
Regulatory
Authorities in Regions Outside of the United States
 
In
November 2007 and May 2011, the Therapeutic Products Directorate of Health Canada, the Canadian health regulatory agency, approved our
OLpūr
MD220 Hemodiafilter and our DSU, respectively, for marketing in Canada. Other than the Canadian approval of our OLpūr
MD220 Hemodiafilter and
DSU products, we have not obtained any regulatory approvals to sell any of our products outside of the United
States and the European Union and there is
no assurance that any such clearance or certification will be issued.
 
10

 
 
Requirements
pertaining to medical devices vary widely from country to country, ranging from no health regulations to detailed submissions such as
those
required by the FDA. Our manufacturing facilities are subject to audits and have been certified to be ISO 13485:2016, which allows
us to sell our products
in the United States and Canada.
 
In
November 2020, we received MDSAP certification to continue sales and compliance in the United States and Health Canada. The Medical Device
Single Audit Program (MDSAP) is a program that allows the conduct of a single regulatory audit of a medical device manufacturer’s
quality management
system that satisfies the requirements of multiple regulatory jurisdictions. Audits are conducted by Auditing Organizations
authorized by the participating
Regulatory Authorities to audit under MDSAP requirements. The MDSAP is a way that medical device manufacturers
can be audited once for compliance
with the standard and regulatory requirements of up to five different medical device markets: Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Japan, and the United States.
 
In
November 2023, we received approval for expansion of our MDSAP certification to include Brazil. This expansion provides Nephros the approval
to
sell the following medical devices in Brazil:
 
 
●
SSSUmini Ultrafilters:
 Intended to be used to filter water or bicarbonate concentrate used in hemodialysis devices. It assists in providing
hemodialysis
quality water or bicarbonate concentrate. The device is not a complete water treatment system but serves to remove biological
contaminants.
Therefore, it must be used in conjunction with other water treatment equipment (RO, DI, etc.).
 
 
 
 
●
EndoPur Filters:
Is intended to be used to filter water used with hemodialysis devices. It assists in providing hemodialysis quality water.
The
device is not a complete water treatment system but serves to remove biological contaminants. Therefore, it must be used in conjunction
with
other water treatment equipment (Reverse Osmosis, Deionization, etc.).
 
Product
Liability and Insurance
 
The
production, marketing and sale of our products have an inherent risk of liability in the event of product failure or claim of harm caused
by product
operation. We have acquired product liability insurance for our products in the amount of $3 million. A successful claim in
 excess of our insurance
coverage could materially deplete our assets. Moreover, any claim against us could generate negative publicity,
which could decrease the demand for our
products, our ability to generate revenues and our profitability.
 
Some
of our existing and potential agreements with manufacturers of our products and components of our products do or may require us (1) to
obtain
product liability insurance or (2) to indemnify manufacturers against liabilities resulting from the sale of our products. If
we are not able to maintain
adequate product liability insurance, we will be in breach of these agreements, which could materially adversely
affect our ability to produce our products.
Even if we are able to obtain and maintain product liability insurance, if a successful claim
in excess of our insurance coverage is made, then we may have
to indemnify some or all of our manufacturers for their losses, which could
materially deplete our assets.
 
Employees
 
As
of December 31, 2024, we employed a total of 31 full-time employees, including 12 employed in sales/marketing/customer support, 13 in
logistics,
general, and administrative, and 5 in research and development and 1 in manufacturing. None of our employees are currently
represented by a labor union
or covered by a collective bargaining agreement and we believe that our relations with our employees are
good. During 2024, we had limited voluntary
turnover. Going forward, we intend to focus on maintaining our current good relations with
our employees and continuing to develop and explore ways to
collaborate with our employees and create a well-regarded workplace.
 
Available
Information
 
We
are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Exchange
Act requires us to
file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains
reports, proxy and information
statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. These materials
may be obtained electronically by accessing the
SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
 
11

 
 
Item
1A. Risk Factors
 
Risks
Related to Our Overall Business and Operations
 
We
have a history of operating losses and a significant accumulated deficit, and we may not be able to maintain or improve our
profitability in the
future.
 
As
of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $144.3 million as a result of prior historical operating losses. While we
believe that revenues
will increase following our expansion of the sales team in 2024, there can be no guarantee of this.
We may continue to incur additional losses in the future
depending on the timing and marketplace acceptance of our products and as a
result of operating expenses being higher than our gross margin from product
sales. We sold our first commercial product in March
2004, and the year ended December 31, 2024 was only our first profitable year in our history with net
income of $0.1 million. Each of the following factors, among others, may influence
the timing and extent of our profitability, if any:
 
 
●
the market acceptance of
our technologies and products in each of our target markets;
 
●
our ability to effectively
and efficiently manufacture, market and distribute our products;
 
●
our ability to sell our
products at competitive prices that exceed our per unit costs; and
 
●
our ability to continue
to develop products and maintain a competitive advantage in our industry.
 
If
we are unable to maintain profitability, we will need additional capital to fund our operating activities. Such capital is likely to
be from the sale of shares
of our common stock or other equity securities or from loans or other debt securities. However, there is no
assurance that such capital will be available on
favorable terms or at all.
 
We
may be unable to achieve or sustain revenue growth.
 
Our
 business and future prospects are substantially dependent upon our ability to significantly grow our product revenue. Although our sales
 were
approximately 43% higher in 2023 compared to 2022, our revenues declined slightly in 2024 compared to 2023. There is no assurance
that we will be able
to resume sales growth in future periods. Our ability to increase our revenues in future periods will depend on
our ability to significantly grow our customer
base and then consistently obtaining product reorders from those customers. If we cannot
sustain significant revenue growth for an extended period, our
financial results will be adversely affected, and our stock price may
decline.
 
We
face significant challenges in obtaining market acceptance of our products, which could adversely affect our potential sales and revenues.
 
Our
success depends on our ability to both maintain our existing customers and to continue growing our customer base. If we are unable to
maintain and
further grow our customer base, our ability to grow revenue will be limited and we will have difficulty maintaining profitability.
Our ability to grow our
customer base also depends on our ability to achieve further market acceptance of our water filter products,
including among healthcare facility customers,
or may not be deemed suitable for other commercial, military, industrial or retail applications.
Factors that may affect our ability to achieve acceptance of
our water filtration products and technologies in the marketplace include
whether such products will be safe for use, whether they will be effective and
whether they will be cost-effective.
 
If
we are not able to successfully scale-up production of our products, then our sales and revenues will suffer.
 
In
order to successfully maintain commercialization of our products, we need to be able to produce them in a cost-effective way on a large
scale to meet
commercial demand, while maintaining extremely high standards for quality and reliability. The extent to which we fail
 to successfully maintain
commercial success of our products, could limit our ability to be profitable.
 
12

 
 
We
rely on, and for the foreseeable future expect to continue to rely on, a limited number of independent manufacturers to produce our products.
Our
manufacturers’ systems and procedures may not be adequate to support our operations and may not be able to achieve the rapid
execution necessary to
exploit the market for our products. If we are successful in continuing to increase our product revenue, we will
 need to also increase our supply
requirements. However, our contracted manufacturers could experience manufacturing and control problems
in connection with their manufacture of our
products, which could disrupt their ability to timely and adequately supply us with product.
If we experience any of these problems with respect to our
manufacturers’ scale-ups of manufacturing operations, then we may not
be able to have our products manufactured and delivered in a timely manner. Our
products are new and evolving, and our manufacturers
may encounter unforeseen difficulties in manufacturing them in commercial quantities or at all.
 
The
 revenue from our emergency response business is unpredictable and is subject to factors outside our control. As a result, our revenue
 and
operating results may vary significantly from period to period.
 
A
portion of our revenue is derived from the sale of our filtration products to address outbreaks of waterborne pathogens in hospitals
and other buildings
and facilities, which we sometimes refer to as our emergency response (ER) business. In these situations, building
operators often look to us to install our
filtration systems in order to immediately remediate an active outbreak. However, the frequency,
timing and severity of such outbreaks are unpredictable.
During periods in which several outbreaks occur across the territories we serve
we may see a significant increase in the demand for our filtration products,
leading to increased sales. On the other hand, during periods
when only a small number of outbreaks occur, we see reduced demand for our products. Given
the difficulty in predicting the timing and
magnitude of sales based on our ER business, we may experience quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in revenue
resulting in the potential
for a sequential decline in quarterly revenue.
 
If
we cannot develop adequate distribution, customer service and technical support networks, then we may not be able to market and distribute
our
products effectively and/or customers may decide not to order our products. In either case, our sales and revenues will suffer.
 
Our
strategy requires us to distribute our products and, if needed, provide customer service and maintenance and other technical
service. To provide these
services, we have begun, and will need to continue, to develop a network of distribution and a staff of
employees and independent contractors in each of the
areas in which we intend to operate. In particular, following the termination
of our exclusive distribution relationship with Donastar in the food, beverage
and hospitality markets, our ability to grow sales in
 our commercial business will depend largely on the efforts of new distribution partners in these
markets. We cannot assure that we will be able to organize and manage this network on a cost-effective basis. If we
cannot effectively organize and manage
this network, then it may be difficult for us to distribute our products and to provide
competitive service and support to our customers, in which case
customers may be unable, or decide not, to order our products and
our sales and revenues will suffer.
 
We
are dependent on third parties to supply us with our products, making us vulnerable to supply problems and price fluctuations.
 
We
rely on third-party suppliers to provide us with certain components of our products. With respect to our proprietary filter material
used in our DSU-H,
SSU-H, S100 and HydraGuardTM and HydraGuardTM – Flush filters, we rely on a single
 source supplier, Medica S.p.A. (“Medica”), an Italy-based
medical product manufacturing company. Our agreement with
Medica will expire in 2028 and although we believe our relationship with this supplier is
good, there can be no assurance that our
current agreement will guarantee uninterrupted supply or that we will be able to renew the agreement on favorable
terms, or at all.
We depend on Medica and our other suppliers to provide us and our customers with materials in a timely manner that meet our and
their
quality, quantity and cost requirements. These suppliers may encounter problems during manufacturing for a variety of reasons,
any of which could delay
or impede their ability to meet our demand and our customers’ demands.
 
Companies
in the United States and around the world may experience a disruption in the supply of certain components and raw materials, as happened
during the worldwide pandemic starting in 2020. A disruption in such items as resins and polymers, could adversely affect us and our
ability to obtain these
components in a timely manner, in the volumes we require, or at all. In addition, the prices of these components
and other supplies we rely upon in the
manufacture of our products may rise. For example, we and our suppliers have recently experienced,
and may continue to experience, rising costs due to
inflation, such as costs of materials, labor and freight. If inflation continues
to rise, the prices of our components may rise, resulting in increased expenses
to us that we may not be able to offset by raising the
prices of our products. In addition, with the change in U.S. presidential administration in January
2025, there is increased risk of
new tariffs which could also affect the prices we pay for critical supplies and materials.
 
Any
supply interruption from our suppliers or failure to obtain additional suppliers for any of the components used in our products, or price
increases of
these supplies, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
13

 
 
We
are subject to minimum purchase obligations under our License and Supply Agreement with Medica and failure to meet these minimum purchase
requirements may result in termination of the agreement, which could materially impact our ability to obtain our filtration products.
 
On
December 11, 2023, we entered into a license and supply agreement (the “License and Supply Agreement”) with Medica for the marketing and sale of
certain filtration products
 based upon Medica’s proprietary ultrafiltration technology in conjunction with our filtration products (collectively, the
“Products”),
and to engage in an exclusive supply arrangement for the Products, meaning Medica is our sole supplier for the filter material used in certain
of our products. Under the License and Supply Agreement, Medica granted to us an exclusive
 license, with right of sublicense, to market, promote,
distribute, offer for sale and sell the Products in the Territory (as defined
in the License and Supply Agreement). In addition, we granted to Medica an
exclusive license under our intellectual property to make
the Products during the term of the License and Supply Agreement.
 
In
exchange for the rights granted, we have agreed to make minimum annual aggregate purchases from Medica of €4,208,000, €4,629,000,
€4,976,000,
€5,349,000 and €5,750,000 for the years 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028, respectively. We satisfied our minimum
purchase obligations for 2024, but if
we are unable to satisfy the minimum purchase commitments in future years, we may be in breach
of the License and Supply Agreement, giving Medica a
right of termination. If the License and Supply Agreement is terminated, we may
be unable to obtain our filtration products from an alternative supplier on
commercially favorable terms, if at all. If we are unable
to obtain our filtration products from an alternative supplier, we may be unable to supply our
products to our customers, which could
have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and damage our reputation.
 
We
operate with a limited senior management team and are highly dependent on our sales and marketing personnel. Our business could be harmed
if
we are unable to attract and retain personnel necessary for our success.
 
We
operate our business with a two-person senior management team. We have a Chief Executive Officer and a Chief Financial Officer, who together
directly oversee operations, sales and finances. Our dependence on two officers to perform multiple functions exposes us to various risks,
including the risk
that two officers may be unable to devote sufficient or timely attention to all aspects of operating our business
and that in the event of a sudden departure of
one officer, we may not be able to promptly identify a successor. We do not carry key
person life insurance on any of our employees. If we are unable to
recruit and retain qualified personnel to our senior management teams,
we will be unlikely to achieve our objectives of continuing to grow our company
and our business may otherwise be harmed.
 
In
addition, our need to significantly increase our revenue is also dependent on the personnel in our sales and marketing organization.
We have limited
resources to add sales and marketing professionals at this time. Accordingly, our success will depend on our
ability to continue developing and retaining
our personnel. Our ability to increase our sales revenue may be materially impaired if we
experience attrition in our sales and marketing organization or if
we are unsuccessful in developing our sales personnel.
 
We
rely on information technology systems and network infrastructure to operate and manage our business. If we experience a breach, cyber
attack or
other disruption to these systems or data, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
 
We
are increasingly dependent on sophisticated information technology systems to operate our business, including to process, transmit and
store sensitive
data. Specifically, we rely on our information technology systems to effectively manage sales and marketing, accounting
and financial functions, inventory
management, and our research and development data. Our business therefore depends on the continuous,
effective, reliable, and secure operation of our
computer hardware, software, networks, Internet servers, and related infrastructure.
 
Although
we believe our computer and communications hardware is protected by reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards, it
is still
vulnerable to system malfunction, computer viruses, and cybersecurity breaches – including ransomware, phishing, malware,
brute force, insider threats,
and other cyber attacks and security incidents. These events could lead to the unauthorized access to information
systems maintained by us or our service
providers or customers and result in the misappropriation or unauthorized disclosure of confidential
 information belonging to us, our employees,
customers, distributors or our suppliers. The techniques used by criminal elements to attack
computer systems are sophisticated, change frequently and may
originate from less regulated and remote areas of the world, including
countries that engage in state-sponsored cyber attacks. As a result, we may not be
able to address these techniques proactively or implement
 adequate preventative measures. Additionally, the regulatory environment governing
information, security and privacy laws is increasingly
demanding and continues to evolve. If our information technology systems are compromised, we
could be subject to fines, damages, litigation
and enforcement actions and we could lose trade secrets or other confidential information, the occurrence of
which could harm our reputation,
business, results of operations and financial condition.
 
Our
information systems, and those of third parties with whom we contract, also require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to
maintain,
protect and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information technology.
 The failure of our
information technology systems to perform as we anticipate or our failure to effectively implement new systems could
disrupt our operations and could
result in decreased sales, increased overhead costs, excess inventory and product shortages, all of
 which could have a material adverse effect on our
reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition.
 
Product
 liability associated with the production, marketing, and sale of our products, and/or the expense of defending against claims of product
liability, could materially deplete our assets and generate negative publicity which could impair our reputation.
 
The
production, marketing and sale of water-filtration products, particularly to healthcare facility customers, have inherent risks of liability
in the event of
product failure or claim of harm caused by product operation. Voluntary recalls could subject us to claims or proceedings
by consumers, the FDA or other
regulatory authorities which may adversely impact our sales and revenues. Furthermore, even meritless
claims of product liability may be costly to defend
against. Although we have acquired product liability insurance for our products,
we may not be able to maintain or obtain this insurance on acceptable
terms or at all. Because we may not be able to obtain insurance
that provides us with adequate protection against all potential product liability claims, a
successful claim in excess of our insurance
coverage could materially deplete our assets. Moreover, even if we are able to obtain adequate insurance, any
claim against us could
generate negative publicity, which could impair our reputation and adversely affect the demand for our products, our ability to
generate
sales and our profitability.
 
14

 
 
Some
of the agreements that we may enter into with manufacturers of our products and components of our products may require us to obtain product
liability insurance; or to indemnify manufacturers against liabilities resulting from the sale of our products. For example, the agreement
with our contract
manufacturer (“CM”) requires that we obtain and maintain certain minimum product liability insurance coverage
and that we indemnify our CM against
certain liabilities arising out of our products that they manufacture, provided they do not arise
out of our CM’s breach of the agreement, negligence or
willful misconduct. If we are not able to obtain and maintain adequate product
liability insurance, then we could be in breach of these agreements, which
could materially adversely affect our ability to produce our
products and generate revenues. Even if we are able to obtain and maintain product liability
insurance, if a successful claim in excess
of our insurance coverage is made, then we may have to indemnify some or all of our manufacturers for their
losses, which could materially
deplete our assets.
 
We
cannot assure you that our products will be safe or that there will not be product-related deaths, serious injuries or product malfunctions.
Further,
we are required under applicable law to report any circumstances relating to our medically approved products that could result
in deaths or serious
injuries. These circumstances could trigger recalls, class action lawsuits and other events that could cause us
to incur expenses and may also limit our
ability to generate revenues from such products.
 
We
cannot assure you that our products will prove to be safe or that there will not be product-related deaths or serious injuries or product
malfunctions,
which could trigger recalls, class action lawsuits and other events that could cause us to incur significant expenses,
limit our ability to market our products
and generate revenues from such products or cause us reputational harm. Under the FDC Act, we
are required to submit medical device reports (“MDRs”)
to the FDA to report device-related deaths, serious injuries and malfunctions
of medically approved products that could result in death or serious injury if
they were to recur. Depending on their significance, MDRs
could trigger events that could cause us to incur expenses and may also limit our ability to
generate revenues from such products. Additionally,
any of the following could occur:
 
 
●
information contained in the MDRs could trigger FDA
regulatory actions such as inspections, recalls and patient/physician notifications;
 
●
because the reports are publicly available, MDRs could
become the basis for private lawsuits, including class actions; and
 
●
if we fail to submit a required MDR to the FDA, the
FDA could take enforcement action against us.
 
If
any of these events occur, then we could incur significant expenses and it could become more difficult for us to market and sell our
products and to
generate revenues from sales. Other countries may impose analogous reporting requirements that could cause us to incur
expenses and may also limit our
ability to generate revenues from sales of our products.
 
15

 
 
Risks
Related to Government Regulation
 
If
we violate any provisions of the FDC Act or any other statutes or regulations, then we could be subject to enforcement actions by the
FDA or other
governmental agencies.
 
We
face a significant compliance burden under the FDC Act and other applicable statutes and regulations which govern the testing, labeling,
storage, record
keeping, distribution, sale, marketing, advertising and promotion of our medically approved products. If we violate the
 FDC Act or other regulatory
requirements (either with respect to our ultrafilters or otherwise) at any time during or after the product
development and/or approval process, we could be
subject to enforcement actions by the FDA or other agencies, including:
 
 
●
fines;
 
●
injunctions;
 
●
civil penalties;
 
●
recalls or seizures of
products;
 
●
total or partial suspension
of the production of our products;
 
●
withdrawal of any existing
approvals or pre-market clearances of our products;
 
●
refusal to approve or clear
new applications or notices relating to our products;
 
●
recommendations that we
not be allowed to enter into government contracts; and
 
●
criminal prosecution.
 
Any
of the above could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
 
If
we develop new water filter products in the future, we may be required to obtain regulatory approvals and clearances in the countries
in which we
intend to sell such products. If we fail to receive, or experience a significant delay in receiving, such approvals and clearances,
then we may not be able
to get our new products to market and enhance our revenues.
 
Our
current water filter products that we market and sell to healthcare facilities and dialysis centers have 510(k) clearance from the FDA.
However, we will
need to continue developing new products in the future to continue to compete in our industry, and such new products
may require obtaining regulatory
approvals in the U.S. and other jurisdictions in which we intend to market them.
 
We
cannot ensure that any new products developed by us in the future, will be approved for marketing. The clearance and/or approval processes
can be
lengthy and uncertain, and each requires substantial commitments of our financial resources and our management’s time and
effort. Even if we do obtain
regulatory approval, approval may be only for limited uses with specific classes of patients, processes,
or other devices. Our failure to obtain, or delays in
obtaining, the necessary regulatory clearance and/or approvals would prevent us
from selling our affected products in the applicable regions. If we cannot
sell some of our products in such regions, or if we are delayed
in selling while waiting for the necessary clearance and/or approvals, our ability to generate
revenues from these products will be limited.
 
Over
time, we intend to market our products globally. Requirements pertaining to the sale of our products vary widely from country to country.
It may be
very expensive and difficult for us to meet the requirements for the sale of our products in many countries. As a result, we
may not be able to obtain the
required approvals in a timely manner, if at all. If we cannot sell our products in a particular region,
then the size of our potential market could be reduced,
which would limit our potential sales and revenues.
 
16

 
 
Significant
additional governmental regulation could subject us to unanticipated delays that would adversely affect our sales and revenues.
 
Our
business strategy depends in part on our ability to get our products into the market as quickly as possible. Additional laws and regulations,
or changes
to existing laws and regulations that are applicable to our business may be enacted or promulgated, and the interpretation,
application or enforcement of the
existing laws and regulations may change. We cannot predict the nature of any future laws, regulations,
interpretations, applications or enforcements or the
specific effects any of these might have on our business. Any future laws, regulations,
interpretations, applications, or enforcements could delay or prevent
regulatory approval or clearance of our products and our ability
to market our products. Moreover, changes that result in our failure to comply with the
requirements of applicable laws and regulations
could result in enforcement actions by the FDA and/or other agencies, all of which could impair our ability
to have manufactured and
to sell the affected products.
 
If
we are not able to maintain sufficient quality controls, then the approval or clearance of any of our future products by the FDA or other
relevant
authorities could be withdrawn, delayed, or denied and our sales and revenues will suffer.
 
Approval
 or clearance of our products could be withdrawn, delayed, or denied by the FDA and the relevant authorities of other countries if our
manufacturing facilities do not comply with their respective manufacturing requirements. The FDA imposes requirements through quality
 system
requirements regulations, which include requirements for good manufacturing practices. Failure by our manufacturers to comply
with these requirements
could prevent us from obtaining FDA pre-clearance or approval of our products and from marketing such products
in the United States. Although the
manufacturing facilities and processes that we use to manufacture our OLpūr MD HDF filter series
have been inspected and certified by a worldwide
testing and certification agency (also referred to as a notified body) that performs
conformity assessments to requirements for medical devices, they have
not been inspected by the FDA. A “notified body” is
a group accredited and monitored by governmental agencies that inspects manufacturing facilities and
quality control systems at regular
intervals and is authorized to carry out unannounced inspections. We cannot be sure that any of the facilities or processes
we use will
comply or continue to comply with their respective requirements on a timely basis or at all, which could delay or prevent our obtaining
the
approvals we need to market our products in the United States.
 
Risks
Related to our Intellectual Property
 
Protecting
our intellectual property in our technology through patents may be costly and ineffective. If we are not able to adequately secure or
enforce
protection of our intellectual property, then we may not be able to compete effectively and we may not be profitable.
 
Our
future success depends in part on our ability to protect the intellectual property for our technology through patents. We will only be
able to protect our
products and methods from unauthorized use by third parties to the extent that our products and methods are covered
by valid and enforceable patents or
are effectively maintained as trade secrets. Our 5 granted U.S. patents will expire at various times
 from 2029 to 2044, assuming they are properly
maintained.
 
The
protection provided by our patents may not be broad enough to prevent competitors from introducing similar products into the market.
Our patents, if
challenged or if we attempt to enforce them, may not necessarily be upheld by the courts of any jurisdiction. Numerous
publications may have been
disclosed by, and numerous patents may have been issued to, our competitors and others relating to methods
and devices for dialysis of which we are not
aware and additional patents relating to methods and devices for dialysis may be issued
 to our competitors and others in the future. If any of those
publications or patents conflict with our patent rights, or cover our products,
then any or all of our patent applications could be rejected and any or all of our
granted patents could be invalidated, either of which
could materially adversely affect our competitive position.
 
17

 
 
Litigation
and other proceedings relating to patent matters, whether initiated by us or a third party, can be expensive and time-consuming, regardless
of
whether the outcome is favorable to us, and may require the diversion of substantial financial, managerial, and other resources. An
adverse outcome could
subject us to significant liabilities to third parties or require us to cease any related development, product
sales or commercialization activities. In addition,
if patents that contain dominating or conflicting claims have been or are subsequently
issued to others and the claims of these patents are ultimately
determined to be valid, then we may be required to obtain licenses under
patents of others in order to develop, manufacture, use, import and/or sell our
products. We may not be able to obtain licenses under
any of these patents on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we do not obtain these licenses, we could
encounter delays in, or be prevented
entirely from using, importing, developing, manufacturing, offering, or selling any products or practicing any methods,
or delivering
any services requiring such licenses.
 
If
we file for or obtain additional patents in foreign countries, we will be subject to laws and procedures that differ from those in the
United States. Such
differences could create additional uncertainty about the level and extent of our patent protection. Moreover, patent
protection in foreign countries may be
different from patent protection under U.S. laws and may not be as favorable to us. Many non-U.S.
jurisdictions, for example, prohibit patent claims
covering methods of medical treatment of humans, although this prohibition may not
include devices used for such treatment.
 
If
we are not able to secure and enforce protection of our trade secrets through enforcement of our confidentiality and non-competition
agreements,
then our competitors may gain access to our trade secrets, we may not be able to compete effectively, and we may not be profitable.
Such protection may
be costly and ineffective.
 
We
attempt to protect our trade secrets, including the processes, concepts, ideas, and documentation associated with our technologies, through
the use of
confidentiality agreements and non-competition agreements with our current employees and with other parties to whom we have
 divulged such trade
secrets. If these employees or other parties breach our confidentiality agreements and non-competition agreements,
or if these agreements are not sufficient
to protect our technology or are found to be unenforceable, then our competitors could acquire
and use information that we consider to be our trade secrets
and we may not be able to compete effectively. Policing unauthorized use
of our trade secrets is difficult and expensive and, in the event we further expand
our operations, the laws of other countries may not
adequately protect our trade secrets.
 
Risks
Related to Owning Our Common Stock
 
The
prices at which shares of the common stock trade have been and will likely continue to be volatile.
 
During
the two years ended December 31, 2024, our common stock has traded at prices ranging from a high of $4.04 to a low of $0.95 per share.
Due to
the lack of an active trading market for our common stock, we expect the prices at which our common stock might trade to continue
to be highly volatile.
The expected volatile price of our stock will make it difficult for investors to predict the value of an investment
in our common stock, to sell shares at a
profit at any given time, or to plan purchases and sales in advance. A variety of other factors
might also affect the market price of our common stock. These
include, but are not limited to:
 
 
●
period-to-period fluctuations
in our results of operations;
 
 
 
 
●
sales of our common stock
or other financing transactions;
 
 
 
 
●
announcements of technological
innovations or new commercial products by our competitors or us;
 
 
 
 
●
developments concerning
proprietary rights, including patents;
 
 
 
 
●
achievement or rejection
of regulatory approvals by our competitors or us;
 
 
 
 
●
regulatory developments
in the United States and foreign countries;
 
 
 
 
●
economic or other crises
and other external factors;
 
 
 
 
●
threatened or actual litigation;
and
 
 
 
 
●
changes in financial estimates
by securities analysts.
 
We
are not able to control many of these factors, and we believe that period-to-period comparisons of our financial results will not necessarily
be indicative
of our future performance.
 
18

 
 
Our
common stock could be further diluted as a result of the issuance of additional shares of common stock, warrants or options.
 
In
the past we have issued common stock and warrants in order to raise capital to help fund our business. We have also issued stock options
and restricted
stock as compensation for services and incentive compensation for our employees, directors, and consultants. We have shares
of common stock reserved
for issuance upon the exercise of certain of these securities and may increase the shares reserved for these
purposes in the future. Our issuance of additional
common stock, options and warrants could affect the rights of our stockholders, could
reduce the market price of our common stock, or could obligate us to
issue additional shares of common stock.
 
Market
sales of large amounts of our common stock, or the potential for those sales even if they do not actually occur, may have the effect
of depressing the
market price of our common stock, the supply of common stock available for resale could be increased, which could stimulate
trading activity and cause
the market price of our common stock to drop, even if our business is doing well. Furthermore, the issuance
of any additional shares of our common stock
or securities convertible into our common stock could be substantially dilutive to holders
of our common stock if they do not invest in future offerings.
 
We
have never paid dividends and do not intend to pay cash dividends.
 
We
have never paid dividends on our common stock and currently do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable
future.
Consequently, any returns on an investment in our common stock in the foreseeable future will have to come from an increase in
the value of the stock
itself. As noted above, the lack of an active trading market for our common stock will make it difficult to value
and sell our common stock. While our
dividend policy will be based on the operating results and capital needs of our business, we anticipate
that all earnings, if any, will be retained to finance
our future operations.
 
Several
provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our fourth amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our
second amended and restated bylaws could discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition, which could adversely affect the market
price of our
common stock.
 
Several
provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our fourth amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our
second
amended and restated bylaws could discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that stockholders may consider favorable,
and the market price of
our common stock could be reduced as a result. These provisions include:
 
 
●
authorizing our board of
directors to issue “blank check” preferred stock without stockholder approval;
 
 
 
 
●
providing for a classified
board of directors with staggered, three-year terms;
 
 
●
prohibiting us from engaging
 in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of
 the
transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder unless certain provisions are met;
 
 
 
 
●
prohibiting cumulative
voting in the election of directors;
 
 
 
 
●
limiting the persons who
may call special meetings of stockholders; and
 
 
 
 
●
establishing advance notice
requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on by
stockholders
at stockholder meetings.
 
19

 
 
As
a smaller reporting company with little or no name recognition and with several risks and uncertainties that could impair our business
operations,
we are not likely to generate widespread interest in our common stock. Without widespread interest in our common stock, our
common stock price may
be highly volatile and an investment in our common stock could decline in value.
 
Unlike
many companies with publicly traded securities, we have little or no name recognition in the investment community. We are a relatively
new
company and very few investors are familiar with either our company or our products. We do not have an active trading market in our
common stock, and
one might never develop, or if it does develop, might not continue.
 
Additionally,
the market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to many factors, many of which are beyond our control. Risks
and uncertainties, including those described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section could impair our business operations
or otherwise cause our operating
results or prospects to be below expectations of investors and market analysts, which could adversely
affect the market price of our common stock. As a
result, investors in our common stock may not be able to resell their shares at or
above their purchase price and could lose all of their investment.
 
Securities
class action litigation is often brought against public companies following periods of volatility in the market price of such company’s
securities.
We may become subject to this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type could be extremely expensive and
divert management’s attention and
resources from running our company.
 
Our
directors, executive officers, and Wexford Capital LP (“Wexford”) control a significant portion of our stock and, if they
choose to vote together,
could have sufficient voting power to control the vote on substantially all corporate matters.
 
As
of March 1, 2025, Wexford, our largest stockholder, beneficially owned approximately 34% of our outstanding common stock. Collectively,
Wexford,
our directors and our executive officers beneficially owned approximately 37.5% of our outstanding common stock. As a result
of this ownership, Wexford
has the ability to exert significant influence over our policies and affairs, including the election of directors.
Wexford, whether acting alone or acting with
other stockholders, could have the power to elect all of our directors and to control the
vote on substantially all other corporate matters without the approval
of other stockholders. Furthermore, such concentration of voting
power could enable Wexford, whether acting alone or acting with other stockholders, to
delay or prevent another party from taking control
of our company even where such change of control transaction might be desirable to other stockholders.
The interests of Wexford in any
matter put before the stockholders may differ from those of any other stockholder.
 
Future
sales of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
 
The
market price of our common stock could decline due to sales of a large number of shares in the market, including sales of shares by Wexford
or any
other large stockholder, or the perception that such sales could occur. These sales could also make it more difficult or impossible
for us to sell equity
securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate to raise funds through future offerings of
common stock. Future sales of our common
stock by stockholders could depress the market price of our common stock.
 
Item
1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
 
Not
required.
 
Item
1C. Cybersecurity
 
Risk
Management and Strategy
 
We
have implemented cybersecurity processes, technologies, and controls to aid in our efforts to assess, identify, and manage cybersecurity
risks. Our
enterprise risk management framework considers cybersecurity risk alongside other company risks as part of our overall risk
assessment process.
 
Our
 cybersecurity risk management program is integrated into our overall enterprise risk management program and shares common methodologies,
reporting channels, and governance processes that apply across the enterprise risk management program to other legal, compliance, strategic,
operational,
and financial risk areas.
 
20

 
 
Our
cybersecurity risk management program includes:
 
 
●
risk assessments designed
to help identify material cybersecurity risks to our critical systems, information, products, services, and our broader
enterprise
information technology (“IT”) environment;
 
 
 
 
●
an outsourced security
team principally responsible for managing (1) our cybersecurity risk assessment processes, (2) our security controls,
and (3) our
response to cybersecurity incidents;
 
 
 
 
●
the use of external service
providers, where appropriate, to assess, test, or otherwise assist with aspects of our security controls;
 
 
 
 
●
cybersecurity awareness
training for our employees, incident response personnel, and senior management. This includes mandatory computer-
based training,
internal communications, and regular phishing awareness campaigns that are designed to emulate real-world contemporary
threats and
provide immediate feedback (and, if necessary, additional training or remedial action) to employees.
 
In
addition to the processes, technologies, and controls that we have in place to reduce the likelihood of a material cybersecurity incident
(or series of
related cybersecurity incidents), our outsourced security team has a written incident response plan outlining how to address
cybersecurity events that occur.
We have assigned a team comprised of finance and technology personnel to review the plan annually to
 serve as a framework for the execution of
responsibilities across businesses and operational roles. The incident response plan is designed
to help us coordinate actions to prepare for, detect, respond
to and recover from cybersecurity incidents, and includes processes to
triage, assess severity, escalate, contain, investigate, and remediate the incident, as
well as to assess the need for disclosure, comply
with applicable legal obligations and mitigate the impact to our brand and reputation and on impacted
parties.
 
In
addition to the cybersecurity incident response plan, our outsourced team conducts tabletop exercises to enhance our incident response
preparedness.
They also have processes to oversee and identify material risks from cybersecurity threats associated with our use of third-party
service providers. Such
processes include conducting due diligence and risk assessment of our current and potential vendors that examine
such vendor’s cybersecurity protocols
and adherence to applicable regulations.
 
We
also maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans to prepare for and respond to the potential for any disruption in the technology
we rely on.
Additionally, we maintain insurance coverage that, subject to its terms and conditions, is intended to help us cover certain
 costs associated with
cybersecurity incidents and information system failures.
 
We
(or the third parties we rely on) may not be able to fully, continuously, or effectively implement security controls as intended. As
described above, we
utilize a risk-based approach and judgment to determine whether and how to implement certain security controls and
 it is possible that we may not
implement the necessary controls if we are unable to recognize or underestimate a particular risk. In
 addition, security controls, no matter how well
designed or implemented, may only mitigate and not fully eliminate cybersecurity risks.
Cybersecurity events, when detected by security tools or third
parties, may not always be identified immediately or addressed in the
manner intended by our cybersecurity incident response plan.
 
Governance
 
Based
on the information available as of the date of this Annual Report, we have no
reason to believe any risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a
result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, have
materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy,
results of operations or
 financial condition. For additional information, see “Risks Related to Our Overall Business and Operations – We rely on
information technology systems and network infrastructure…” in Item
1A, “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 
21

 
 
Given
that cybersecurity risks can impact various areas of responsibility of the Committees of the Board, as well as the overall size of the
Board, the Board
believes it is useful and effective for the entire Board to maintain direct oversight over cybersecurity matters. We
have implemented processes that will
include regular updates to the Board from our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
for its review and feedback regarding cybersecurity
governance processes, the status of projects to strengthen internal cybersecurity,
results from third-party assessments, and also discusses any significant
cyber incidents, including recent incidents at other companies
and the emerging threat landscape.
 
Our
cybersecurity risk management strategy processes, discussed in greater detailed above, are led by our Chief Financial Officer, in conjunction
with our
outsourced security team, under the supervision of our Chief Executive Officer. These individuals are informed about and monitor
 the prevention,
mitigation, detection and remediation of cybersecurity incidents through their management of, and participation in, the
cybersecurity risk management and
strategy processes described above, including their roles in our overall enterprise risk management.
As discussed above, our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer regularly report to the Board about cybersecurity threat
risks, among other cybersecurity related matters.
 
Item
2. Properties
 
Our
U.S. facilities are located at 380 Lackawanna Place, South Orange, New Jersey 07079 and 30 Leslie Court, Whippany, NJ 07981. We use these
facilities to house our corporate headquarters, research, manufacturing, and distribution facilities.
 
We
believe our current facilities are adequate to meet our needs, although we may consolidate facilities in the future. We do not own any
real property for
use in our operation or otherwise.
 
Item
3. Legal Proceedings
 
There
are currently no material pending legal proceedings and, as far as we are aware, no governmental authority is contemplating any material
proceeding
to which we are a party or to which any of our properties is subject.
 
Item
4. Mine Safety Disclosures
 
Not
applicable.
 
22

 
 
PART
II
 
Item
5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
 
Common
Stock Information
 
Our
common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NEPH”. Our common stock commenced trading on August
14, 2019.
 
As
of December 31, 2024, there were approximately 41 holders of record of our common stock. The actual number of holders of common stock
is greater
than this number of record holders and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street
name by brokers and nominees.
The number of holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by
other entities.
 
Recent
Sales of Unregistered Securities
 
Except
as previously reported in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K, we have not sold any equity securities
during
the year ended December 31, 2024, that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
 
Issuer
Repurchases of Equity Securities
 
There
were no repurchases of our common stock during the fourth quarter of 2024.
 
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
 
See
Part III, Item 12, under the heading “Equity Compensation Plan Information,” which is incorporated by reference herein.
 
Item
6. Reserved
 
Item
7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
 
The
following discussion includes forward-looking statements about our business, financial condition and results of operations including
discussions about
management’s expectations for our business. These statements represent projections, beliefs and expectations
 based on current circumstances and
conditions and in light of recent events and trends, and these statements should not be construed
either as assurances of performances or as promises of a
given course of action. Instead, various known and unknown factors are likely
to cause our actual performance and management’s actions to vary, and the
results of these variances may be both material and adverse.
A list of the known material factors that may cause our results to vary, or may cause
management to deviate from its current plans and
expectations, is included in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following
discussion should
 also be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and
Supplemental Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 
Business
Overview
 
We
are a commercial-stage company that develops and sells high performance water solutions to the medical and commercial markets.
 
Our
medical water filters, mostly classified as ultrafilters, are used primarily by hospitals for the prevention of infection from waterborne
pathogens, such
as legionella and pseudomonas, and in dialysis centers for the removal of biological contaminants from water and bicarbonate
concentrate. Because our
ultrafilters capture contaminants as small as 0.005 microns in size, they minimize exposure to a wide variety
of bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and
endotoxins.
 
Our
commercial water filters improve the taste and odor of water and reduce biofilm, cysts, particulates, and scale build-up in downstream
equipment. Our
products are marketed primarily to the food service, hospitality, convenience store, and health care markets, and are
also sold into medical institutions to
supplement our medical filters.
 
We
previously held a majority stake in Specialty Renal Products, Inc. (“SRP”), a development-stage medical device company that
was focused primarily on
developing hemodiafiltration (“HDF”) technology. In May 2022, SRP received 510(k) clearance from
the FDA for SRP’s second-generation model of the
OLpūrH2H Hemodiafiltration System, which enables nephrologists to provide
HDF treatment to patients with end stage renal disease. In January 2023,
SRP management began exploring strategic partnerships to support
a commercial launch of the HDF product but was unsuccessful in identifying a partner.
By late February 2023, SRP had nearly exhausted
 its capital resources and, due to its limited capital and lack of prospects for securing a strategic
partnership or additional financing,
the board of directors of SRP adopted a plan on March 6, 2023 to wind down SRP operations, liquidate its remaining
assets and dissolve
the company. That plan was approved by SRP’s stockholders on March 9, 2023, and on April 13, 2023, SRP filed a certificate of
dissolution
with the State of Delaware. SRP’s cash resources were sufficient to satisfy all of its outstanding liabilities other than its obligations
to us under a
loan with an outstanding balance of approximately $1.5 million. Accordingly, SRP assigned to Nephros all of its remaining
assets, including its intellectual
property rights in the HDF2 device, in satisfaction of its outstanding loan balance. Although we have
no current plans to do so, we may re-evaluate
opportunities for HDF in the future.
 
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
 
We
 are subject to recently issued accounting standards, accounting guidance and disclosure requirements. For a description of these new
 accounting
standards, see “Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to our consolidated financial statements
included in Item 8, “Financial Statements
and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 
23

 
 
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
 
Our
discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which
have been prepared
in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). The preparation
of financial statements in accordance with
GAAP requires application of management’s subjective judgments, often requiring estimates
about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and
may change in subsequent periods. Our actual results may differ substantially
from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. While our
significant accounting policies are described in more detail
 in “Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to our consolidated financial
statements included in Item
 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following
accounting
policies require the application of significant judgments and estimates.
 
Inventory
Reserves
 
We
value our inventories at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out method, whereby we make estimates regarding
the value of
our inventories, including an assessment of excess and obsolete inventories. We utilize both specific product identification
and historical product demand as
the basis for estimating our excess or obsolete inventory reserve. A portion of our inventories are
subject to expiration dating, which can be extended in
certain circumstances. We continually evaluate quantities on hand and the carrying
value of our inventories to determine the need for reserves for excess
and obsolete inventories, and apply a consistent policy to estimate
the reserve, unless circumstances change that would require us to reassess our policy
such as a sudden and significant decline in demand
for our products, new technology, or macroeconomic conditions. If inventory is written down, a new
cost basis is established that cannot
be increased in future periods.
 
Results
of Operations
 
Fluctuations
in Operating Results
 
Our
results of operations have fluctuated significantly from period to period in the past, including recently, and are likely to continue
to do so in the future.
We anticipate that our annual results of operations will be impacted for the foreseeable future by several factors,
including market acceptance of our
products, expense management, and progress in continuing to achieve positive operating cash flow.
Due to these fluctuations, we believe that the period-to-
period comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our
future performance.
 
Fiscal
Year Ended December 31, 2024, compared to the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
 
The
following table sets forth our summarized, consolidated results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands
except
percentages):
 
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
   
$
Increase
   
%
Increase
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
   
(Decrease)
   
(Decrease)
 
Total net revenues
 
$
14,162   
$
14,238   
$
(76)  
 
(1)%
Cost of goods sold
 
 
5,439   
 
5,833   
 
(394)  
 
(7)%
Gross margin
 
 
8,723   
 
8,405   
 
318   
 
4%
Gross margin %
 
 
62% 
 
59% 
 
-   
 
3%
Research and development expenses
 
 
906   
 
873   
 
33   
 
4%
Depreciation and amortization expenses
 
 
135   
 
214   
 
(79)  
 
(37)%
Selling, general and administrative expenses
 
 
7,676   
 
8,911   
 
(1,235)  
 
(14)%
Operating Income (loss)
 
 
6   
 
(1,593)  
 
1,599   
 
(100)%
Interest expense
 
 
(1)  
 
(2)  
 
1   
 
(50)%
Interest income
 
 
94   
 
64   
 
30   
 
47%
Other (expense) income, net
 
 
(10)  
 
(44)  
 
34   
 
(77)%
Income (loss) before income taxes
 
 
89   
 
(1,575)  
 
1,664   
 
(106)%
Income tax expense
 
 
(15)  
 
-   
 
(15)  
 
- 
Net Income (loss)
 
$
74   
$
(1,575)  
 
1,649   
 
(105)%
 
24

 
 
Net
Revenues.
 
Total
net revenues decreased 1% in the year ended December 31, 2024. This decrease was primarily driven by decreased revenue from emergency
response
orders, which were unusually large in 2023 but not repeated to the same degree in 2024. We believe that one contributor to this
decline is the reduced
stringency of waterborne risk response in territories previously committed to both proactive filtration measures
and robust corrective actions. Consequently,
we experienced the effects of a relaxation of requirements for emergency relief and remediation.
However, the decrease in emergency response orders was
partially offset by increased revenue from programmatic or recurring sales, which
 were 9% more than the same period in 2023. This increase in
programmatic sales was due to the development of our newer sales personnel
hired in 2023 and a number of new customer accounts.
 
Gross
Profit Margin
 
Gross
profit margin was approximately 62% for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to approximately 59% for the year ended December 31,
2023. The increase of approximately 3 percentage points reflects more favorable terms with our largest supplier.
 
Research
and Development Expenses
 
Research
and development expenses increased 4% primarily due to an increase in headcount.
 
Depreciation
and Amortization Expense
 
Depreciation
and amortization expenses were $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.
 
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses
 
Selling,
general and administrative expenses decreased $1.2 million or 14%, primarily due to a decrease in stock compensation, bonus, and commission
expense
 
Interest
Expense
 
Interest
expense was approximately $1,000 for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $2,000 for the year ended December 31, 2023.
 
Interest
Income
 
Interest
income was approximately $94,000 for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to approximately $64,000 for the ended December 31, 2023.
The increase in interest income is due to higher interest rates earned on invested cash balances.
 
Other
(Expense), net
 
Other
expense was approximately $10,000 for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $44,000 for the year ended December 31, 2023. This
decrease is primarily a result of losses on foreign currency transactions in 2023.
 
25

 
 
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
 
The
following table summarizes our liquidity and capital resources as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 and is intended to supplement the more
detailed
discussion that follows. The amounts stated are expressed in thousands.
 
 
 
As of December 31,
 
Liquidity and Capital Resources
 
2024
   
2023
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
3,760   
$
4,307 
Other current assets
 
 
4,538   
 
4,098 
Working capital
 
 
6,736   
 
6,292 
Stockholders’ equity
 
 
8,585   
 
8,358 
 
We
operate under an Investment, Risk Management and Accounting Policy adopted by our Board of Directors. Such policy limits the types of
instruments
or securities in which we may invest our excess funds: U.S. Treasury Securities; Certificates of Deposit issued by money
center banks; Money Funds by
money center banks; Repurchase Agreements; and Eurodollar Certificates of Deposit issued by money center
banks. This policy provides that our primary
objectives for investments are the preservation of principal and achieving sufficient liquidity
 to meet our forecasted cash requirements. In addition,
provided that such primary objectives are met, we may seek to achieve the maximum
yield available under such constraints.
 
At
December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $144.3 million. We may continue to incur additional operating losses until such time,
if ever, that
we are able to consistently increase product sales to achieve profitability. Based on cash that is available for our operations
and projections of our future
operations, we believe that our cash balances will be sufficient to fund our current operating plan through
at least the next 12 months from the date of
issuance of the condensed consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form
10-K. Additionally, our operating plans are designed to help
control operating costs, to increase revenue, and to raise additional capital
so we can continue to generate sufficient cash flows to fund operations. If there
were a decrease in the demand for our products due
to either economic or competitive conditions, or if we are otherwise unable to achieve our plan or
achieve our anticipated operating
results, there could be a significant reduction in liquidity due to our possible inability to cut costs sufficiently. In such
event,
the Company may need to take further actions to reduce its discretionary expenditures, including further reducing headcount, reducing
spending on
R&D projects, and reducing other variable costs.
 
Our
future liquidity sources and requirements will depend on many other factors, including:
 
 
●
the market acceptance of
our products, and our ability to effectively and efficiently produce, market and sell our products;
 
 
 
 
●
the costs involved in filing
and enforcing patent claims and the status of competitive products; and
 
 
 
 
●
the cost of litigation,
including potential patent litigation and any other actual or threatened litigation.
 
We
expect to put our current capital resources toward the development, marketing, and sales of our water filtration products and working
capital purposes.
 
Net
cash used in operating activities was $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to net cash provided by operating activities
of
approximately $0.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Net cash used in operating activities in 2024 was primarily due to
an increase in
inventory of approximately $0.4 million, an increase in accounts receivable of approximately $0.3 million, a decrease
in accounts payable and accrued
expenses of approximately $0.2 million each, offset by an increase in inventory impairments and write-offs
 of approximately $0.3 million. Net cash
provided by operating activities in 2023 was primarily due to a decline in inventory of approximately
$0.4 million, an increase in accrued expenses of
approximately $0.5 million, partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable of
approximately $0.2 million.
 
Net
cash used in investing activities was approximately $50,000 and $75,000 for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 respectively,
 
Net
cash used in financing activities was approximately $5,000 for the year ended December 31, 2024. This was primarily from principal
payments on our
finance lease obligation.
 
Net
cash used in financing activities was $79,000 for the year ended December 31, 2023. This was primarily from payments of $71,000 on our
secured
note, principal payments of approximately $7,000 on our finance lease obligation and principal payments of approximately $1,000
 on our equipment
financing debt.
 
Item
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
 
Not
required for smaller reporting companies.
 
Item
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
 
26

 
 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM
 
To
the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Nephros, Inc.:
 
Opinion
on the Financial Statements
 
We
have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Nephros, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023,
and the related
consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the two years
in the period ended December 31, 2024,
and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”).
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present
fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company
as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows
for each of the two years in the period ended
December 31, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America.
 
Basis
for Opinion
 
These
consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on
the Company’s
consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board
(United States) (“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 audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable
assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
The Company is not
required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part
of our audits we are required to obtain an
understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing
an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
 
Our
audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether
due to error or
fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence
regarding the amounts and
disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis
for our opinion.
 
Critical
Audit Matters
 
Critical
audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be
communicated
to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and
 (2) involved our especially
challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.
 
/s/ Baker Tilly US, LLP
 
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.
 
Tewksbury, Massachusetts
March 24, 2025
 
27

 
 
NEPHROS,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
(In
thousands, except share and per share amounts)
 
 
 
December 31, 
2024
   
December 31, 
2023
 
ASSETS
 
 
    
 
  
Current assets:
 
 
    
 
  
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
3,760   
$
4,307 
Accounts receivable, net
 
 
1,781   
 
1,496 
Inventory
 
 
2,615   
 
2,470 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
 
 
142   
 
132 
Total current assets
 
 
8,298   
 
8,405 
Property and equipment, net
 
 
161   
 
152 
Lease right-of-use assets
 
 
1,377   
 
1,807 
Intangible assets, net
 
 
349   
 
381 
Goodwill
 
 
759   
 
759 
License and supply agreement, net
 
 
216   
 
271 
Other assets
 
 
50   
 
86 
TOTAL ASSETS
 
$
11,210   
$
11,861 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
 
    
 
  
Current liabilities:
 
 
    
 
  
Accounts payable
 
 
649   
 
873 
Accrued expenses
 
 
565   
 
794 
Current portion of lease liabilities
 
 
348   
 
446 
Total current liabilities
 
 
1,562   
 
2,113 
Lease liabilities, net of current portion
 
 
1,063   
 
1,390 
TOTAL LIABILITIES
 
 
2,625   
 
3,503 
 
 
 
    
 
  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 10)
 
 
   
 
  
 
 
 
    
 
  
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
 
 
    
 
  
Preferred stock, $.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized at 
December 31, 2024 and 2023; no shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and
2023
 
 
-   
 
- 
Common stock, $.001 par value; 40,000,000 shares authorized at 
December 31, 2024 and 2023; 10,544,691 and 10,543,675 shares issued and outstanding at
December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively
 
 
11   
 
10 
Additional paid-in capital
 
 
152,906   
 
152,754 
Accumulated deficit
 
 
(144,332)  
 
(144,406)
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
 
8,585   
 
8,358 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
$
11,210   
$
11,861 
 
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
28

 
 
NEPHROS,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In
thousands, except share and per share amounts)
 
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
 
Net revenue:
 
 
    
 
  
Product revenues
 
$
14,035   
$
14,110 
Royalty and other revenues
 
 
127   
 
128 
Total net revenues
 
 
14,162   
 
14,238 
Cost of goods sold
 
 
5,439   
 
5,833 
Gross Margin
 
 
8,723   
 
8,405 
Operating expenses:
 
 
    
 
  
Research and development
 
 
906   
 
873 
Depreciation and amortization
 
 
135   
 
214 
Selling, general and administrative
 
 
7,676   
 
8,911 
Total operating expenses
 
 
8,717   
 
9,998 
Operating income (loss)
 
 
6   
 
(1,593)
Other (expense) income:
 
 
    
 
  
Interest expense
 
 
(1)  
 
(2)
Interest income
 
 
94   
 
64 
Other expense  net
 
 
(10)  
 
(44)
Total other income
 
 
83   
 
18 
Income (loss) before income taxes
 
 
89   
 
(1,575)
Income tax expense
 
 
(15)  
 
- 
Net income (loss)
 
 
74   
 
(1,575)
 
 
 
    
 
  
Net income (loss) per common share, basic
 
$
0.01   
$
(0.15)
Net income (loss) per common share, diluted
 
$
0.01   
$
(0.15)
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic
 
 
10,525,197   
 
10,386,018 
Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted
 
 
10,602,004   
 
10,386,018 
 
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
29

 
 
NEPHROS,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(In
thousands, except share amounts)
 
 
 
Common Stock
   
Additional
Paid-in     Accumulated   
 
    Noncontrolling   
Total
Stockholders’ 
 
 
Shares
    Amount   
Capital    
Deficit
    Subtotal   
Interest
   
Equity
 
Balance, December 31, 2022
    10,297,429    $
10    $ 148,413    $
(142,831)   $
5,592    $
3,289    $
8,881 
Net loss
   
-     
-     
-     
(1,575)    
(1,575)    
-     
(1,575)
Change in non-controlling interest
   
-     
-     
3,262     
-     
3,262     
(3,262)    
- 
Cashless exercise of stock options
   
16,576     
-     
-     
-     
-     
-     
- 
Restricted stock vesting
   
187,503     
-     
-     
-     
-     
-     
- 
Stock-based compensation
   
-     
-     
1,079     
-     
1,079     
(27)    
1,052 
Balance, December 31, 2023
    10,501,508    $
10    $ 152,754    $
(144,406)   $
8,358    $
-    $
8,358 
Net income
   
-     
-     
-     
74     
74     
-     
74 
Cashless exercise of stock options
   
1,016     
-     
-     
-     
-     
-     
- 
Restricted stock vesting
   
42,167     
1     
(1)    
-     
-     
-     
- 
Stock-based compensation
   
-     
-     
153     
-     
153     
-     
153 
Balance, December 31, 2024
    10,544,691    $
11    $ 152,906    $
(144,332)   $
8,585    $
-    $
8,585 
 
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
30

 
 
NEPHROS,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In
thousands)
 
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
 
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
    
 
  
Net income (loss)
 
$
74   
$
(1,575)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
 
 
    
 
  
Depreciation of property and equipment
 
 
46   
 
39 
Amortization of intangible assets, license and supply agreement and finance lease right-of-use
asset
 
 
91   
 
175 
Stock-based compensation
 
 
153   
 
1,052 
Inventory impairments and writeoffs
 
 
262   
 
295 
Change in right-of-use asset
 
 
447   
 
342 
Increase (Decrease) in provision for bad debt
 
 
-   
 
11 
Gain on asset disposal
 
 
(5)  
 
- 
Gain on foreign currency transactions
 
 
(6)  
 
- 
Decrease (Increase) in operating assets:
 
 
    
 
  
Accounts receivable
 
 
(285)  
 
(221)
Inventory
 
 
(407)  
 
387 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
 
 
(10)  
 
56 
Other assets
 
 
36   
 
(31)
(Decrease) Increase in operating liabilities:
 
 
    
 
  
Accounts payable
 
 
(220)  
 
133 
Accrued expenses
 
 
(226)  
 
506 
Lease liabilities
 
 
(442)  
 
(342)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
 
 
(492)  
 
827 
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
    
 
  
Sale of property and equipment
 
 
5   
 
- 
Purchase of property and equipment
 
 
(55)  
 
(75)
Net cash used in investing activities
 
 
(50)  
 
(75)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
    
 
  
Payments on secured note payable
 
 
-   
 
(71)
Principal payments on finance lease liability
 
 
(5)  
 
(7)
Principal payments on equipment financing
 
 
-   
 
(1)
Net cash used in financing activities
 
 
(5)  
 
(79)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
 
 
(547)  
 
673 
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year
 
 
4,307   
 
3,634 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year
 
$
3,760   
$
4,307 
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
 
 
    
 
  
Cash paid for interest expense
 
$
2   
$
2 
Cash paid for income taxes
 
$
-   
$
- 
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities
 
 
    
 
  
Right-of-use asset obtained in exchange for operating lease liability
 
$
-   
$
1,164 
Right-of-use asset obtained in exchange for finance lease liability
 
$
22   
$
- 
 
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
31

 
 
NEPHROS,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
Note
1 - Organization and Nature of Operations
 
Nephros,
Inc. (“Nephros” or the “Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on April 3, 1997.
The Company was founded by
health professionals, scientists and engineers affiliated with Columbia University to develop advanced end
 stage renal disease (“ESRD”) therapy
technology and products.
 
Beginning
in 2009, Nephros introduced high performance liquid purification filters to meet the demand for water purification in certain medical
markets.
The Company’s filters, generally classified as ultrafilters, are primarily used in hospitals for the prevention of infection
from waterborne pathogens, such as
legionella and pseudomonas, and in dialysis centers for the removal of biological contaminants from
water and bicarbonate concentrate. The Company also
develops and sells water filtration products for commercial applications, focusing
on the hospitality and food service markets.
 
In
 July 2018, the Company formed a subsidiary, Specialty Renal Products, Inc. (“SRP”), to drive the development of its second-generation
hemodiafiltration system and other products focused on improving therapies for patients with renal disease. After SRP’s formation,
the Company assigned
to SRP all of the Company’s rights to three patents relating to the Company’s hemodiafiltration technology,
which were carried at zero book value. On
March 9, 2023, the SRP Stockholders approved a plan of dissolution to wind down SRP’s
operations, liquidate SRP’s remaining assets and dissolve SRP,
and SRP filed a certificate of dissolution with the State of Delaware
on April 13, 2023. As a result of the SRP Stockholders’ approval of the plan of
dissolution and provisions therein and after satisfying
all of SRP’s liabilities, there are no assets available for distribution to the holders of any of SRP’s
capital stock, including
its Series A Preferred Stock. As such, the value recorded to non-controlling interest was written to zero and the impact reclassified
to the Company’s additional paid-in capital as the Company retained control of SRP.
 
The
Company’s primary U.S. facility is located at 380 Lackawanna Place, South Orange, New Jersey 07079. This location along with our
Whippany, NJ
facility, houses the Company’s corporate headquarters, research, manufacturing, and distribution facilities.
 
Note
2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
 
Principles
of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
 
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Nephros, Inc. and its subsidiary, SRP, which was dissolved pursuant
to a plan
of dissolution adopted by its stockholders in March 2023 and the subsequent filing of a certificate of dissolution with the
State of Delaware in April 2023.
All intercompany accounts and transactions were eliminated in the preparation of the accompanying condensed
consolidated financial statements.
 
Use
of Estimates
 
The
 preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
 America
(“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities
and disclosure of contingent
assets and liabilities, at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amount of revenues and
expenses, during the reporting period. Actual results
could differ materially from those estimates. Included in these estimates are assumptions
about the collection of accounts receivable, value of inventories,
useful life of fixed assets and intangible assets, the assessment
 of expected cash flows used in evaluating goodwill and other long-lived assets, the
assessment of the ability to continue as a going
concern and assumptions used in determining stock compensation such as expected volatility and risk-free
interest rate.
 
Liquidity
 
In
connection with SRP’s plan of dissolution and pursuant to an agreement between the Company and SRP entered into on May 24, 2023,
SRP assigned
substantially all of its remaining assets to the Company in satisfaction of the entire loan balance. See “Note 14
– Stockholders’ Equity – Noncontrolling
Interest”. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2024, there was no outstanding
balance of this loan.
 
32

 
 
Although
we generated net income for the year ended December 31, 2024, we had negative cash flow from operations of approximately $500,000 for
the
same period. Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception, generating an accumulated deficit of $144.3
 million as of
December 31, 2024. Additionally, we cannot be certain that we will be able to generate a sufficient amount of product revenue
to maintain profitability on
an ongoing basis.
 
The
Company continues to focus on growth in sales and managing tight expenses with the goal of returning to cash flow positive from operations.
The
Company believes that the tight focus on expenses and its current cash balances are sufficient to fund its current operating plan
through at least the next 12
months from the date of issuance of the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. However,
if the Company’s operating results do not
meet its expectations, the Company may need to further reduce discretionary expenditures
such as headcount, R&D projects, and other variable costs.
 
Concentration
of Credit Risk
 
The
 Company deposits its cash in financial institutions. At times, such deposits may be in excess of insured limits. To date, the Company
 has not
experienced any impairment losses on its cash. The Company also limits its credit risk with respect to accounts receivable by
performing credit evaluations
when deemed necessary.
 
Major
Customers
 
For
the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the following customers accounted for the following percentages of our revenues, respectively:
 
Customer
 
2024
   
2023
 
A
   
25%   
23%
B
   
8%   
11%
Total
   
33%   
34%
 
As
of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the following customer accounted for the following percentage of our accounts receivable:
 
Customer
 
2024
   
2023
 
A
   
13%   
12%
 
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
 
The
 Company considers all highly liquid money market instruments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash
equivalents. The company also classifies, as cash equivalents, certificates of deposit with an original maturity of greater than three
months for which there
is no cost to withdrawal funds prior to maturity date. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, cash and cash equivalents
were deposited in financial institutions
and consisted entirely of immediately available fund balances. The Company maintains its cash
deposits and cash equivalents with financial institutions it
believes to be well-known and stable.
 
Accounts
Receivable
 
The
Company recognizes an allowance that reflects a current estimate of credit losses expected to be incurred over the life of a financial
asset, including
trade receivables. The Company continuously monitors collections and payments from its customers and maintains a provision
for estimated credit losses.
The Company determines its allowance for credit losses by considering a number of factors, including the
 length of time balances are past due, the
Company’s previous loss history, the customer’s current ability to pay its obligations
to the Company and the expected condition of the general economy
and the industry as a whole. The Company writes off accounts receivable
 when they are determined to be uncollectible. The allowance for doubtful
accounts was approximately $11,000 as of December 31, 2024,
and 2023, respectively.
 
33

 
 
Inventory
 
For
all medical device products and some commercial products, the Company engages third parties to manufacture and package its finished goods,
which
are shipped to the Company for warehousing, until sold to distributors or end customers. Some commercial products are manufactured
 at Company
facilities. Inventory consists of finished goods and raw materials and is valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value
using the first-in, first-out
method.  
 
Reserve assessments include inventory obsolescence based upon expiration date, damaged, or rejected product, slow-moving
 products, and other
considerations.
 
License
and Supply Rights
 
The
Company’s rights under the License and Supply Agreement with Medica are capitalized and stated at cost, less accumulated amortization,
and are
amortized using the straight-line method over the term of the License and Supply Agreement, which is from April 23, 2012 through
December 31, 2028.
The Company determines amortization periods for licenses based on its assessment of various factors impacting estimated
useful lives and cash flows of
the acquired rights. The intangible asset is being amortized as an expense over the life of the License
and Supply Agreement. See Note 8 – License and
Supply Agreement, net for further discussion.
 
Leases
 
The
Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. Leases are included in lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets
and lease liabilities on
the consolidated balance sheet.
 
Lease
 ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at
commencement date. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing
rate based on the
information available at commencement date in determining the present value of future payments. The operating lease
 ROU asset includes any lease
payments made and initial direct costs incurred and excludes lease incentives. The Company’s lease
terms may include options to extend or terminate the
lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option.
Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line
basis over the lease term.
 
The
Company has elected as an accounting policy not to apply the recognition requirements in ASC 842 to short-term leases. Short-term leases
are leases
that have a term of 12 months or less and do not include an option to purchase the underlying asset that the Company is reasonably
certain to exercise. The
Company recognizes the lease payments for short-term leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
 
The
Company has also elected, as a practical expedient, by underlying class of asset, not to separate lease components from non-lease components
and,
instead, account for them as a single component.
 
Property
and Equipment, net
 
Property
and equipment, net is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. These assets are depreciated over their estimated useful lives of
three to seven
years using the straight-line method.
 
The
Company adheres to ASC 360 and periodically evaluates whether current facts or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of its
depreciable
assets to be held and used may not be recoverable. If such circumstances are determined to exist, an estimate of undiscounted
future cash flows produced
by the long-lived assets, or the appropriate grouping of assets, is compared to the carrying value to determine
whether impairment exists. If an asset is
determined to be impaired, the loss is measured based on the difference between the asset’s
fair value and its carrying value. For long-lived assets, the
estimate of fair value is based on various valuation techniques, including
a discounted value of estimated future cash flows. The Company reports an asset
to be disposed of at the lower of its carrying value
or its fair value less costs to sell. There were no impairment losses for long-lived assets recorded for the
year ended December 31,
2024 and 2023.
 
Direct
internal and external costs to implement internal-use software are capitalized. Capitalized costs are depreciated over the estimated
useful life of the
software, generally five years, beginning when software is ready for its intended use.
 
34

 
 
Intangible
Assets
 
The
Company’s intangible assets include finite lived assets. Finite lived intangible assets, consisting of customer relationships,
tradenames, service marks
and domain names are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets.
 
Finite
lived intangible assets are tested for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset
may not be
recoverable. Impairment testing requires management to estimate the future undiscounted cash flows of an intangible asset
using assumptions believed to
be reasonable, but which are unpredictable and inherently uncertain. Actual future cash flows may differ
from the estimates used in the impairment testing.
 
Goodwill
 
Goodwill
represents the excess of purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired. In accordance with ASC 350, “Goodwill and Other
Intangibles,”
rather than recording periodic amortization, goodwill is subject to an annual assessment for impairment by applying
a fair value-based test. If the fair value
of the reporting unit exceeds the reporting unit’s carrying value, including goodwill,
then goodwill is considered not impaired, making further analysis not
required. The Company reviews goodwill for possible impairment
annually during the fourth quarter, or whenever events or circumstances indicate that the
carrying amount may not be recoverable.
 
Fair
Value Measurements
 
The
Company measures certain financial instruments and other items at fair value.
 
To
determine the fair value, the Company uses the fair value hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of
observable inputs
and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable
inputs are inputs market
participants would use to value an asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from independent
sources. Unobservable inputs are
inputs based on assumptions about the factors market participants would use to value an asset or liability.
 
To
measure fair value, the Company uses the following fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered
observable
and the last unobservable:
 
Level
1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
 
Level
2 - Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices
for similar assets and
liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are
not active; or other inputs that are observable or can
be corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.
 
Level
3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets
or liabilities. Value is
determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques and also includes
instruments for which the determination of
fair value requires significant judgment or estimation.
 
35

 
 
Revenue
Recognition
 
The
Company recognizes revenue under ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” ASC 606 prescribes a five-step model for
recognizing
revenue, which includes (i) identifying contracts with customers; (ii) identifying performance obligations; (iii) determining
 the transaction price; (iv)
allocating the transaction price; and (v) recognizing revenue. See Note 3 – Revenue Recognition for
further discussion.
 
Shipping
and Handling Costs
 
Shipping
and handling costs charged to customers are recorded as revenue and as cost of goods sold and were approximately $126,000 and $107,000
for
the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The company has elected the practical expedient and treats shipping and handling as a
fulfillment cost.
 
Warranty
Costs
 
The
Company’s customers may return products due to defects, malfunctions, or if no longer needed (credit) within 30 days from the date
of the original
purchase, subject to inspection and approval by the Company. However, return quantities have historically been minimal/insignificant
 due to the
Company’s rigorous pre-shipment inspection processes and ongoing customer support. The Company does not therefore accrue
for warranty expense.
 
Research
and Development Costs
 
Research
and development costs represent a significant part of our business. Costs included in research and development are expensed as incurred
and
relate to the processes of discovering, testing and developing new products, improving existing products and regulatory compliance
prior to FDA approval.
Research and development costs include, but are not limited to, personnel expenses, consulting costs and equipment
depreciation.
 
Stock-Based
Compensation
 
The
fair value of stock options is recognized as stock-based compensation expense in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations.
The Company
calculates stock-based compensation expense in accordance with ASC 718. The fair value of the Company’s stock option
awards is estimated using a
Black-Scholes option valuation model. This model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions and
 elections including expected stock price
volatility and the estimated life of each award. The fair value of stock-based awards is amortized
over the vesting period of the award. For stock awards
that vest based on performance conditions (e.g., achievement of certain milestones),
expense is recognized when it is probable that the condition will be
met.
 
Other
Income and Expense, net
 
Other
expense of approximately $10,000 and $44,000 for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, primarily resulted from losses
on
foreign currency transactions.
 
Income
Taxes
 
The
Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, which requires accounting for deferred income taxes under the asset and
liability
method. Deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences of temporary differences by applying enacted statutory
tax rates applicable in
future years to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of existing assets
and liabilities.
 
For
financial reporting purposes, the Company has incurred a loss in each period since its inception until 2024 Based on available objective
evidence,
including the Company’s history of losses, management believes it is more likely than not that the net deferred tax assets
will not be fully realizable.
Accordingly, the Company provided for a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets at
December 31, 2024 and 2023.
 
ASC
740 prescribes, among other things, a recognition threshold and measurement attributes for the financial statement recognition and measurement
of
uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a company’s income tax return. ASC 740 utilizes a two-step approach
for evaluating uncertain tax
positions. Step one, or recognition, requires a company to determine if the weight of available evidence
indicates a tax position is more likely than not to be
sustained upon audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes,
if any. Step two, or measurement, is based on the largest amount of
benefit that is more likely than not to be realized on settlement
with the taxing authority. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major
taxing authorities for all tax years subsequent
to 2016. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recognized no adjustments for
uncertain tax positions. However,
management’s conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors
including,
but not limited to, on-going analyses of and changes to tax laws, regulation and interpretations, thereof.
 
See
Note 12 – Income Taxes for further discussion.
 
36

 
 
Net
Income (Loss) per Common Share
 
Basic
income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) available to common shareholders by the number of weighted
average
common shares issued and outstanding. Diluted income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) available
 to common
shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares issued and outstanding for the period, plus amounts representing
the dilutive effect from
the exercise of stock options and warrants and unvested restricted stock, as applicable. The Company calculates
dilutive potential common shares using the
treasury stock method, which assumes the Company will use the proceeds from the exercise of
stock options and warrants to repurchase shares of common
stock to hold in its treasury stock reserves.
 
A reconciliation of the Company’s basic and diluted income (loss) per common share is as follows:
 
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
(In thousands,
except share and per share data)
 
2024
   
2023
 
Numerator:
 
 
    
 
  
Net income (loss)
 
$
74   
$
(1,575)
 
 
 
    
 
  
Denominator:
 
 
    
 
  
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding
 
 
10,525,197   
 
10,386,018 
Effect of potentially dilutive options
 
 
76,807   
 
— 
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding
 
 
10,602,004   
 
10,386,018 
 
 
 
    
 
  
Income (loss) per common share:
 
 
    
 
  
Basic
 
$
0.01   
$
(0.15)
Diluted
 
$
0.01   
$
(0.15)
 
 
The
following potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the computations of diluted weighted average shares outstanding as
they would be
antidilutive:
 
 
 
December 31,
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
 
Shares underlying options outstanding
 
 
1,161,986   
 
1,789,206 
Unvested restricted stock
 
 
-   
 
42,167 
 
Foreign
Exchange Transaction Gains/Losses
 
Transactions
denominated in a currency other than an entity’s functional currency may give rise to transaction gains and losses. The Company
recognizes
transaction gains and losses within other (expense) income, net, within the consolidated statements of operations.
 
Segment
Reporting
 
The
Company operates in only one business segment from which the Company’s chief operating decision maker evaluates the financial performance
of the
Company.
 
Recently
Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
 
In
November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures” which improves reportable segment
disclosure
requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. The Company adopted this guidance
as of December 31, 2024.
See Note 2 for additional disclosures.,   
 
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements, Not Yet Effective
 
In
December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, “Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures,” which enhances the transparency and
decision usefulness
of income tax disclosures. The guidance is effective for the Company’s annual reporting period ending December
31, 2025. Early adoption is permitted.
The Company is assessing the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
 
In
 November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, “ASC 220- Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income—Expense Disaggregation
Disclosures,” which requires entities, in the notes to financial statements, to disclose specified information about certain costs
and expenses. The guidance
is effective for the Company’s annual periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim periods
within annual reporting periods beginning after
December 15, 2027. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is assessing the impact of
adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
 
37

 
 
Note
3 – Revenue Recognition
 
The
Company recognizes revenue related to product sales at a point-in-time when product is shipped via external logistics providers and
the other criteria
of ASC 606 are met. Product revenue is recorded net of variable consideration which includes prompt pay discounts, other discounts,
and returns and
allowances. The allowance for sales returns
was approximately $5,000
as of December 31, 2024. There was no
allowance for sales returns as of December
31, 2023. In addition to product revenue, the Company recognizes revenue related to
royalty and other agreements in accordance with the five-step model
in ASC 606. Sales-based royalties, for which the license is the predominant item to which the royalties relate, are recognized
(i) when the related sales
occur, or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been
satisfied (or partially satisfied) Royalty and
other revenues recognized for the years
ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands) is comprised of:
  
 
 
Years Ended
December 31,
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
 
Other revenue
 
$
121   
$
97 
Royalty
revenue under the Sublicense Agreement with CamelBak (1)
 
 
6   
 
31 
Total royalty and other revenues
 
$
127   
$
128 
 
 
(1)
In
May 2015, the Company entered into a Sublicense Agreement (the “Sublicense Agreement”) with CamelBak Products, LLC (“CamelBak”).
Under this Sublicense Agreement, the Company granted CamelBak an exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide (with the exception of Italy)
sublicense and license, in each case solely to market, sell, distribute, import and export the IWTD. In exchange for the rights granted
to
CamelBak, CamelBak agreed, through December 31, 2022, to pay the Company a percentage of the gross profit on any sales made to
a branch
of the U.S. military, subject to certain exceptions, and to pay a fixed per-unit fee for any other sales made. CamelBak
was also required to meet
or exceed certain minimum annual fees payable to the Company, and, if such fees are not met or exceeded,
the Company was able to convert
the exclusive sublicense to a non-exclusive sublicense with respect to non-U.S. military sales. In
the first quarter of 2019, the Sublicense
Agreement was amended to eliminate the minimum fee obligations starting May 6, 2018 and,
as such, CamelBak has no further minimum fee
obligations. The Sublicense Agreement expired on December 31, 2022, though we and CamelBak
 thereafter orally agreed to continue
operating under the terms of the Sublicense agreement. In March 2024, we entered into a further
 written amendment to the Sublicense
Agreement, which was made effective December 31, 2022, that extended the term of the Sublicense
Agreement through December 31, 2025.
 
Other
Revenue – Other revenues are derived from sales of services to customers, which primarily include installation, training and testing
on product and
equipment sold to certain customers.
 
Note
4 – Fair Value Measurements
 
Assets
and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
 
The
Company evaluates its financial assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements on a recurring basis to determine the appropriate
level of
classification for each reporting period.
 
At
 December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company’s cash equivalents consisted of money market funds. The Company values its
 cash
equivalents using observable inputs that reflect quoted prices for securities with identical characteristics and classify the valuation
techniques that use these
inputs as Level 1.
 
38

 
 
At
December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the fair value measurements of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured on a recurring
basis were as
follows:
 
 
 
Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using
 
 
 
Quoted
Prices in
Active
Markets for
Identical
Assets
(Level 1)
   
Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
   
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
 
 
 
 
   
(in thousands)
   
 
 
December 31, 2024
 
 
    
 
    
 
  
Money market funds
 
$
1,866   
 
    
 
  
Cash equivalents
 
$
1,866   
$
-   
$
- 
 
 
 
    
 
    
 
  
December 31, 2023
 
 
    
 
    
 
  
Money market funds
 
$
2,515   
 
    
 
  
Certificate of deposit
 
 
1,518   
 
-   
 
- 
Cash equivalents
 
$
4,033   
$
-   
$
- 
 
Assets
and Liabilities Not Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
 
The
carrying amounts of cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value as of December 31, 2024 and
2023 due
to the short-term maturity of these instruments.
 
The
carrying amounts of the lease liabilities and equipment financing approximate fair value as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 because those
financial
instruments bear interest at rates that approximate current market rates for similar agreements with similar maturities and
credit.
 
Note
5 - Inventory
 
Inventory
is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the first-in, first-out method and consists of raw materials and finished
goods. The
Company’s inventory components as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, were as follows:
 
(In thousands)
 
December 31,
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
 
Finished goods
 
$
2,261   
$
2,144 
Raw material
 
 
354   
 
326 
Total inventory
 
$
2,615   
$
2,470 
 
Note
6 - Property and Equipment, Net
 
Property
and equipment as of December 31, 2024, and 2023 was as follows (in thousands):
 
 
 
Estimated 
Useful
 
December 31,
 
 
 
Life
 
2024
   
2023
 
Manufacturing and research equipment
 
3-7 years 
$
899   
$
843 
Capitalized internal use software and website development
 
5 years 
 
103   
 
103 
Computer equipment
 
3-4 years 
 
43   
 
43 
Furniture and fixtures
 
7 years 
 
37   
 
37 
Leasehold improvements
 
Life of lease 
 
88   
 
88 
Property and equipment, gross
 
  
 
1,170   
 
1,114 
Less: accumulated depreciation
 
  
 
(1,009)  
 
(962)
Property and equipment, net
 
  
$
161   
$
152 
 
Depreciation
expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was approximately $46,000 and $39,000, respectively.
 
39

 
 
Note
7 – Intangible Assets and Goodwill
 
Intangible
Assets
 
Intangible
assets at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 are set forth in the table below. Gross carrying values and accumulated amortization
of the
Company’s intangible assets by type are as follows:
 
 
 
December 31, 2024
   
December 31, 2023
 
 
 
Cost
   
Accumulated
Amortization   
Net
   
Cost
   
Accumulated
Amortization   
Net
 
 
 
(in thousands)
 
Customer relationships
 
 
540   
 
(191)  
 
349   
 
540   
 
(159)  
 
381 
Total intangible assets
 
$
540   
$
(191)  
$
349   
$
540   
$
(159)  
$
381 
 
The
Company recognized amortization expense of approximately $32,000 and $42,000 for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively,
which is included in selling, general, and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.
 
As
of December 31, 2024, future amortization expense for each of the next five years is (in thousands):
 
Fiscal Years
 
  
2025
  $
32 
2026
   
32 
2027
   
32 
2028
   
32 
2029
   
32 
 
Goodwill
 
Goodwill
had a carrying value on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets of $0.8 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The Company
concluded the carrying value of goodwill was not impaired as of December 31, 2024, or 2023 as the Company determined that
it was not more likely than
not that the fair value of goodwill was less than its carrying value.
 
Note
8 – License and Supply Agreement, net 
 
On
April 23, 2012, the Company entered into a License and Supply Agreement (as thereafter amended, the “License and Supply Agreement”)
with Medica
S.p.A. (“Medica”), an Italy-based medical product manufacturing company, for the marketing and sale of certain
filtration products based upon Medica’s
proprietary Medisulfone ultrafiltration technology in conjunction with the Company’s
filtration products, and for an exclusive supply arrangement for the
filtration products. Medica is currently the Company’s sole supplier of the filter material
used in certain of the Company’s products. Under the License and
Supply Agreement, Medica
granted to the Company an exclusive license, with right of sublicense, to market, promote, distribute, offer for sale and sell the
filtration
products worldwide, with certain limitations on territory, during the term of the License and Supply Agreement. In addition, the Company
granted
Medica an exclusive license under the Company’s intellectual property to make the filtration products during the term of
 the License and Supply
Agreement. The filtration products covered under the License and Supply Agreement include both certain products
based on Medica’s proprietary Versatile
microfiber technology and certain filtration products based on Medica’s proprietary
 Medisulfone ultrafiltration technology. In December 2023, the
Company signed a new agreement with Medica which extends the term until
December 31, 2028, unless earlier terminated by either party in accordance
with the terms of the License and Supply Agreement.
 
In
 exchange for the rights granted, the Company agreed to make minimum annual aggregate purchases from Medica of €4,208,000,
 €4,629,000,
€4,976,000,
 €5,349,000
 and €5,750,000
 for the years 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028, respectively. The Company satisfied its minimum purchase
requirement for 2024, but if
the Company is unable to satisfy its remaining minimum purchase commitment for 2025 and beyond, it will be in breach of the
License and Supply Agreement, giving Medica a right of termination.
 
40

 
 
In
exchange for the license, the gross value of the intangible asset capitalized was $2.3 million. License and supply agreement, net, on
the consolidated
balance sheet is $0.2 million and $0.3 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Accumulated amortization
is $2.1 million as of December
31, 2024 and $2.0 million as of December 31, 2023. The intangible asset is being amortized as an expense
 over the life of the License and Supply
Agreement. Amortization expense of $54,000 and $131,000 was recognized for the years ended December
 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, in the
consolidated statement of operations.
 
As
of December 11, 2023, the Company has contractually agreed to pay interest per month at the EURIBOR 360-day rate plus 500 basis points
calculated
on the principal amount of any outstanding invoices that are overdue by more than 15 days beyond the original payment terms.
There was no interest
recognized for the years ended December 31, 2024 or 2023.
 
In
addition, for the period beginning April 23, 2014 through December 31, 2023, the Company paid Medica a royalty rate of 3% of net sales
of the
filtration products sold, subject to reduction as a result of a supply interruption pursuant to the terms of the License and Supply
Agreement. Royalty
expense of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 was recognized and is included in cost of goods sold
on the consolidated statement of
operations. Approximately $90,000 of this royalty expense was included in accounts payable as of December
31, 2023.
 
Note
9 – Secured Note Payable
 
On
March 27, 2018, the Company entered into a Secured Promissory Note Agreement (the “Secured Note”) with Tech Capital for
a principal amount of
$1.2
million. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the remaining balance of principal and accrued interest under the Secured Note was
paid in full.
 
The
Secured Note had a maturity date of April 1, 2023. The unpaid principal balance accrued interest at a rate of 8% per annum. Principal
and interest
payments were due on the first day of each month commencing on May 1, 2018. The Secured Note was subject to terms and conditions
of and is secured
by security interests granted by the Company in favor of Tech Capital under the Loan and Security Agreement entered
into on August 17, 2017 and
subsequently amended on December 20, 2019 (the “Loan Agreement”). An event of default under such
Loan Agreement is an event of default under the
Secured Note and vice versa.
 
During
the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company made payments under the Secured Note of approximately $71,000. Included in the total payments
made, approximately $1,000 was recognized as interest expense on the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December
31, 2023.
 
Note
10 – Leases
 
The
Company has operating leases for corporate offices, and office equipment. The leases have remaining lease terms of 2 to 4 years.
 
Lease
cost, as presented below, includes costs associated with leases for which right-of-use (“ROU”) assets have been recognized
as well as short-term
leases.
 
The
components of total lease costs were as follows (in thousands):
 
 
 
Year ended
December 31, 2024    
Year ended
December 31, 2023  
Operating lease cost
 
$
447   
$
334 
Finance lease cost:
 
 
    
 
  
Amortization of right-of-use assets
 
 
5   
 
7 
Interest on lease liabilities
 
 
2   
 
2 
Total finance lease cost
 
 
7   
 
9 
Variable lease cost
 
 
108   
 
44 
Total lease cost
 
$
562   
$
387 
 
41

 
 
Supplemental
cash flow information related to leases was as follows (in thousands):
 
 
 
Year ended
December 31, 2024    
Year ended
December 31, 2023  
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
 
 
    
 
  
Operating cash flows from operating leases
 
$
562   
$
408 
Financing cash flows from finance leases
 
$
5   
$
7 
 
Supplemental
balance sheet information related to leases was as follows (in thousands except years):
 
 
 
December 31, 2024    
December 31, 2023  
Operating lease right-of-use assets
 
$
1,355   
$
1,803 
Finance lease right-of-use assets
 
$
22   
$
4 
 
 
 
    
 
  
Current portion of operating lease liabilities
 
$
343   
$
442 
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion
 
 
1,046   
 
1,390 
Total operating lease liabilities
 
$
1,389   
$
1,832 
 
 
 
    
 
  
Current portion of finance lease liabilities
 
$
5   
$
4 
Finance lease liabilities, net of current portion
 
 
17   
 
- 
Total finance lease liabilities
 
$
22   
$
4 
 
 
 
    
 
  
Weighted average remaining lease term
 
 
    
 
  
Operating leases
 
 
3.6 years   
 
4.3 years 
Finance leases
 
 
3.8 years   
 
0.6 years 
 
 
 
    
 
  
Weighted average discount rate
 
 
    
 
  
Operating leases
 
 
8.0% 
 
8.0%
Finance leases
 
 
8.0% 
 
8.0%
 
As
of December 31, 2024, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands):
 
 
 
Operating
Leases
   
Finance
Leases
 
2025
 
$
435   
$
7 
2026
 
 
450   
 
7 
2027
 
 
450   
 
7 
2028
 
 
251   
 
5 
Total
future minimum lease payments
 
 
1,586   
 
26 
Less
imputed interest
 
 
(197)  
 
(4)
Total
 
$
1,389   
$
22 
 
42

 
 
Note
11 - Accrued Expenses
 
Accrued
expenses as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 were as follows (in thousands):
 
 
 
December 31,
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
 
Accrued bonus
 
$
209   
$
537 
Accrued directors’ fees
 
 
129   
 
- 
Accrued legal
 
 
7   
 
10 
Accrued sales commission
 
 
123   
 
117 
Accrued sales tax payable
 
 
35   
 
22 
Accrued taxes
 
 
9   
 
14 
Accrued other
 
 
53   
 
94 
 
$
565   
$
794 
 
Note
12 - Income Taxes
 
The
components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 consisted of the following:
 
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
(in thousands)
 
2024
  
2023
 
Current
   
    
 
Federal
   
-    
- 
State and local
  $
15    
- 
Total Current
  $
15    
- 
Deferred:
   
     
  
Federal
   
-    
- 
State and local
   
-    
- 
Total Deferred
   
-    
- 
Total provision (benefit) for income taxes
  $
15    
- 
 
A
reconciliation of the income tax benefit computed at the statutory tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate for the years ended
December 31, 2024,
and 2023 is as follows:
 
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
 
2024
 
 
2023
 
U.S. federal statutory rate
 
 
21.00%  
 
21.00%
State taxes
 
 
55.78%  
 
12.22%
Expired NOLs and credits
 
 
1,062.20%  
 
(115.56)%
Stock-based compensation
 
 
63.65%  
 
(4.54)%
Federal research and development credits
 
 
-%  
 
-%
Foreign Rate Differential
 
 
-%  
 
-%
Other
 
 
0.09%  
 
0.12%
Non-taxable Cancelation of Indebtedness
 
 
-%  
 
19.14%
Valuation allowance
 
 
(1,186.05)% 
 
67.62%
Effective tax rate
 
 
16.67%  
 
-%
 
43

 
 
Significant
components of the Company’s deferred tax assets (liabilities) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 are as follows (in thousands):
 
 
 
December 31,
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
 
Deferred tax assets:
 
 
    
 
  
Net operating loss carry forwards
 
$
15,628   
$
16,700 
Research and development credits
 
 
980   
 
1,087 
Nonqualified stock option compensation expense
 
 
601   
 
613 
Lease liabilities
 
 
348   
 
449 
Capital loss carryforwards
 
 
2,090   
 
2,072 
Fixed and intangible basis difference
 
 
-   
 
- 
Other temporary book - tax differences
 
 
857   
 
713 
Total deferred tax assets
 
 
20,504   
 
21,634 
 
 
 
    
 
  
Deferred tax liabilities:
 
 
    
 
  
Lease right-of-use assets
 
 
(339)  
 
(442)
Fixed and intangible asset basis difference
 
 
(134)  
 
(116)
Total deferred tax liabilities
 
 
(473)  
 
(558)
 
 
 
    
 
  
Deferred tax assets, net
 
 
20,031   
 
21,076 
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets
 
 
(20,031)  
 
(21,076)
Net deferred tax assets after valuation allowance
 
$
-   
$
- 
 
A
valuation allowance has been recognized to offset the Company’s net deferred tax asset as it is more likely than not that such
net asset will not be
realized. The Company primarily considered its historical loss and potential Internal Revenue Code Section 382
limitations to arrive at its conclusion that a
valuation allowance was required. The Company’s valuation allowance decreased approximately
$1 million from December 31, 2023 to December 31,
2024.
 
At
December 31, 2024, the Company had Federal income tax net operating loss carryforwards of $72.6 million and State income tax net operating
loss
carryforwards of $5.9 million. The Company had Federal research and development tax credit carryforwards of $1 million at December
31, 2024. The
Company’s net operating losses and research and development tax credits may ultimately be limited by Section 382
of the Internal Revenue Code and, as a
result, the Company may be unable to offset future taxable income (if any) with losses, or its
tax liability with credits, before such losses and credits expire.
Included in the Federal net operating loss carryforwards are $14 million
of losses generated from 2018 onward that have an indefinite carryover period. The
remaining Federal and State net operating loss carryforwards
and Federal and State tax credit carryforwards will expire at various times between 2025 and
2043 unless utilized.
 
The
Company has analyzed the tax positions taken or expected to be taken in its tax returns and concluded it has no liability related to
uncertain tax
positions. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities for all tax years subsequent to
2020 and does not anticipate a
change in its uncertain tax positions within the next twelve months. The Company’s policy is to
report interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized
tax benefits in income tax expense.
 
Note
13 - Stock Plans and Share-Based Payments
 
The
 fair value of stock options and restricted stock is recognized as stock-based compensation expense in the Company’s consolidated
 statement of
operations. The Company calculates stock-based compensation expense in accordance with ASC 718. The fair value of stock-based
awards is amortized
over the vesting period of the award.
 
44

 
 
Stock
Plans
 
On
April 12, 2024, the Board of Directors adopted, and on May 23, 2024, the Company’s stockholders approved, the Nephros, Inc. 2024
Equity Incentive
Plan (“2024 Plan”). As of December 31, 2024, there were a total of 1,503,054 shares of common stock reserved
for issuance under the 2024 Plan, which
includes as of such date options to purchase 2,000 shares of common stock that have been issued
to employees and remain outstanding. The options issued
to employees expire on various dates between November 6, 2034 and November 18,
2034. Generally, grants vest based on a service condition only and vest
between two to four years. The share reserve under the 2024 Plan
is be automatically increased from time to time for shares subject to outstanding stock
awards under the 2015 Plan (as defined below)
and that following the effective date of the 2024 Plan: (i) are not issued because such stock award or any
portion thereof expires or
otherwise terminates without all of the shares covered by such stock award having been issued; (ii) are not issued because such
stock
award or any portion thereof is settled in cash; (iii) are forfeited back to or repurchased by the Company because of the failure to
meet a contingency
or condition required for the vesting of such shares; (iv) are withheld or reacquired to satisfy the exercise, strike
or purchase price; or (v) are withheld or
reacquired to satisfy a tax withholding obligation. However, the maximum number of shares that
may be available for issuance under the 2024 Plan cannot
exceed 2,615,875. The maximum contractual term for stock options granted under
the 2024 Plan is 10 years.
 
The
Company had previously adopted the Nephros, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (“2015 Plan”), pursuant to which the Company
granted equity awards
to its officers, directors, employees and other service providers. Following the adoption of the 2024 Plan, the
Company ceased using the 2015 Plan for
granting equity awards.
As
of December 31, 2024, options to purchase 1,236,793 shares of common stock had been issued to employees under the 2015 Plan and were
outstanding.
The options issued to employees expire on various dates between April 15, 2025 and May 14, 2034. No shares are available
for future grants under the
2015 Plan.
 
On
November 1, 2023, the Company issued 122,524 stock options outside of the 2015 Plan to the Company’s new Chief Financial Officer.
The terms for
these options are identical to those issued to employees under the 2015 Plan.
 
Stock
Options
 
The
 Company has elected to recognize forfeitures as they occur. Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was approximately
 $0.1
million and $0.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively.
 
For
the year ended December 31, 2024, approximately $131,000 and $6,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and
research and
development expenses, respectively, on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations. For the year ended December
31, 2023, $718,000 and
approximately $39,000 are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and research and development
 expenses, respectively, on the
accompanying consolidated statement of operations.
 
The
following table issued summarizes the option activity for the years ended December 31, 2024:
 
 
 
Shares
   
Weighted 
Average 
Exercise 
Price
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2023
 
 
1,374,742   
$
3.69 
Options granted
 
 
87,198   
 
2.12 
Options forfeited
 
 
(206,510)  
 
4.04 
Options expired
 
 
(11,886)  
 
4.09 
Options exercised (1)
 
 
(4,751)  
 
2.13 
Outstanding at December 31, 2024
 
 
1,238,793   
$
3.20 
 
(1) 4,751
options were exercised via cashless exercise which resulted in 1,016 shares issued.
 
45

 
 
The
following table summarizes the options exercisable and vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2024.
 
 
 
Shares
   
Weighted 
Average 
Exercise 
Price
 
Vested at December 31, 2024
 
 
789,730   
$
4.01 
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2024
 
 
1,212,747   
$
3.23 
 
The
grant date fair value of each option grant was estimated throughout the year using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model using the following
weighted-average assumptions:
 
Assumption for Option Grants
 
2024
   
2023
 
Stock Price Volatility
 
 
69.54% 
 
72.40%
Risk-Free Interest Rates
 
 
4.45% 
 
3.71%
Expected Life (in years)
 
 
6.08   
 
6.22 
Expected Dividend Yield
 
 
0% 
 
0%
 
Expected
volatility is based on historical volatility of the Company’s common stock at the time of grant. The risk-free interest rate is
based on the U.S.
Treasury yields in effect at the time of grant for periods corresponding with the expected life of the options. For
the expected life, the Company is using the
simplified method as described in the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin 107. This method assumes
that stock option grants will be exercised based on the
average of the vesting periods and the option’s life.
 
The
weighted-average fair value of options granted in 2024 and 2023 is $1.40 and $0.99, respectively. The aggregate intrinsic values of stock
options
outstanding and stock options vested or expected to vest as of December 31, 2024 was approximately $42,000 and $41,000 respectively.
A stock option has
intrinsic value, at any given time, if and to the extent that the exercise price of such stock option is less than
the market price of the underlying common
stock at such time. The weighted-average remaining contractual life of options vested or expected
to vest as of December 31, 2024 was approximately 6.5
years.
 
The
intrinsic values of stock options exercised was approximately $2,000 and $58,000 for the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 respectively.
 
As
of December 31, 2024, there was $0.5 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested share-based compensation awards
granted
under the equity compensation plans which will be amortized over the weighted average remaining requisite service period of 2.28
years.
 
There
was no tax benefit related to expense recognized in the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, as the Company is in a net operating
loss
position.
 
Restricted
Stock
 
The
Company has issued restricted stock as compensation for the services of certain employees and non-employee directors. The grant date
fair value of
restricted stock is based on the fair value of the common stock on the date of grant, and compensation expense is recognized
based on the period in which
the restrictions lapse.
 
46

 
 
The
following table summarizes restricted stock activity for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
 
 
 
Shares
   
Weighted 
Average 
Grant Date 
Fair Value
 
Nonvested at December 31, 2022
 
 
-   
$
- 
Granted
 
 
299,670   
 
1.47 
Vested
 
 
(187,503)  
 
1.08 
Nonvested at December 31, 2023
 
 
42,167   
$
3.18 
Granted
 
 
-   
 
- 
Vested
 
 
(42,167)  
 
3.18 
Nonvested at December 31, 2024
 
 
-   
$
- 
 
The
total fair value of restricted stock that vested during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was approximately $0.1 million and
$0.2 million,
respectively.
 
Total
stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock was approximately $15,000 and $322,000 for the year ended December 31, 2024 and
2023,
respectively and is recognized in selling, general and administrative expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.
 
Approximately
$154,000 of stock compensation expense was recognized in the year ended December 31, 2022 related to restricted stock granted to board
members and employees for the year ended December 31, 2023 to settle liabilities for services incurred in the respective prior fiscal
year.
 
As
 of December 31, 2024, there was no unrecognized compensation expense related to restricted stock-based awards granted under the equity
compensation plans. As of December 31, 2023, there was approximately $15,000 of unrecognized compensation expense related to restricted
stock-based
awards granted under the equity compensation plans
 
SRP
Equity Incentive Plan
 
SRP’s
2019 Equity Incentive Plan was approved on May 7, 2019 under which 150,000 shares of SRP’s common stock are reserved for the issuance
of
options and other awards. This plan is no longer operational, due to the wind down of SRP’s operations and its April 2023 dissolution.
 
Due
to the Company’s acquisition of the non-controlling interest in SRP during the year ended December 31, 2023, all remaining equity-based
awards have
been forfeited and no further expense will be incurred related to these awards. There were no SRP stock options or other
equity awards granted during the
year ended December 31, 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2023, a credit of approximately ($27,000)
was recognized for expense related to the SRP
equity-based awards. Stock-based compensation expense related to the SRP equity-based awards
is included in selling, general and administrative expenses
on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.
 
Note
14 - Stockholders’ Equity
 
Noncontrolling
Interest
 
In
separate transactions in September 2018 and February 2022, SRP issued and sold an aggregate of 700,003 shares of its Series A Preferred
Stock for
aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $3.5 million. Of such shares, the Company purchased 62,500 shares in the February
 2022 transaction,
maintaining a 62.5% ownership stake in SRP. Approximately $188,000 of the proceeds from the February 2022 sales were
recorded as an increase to the
equity of the non-controlling interests. In addition to the Company’s purchase of Series A Preferred
Stock from SRP, the Company also loaned to SRP the
principal amount of $1.3 million, $1.0 million of which was advanced during the year
ended December 31, 2020.
 
47

 
 
In
March 2023, the board of directors of SRP adopted, and the stockholders of SRP approved, a plan to wind down SRP’s operations and
dissolve, and in
April 2023, SRP filed a certificate of dissolution with the State of Delaware. In accordance with its plan of dissolution,
 after SRP satisfied its other
outstanding liabilities, SRP assigned to the Company all of its remaining assets, including its intellectual
property rights, in satisfaction of outstanding
indebtedness owed to the Company in the approximate amount of $1.5 million. No other
assets are available for distribution to any of SRP’s stockholders,
including the Company, in respect of their shares of SRP capital
stock, including the Series A Preferred. As a result of the dissolution described above, it
was determined approximately $24,000 of inventory
likely had no value, and was written off in the period ended March 31, 2023.
 
Note
15 – Savings Incentive Match Plan
 
On
January 1, 2017, the Company established a Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees Individual Retirement Account (SIMPLE IRA), which
covers
all employees. The SIMPLE IRA Plan provides for voluntary employee contributions up to statutory IRA limitations. The Company
matches 100% of
employee contributions to the SIMPLE IRA Plan, up to 3% of each employee’s salary. The Company contributed and
expensed approximately $105,000
and $91,000 to the SIMPLE IRA in 2024 and 2023, respectively.
 
Note
16 – Segment Information
 
The
Company operates in one operating segment, and therefore one reportable segment, focused on the development and sale of high-performance
water
solutions to the medical and commercial markets. The Company manages business activities on a consolidated basis primarily through
the development
and commercialization of water filtration products, which are sold to U.S. and international customers.
 
The
accounting policies for the Company’s single operating segment are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting
policies. The
Company’s Chief Executive Officer is the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”). The CODM manages the
Company’s business activities as a single
operating and reportable segment at the consolidated level. Accordingly, our CODM uses
consolidated net income (loss) to measure segment profit or loss,
allocate resources, and assess performance. The measure of segment assets is reported on the consolidated balance sheet as total consolidated assets.
 
The following is a summary of the significant revenue and expense categories, and consolidated net income (loss) provided
to the CODM (in thousands):
 
 
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
 
2024
   
2023
 
Net revenue:
 
 
    
 
  
Product revenues
 
$
14,035   
$
14,110 
Royalty and other revenues
 
 
127   
 
128 
Total net revenues
 
 
14,162   
 
14,238 
Cost of goods sold
 
 
5,439   
 
5,833 
Gross Margin
 
 
8,723   
 
8,405 
Operating expenses:
 
 
    
 
  
Research and development
 
 
906   
 
873 
Selling, general and administrative
 
 
7,676   
 
8,911 
Other operating expenses (1)
 
 
135   
 
214 
Total operating expenses
 
 
8,717   
 
9,998 
Operating income (loss)
 
 
6   
 
(1,593)
Other income
 
 
83   
 
18 
Income tax expense
 
 
(15)  
 
- 
Net income (loss)
 
 
74   
 
(1,575)
 
(1) Other
operating expenses is comprised of depreciation and amortization.
 
 
Item
9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
 
None.
 
48

 
 
Item
9A. Controls and Procedures
 
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
 
Disclosure
controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the
reports
filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in
the SEC’s rules and forms.
Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to
ensure that information required to be disclosed in
company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated
to management, including the Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
 
As
required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation
of the
effectiveness of the design and operation of the disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2024. Based upon this evaluation,
 the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures were effective as
 of December 31, 2024.
Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K present
fairly in all material respects the
financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the period presented.
 
Management’s
Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
 
Management
is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange
Act
Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Under the supervision of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, management conducted
an evaluation of
the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024 based on the framework set
forth by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in “Internal Control-Integrated Framework”.
Based on the assessment, management concluded that
the internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2024.
 
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
 
There
were no changes in the internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the most recent fiscal quarter that materially
affected, or are
reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial reporting.
 
Item
9B. Other Information
 
During
the three months ended December 31, 2024, none of our directors or officers adopted or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement”
or “non-
Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” as each term is defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K.
 
PART
III
 
Item
10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
 
The
information set forth under the captions “Proposal No. 1 – Election of Directors,” “Corporate Governance”
and “Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports” in
the 2025 Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item
11. Executive Compensation
 
The
information set forth under the caption “Compensation Matters” in the 2025 Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
 
49

 
 
Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
 
The
information set forth under the captions “Stock Ownership of Management and Principal Stockholders” and “Compensation
Matters” in the 2025
Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
 
The
information set forth under the captions “Corporate Governance” and “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions”
in the 2025 Proxy Statement is
incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item
14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
 
The
information set forth under the caption “Proposal No. 2 – Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm” in the 2025
Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
 
PART
IV
 
Item
15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
 
(a)
Documents filed as part of this report:
 
(1)
Consolidated Financial Statements of Nephros, Inc.
 
Report of independent registered public accounting firm, Baker Tilly US, LLP. 1 Highwood Drive, Tewksbury, MA 01876, Firm ID - 23
Consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Consolidated statements of changes in stockholders’ equity for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
(2)
Exhibits:
 
Exhibit
No.
 
Description
2.1
  Agreement for Purchase and Sale of Assets, dated October 4, 2022, by and between Nephros, Inc. and BWSI, LLC, incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 2.1 to Nephros Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on November 21, 2022 (pursuant to Item 601(b)(2)(ii) of
Regulation S-K, certain information contained in this Exhibit 2.1 has been redacted as indicated therein).
 
   
3.1
  Conformed Copy of the Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, incorporating those Certificates of Amendment dated June 4,
2007; June 29, 2007; November 13, 2007; October 23, 2009; March 10, 2011; March 11, 2011 and July 8, 2019, incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 3.1 to Nephros, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-K for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, filed with the SEC on August 7, 2019.
 
   
3.2
  Second Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Nephros, Inc.’s Current Report on Form
8-K, filed with the SEC on December 3, 2007.
 
   
4.1
  Specimen of Common Stock Certificate of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Nephros, Inc.’s Amendment No. 1 to
Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-116162), filed with the SEC on July 20, 2004.
 
   
4.2
  Description of Capital Stock, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to Nephros, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2020.
 
50

 
 
10.1
  Nephros, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Nephros, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2015. †
 
   
10.2
  Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Nephros, Inc.’s
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2015. †
 
   
10.3
  Form of Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Nephros,
Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2015. †
 
   
10.4
  Form of Restricted Stock Agreement under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to Nephros, Inc.’s
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2015. †
 
   
10.5
  Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to Nephros, Inc.’s
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2015. †
 
   
10.6
  Nephros, Inc. 2024 Equity Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Nephros, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with
the SEC on May 24, 2024. †
 
   
10.7
  Form of Stock Option Agreement under 2024 Equity Incentive Plan. *†
 
   
10.8
  Form of Restricted Stock Grant Notice under 2024 Equity Incentive Plan. *†
 
   
10.9
  Nephros, Inc. Director Compensation Policy, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to Nephros, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2018.
 
51

 
 
10.10   Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 19, 2007, among the Registrant and the Holders, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to
Nephros, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 25, 2007.
 
   
10.11   Form of Registration Rights Agreement, between the Registrant and Wexford Capital LP, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.57 to Nephros,
Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Reg. No. 333-169728), filed with the SEC on October 1, 2010.
 
   
10.12   Registration Rights Agreement, dated February 4, 2013, between the Registrant and Wexford Capital LP, incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.68 to Nephros, Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Reg. No. 333-187036), filed with the SEC on March 4, 2013.
 
   
10.13   First Amendment to Registration Rights Agreement, dated May 23, 2013, between the Registrant and Wexford Capital LP, incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Nephros, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2013, filed with the SEC on August
13, 2013.
 
   
10.14   Registration Rights Agreement, dated November 12, 2013, between the Registrant and Wexford Capital LP, incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.2 to Nephros, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on November 14, 2013.
 
   
10.15   First Amendment to Registration Rights Agreement, dated April 14, 2014, between the Registrant and Wexford Capital LP, incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Nephros, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on May 14, 2014.
 
   
10.16   Registration Rights Agreement, dated August 29, 2014, between the Registrant and Wexford Capital LP, incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.2 to Nephros, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 3, 2014.
 
   
10.17   First Amendment to Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 23, 2014, between the Registrant and Wexford Capital LP, incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.5 to Nephros, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, filed with the SEC on
November 13, 2014.
 
   
10.18   Registration Rights Agreement dated March 17, 2017, among the Registrant and the Purchasers identified therein, incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.2 to Nephros, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 23, 2017.
 
   
10.19   Employment Agreement dated May 5, 2023, between Nephros, Inc. and Robert Banks (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Nephros,
Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023). †
 
   
10.20   Letter Agreement, dated July 28, 2023, between the Nephros, Inc. and Judy Krandel (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.31 to Nephros,
Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023). †
 
52

 
 
10.21   Inducement Stock Option Agreement, dated November 1, 2023, between Nephros, Inc. and Judy Krandel (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.32 to Nephros, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023). †
 
   
10.22   License and Supply Agreement, dated December 11, 2023, between the Registrant and Medica S.p.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.34 to Nephros, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023) (pursuant to Item 601(b)(2)(ii) of Regulation S-K,
certain information contained in this Exhibit 10.22 has been redacted as indicated therein).
 
   
19.1
  Nephros, Inc. Insider Trading Policy. *
 
   
23.1
  Consent of Baker Tilly US, LLP Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. *
 
   
24.1
  Power of Attorney (included on the signature page). *
 
   
31.1
  Certification by the Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
 
   
31.2
  Certification by the Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
 
   
32.1
  Certification by the Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002. *
 
   
32.2
  Certification by the Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002. *
 
   
97.1
  Nephros, Inc. Policy for Recoupment of Erroneously Awarded Compensation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 97.1 to Nephros, Inc.’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023).
 
   
101
  Interactive Data File.
*
 
*
Filed
herewith.
†
Management
contract or compensatory plan arrangement.
+
Confidential
treatment has been granted for certain portions omitted from this exhibit pursuant to Rule 24b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act
of
1934, as amended.
 
Item
16. Form 10-K Summary
 
Not
applicable.
 
53

 
 
SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be
signed
on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
Date:
March 24, 2025
 
 
 
By:
/s/
Robert Banks
 
Name: Robert
Banks
 
Title:
President,
Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
 
 
 
Date:
March 24, 2025
 
 
 
By:
/s/
Judy Krandel
 
Name: Judy
Krandel
 
Title:
Chief
Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
 
POWER
OF ATTORNEY
 
We,
the undersigned directors and officers of Nephros, Inc., hereby severally constitute and lawfully appoint Robert Banks, our true and
lawful
attorney-in-fact with full power to him to sign for us, in our names in the capacities indicated below, the Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2024 of Nephros, Inc. and any and all amendments thereto, and to file the same with all exhibits
thereto, and all other documents in
connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact
and agent, full power and authority to do and
perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all
intents and purposes as such person might or could do in person,
hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent,
or their or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done
by virtue hereof.
 
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the
Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
 
Signature
 
Title
 
Date
 
 
 
 
 
/s/
Robert Banks
 
President,
Chief Executive Officer
 
March
24, 2025
Robert
Banks
 
(Principal
Executive Officer)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/
Judy Krandel
 
Chief
Financial Officer
 
March
24, 2025
Judy
Krandel
 
(Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/
Arthur H. Amron
 
Director
 
March
24, 2025
Arthur
H. Amron
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/
Oliver Spandow
 
Director
 
March
24, 2025
Oliver
Spandow
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/
Alisa Lask
 
Director
 
March
24, 2025
Alisa
Lask
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/Joe
Harris
 
Director
 
March
24, 2025
Joe
Harris
 
 
 
 
 
54
 

 
Exhibit
10.7
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
2024
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
 
NOTICE
OF STOCK OPTION GRANT
 
Nephros,
Inc. (the “Company”), pursuant to its 2024 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), hereby grants to
the Participant identified below an option
to purchase the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock set forth below (the
“Option”). This Option is subject to all of the terms and conditions
as set forth in this Stock Option Grant Notice,
the Option Terms and Conditions, and the Plan, all of which are attached hereto and incorporated herein in
their entirety. This Stock
Option Grant Notice and the Option Terms and Conditions are collectively referred to as the “Option Agreement.” Capitalized
terms not expressly defined in the Option Agreement but defined in the Plan will have the same definitions as set forth in the Plan.
If there is any conflict
between the terms of this Option Agreement and the Plan, the terms of the Plan will control.
 
 
Participant Name:
______________________
 
Grant Number:
202__-___
 
Date of Grant:
______________________
 
Vesting Commencement Date:
__________, 20 _____
 
Exercise Price Per Share:
$______________
 
Total Number of Shares Subject to Option:
_______________
 
Term/Expiration Date:
__________, 20 _____
 
Type of Option:
___ Incentive Stock Option (ISO)
 
 
___ Nonstatutory Stock Option (NSO)
 
 
 
 
 
[Note: If this is
an ISO, it (together with all other outstanding ISOs
held by Participant) cannot be first exercisable for more than
$100,000 in value
(measured by exercise price) in any calendar year.
Any excess over $100,000 will be deemed an NSO.]
 
Vesting
Schedule:
 
Subject
to any acceleration provisions contained in the Plan, this Option Agreement or any other written agreement authorized by the Plan Administrator
between Participant and the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable) governing the terms of this Option, this
Option will vest
and be exercisable, in whole or in part, according to the following vesting schedule:
 
[[Standard
vesting] One-fourth of the Shares will vest and become exercisable on the Vesting Commencement Date, and the remainder will
thereafter
vest and become exercisable in a series of 12 successive equal quarterly installments commencing on the date that is three months
following
the Vesting Commencement Date and continuing every three months thereafter until fully vested, subject to Participant’s Continuous
Service as of each such vesting date.]
 
[To
be included unless otherwise provided by Board] If both (i) a Corporate Transaction occurs, and (ii) during the time period commencing
90
days prior to the consummation of the Corporate Transaction and ending on the date that is [one year] following the consummation of
 the
Corporate Transaction, the Company (or its successor) terminates Participant’s Continuous Service for a reason other than Cause,
then the vesting
of all unvested Shares shall be immediately accelerated and the Option shall be deemed immediately vested in full.
 
 

 
 
Post-Termination
Period:
 
This
Option shall be exercisable, to the extent vested, for three months after termination of Participant’s Continuous Service, unless
such termination is due
to Participant’s death or Disability. If Participant’s Continuous Service terminates due to Participant’s
death or Disability, this Option shall be exercisable,
to the extent vested, for 12 months after Participant terminates Continuous Service.
 Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that Participant’s
Continuous Service is terminated by the Company (or any of its Parents
or Subsidiaries, as applicable) for Cause, this Option shall terminate immediately
upon such termination of Participant’s Continuous
Service. Further, and notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event may this Option be exercised after the
Term/Expiration Date as provided
above, and this Option may be subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 13 of the Plan.
 
By
Participant’s signature and the signature of the representative of the Company below, Participant and the Company agree that this
Option is granted
under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions
of Stock Option Grant,
attached hereto as Exhibit A, the Exercise Notice, attached hereto as Exhibit B, and all other exhibits,
appendices and addenda attached hereto, all of
which are made a part of this document. Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of
 the Plan. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Option
Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice
of counsel prior to executing this Option Agreement and fully understands all
provisions of the Plan and the Option Agreement. Participant
hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the
Plan Administrator upon any questions
relating to the Plan or this Option Agreement. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in
Participant’s
residence address indicated below.
 
PARTICIPANT
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
 
 
 
      
 
 
By:
 
Name:
 
Name:  
 
 
Title:
 
Residence
Address:
 
 
 
 
Exhibit A:
Terms and Conditions of Stock
Option Grant
Exhibit B:
Form of Exercise Notice
Exhibit C:
2024 Equity Incentive Plan
 
2

 
 
EXHIBIT
A
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
 
2024
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
STOCK
OPTION AGREEMENT
TERMS
AND CONDITIONS OF STOCK OPTION GRANT
 
1.
Grant of Option.
 
(a)
The Company hereby grants to the individual (“Participant”) named in the Notice of Stock Option Grant of this
Option Agreement (the
“Notice of Grant”), an option (the “Option”) to purchase the number of Shares
set forth in the Notice of Grant, at the exercise price per Share set forth in
the Notice of Grant (the “Exercise Price”),
subject to all of the terms and conditions in this Option Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein
by reference. In the event
of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan shall
prevail.
 
(b)
For U.S. taxpayers, if designated in the Notice of Grant as an Incentive Stock Option (“ISO”), this Option is
 intended to qualify as an
Incentive Stock Option as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Nevertheless, to the extent that it exceeds the
$100,000 rule of Code Section 422(d), this
Option shall be treated as a Nonstatutory Stock Option (“NSO”). Further,
if for any reason this Option (or portion thereof) shall not qualify as an ISO, then,
to the extent of such nonqualification, such Option
(or portion thereof) shall be regarded as an NSO granted under the Plan. In no event shall the Plan
Administrator, the Company or any
Parent or Subsidiary of the Company or any of their respective employees or directors have any liability to Participant
(or any other
person) due to the failure of the Option to qualify for any reason as an ISO.
 
(c)
For non-U.S. taxpayers, the Option will be designated as an NSO.
 
2.
Vesting Schedule. Except as provided in Section 3, the Option awarded by this Option Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting
provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant. Unless specifically provided otherwise in this Option Agreement or other written agreement
authorized by the
Plan Administrator between Participant and the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable, Shares
subject to this Option that are
scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in accordance
with any of the provisions of this Option
Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date
of Grant until the date such vesting occurs.
 
3.
Plan Administrator Discretion. The Plan Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser
portion of the
balance, of the unvested Option at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, such Option will be
considered as having vested as of the
date specified by the Plan Administrator.
 
4.
Exercise of Option.
 
(a)
Right to Exercise. This Option shall be exercisable during its term in accordance with the Vesting Schedule set out in the Notice
of Grant and
with the applicable provisions of the Plan and this Option Agreement.
 
A-1

 
 
(b)
Method of Exercise. This Option shall be exercisable by delivery of an exercise notice (the “Exercise Notice”)
 in the form attached as
Exhibit B to the Notice of Grant or in a manner and pursuant to such procedures as the Plan Administrator
may determine, which shall state the election to
exercise the Option, the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is being
exercised (the “Exercised Shares”), and such other representations and
agreements as may be required by the Company.
The Exercise Notice shall be completed by Participant and delivered to the Company, accompanied by
payment of the aggregate Exercise
Price as to all Exercised Shares, together with any applicable Withholding Obligations (as defined below). This Option
shall be deemed
 to be exercised upon receipt by the Company of such fully executed Exercise Notice accompanied by the aggregate Exercise Price,
together
with any applicable Withholding Obligations.
 
No
Shares shall be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option unless such issuance and such exercise comply with Applicable Laws. Assuming
such
compliance, for income tax purposes the Shares shall be considered transferred to Participant on the date on which the Option is
exercised with respect to
such Shares.
 
5.
Method of Payment. Payment of the aggregate Exercise Price shall be by any of the following, or a combination thereof, at the election
 of
Participant:
 
(a)
cash or check;
 
(b)
consideration received by the Company under a formal cashless exercise program adopted by the Company in connection with the Plan;
or
 
(c)
if Participant is a U.S. resident (and not otherwise restricted by the terms and conditions of any appendix to this Option Agreement
including
the Country Addendum, as defined below), surrender of other Shares which (i) shall be valued at their fair market value on
the date of surrender and (ii) are
owned free and clear of any liens, claims, encumbrances or security interests, so long as accepting
 such Shares, in the sole discretion of the Plan
Administrator, shall not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company.
 
A
non-U.S. resident’s methods of exercise may be restricted by the terms and conditions of any appendix to this Option Agreement
for Participant’s
country (including the Country Addendum, as defined below). The Company from time to time may engage a stock
plan service provider to assist the
Company with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan and Awards granted thereunder.
For clarity, the Plan Administrator may
establish procedures that require any exercise of this Option, including without limitation the
method of payment of the applicable Exercise Price and any
applicable Withholding Obligations, to be satisfied through such stock plan
service provider.
 
6.
Non-Transferability of Option. This Option may not be transferred in any manner otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent
or distribution
and may be exercised during the lifetime of Participant only by Participant.
 
7.
Term of Option. This Option may be exercised only within the term set out in the Notice of Grant, and may be exercised during such
term only in
accordance with the Plan and the terms of this Option Agreement.
 
A-2

 
 
8.
Tax Obligations.
 
(a)
Responsibility for Taxes. Participant acknowledges that, regardless of any action taken by the Company or, if different, Participant’s
employer
or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company to which Participant is providing services (together, the “Service Recipients”),
the ultimate liability for any
tax and/or social insurance liability obligations and requirements in connection with the Option, including,
without limitation, (i) all federal, national, state,
non-U.S. and local taxes (including Participant’s Federal Insurance Contributions
Act (FICA) obligations) that are required to be withheld by any Service
Recipient or other payment of tax-related items related to Participant’s
participation in the Plan and legally applicable to Participant, (ii) Participant’s and,
to the extent required by any Service
Recipient, the Service Recipient’s fringe benefit tax liability, if any, associated with the grant, vesting, or exercise of
the
Option or sale of Shares, and (iii) any other Service Recipient taxes the responsibility for which Participant has, or has agreed to
bear, with respect to
the Option (or exercise thereof or issuance of Shares thereunder) (collectively, the “Tax Obligations”),
is and remains Participant’s sole responsibility and
may exceed the amount actually withheld by the applicable Service Recipient(s).
Participant further acknowledges that no Service Recipient (A) makes any
representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any
Tax Obligations in connection with any aspect of the Option, including, but not limited to,
the grant, vesting or exercise of the Option,
the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to such exercise and the receipt of any dividends or other
distributions, or (B) makes
any commitment to and is under any obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the Option to reduce or
eliminate
Participant’s liability for Tax Obligations or achieve any particular tax result. Further, if Participant is subject to Tax Obligations
in more than one
jurisdiction between the Date of Grant and the date of any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable,
Participant acknowledges that the
applicable Service Recipient(s) (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or
account for Withholding Obligations (as defined below)
in more than one jurisdiction. If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements
for the payment of any required Tax Obligations hereunder at the time
of the applicable taxable event, Participant acknowledges and agrees
that the Company may refuse to issue or deliver the Shares.
 
(b)
Tax Withholding. Pursuant to such procedures as the Plan Administrator may specify from time to time, the applicable Service Recipient(s)
will withhold the amount required to be withheld for the payment of Tax Obligations (the “Withholding Obligations”).
The Plan Administrator, in its sole
discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit or require
Participant to satisfy such Withholding Obligations,
in whole or in part (without limitation), if permissible by applicable local law,
by: (i) paying cash, (ii) having the Company withhold otherwise deliverable
Shares having a fair market value equal to the minimum amount
that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Withholding Obligations
(or such greater amount as Participant may elect
if permitted by the Plan Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial
accounting consequences) (“Net
Share Withholding”), (iii) withholding the amount of such Withholding Obligations from Participant’s wages or other
cash
compensation paid to Participant by the applicable Service Recipient(s), (iv) delivering to the Company Shares that Participant owns
and that already
have vested with a fair market value equal to the Withholding Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may
elect if permitted by the Plan
Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences),
or (v) selling a sufficient number of such Shares
otherwise deliverable to Participant, through such means as the Company may determine
in its sole discretion (whether through a broker or otherwise)
equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding
 requirement for such Withholding Obligations (or such greater amount as
Participant may elect or the Company may require, if permitted
by the Plan Administrator and if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial
accounting consequences) (“Sell to
Cover”). If the Withholding Obligations are satisfied by withholding in Shares, for tax purposes, Participant is deemed
to
have been issued the full number of Shares exercised under the Option, notwithstanding that a number of Shares are held back solely for
purposes of
paying the Withholding Obligations. To the extent determined appropriate by the Plan Administrator in its discretion, the
Plan Administrator will have the
right (but not the obligation) to satisfy any Withholding Obligations by Net Share Withholding. If Net
Share Withholding is the method by which such
Withholding Obligations are satisfied, the Company will not withhold on a fractional Share
basis to satisfy any portion of the Withholding Obligations and,
unless the Company determines otherwise, no refund will be made to Participant
for the value of the portion of a Share, if any, withheld in excess of the
Withholding Obligations. If a Sell to Cover is the method
by which Withholding Obligations are satisfied, Participant agrees that as part of the Sell to
Cover, additional Shares may be sold to
satisfy any associated broker or other fees. Only whole Shares will be sold pursuant to a Sell to Cover. Any
proceeds from the sale of
Shares pursuant to a Sell to Cover that are in excess of the Withholding Obligations and any associated broker or other fees will
be
paid to Participant in accordance with procedures the Company may specify from time to time.
 
A-3

 
 
(c)
Notice of Disqualifying Disposition of ISO Shares. If the Option granted to Participant herein is an ISO, and if Participant sells
or otherwise
disposes of any of the Shares acquired pursuant to the ISO on or before the later of (i) the date two years after the Date
of Grant, or (ii) the date one year
after the date of exercise, Participant shall immediately notify the Company in writing of such disposition.
Participant agrees that Participant may be
subject to income tax withholding by the Company on the compensation income recognized by
Participant.
 
(d)
Section 409A. Under Section 409A, a stock right (such as the Option) that vests after December 31, 2004 (or that vested on or prior
to such
date but which was materially modified after October 3, 2004), that was granted with a per share exercise price that is determined
by the Internal Revenue
Service (the “IRS”) to be less than the fair market value of an underlying share on the date
of grant (a “discount option”) may be considered “deferred
compensation.” A stock right that is a “discount
option” may result in (i) income recognition by the recipient of the stock right prior to the exercise of the
stock right, (ii)
an additional 20% federal income tax, and (iii) potential penalty and interest charges. The “discount option” may also result
in additional
state income, penalty and interest tax to the recipient of the stock right. Participant acknowledges that the Company cannot
and has not guaranteed that the
IRS will agree that the per Share exercise price of this Option equals or exceeds the fair market value
of a Share on the date of grant in a later examination.
Participant agrees that if the IRS determines that the Option was granted with
a per Share exercise price that was less than the fair market value of a Share
on the date of grant, Participant shall be solely responsible
for Participant’s costs related to such a determination. In no event will the Company or any of its
Parent or Subsidiaries have
any responsibility, liability, or obligation to reimburse, indemnify or hold harmless Participant (or any other person) in respect
of
this Option or any other Awards for any taxes, penalties or interest that may be imposed on, or other costs incurred by, Participant
(or any other person)
as a result of Section 409A.
 
9.
Rights as Stockholder. Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges
of a
stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until certificates representing such Shares
(which may be in book
entry form) will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars,
and delivered to Participant (including
through electronic delivery to a brokerage account). After such issuance, recordation and delivery,
Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the
Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and
distributions on such Shares.
 
10.
Entire Agreement; Governing Law. The Plan is incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and this Option Agreement constitute the
entire
agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and
agreements of the Company and
Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to Participant’s
interest except by means of a writing signed by the
Company and Participant. This Option Agreement is governed by the internal substantive
laws, but not the choice of law rules, of the State of Delaware.
 
11.
No Guarantee of Continued Service. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF SHARES PURSUANT
TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE
 HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, WHICH UNLESS PROVIDED
OTHERWISE UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS IS AT THE WILL OF THE
APPLICABLE SERVICE RECIPIENT AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF
BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS OPTION OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT
FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND
AGREES THAT THIS OPTION AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET
FORTH
HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER
FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY
PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND SHALL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR
THE RIGHT OF ANY SERVICE RECIPIENT TO TERMINATE
 PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, SUBJECT TO
APPLICABLE LAW, WHICH TERMINATION, UNLESS PROVIDED OTHERWISE UNDER
APPLICABLE LAW, MAY BE AT ANY TIME, WITH
OR WITHOUT CAUSE.
 
A-4

 
 
12.
Nature of Grant. In accepting the Option, Participant acknowledges, understands and agrees that:
 
(a)
the grant of the Option is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of options,
or
benefits in lieu of options, even if options have been granted in the past;
 
(b)
all decisions with respect to future option or other grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Plan Administrator;
 
(c)
Participant is voluntarily participating in the Plan;
 
(d)
the Option and any Shares acquired under the Plan are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation;
 
(e)
the Option and Shares acquired under the Plan and the income and value of same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for any
purpose, including without limitation calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments,
bonuses, long-
service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments;
 
(f)
the future value of the Shares underlying the Option is unknown, indeterminable, and cannot be predicted with certainty;
 
(g)
if the underlying Shares do not increase in value, the Option will have no value;
 
(h)
if Participant exercises the Option and acquires Shares, the value of such Shares may increase or decrease in value, even below the Exercise
Price;
 
(i)
for purposes of the Option, Participant’s status as a Service Provider will be considered terminated as of the date Participant
is no longer
actively providing services to the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company (regardless of the reason for such
termination and whether or not
later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service
 Provider or the terms of Participant’s
employment or service agreement, if any), and unless otherwise expressly provided in this
Option Agreement (including by reference in the Notice of Grant
to other arrangements or contracts) or determined by the Plan Administrator,
 (i) Participant’s right to vest in the Option under the Plan, if any, will
terminate as of such date and will not be extended by
any notice period (e.g., Participant’s period of service would not include any contractual notice period
or any period of “garden
leave” or similar period mandated under employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms
of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any, unless Participant is providing bona fide services during such time);
and (ii) the period (if any)
during which Participant may exercise the Option after such termination of Participant’s engagement
as a Service Provider will commence on the date
Participant ceases to actively provide services and will not be extended by any notice
period mandated under employment laws in the jurisdiction where
Participant is employed or terms of Participant’s engagement agreement,
if any; the Plan Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine
when Participant is no longer actively providing services
for purposes of this Option grant (including whether Participant may still be considered to be
providing services while on a leave of
absence and consistent with local law); and
 
A-5

 
 
(j)
unless otherwise provided in the Plan or by the Plan Administrator in its discretion, the Option and the benefits evidenced by this Option
Agreement do not create any entitlement to have the Option or any such benefits transferred to, or assumed by, another company nor be
exchanged, cashed
out or substituted for, in connection with any corporate transaction affecting the Shares.
 
13.
No Advice Regarding Grant. The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations
regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan, or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the Shares underlying the Option.
Participant is hereby advised to
consult with Participant’s own personal tax, legal and financial advisers regarding Participant’s
participation in the Plan before taking any action related to
the Plan.
 
14.
Address for Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Option Agreement will be addressed to the Company
at
Nephros, Inc., 380 Lackawanna Place, South Orange, New Jersey 07079, or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate
in writing.
 
15.
Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Option Agreement to single or multiple assignees, and
this Option
Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer
herein set forth, this Option
Agreement shall be binding upon Participant and Participant’s heirs, executors, Plan Administrators,
successors and assigns. The rights and obligations of
Participant under this Option Agreement may be assigned only with the prior written
consent of the Company.
 
16.
 Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock. If at any time the Company will determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration,
qualification or rule compliance of the Shares upon any securities exchange or under any state, federal or non-U.S. law, the tax code
and related regulations
or under the rulings or regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental
regulatory body or the clearance, consent or
approval of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory
authority is necessary or desirable as a condition to the
exercise of the Options or the purchase by, or issuance of Shares, to Participant
(or Participant’s estate) hereunder, such exercise, purchase or issuance will
not occur unless and until such listing, registration,
qualification, rule compliance, clearance, consent or approval will have been completed, effected or
obtained free of any conditions
not acceptable to the Company. Subject to the terms of the Option Agreement and the Plan, the Company will not be
required to issue any
certificate or certificates for (or make any entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company
of) the Shares hereunder prior to the lapse of such reasonable period of time following the date of exercise of the Option as the Plan
Administrator may
establish from time to time for reasons of administrative convenience.
 
17.
Interpretation. The Plan Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Option Agreement and to adopt such rules
for the
administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules
(including, but not limited to,
the determination of whether or not any Shares subject to the Option have vested). All actions taken
and all interpretations and determinations made by the
Plan Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the
Company and all other interested persons. Neither the Plan Administrator
nor any person acting on behalf of the Plan Administrator will
be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with
respect to the Plan or this Option Agreement.
 
A-6

 
 
18.
Electronic Delivery and Acceptance. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to the Option
awarded
under the Plan or future options that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or require Participant to participate
in the Plan by electronic
means. Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate
in the Plan through any on-line or electronic
system established and maintained by the Company or a third party designated by the Company.
 
19.
Captions. Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of
this Option
Agreement.
 
20.
Option Agreement Severable. In the event that any provision in this Option Agreement will be held invalid or unenforceable, such
provision will
be severable from, and such invalidity or unenforceability will not be construed to have any effect on, the remaining
provisions of this Option Agreement.
 
21.
Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. By accepting this Option, Participant expressly warrants that Participant has received
an
Option under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan. Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary
in nature and
may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Plan Administrator at any time.
 
22.
Country Addendum. Notwithstanding any provisions in this Option Agreement, this Option shall be subject to any special terms and
conditions
set forth in an appendix (if any) to this Option Agreement for any country whose laws are applicable to Participant and this
Option (as determined by the
Plan Administrator in its sole discretion) (the “Country Addendum”). Moreover, if Participant
relocates to one of the countries included in the Country
Addendum (if any), the special terms and conditions for such country will apply
to Participant, to the extent the Company determines that the application of
such terms and conditions is necessary or advisable for
legal or administrative reasons. The Country Addendum (if any) constitutes a part of this Option
Agreement.
 
23.
Modifications to the Option Agreement. This Option Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects
covered.
Participant expressly warrants that Participant is not accepting this Option Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations,
or inducements other
than those contained herein. Modifications to this Option Agreement can be made only in an express written contract
executed by a duly authorized officer
of the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or this Option Agreement,
the Company reserves the right to revise this Option
Agreement as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion and without
the consent of Participant, to comply with Section 409A or to otherwise
avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition
under Section 409A in connection with the Option.
 
24.
No Waiver. Either party’s failure to enforce any provision or provisions of this Option Agreement shall not in any way be construed
as a waiver of
any such provision or provisions, nor prevent that party from thereafter enforcing each and every other provision of this
Option Agreement. The rights
granted both parties herein are cumulative and shall not constitute a waiver of either party’s right
to assert all other legal remedies available to it under the
circumstances.
 
25.
Tax Consequences. Participant has reviewed with Participant’s own tax advisers the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S.
tax consequences of
this investment and the transactions contemplated by this Option Agreement. With respect to such matters, Participant
relies solely on such advisers and not
on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its agents, written or oral. Participant
understands that Participant (and not the Company)
shall be responsible for Participant’s own tax liability that may arise as a
 result of this investment or the transactions contemplated by this Option
Agreement.
 
*
* *
 
A-7

 
 
EXHIBIT
B
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
 
2024
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
 
STOCK
OPTION AGREEMENT
 
EXERCISE
NOTICE
 
Nephros,
Inc.
380
Lackawanna Place
South
Orange, NJ 07079
 
Attention:
Stock Administration
 
1.
Exercise of Option. Effective as of today, ________________, _______, the undersigned (“Participant”) hereby
elects to exercise Participant’s
option (the “Option”) to purchase ________________ shares of the Common Stock
(the “Shares”) of Nephros, Inc. (the “Company”) under and pursuant
to the 2024 Equity Incentive
Plan (the “Plan”) and the Stock Option Agreement dated ______________, _______, including the Notice of Stock Option
Grant, and the Terms and Conditions of Stock Option Grant attached as Exhibit A thereto and other exhibits, appendices and addenda
attached thereto (the
“Option Agreement”). Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Exercise
Notice will be ascribed the same defined meanings as set
forth in the Option Agreement (or the Plan or other written agreement as specified
in the Option Agreement).
 
2.
Delivery of Payment. Participant herewith delivers to the Company the full purchase price of the Shares, as set forth in the Option
Agreement, and
any Withholding Obligations to be paid in connection with the exercise of the Option.
 
3.
Representations of Participant. Participant acknowledges that Participant has received, read and understood the Plan and the Option
Agreement
and agrees to abide by and be bound by their terms and conditions.
 
4.
Rights as Stockholder. Until the issuance of the Shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or
of a duly authorized
transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder shall
exist with respect to the Common Stock
subject to the Option, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Shares so acquired shall
be issued to Participant as soon as practicable after the
Option is exercised in accordance with the Option Agreement. No adjustment
shall be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior
to the date of issuance except as provided in Section
6 of the Plan.
 
5.
Tax Consultation. Participant understands that Participant may suffer adverse tax consequences as a result of Participant’s
purchase or disposition
of the Shares. Participant represents that Participant has consulted with any tax consultants Participant deems
advisable in connection with the purchase or
disposition of the Shares and that Participant is not relying on the Company for any tax
advice.
 
6.
Interpretation. Any dispute regarding the interpretation of this Exercise Notice shall be submitted by Participant or by the Company
forthwith to
the Plan Administrator, which shall review such dispute at its next regular meeting. The resolution of such a dispute by
the Plan Administrator shall be final
and binding on all parties to the maximum extent permitted by law.
 
B-1

 
 
7.
Governing Law; Severability. This Exercise Notice is governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal substantive laws,
but not the
choice of law rules, of the State of Delaware. In the event that any provision hereof becomes or is declared by a court of
competent jurisdiction to be
illegal, unenforceable or void, this Exercise Notice shall continue in full force and effect.
 
8.
Entire Agreement. The Plan and Option Agreement are incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and the Option Agreement (including
this
Exercise Notice and any exhibits, appendices, and addenda attached to the Notice of Stock Option Grant of the Option Agreement)
constitute the entire
agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings
and agreements of the Company and
Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to Participant’s
interest except by means of a writing signed by the
Company and Participant.
 
Submitted
by:
 
Accepted
by:
PARTICIPANT
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Signature
 
By
 
 
 
Print
Name
 
Print
Name
 
 
 
 
 
Title
 
 
 
Address:
 
Address:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date
Received
 
B-2

 
 
EXHIBIT
C
 
2024
Equity Incentive Plan
 
[see
attached]
 
C-1

 
Exhibit
10.8
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
 
2024
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
 
RESTRICTED
STOCK GRANT NOTICE
 
Nephros,
Inc. (the “Company”), pursuant to its 2024 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), hereby awards to
Participant identified below a Restricted
Stock Award for the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock (the “Restricted
Stock”) set forth below (the “Award”). The Award is subject to
all of the terms and conditions as set forth
 in this notice of grant (this “Restricted Stock Grant Notice”) and in the Plan and the Restricted Stock
Agreement
(the “Award Agreement”), both of which are attached hereto and incorporated herein in their entirety. Capitalized
terms not otherwise defined
herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Plan or the Award Agreement. In the event of any conflict
between the terms in the Award and the Plan, the
terms of the Plan shall control unless explicitly otherwise provided.
 
Participant
Name:
 
 
ID:
 
 
Date
of Grant:
 
 
Grant
Number:
 
202__-___
Vesting
Commencement Date:
 
_____________,
20_____
Number
of Restricted Stock shares:
 
 
 
Vesting
Schedule:
 
[[For
a standard 4-year vesting schedule, use the following] [[25%] of the shares of Restricted Stock shall be fully vested on the
Vesting Commencement
Date, and the remainder will thereafter vest in a series of 12 successive equal quarterly installments commencing
on the date that is three months following
the Vesting Commencement Date and continuing every three months thereafter until fully vested,
subject to Participant’s Continuous Service as of each
such vesting date.]
 
[[For
immediately vested shares, use the following] All of the shares of Restricted Stock shall be deemed immediately vested in full
on the Vesting
Commencement Date.]
 
[[To
be included unless otherwise provided by Board] If both (i) a Corporate Transaction occurs, and (ii) during the time period commencing
90 days prior
to the consummation of the Corporate Transaction and ending on the date that is one year following the consummation of
the Corporate Transaction, the
Company (or its successor) terminates Participant’s Continuous Service for a reason other than Cause,
then the vesting of all unvested shares of Restricted
Stock shall be immediately accelerated and the Award shall be deemed immediately
vested in full.]
 
Additional
Terms and Acknowledgements:
 
Participant
acknowledges receipt of, and understands and agrees to, this Restricted Stock Grant Notice, the Award Agreement, and the Plan. Participant
further acknowledges that as of the Date of Grant, this Restricted Stock Grant Notice, the Award Agreement and the Plan set forth the
entire understanding
between Participant and the Company regarding the acquisition of the Common Stock pursuant to the Award specified
above and supersede all prior oral
and written agreements on the terms of this Award with the exception, if applicable, of (i) the written
employment agreement, offer letter or other written
agreement entered into between the Company and Participant specifying the terms that
should govern this specific Award, and (ii) any compensation
recovery policy that is adopted by the Company or is otherwise required
by applicable law.
 
 

 
 
By
accepting this Award, Participant acknowledges having received and read this Restricted Stock Grant Notice, the Award Agreement and the
Plan and
agrees to all of the terms and conditions set forth in these documents. Participant consents to receive Plan documents by electronic
 delivery and to
participate in the Plan through an on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another
 third party designated by the
Company.
 
PARTICIPANT
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:
 
Name:
 
Name:  
 
 
Title:
 
Residence
Address:
 
 
 
 
Exhibit
A:
  Award
Agreement
Exhibit
B:
  2024
Equity Incentive Plan
 
2

 
 
EXHIBIT
A
 
NEPHROS,
INC.
 
2024
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
RESTRICTED
STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT
 
Pursuant
to the Restricted Stock Grant Notice (the “Grant Notice”) and this Restricted Stock Award Agreement (the “Award
Agreement”) and in
consideration of your services, Nephros, Inc. (the “Company”) has awarded you (“Participant”)
a Restricted Stock Award (the “Award”) pursuant to
Section 5(a) of the Company’s 2024 Equity Incentive Plan
 (the “Plan”) for the number of shares of Restricted Stock indicated in the Grant Notice.
Capitalized terms not explicitly
defined in this Award Agreement or the Grant Notice shall have the same meanings given to them in the Plan. The terms of
your Award,
in addition to those set forth in the Grant Notice, are as follows.
 
1. Grant
of the Award. Subject to the terms of this Award Agreement, the Grant Notice and the Plan, the Company hereby grants to Participant
an
Award with respect to the number of shares of Restricted Stock of the Company set forth on the Grant Notice.
 
2. Vesting.
Subject to the limitations contained herein, your Award will vest, if at all, in accordance with the Vesting Schedule and the Additional
Terms and Acknowledgements provided in the Grant Notice, provided that vesting will cease upon the termination of your Continuous Service.
Upon such
termination of your Continuous Service, the shares of Restricted Stock that were not vested on the date of such termination
will be forfeited at no cost to
the Company and you will have no further right, title or interest in or to such underlying shares of
Common Stock.
 
3. Number
 of Shares. The number of shares of Restricted Stock subject to your Award may be adjusted from time to time for Capitalization
Adjustments,
as provided in the Plan. Any additional Restricted Stock, cash or other property that becomes subject to the Award pursuant to this Section
3
shall be subject, in a manner determined by the Board, to the same forfeiture restrictions, restrictions on transferability, and time
and manner of delivery as
applicable to the other shares of Restricted Stock covered by your Award. Notwithstanding the provisions of
this Section 3, no fractional shares or rights for
fractional shares of Common Stock shall be created pursuant to this Section 3. Any
fraction of a share will be rounded down to the nearest whole share.
 
4. Transfer
Restrictions. Prior to the time that shares of Restricted Stock have become vested pursuant to Section 2 hereof, you may not transfer,
pledge, sell or otherwise dispose of this Award or the Restricted Stock issuable in respect of your Award, except as expressly provided
in this Section 4. For
example, you may not use any shares of unvested Restricted Stock as security for a loan. The restrictions on transfer
set forth herein will lapse with respect
to any and all shares of Restricted Stock that have vested. Notwithstanding the foregoing, by
 delivering written notice to the Company, in a form
satisfactory to the Company, you may designate a third party who, in the event of
your death, shall thereafter be entitled to receive any distribution of
Common Stock to which you were entitled at the time of your death
pursuant to this Award Agreement. In the absence of such a designation, your legal
representative will be entitled to receive, on behalf
of your estate, such Common Stock or other consideration.
 
(a) Death.
Your Award is transferable by will and by the laws of descent and distribution. At your death, vesting of your Award will cease and
your
executor or administrator of your estate shall be entitled to receive, on behalf of your estate, any Common Stock or other consideration
that vested but
was not issued before your death.
 
 

 
 
(b) Domestic
Relations Orders. Upon receiving written permission from the Board or its duly authorized designee, and provided that you and the
designated transferee enter into transfer and other agreements required by the Company, you may transfer your Award and Restricted Stock
pursuant to a
domestic relations order or marital settlement agreement that contains the information required by the Company to effectuate
the transfer.
 
5. Dividends
and Voting Rights. Participant shall be entitled to cash dividends and voting rights with respect to the shares of Restricted Stock
subject
to the Award even though such shares are not vested, provided that such rights shall terminate immediately as to any shares of
Restricted Stock that are
forfeited following termination of your Continuous Service with the Company.
 
6. Stock
Certificates.
 
(a) Book
Entry Form. The Company shall issue the shares of Restricted Stock subject to the Award either: (a) in certificate form as provided
in
Section 6(b) below; or (b) in book entry form, registered in the name of the Participant with notations regarding the applicable restrictions
on transfer
imposed under this Award Agreement.
 
(b) Certificates
 to be Held by Company; Legend. Any certificates representing shares of Restricted Stock that may be delivered to the
Participant
by the Company prior to vesting shall be redelivered to the Company to be held by the Company until the restrictions on such shares shall
have
lapsed and the shares shall thereby have become vested or the shares represented thereby have been forfeited hereunder. Such certificates
 shall bear
appropriate restrictive legends, including the following legend:
 
“THE
 SALE, PLEDGE, HYPOTHECATION, OR TRANSFER OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY AND ANY INTEREST
HEREIN IS, AND IN CERTAIN CASES PROHIBITED
 BY, THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD
AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO BETWEEN THE REGISTERED OWNER AND NEPHROS, INC. A COPY OF
SUCH AGREEMENT IS ON
FILE IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF NEPHROS, INC.”
 
(c) Delivery
 of Certificates Upon Vesting. Promptly after the vesting of any shares of Restricted Stock pursuant to Section 2 hereof, the
Company
shall, as applicable, either remove the notations on any shares of Restricted Stock issued in book entry form which have vested or deliver
to the
Participant a certificate or certificates evidencing the number of shares of Restricted Stock which have vested. The Participant
 (or the beneficiary or
personal representative of the Participant in the event of the Participant’s death or disability, as the
 case may be) shall deliver to the Company any
representations or other documents or assurances as the Company may determine to be necessary
or reasonably advisable in order to ensure compliance
with applicable laws with respect to the grant of the Award and deliver of shares
of Common Stock in respect thereof. The shares so delivered shall no
longer be restricted shares hereunder.
 
7. Execution
of Documents. You hereby acknowledge and agree that the manner selected by the Company by which you indicate your consent to your
Grant Notice is also deemed to be your execution of your Grant Notice and of this Award Agreement. You further agree that such manner
of indicating
consent may be relied upon as your signature for establishing your execution of any documents to be executed in the future
in connection with your Award.
 
A-4

 
 
8. Award
Not a Service Contract.
 
(a) Nothing
in this Award Agreement (including, but not limited to, the vesting of your Award or the issuance of the shares subject to your Award),
the Plan or any covenant of good faith and fair dealing that may be found implicit in this Award Agreement or the Plan shall: (i) confer
upon you any right
to continue in the employ of, or affiliation with, the Company or an Affiliate; (ii) constitute any promise or commitment
by the Company or an Affiliate
regarding the fact or nature of future positions, future work assignments, future compensation or any
other term or condition of employment or affiliation;
(iii) confer any right or benefit under this Award Agreement or the Plan unless
such right or benefit has specifically accrued under the terms of this Award
Agreement or Plan; or (iv) deprive the Company of the right
to terminate you at will and without regard to any future vesting opportunity that you may
have.
 
(b) The
Company has the right to reorganize, sell, spin-out or otherwise restructure one or more of its businesses or Affiliates at any time
or from
time to time, as it deems appropriate (a “reorganization”). Such a reorganization could result in the termination
 of your Continuous Service, or the
termination of Affiliate status of your employer and (except to the extent specifically provided otherwise
either in the Grant Notice or the Employment
Letter) the loss of benefits available to you under this Award Agreement, including but
not limited to, the termination of the right to continue vesting in the
Award. This Award Agreement, the Plan, the transactions contemplated
hereunder and the vesting schedule set forth herein or any covenant of good faith
and fair dealing that may be found implicit in any
of them do not constitute an express or implied promise of continued engagement as an employee or
consultant for the term of this Award
Agreement, for any period, or at all, and shall not interfere in any way with the Company’s right to conduct a
reorganization.
 
9. Tax
Withholding. The Company shall be entitled to require a cash payment by or on behalf of the Participant and/or to deduct from other
compensation payable to the Participant any sums required by federal, state or local tax law to be withheld with respect to the vesting
of any Restricted
Stock. Alternatively, the Participant or other person in whom the Restricted Stock vests may irrevocably elect, in
such manner and at such time or times
prior to any applicable tax date, to have the Company withhold and reacquire shares of Restricted
Stock at their fair market value at the time of vesting to
satisfy any withholding obligations of the Company or its Subsidiaries with
 respect to such vesting. Any election to have shares so held back and
reacquired shall be subject to such rules and procedures, which
may include prior approval of the Administrator, as the Administrator may impose, and
shall not be available if the Participant makes
or has made an election pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code with respect to such Award.
 
10. Section
83(b) Election for Restricted Stock Award; Independent Tax Advice.
 
(a) Under
Section 83(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), the Participant will be taxed on the shares of Restricted
Stock on the date such
shares vest as set forth in Section 2 of this Award Agreement, based on the fair market value of such shares on
such date, at ordinary income rates subject to
payroll and withholding tax and tax reporting, as applicable. For this purpose, the term
“forfeiture restrictions” means the right of the Company to receive
back any unvested Restricted Stock upon termination of
Continuous Service. Under Section 83(b) of the Code, the Participant may elect to be taxed on the
shares of Restricted Stock on the Grant
Date, based upon their fair market value on such date, at ordinary income rates subject to payroll and withholding
tax and tax reporting,
rather than when and as the unvested shares of Restricted Stock become vested. If Participant elects to accelerate the date on which
he or she is taxed on the Restricted Stock under Section 83(b), an election (an “83(b) Election”) to such effect must
be filed with the Internal Revenue
Service within 30 days from the Grant Date of the Award and applicable withholding taxes must be paid
to the Company at that time.
 
A-5

 
 
(b) There
are significant risks associated with the decision to make an 83(b) Election. If the Participant makes an 83(b) Election and the unvested
shares of Restricted Stock are subsequently forfeited to the Company, the Participant will not be entitled to recover the taxes paid
by claiming a deduction
for the ordinary income previously recognized as a result of the 83(b) Election. If the Participant makes an
83(b) Election and the value of the unvested
shares of Restricted Stock subsequently declines, the 83(b) Election may cause the Participant
to recognize more compensation income than otherwise
would have been the case. Alternatively, if the value of the unvested shares of
 Restricted Stock increases and the Participant has not made an 83(b)
Election, Participant may recognize more compensation income than
otherwise would have been the case.
 
(c) The
foregoing is only a summary of the federal income tax laws that apply to the Restricted Stock under this Award Agreement and does not
purport to be complete. The actual tax consequences of receiving or disposing of the Shares are complicated and depend, in part, on the
Participant’s
specific situation and may also depend on the resolution of currently uncertain tax law and other variables not within
 the control of the Company.
THEREFORE, THE PARTICIPANT SHOULD SEEK INDEPENDENT ADVICE REGARDING THE APPLICABLE PROVISIONS OF THE
FEDERAL
TAX LAW AND THE INCOME TAX LAWS OF ANY MUNICIPALITY, STATE OR FOREIGN COUNTRY TO WHICH THE
PARTICIPANT IS SUBJECT. By accepting this
Agreement, Participant acknowledges and agrees that he or she has either consulted with a competent tax
advisor independent of the Company
to obtain tax advice concerning the Restricted Stock in light of the Participant’s specific situation or has had the
opportunity
to consult with such a tax advisor and has chosen not to do so.
 
(d) The
form for making an 83(b) Election is available from the Company. If the Participant determines to make an 83(b) Election, it is the
Participant’s
responsibility to file such an election with the Internal Revenue Service within the 30-day period after the Grant Date, to deliver to
the
Company a signed copy of the 83(b) Election, to file an additional copy of such election form with the Participant’s
federal income tax return for the
calendar year in which the Grant Date occurs and to pay applicable withholding taxes to the Company
at that time.
 
11. Notices.
Any notice or request required or permitted hereunder shall be given in writing to each of the other parties hereto and shall be deemed
effectively given on the earlier of (i) the date of personal delivery, including delivery by express courier, or delivery via electronic
means, or (ii) the date
that is five (5) days after deposit in the United States Post Office (whether or not actually received by the
addressee), by registered or certified mail with
postage and fees prepaid, addressed at the following addresses, or at such other address(es)
as a party may designate by ten (10) days’ advance written
notice to each of the other parties hereto:
 
COMPANY:
  Nephros,
Inc., 380 Lackawanna Place, South Orange, New Jersey 07079, or at such other address as the Company may hereafter
designate in writing.
 
   
PARTICIPANT:   Your
address as on file with the Company at the time notice is given
 
12. Headings.
The headings of the Sections in this Award Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute a part of
this Award Agreement or to affect the meaning of this Award Agreement.
 
A-6

 
 
13. Additional
Acknowledgements. You hereby consent and acknowledge that:
 
(a) Participation
in the Plan is voluntary and therefore you must accept the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement and Grant
Notice
as a condition to participating in the Plan and receipt of this Award. This Award and any other awards under the Plan are voluntary and
occasional
and do not create any contractual or other right to receive future awards or other benefits in lieu of future awards, even
if similar awards have been granted
repeatedly in the past. All determinations with respect to any such future awards, including, but
not limited to, the time or times when such awards are
made, the size of such awards and performance and other conditions applied to
the awards, will be at the sole discretion of the Company.
 
(b) The
 future value of your Award is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty. You do not have, and will not assert, any claim or
entitlement
to compensation, indemnity or damages arising from the termination of this Award or diminution in value of this Award and you irrevocably
release the Company, its Affiliates and, if applicable, your employer, if different from the Company, from any such claim that may arise.
 
(c) The
rights and obligations of the Company under your Award shall be transferable by the Company to any one or more persons or entities, and
all covenants and agreements hereunder shall inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, the Company’s successors and assigns.
 
(d) You
agree upon request to execute any further documents or instruments necessary or desirable in the sole determination of the Company to
carry out the purposes or intent of your Award.
 
(e) You
acknowledge and agree that you have reviewed your Award in its entirety, have had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior
to
executing and accepting your Award and fully understand all provisions of your Award.
 
(f) This
Award Agreement shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or
national securities exchanges as may be required.
 
(g) All
obligations of the Company under the Plan and this Award Agreement shall be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the
existence
of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of
the business and/or
assets of the Company.
 
14. Governing
Plan Document. Your Award is subject to all the provisions of the Plan, the provisions of which are hereby made a part of your Award,
and is further subject to all interpretations, amendments, rules and regulations which may from time to time be promulgated and adopted
pursuant to the
Plan. Your Award (and any compensation paid or shares issued under your Award) is subject to recoupment in accordance
with The Dodd–Frank Wall
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and any implementing regulations thereunder, any clawback policy
 adopted by the Company and any
compensation recovery policy otherwise required by applicable law. No recovery of compensation under such
a clawback policy will be an event giving
rise to a right to voluntarily terminate employment upon a resignation for “good reason,”
or for a “constructive termination” or any similar term under any
plan of or agreement with the Company.
 
15. Effect
on Other Employee Benefit Plans. The value of the Award subject to this Award Agreement shall not be included as compensation,
earnings,
salaries, or other similar terms used when calculating benefits under any employee benefit plan (other than the Plan) sponsored by the
Company
or any Affiliate except as such plan otherwise expressly provides. The Company expressly reserves its rights to amend, modify,
or terminate any or all of
the employee benefit plans of the Company or any Affiliate.
 
A-7

 
 
16. Choice
of Law. The interpretation, performance and enforcement of this Award Agreement shall be governed by the law of the State of Delaware
without regard to that state’s conflicts of laws rules.
 
17. Severability.
If all or any part of this Award Agreement or the Plan is declared by any court or governmental authority to be unlawful or invalid,
such unlawfulness or invalidity shall not invalidate any portion of this Award Agreement or the Plan not declared to be unlawful or invalid.
Any Section of
this Award Agreement (or part of such a Section) so declared to be unlawful or invalid shall, if possible, be construed
in a manner which will give effect to
the terms of such Section or part of a Section to the fullest extent possible while remaining lawful
and valid.
 
18. Amendment.
This Award Agreement may not be modified, amended or terminated except by an instrument in writing, signed by you and by a
duly authorized
representative of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Award Agreement may be amended solely by the Board by a writing
which
specifically states that it is amending this Award Agreement, so long as a copy of such amendment is delivered to you, and provided that,
except as
otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, no such amendment materially adversely affecting your rights hereunder may be made
without your written
consent. Without limiting the foregoing, the Board reserves the right to change, by written notice to you, the provisions
of this Award Agreement in any
way it may deem necessary or advisable to carry out the purpose of the Award as a result of any change
in applicable laws or regulations or any future law,
regulation, ruling, or judicial decision, provided that any such change shall be
applicable only to rights relating to that portion of the Award which is then
subject to restrictions as provided herein.
 
19. Compliance
 With Section 409A of the Code. This Award is intended to comply with the “short-term deferral” rule set forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(4). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if it is determined that the Award fails to satisfy the requirements
of the short-term
deferral rule and is otherwise deferred compensation subject to Section 409A, and if you are a “Specified Employee”
(within the meaning set forth in
Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code) as of the date of your “separation from service” (within
the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h)
and without regard to any alternative definition thereunder), then the issuance
of any shares that would otherwise be made upon the date of the separation
from service or within the first six (6) months thereafter
will not be made on the originally scheduled date(s) and will instead be issued in a lump sum on
the earlier of: (i) the fifth business
day following your death, or (ii) the date that is six (6) months and one day after the date of the separation from service,
with the
balance of the shares issued thereafter in accordance with the original vesting and issuance schedule set forth above, but if and only
if such delay
in the issuance of the shares is necessary to avoid the imposition of adverse taxation on you in respect of the shares
under Section 409A of the Code. Each
installment of shares that vests is intended to constitute a “separate payment” for
purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-2(b)(2).
 
*
* *
 
This
Award Agreement shall be deemed to be signed by the Company and the Participant upon the signing or electronic acceptance by the Participant
of the Restricted Stock Grant Notice to which it is attached.
 
A-8

 
 
EXHIBIT B
 
2024
Equity Incentive Plan
 
[see
attached]
 
 
 

 
Exhibit
19.1
 
POLICY STATEMENT
ON
INSIDE INFORMATION AND SECURITIES TRADING
BY
NEPHROS, INC.
As of February 26, 2020
 
SUMMARY
 
This Policy Statement on Inside
 Information and Securities Trading (the “Policy Statement”) provides guidelines for directors, officers,
employees, or other
types of representatives of Nephros, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) who may have access to material,
non-
public information (so-called “inside information”) about the Company and its customers, suppliers and other business
partners. Inside information is
information that is not available to the public, but that an investor might consider important in deciding
whether to buy or sell the Company’s securities.
Inside information refers to any information that has not been publicly announced
or that is likely to affect the public market price for the Company’s stock.
Inside information can be positive or negative, and
examples include new product introductions, the addition or loss of a significant customer or supplier, a
significant change in the level
of business with an existing customer or supplier, and discussions of potential acquisitions or mergers.
 
Both federal securities laws and
Company policy prohibit transactions in securities of the Company at a time when you may be in possession of
inside information about
the Company. In addition, you are prohibited from buying or selling the securities of a customer or supplier when you have
received, though
your employment or other relationship with the Company, inside information about that customer or supplier. Once inside information has
been publicly announced by press release or similar means, you must not trade in the securities of the respective company, including through
derivative
securities, until two full business days have elapsed since the public announcement. Anyone who violates these prohibitions
may face criminal and civil
penalties and disciplinary action by the Company.
 
The prohibitions described in
this Policy Statement also apply to members of your household and all others whose transactions may be attributable
to you. This means
that you should be careful not to disclose inside information to anyone outside the Company or anyone inside the Company without a
need
 to know. You may face disciplinary action, as well as criminal and civil liability for aiding and abetting insider training, if you disclose
 inside
information to another person and that person trades in the Company’s securities based on the information you provided. Any
questions from brokers,
securities analysts, or the media regarding the Company, its customers, suppliers, or other business partners,
 should be directed to the
Compliance Officer.
 
For further information and guidance,
please refer to the entire Policy Statement set forth below or contact the Compliance Officer.
 
 

 
 
1.
The Need for a Policy Statement.
 
The Company’s stock is publicly
traded; therefore, the Company is required to take active steps to prevent violations of insider trading laws by its
directors, officers,
employees, and certain other representatives. The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the U.S. Justice Department
have significant enforcement authority to prevent insider trading. This includes the ability to impose substantial civil and criminal
penalties on persons who
effect trades while in possession of inside information, as well as on companies and other “controlling
 persons,” such as directors, for violations by
company personnel or other representatives.
 
The Company is adopting this Policy
Statement to promote compliance with federal, state, and foreign securities laws and to protect the Company
and its employees from criminal
and civil liability. Adherence to this Policy Statement will help avoid even the appearance of improper conduct on the part
of anyone
employed by or closely associated with the Company. We have all worked hard to establish our reputation for integrity and ethical conduct.
We
cannot afford to have it damaged.
 
2.
Persons Covered.
 
This Policy Statement applies
to all officers of the Company and its subsidiaries, all members of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”)
and
all employees of the Company and its subsidiaries (because anyone with non-public information is considered an “insider”).
 
The very same restrictions apply
to family members and other individuals who live in your household (“Family Members”) and any person or
entity, including
 corporations, partnerships or trusts, whose transactions are directed by you or are subject to your influence or control (“Controlled
Entities”). Transactions by these persons or entities should be treated for the purposes of this Policy Statement and applicable
securities law as if they were
for your own account. You are responsible for the transactions of Family Members and Controlled Entities
and therefore should make them aware of the
need to confer with you before trading in securities.
 
This Policy Statement does not
apply to personal securities transactions of other individuals where the purchase or sale decision is made by a third
party not controlled
by, influenced by or related to you or your Family Members.
 
The Company may also determine
that other persons should be subject to this Policy Statement, such as consultants or independent contractors
who have access to material,
non-public information.
 
Directors
and executive officers who are subject to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
and
certain other employees and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries with access to material, non-public information are subject
to additional
restrictions. As indicated below, these “Designated Persons” are prohibited from trading in the Company’s
securities during quarterly blackout periods and
certain event-specific blackouts. These individuals must also pre-clear all transactions
in the Company’s securities. Individuals subject to these additional
restrictions are listed in Appendix A.
 
 

 
 
3.
Administration of this Policy.
 
The Company has appointed the
Chief Financial Officer as the “Compliance Officer” for this Policy Statement. The Compliance Officer assists
with
implementing this Policy Statement, circulates this Policy Statement to all employees, ensures that the Policy Statement is amended as
necessary to
remain up-to-date with insider trading laws, provides pre-approval of transactions for Designated Persons, and answers questions
relating to this Policy
Statement.
 
4.
The Consequences of Non-Compliance.
 
The consequences of insider trading
violations can be severe:
 
Individuals who trade on
inside information (or tip information to others) may potentially face:
 
 
●
A civil penalty of up to three times the profit gained or loss avoided;
 
●
A criminal fine of up to five million dollars (no matter how small the profit); and
 
●
A jail term of up to twenty years.
 
A company (as well as possibly
any supervisory person) that fails to take appropriate steps to prevent illegal trading may face:
 
 
●
A civil penalty of the greater of one million dollars or three times the profit gained or loss avoided as a result of the individual’s violation; and
 
●
A criminal penalty of up to twenty-five million dollars.
 
Directors, officers, and other
supervisory personnel may also face personal liability for civil claims if they fail to take appropriate steps to prevent
insider
trading.
 
In addition, any person who violates
this Policy Statement faces discipline from the Company, up to dismissal or removal for cause. Any of the
above consequences, or even
an SEC investigation that does not result in prosecution, can tarnish one’s reputation and irreparably damage a career.
 
5.
Our Policy.
 
No
director, officer, or employee (or any other person designated by this Policy Statement or by the Compliance Officer as subject to this
Policy
Statement) may purchase or sell a Company security, whether or not issued by the Company, while in possession of material, non-public
information about
the Company.
 
No
person subject to this Policy Statement who knows of any material, non-public information about the Company may communicate it to any
person within the Company whose job does not require that information or outside of the Company to other persons, including, but not limited
to, family,
friends, business associates, investors, and consulting firms.
 
 

 
 
No
 person subject to this Policy Statement may “tip” or recommend securities while in possession of material, non-public information.
This
practice of “tipping” violates securities laws and can result in the same civil and criminal penalties as insider trading,
even though you did not trade or gain
any benefit from the other person’s actions.
 
No
person subject to this Policy Statement who, in the course of working for the Company, learns of material, non-public information about
a
company with which the Company does business, including a customer or supplier of the Company, may trade in that company’s securities
until two full
business days after the information becomes public or is no longer material.
 
 
5.1. Material Information.
 
Material
information is any information (either positive or negative) that a reasonable investor would consider important in a decision to buy,
hold
or sell securities. In short, material information is any information that could reasonably be expected to affect the price of securities.
 
Common
examples of information regarded as material include, but are not limited to:
 
 
●
The Company’s financial results;
 
●
Projections of future earnings or losses;
 
●
Changes to previously announced earnings guidance, or the decision to suspend earnings guidance;
 
●
News of a pending or proposed merger, acquisition or tender offer;
 
●
News of a significant acquisition or disposition of assets;
 
●
News of a pending or proposed joint venture;
 
●
Company restructuring;
 
●
Significant related party transactions;
 
●
Changes in dividend policies, the declaration of a securities split, or the offering of additional securities;
 
●
Bank borrowings or other financing transactions out of the ordinary course;
 
●
Changes in management;
 
●
Impending bankruptcy or financial liquidity problems;
 
●
The gain or loss of a substantial customer or supplier or a substantial change in business with a customer or supplier;
 
●
New product or service announcements;
 
●
Significant product defect or modification; and
 
●
Significant litigation exposure due to actual or threatened litigation.
 
Remember,
if your securities transactions become the subject of scrutiny, they will be viewed after-the-fact with the benefit of hindsight. As a
result, before engaging in any securities transaction you should carefully consider how regulators and others might view your transaction.
 
 

 
 
If you are unsure whether information
 is material, you should consult the Compliance Officer before making any decision to disclose such
information or to trade in or recommend
securities to which that information relates.
 
In
 order to prevent unintentional disclosure, all inquiries and requests for information regarding the Company or the Company’s customers,
suppliers or other business partners (e.g., from the media, securities brokers or securities analysts) should be referred to the Compliance
Officer.
 
 
5.2. When Information is Considered Public.
 
Non-public
information is information that has not been widely disseminated to the public. In general, information may be considered widely
disseminated
if it has been disclosed through newswire services or public disclosure documents filed with the SEC. Information available only to Company
employees, or a select group of analysts, brokers, and institutional investors, is not considered widely disseminated. Additionally, for
information to be
considered “public” investors must also have been given sufficient time to absorb the information and act
upon it.
 
When
information is released, it is still considered non-public until two full business days have elapsed. Therefore, if the Company were to
make
an announcement on a Monday, you should not trade in Company securities until Thursday, assuming you are not aware of other material,
non-public
information at that time. If the Company makes an announcement after trading begins on Tuesday, the first time you can buy
or sell Company securities is
the opening of the market on Friday, assuming you do not have other inside information, and provided that
such trades occur in accordance with the terms
of this Policy Statement.
 
 
5.3. Transactions Covered.
 
This Policy Statement applies
to transactions in the Company’s securities, including the Company’s common stock, options to purchase common
stock, or any
other type of securities that the Company may issue, including (but not limited to) preferred stock, convertible debentures and warrants,
as
well as derivative securities that are not issued by the Company, such as exchange-traded put or call options or swaps relating to
the Company’s securities.
 
This Policy Statement also applies
to trading securities of other companies about which you have obtained non-public information in the course of
your employment, such as
customers or suppliers of the Company or those with which the Company may be negotiating major transactions. Information
that is not material
to the Company may nevertheless be material to those entities.
 
 
5.4. Exceptions.
 
You
may be required from time to time to forego a proposed transaction in the Company’s securities even if you planned to make the transaction
before learning of the inside information and even though you believe that you may suffer an economic loss or forego anticipated profit
 by waiting.
Transactions that may be necessary or justifiable for independent reasons (such as the need to raise money for an emergency
expenditure) are no exception.
Even the appearance of an improper transaction must be avoided to preserve our reputation for adhering
to the highest standards of conduct, and to avoid an
inquiry regarding civil and criminal liability for trading on inside information.
 
 

 
 
Accordingly,
the following are the only exceptions to this Policy Statement:
 
 
 
5.4.1.Transactions Under Company Plans.
 
401(k)
Plan. This Policy Statement does not apply to your receipt of Company stock in connection with stock matching contributions that may
occur pursuant to the Company’s 401(k) Plan. However, if such stock matching contributions occur, this Policy Statement would apply
to certain elections
you may make under the 401(k) Plan, including, if applicable: (a) an election to increase or decrease the percentage
of your 401(k) Plan stock matching
contribution by the Company that will be allocated to the Company stock fund; (b) an election to make
an intra-plan transfer of an existing account balance
into or out of the Company stock fund; (c) an election to borrow money against your
401(k) Plan account if the loan will result in a liquidation of some or
all of your Company stock fund balance; and (d) your election
to pre-pay a plan loan if the pre-payment will result in allocation of loan proceeds to the
Company stock fund.
 
Stock
Option Exercises. This Policy Statement does not apply to the exercise of an employee stock option acquired pursuant to the Company’s
plans, or to the exercise of a net exercise or tax withholding right pursuant to which a person has elected to have the Company withhold
shares subject to an
option to satisfy the exercise price for the option or tax withholding requirements. This Policy Statement does apply,
however, to any sale of stock as part of
a broker-assisted cashless exercise of an option, or any other market sale for the purpose of
generating the cash needed to pay the exercise price of an
option.
 
With
respect to Designated Persons, the additional procedures described in Section 7 also apply to open market sales of shares acquired through
the exercise of any options, including broker-assisted cashless exercises and any other method of exercise that involves the open market
sale of Company
securities. Furthermore, stock option exercises are subject to the terms of the Company’s governing stock option
and incentive plans and any agreements
entered into between the Company and the holders of such options.
 
Restricted
Stock Awards. This Policy Statement does not apply to the vesting or lapse of risk of forfeiture of restricted stock units or restricted
stock, or the exercise of a tax withholding right pursuant to which you elect to have the Company withhold shares of stock to satisfy
tax withholding
requirements upon such events. This Policy Statement, including, as applicable, the additional procedures described in
Section 7, does apply to any market
sale of restricted stock.
 
Employee
Stock Purchase Plan. This Policy Statement does not apply to purchases of Company securities in any employee stock purchase plan
adopted
by the Company resulting from your periodic contribution of money to the plan pursuant to the election you made at the time of your enrollment
in
the plan. This Policy Statement also does not apply to purchases of Company securities resulting from lump sum contributions to the
plan, if any, if you
elected to participate by lump sum payment at the beginning of the applicable enrollment period.
 
 

 
 
This
 Policy Statement applies to your election to participate in the plan for any enrollment period, and to your sales of Company securities
purchased pursuant to the plan. With respect to Designated Persons, the additional procedures described in Section 7 apply to: (a) the
initial election to
make such contributions; (b) any subsequent modifications to increase or decrease the percentage of contributions
made during each pay period; and (c) the
termination of contributions.
 
Dividend
Reinvestment Plan. This Policy Statement does not apply to purchases of Company securities under any dividend reinvestment plan
where
the purchase results from your reinvestment of dividends paid on Company securities. This Policy Statement, including the additional procedures
described in Section 7, does apply, however, to voluntary purchases of Company securities resulting from additional contributions you
choose to make to
the dividend reinvestment plan, and to your election to participate in the plan or increase your level of participation
in the plan. This Policy Statement also
applies to your sale of any Company securities purchased pursuant to the plan.
 
Other
Similar Transactions. Purchases of Company securities from the Company or sales of Company securities to the Company are not subject
to
this Policy Statement.
 
Rule
10b5-1 Plans. This Policy Statement does not apply to transactions executed pursuant to a contract, instruction or plan that satisfies
Rule
10b5-1, so long as the underlying contract, instruction or plan itself complies with the requirements, including, if applicable,
the additional procedures
described in Section 7, set forth in this Policy Statement. See Section 8 for more details.
 
 
 
5.4.2.Transactions Not Involving a Purchase or Sale.
 
Mutual
Funds. Transactions in mutual funds that are invested in Company securities are not transactions subject to this Policy Statement.
 
Gifts.
Gifts are not transactions subject to this Policy Statement, unless the person making the gift has reason to believe that the recipient
intends
to sell the Company securities while the person making the gift is aware of material, non-public information or if the person
making the gift is a Designated
Person and sales by the recipient of the Company securities will occur during a Blackout Period. Designated
Persons must ask and get a written statement
from the recipient that the securities will not be sold to a third party except in compliance
with this Policy Statement. Additionally, individuals who are
subject to Rule 144 must also aggregate donee sales when calculating volume.
 
 
5.5. Online Activities.
 
Other
than at the direction of an officer of the Company, or, with respect to executive officers and directors, upon formal or informal authorization
of the Board, persons subject to this Policy Statement must not participate in Internet discussion groups, message boards or chat rooms
with respect to the
Company, including the Company’s business, technology, financial projections and stock performance, or to disclose
information about the Company, its
customers, suppliers and other business partners on social media websites, in blogs, or in any other
online setting. This restriction is in addition to and not a
substitute for other Company policies regarding online activities.
 
 

 
 
 
5.6. Dealing with Rumors.
 
In
general, the Company will not comment on rumors about its business affairs, its products and services, or its stock price. Occasionally,
a rumor
about the Company may begin to affect the market price of the Company’s securities. In such cases, the Company, in consultation
with legal counsel, will
promptly assess the nature and significance of the rumor, and may publicly dispel or confirm the rumor. Directors,
officers, employees and other persons
subject to this Policy Statement who become aware of a rumor that seems likely to affect the market
price of the Company’s securities should promptly
inform the Company’s Compliance Officer. In addition, various securities
 laws prohibit the circulation of rumors where the underlying intent is to
manipulate the price of publicly traded securities. You should
always refrain from conveying rumors about the Company to anyone.
 
6.
Additional Discouraged and Prohibited Transactions.
 
In
order to avoid even the appearance of the use of inside information and to discourage short-term or speculative transactions involving
Company
securities, this Policy Statement strongly discourages, and in some cases prohibits, persons subject to this Policy Statement
from engaging in any of the
following activities with respect to Company securities:
 
Short-Term
Trading. The Company encourages you to hold Company securities purchased in the open market for a minimum of six months and
ideally
longer. Executives and directors must hold securities for at least six months after purchase pursuant to Section 16(b) of the Exchange
Act.
 
This
restriction does not apply to Company stock that you acquire upon exercise of an option, provided that the stock is registered with the
SEC on
a Form S-8, you do not have inside information at the time of sale, and, if you are an officer, director or “affiliate”
(as defined under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended), you observe additional restrictions under Rule 144 and the additional procedures
described in Section 7 of this Policy Statement.
 
Short
Sales. Short sales of Company securities are prohibited. A short sale may evidence an expectation on the part of the seller
that the securities
will decline in value, and therefore have the potential to signal to the market that the seller lacks confidence in
the Company’s prospects. Short sales may
also reduce a seller’s incentive to seek to improve the Company’s performance.
 
Publicly
 Traded Options. Persons subject to this Policy Statement are prohibited from buying and selling “puts” and “calls”
 on Company
securities.
 
Hedging
Transactions. Hedging or monetization transactions can be accomplished through a number of possible mechanisms, including through
the use of financial instruments such as prepaid variable forwards, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds. Such hedging transactions
may permit a
director, officer or employee to continue to own Company securities obtained through employee benefit plans or otherwise,
but without the full risks and
rewards of ownership. When that occurs, the director, officer or employee may no longer have the same objectives
as the Company’s other stockholders.
Therefore, persons subject to this Policy Statement are prohibited from engaging in hedging
or monetization transactions.
 
 

 
 
Margin Accounts. Securities
held in a margin account or pledged as collateral for a loan may be sold without your consent by the broker if you fail
to meet a margin
call or by the lender in foreclosure if you default on the loan. Because a margin sale or foreclosure sale may occur at a time when you
are
aware of material, non-public information or otherwise are not permitted to trade in Company securities, you are prohibited from holding
 Company
securities in a margin account or otherwise pledging Company securities as collateral for a loan.
 
Standing
Orders. The Company discourages placing standing or limit orders on Company securities (except standing or limit orders under Rule
10b5-1 Plans adopted in accordance with the terms of this Policy Statement). Standing and limit orders create heightened risks for insider
trading violations
similar to the use of margin accounts. There is no control over the timing of purchases or sales that result from standing
instructions to a broker, and as a
result the broker could execute a transaction when a director, officer, or other employee is in possession
of material, non-public information. If a person
subject to this Policy Statement determines that they must use a standing order or limit
order, the order should be used only for a brief period of time and
should otherwise comply with the restrictions and procedures in this
Policy Statement.
 
7.
Additional Procedures.
 
The
additional procedures described below apply only to Designated Persons.
 
 
7.1. Blackout Period.
 
The persons designated by the
Compliance Officer as subject to this restriction, as well as their Family Members or Controlled Entities, may not
conduct any transactions
involving the Company’s securities (other than as specified by this Policy Statement), during a “Blackout Period”
beginning on
the sixteenth day of the third calendar month of any fiscal quarter and ending after two full business days have elapsed
following the date of the public
release of the Company’s earnings results for that quarter. In other words, these persons may only
conduct transactions in Company securities during the
“Trading Window” beginning after two full business days have
elapsed following the public release of the Company’s quarterly earnings and ending on the
fifteenth day of the third calendar month
of the next fiscal quarter.
 
In
connection with all trades, regardless of date, it is always illegal to trade on inside information.
 
 
7.2. Event-Specific Blackout Periods.
 
From
time to time, an event may occur that is material to the Company and is known by only a few directors, officers and/or employees. So long
as the event remains material and non-public, Designated Persons may not trade Company securities. In addition, the Company’s financial
results may be
sufficiently material in a particular fiscal quarter that, in the judgment of the Compliance Officer, Designated Persons
 should refrain from trading in
Company securities even sooner than the typical Blackout Period described above. In that situation, the
Compliance Officer may, but is not required to,
notify these persons that they should not trade in the Company’s securities, without
disclosing the reason for the restriction. The existence of an event-
specific blackout period or extension of a blackout period will not
be announced to the Company as a whole and should not be communicated to any other
person.
 
 

 
 
In
the event a Designated Person requests pre-clearance during an event-specific blackout, the person will be informed of the existence of
a
blackout period, but not the reason for the blackout. Any person made aware of the existence of an event-specific blackout should not
disclose the existence
of the blackout to any other person. Even if the Company has not declared an event-specific blackout, no Designated
Person should trade while aware of
inside information. Exceptions will not be granted during an event-specific blackout period.
 
 
7.3. Pre-Clearance.
 
To
provide assistance in preventing inadvertent violations and avoiding even the appearance of an improper transaction (which could result,
for
example, where a person engages in a trade while unaware of a pending major development), Designated Persons, together with their
Family Members or
Controlled Entities, that contemplate in engaging in any transaction in Company securities to which this Policy Statement
 applies, must notify the
Compliance Officer at least two business days in advance of the proposed transaction.
 
Before
making a pre-clearance request, you should carefully consider whether you may be aware of any material, non-public information about
the
Company and should describe this in detail in the request. You should indicate whether you have effected any non-exempt “opposite-way”
transactions
within the past six months and should be prepared to report the proposed transaction on an appropriate Form 4 or Form 5.
The requestor should also be
prepared to comply with Rule 144 and file Form 144, if necessary, at the time of any sale.
 
The
 Compliance Officer is under no obligation to permit a transaction submitted for pre-clearance and may determine not to permit the
transaction.
If permission to engage in the transaction is denied, you should not initiate any transaction in Company securities, nor should you inform
others of the restriction. If permitted, clearance is good for two business days, or the beginning of the next scheduled Blackout Period,
unless otherwise
notified.
 
Pre-clearance
by the Company is not legal advice, and the Company is in no way acknowledging that you do not have material, non-public
information.
 
8.
Rule 10b5-1 Trading Arrangements.
 
Notwithstanding
the restrictions set forth elsewhere in this Policy Statement, transactions that satisfy the following criteria will not be prohibited:
 
 
1.
Purchases or sales that occur pursuant to any of the following:
 
 
 
a.
a binding contract to purchase or sell the security;
 
 
b.
instructions to another person to purchase or sell the security for the instructing person’s account; or
 
 
c.
a written plan for trading securities;
 
 

 
 
which
is delivered in writing to the Company’s Compliance Officer, provided the person proposing such contract, instruction or plan is
not
then aware of any material, non-public information concerning the Company and the first transaction pursuant to the contract, instruction
or
plan does not take place until at least 30 calendar days after delivery to the Company’s Compliance Officer or such officer’s
designee. In
addition, if the person proposing such contract, instruction or plan is a director or officer of the Company or otherwise
subject to the Blackout
Period set forth in this Policy Statement, the contract, instruction or plan must be approved by the Company’s
Compliance Officer and such
contract, instruction or plan must be adopted during a Trading Window. If the Company’s Compliance Officer
 proposes entering into a
contract, instruction or plan, the contract, instruction or plan must be approved by the Company’s Chief
 Executive Officer, or, if the
Company’s Compliance Office is the Chief Executive Officer, by the Chairman of the Board.
 
 
2.
In addition, the contract, instruction or plan referenced in paragraph 1 above must comply with at least one of the following:
 
 
 
a.
The contract, instruction or plan specifies the amount of securities to be purchased or sold and the price at which and the date on which
the securities are to be purchased or sold;
 
 
b.
The contract, instruction or plan includes a written formula or algorithm, or computer program, for determining the amount of securities
to be purchased or sold and the price at which and the date on which the securities were to be purchased or sold; or
 
 
c.
The contract, instruction or plan does not permit the person to exercise any subsequent influence over how, when, or whether to effect
purchases or sales; provided, in addition, that any other person who, pursuant to the contract, instruction, or plan did exercise such
influence must not have been aware of any material, non-public information of the Company when doing so.
 
For purposes
of the foregoing paragraphs 1 and 2, the following definitions shall apply:
 
 
 
a.
“Amount” means either a specified number of shares or other securities or a specified dollar value of securities.
 
 
b.
“Price” means the market price on a particular date or a limited price, or a particular dollar price.
 
 
c.
“Date” means, in the case of a market order, the specific day of the year on which the order is to be executed (or as soon thereafter is as
practicable under ordinary principles of best execution), or in the case of a limit order, a day of the year on which the limit order is
enforced.
 
Persons
who adopt a contract, instruction or plan pursuant to the criteria set forth above may not thereafter deviate from the plan or engage
in any
corresponding or hedging transaction or positions. Amendments to or terminations of the contract, instruction or plan are permitted,
provided that at the
time of such amendment or termination the person undertaking the amendment or termination does not have any material,
non-public information regarding
the Company, and provided that the first transaction pursuant to the amended contract, instruction or
plan does not occur (or, in the case of a terminated
plan, is not scheduled to occur) until at least 30 calendar days after providing
 the notice required by paragraph 1 above. In addition, if the person
undertaking the amendment or termination is a director or officer
of the Company or otherwise subject to the Blackout Period provisions of this Policy
Statement, such amendment or termination must occur
 during a Trading Window. Each person will remain responsible for complying with Rule 144
provisions, if applicable.
 
 

 
 
The
Company may choose to publicly announce any contract, instruction or plan adopted pursuant to Rule 10b5-1. Such public disclosure may
be
included in the Company’s proxy statement or press releases, on the Company’s website, or through a current or periodic
report filed with the SEC.
 
9.
Post-Termination Transactions.
 
This
Policy Statement continues to apply to your transactions in Company securities even after you have terminated employment or other services
to the Company. If you are in possession of material, non-public information when your service terminates, you may not trade in Company
securities until
that information has become public, pursuant to a delay as described in “When Information is Public,” or
is no longer material.
 
The
pre-clearance procedures discussed above will cease to apply to your Company securities upon the expiration of any Blackout Period or
any
other Company-imposed trading restrictions that were in place at the time of your termination of service.
 
10. Certification.
 
Directors,
officers, employees and other Company representatives may be required on a periodic basis to certify their understanding of and intent
to comply with this Policy Statement. Designated Persons may be required on a periodic basis to provide an additional acknowledgement
regarding the
Blackout Period and pre-clearance notification provisions of this Policy Statement.
 
11. Company Assistance.
 
Any
person who has any general questions about this Policy Statement or questions about specific transactions should contact the Compliance
Officer. Remember, however, the ultimate responsibility for adhering to this Policy Statement and avoiding improper transactions rests
with you. In this
regard, you must use your best judgment.
 
 

 
 
APPENDIX A
TO
POLICY STATEMENT
ON
INSIDE INFORMATION AND SECURITIES TRADING
BY
NEPHROS, INC.
 
DESIGNATED
PERSONS
 
The
 following classes of persons, along with their family members and other members of their household, are “Designated Persons”
 for the
purpose of the Policy Statement on Inside Information and Securities Trading by Nephros, Inc. Nephros, Inc. (the “Company”)
may amend this Appendix
from time to time as it deems necessary.
 
 
1.
All members of the Board of Directors of the Company and any nominee to the Board of Directors of the Company whose election is pending
approval by the Company’s stockholders.
 
2.
All employees of the Company.
 
3.
Any more-than-10% stockholder of the Company.
 
4.
Other individuals as notified from time to time by the Compliance Officer.
 
 
 

 
Exhibit
23.1
 
CONSENT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
 
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements of Nephros, Inc. on Form S-8 (Nos 333-127264; 333-148236;
333-
188592; 333-205167; 333-223849; 333-232707, 333-238563, 333-256712 and 333-280278) and on Form S-3 (Nos 333-225109, 333-232708, 333-234528,
333-259370 and 333-279328), of our report dated March 24, 2025, relating to the consolidated financial statements of Nephros, Inc., as
of and for the years
ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, which appears in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2024.
 
/s/
Baker Tilly US, LLP
 
 
 
Tewksbury,
Massachusetts
 
March
24, 2025
 
 
 
 

 
Exhibit
31.1
 
CERTIFICATION
OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PURSUANT
TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
 
I,
Robert Banks, certify that:
 
 
(1) I
have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Nephros, Inc.;
 
 
 
 
(2) Based
on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to
the period covered by this
report;
 
 
 
 
(3) Based
on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects, the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in
this report;
 
 
 
 
(4) The
registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures
(as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange
Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-
15(f)) for the registrant and have:
 
 
 
 
(a) Designed
such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision,
to
ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others
within those
entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
 
 
 
 
(b) Designed
 such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our
supervision, 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;
 
 
 
 
(c) Evaluated
 the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about
 the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;
and
 
 
 
 
(d) Disclosed
in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s
most recent
fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of the annual report) that has materially affected,
or is reasonably likely to materially
affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
 
 
 
 
(5) The
registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to the
registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing
the equivalent functions):
 
 
 
 
(a) All
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
reasonably
likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;
and
 
 
 
 
(b) Any
fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s
internal control
over financial reporting.
 
Dated:
March 24, 2025
 
/s/
Robert Banks
 
Robert
Banks
 
President,
Chief Executive Officer
 
(Principal
Executive Officer)
 
 
 
 

 
Exhibit
31.2
 
CERTIFICATION
OF THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT
TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
 
I,
Judy Krandel, certify that:
 
 
(1) I
have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Nephros, Inc.;
 
 
 
 
(2) Based
on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to
the period covered by this
report;
 
 
 
 
(3) Based
on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects, the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in
this report;
 
 
 
 
(4) The
registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures
(as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15€ and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange
Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-
15(f)) for the registrant and have:
 
 
 
 
(a) Designed
such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision,
to
ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others
within those
entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
 
 
 
 
(b) Designed
 such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our
supervision, 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;
 
 
 
 
(c) Evaluated
 the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about
 the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;
and
 
 
 
 
(d) Disclosed
in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s
most recent
fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of the annual report) that has materially affected,
or is reasonably likely to materially
affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
 
 
 
 
(5) The
registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to the
registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing
the equivalent functions):
 
 
 
 
(a) All
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
reasonably
likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;
and
 
 
 
 
(b) Any
fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s
internal control
over financial reporting.
 
Dated:
March 24, 2025
 
/s/
Judy Krandel
 
Judy
Krandel
 
Chief
Financial Officer
 
(Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)
 
 
 
 

 
Exhibit
32.1
 
CERTIFICATION
OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PURSUANT
TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350
AS
ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION
906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
 
In
connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Nephros, Inc. (the “Company”) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Robert Banks, President, Chief
Executive Officer of the Company, certify,
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, that, to my knowledge:
 
 
(1) The
Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
 
 
 
 
(2) The
information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations
of the Company.
 
Dated:
March 24, 2025
 
/s/
Robert Banks
 
Robert
Banks
 
President,
Chief Executive Officer
 
(Principal
Executive Officer)
 
 
 
 

 
Exhibit
32.2
 
CERTIFICATION
OF THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT
TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350
AS
ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION
906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
 
In
connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Nephros, Inc. (the “Company”) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Judy Krandel, Chief Financial
Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18
U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002, that, to my knowledge:
 
 
(1) The
Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
 
 
 
 
(2) The
information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations
of the Company.
 
Dated:
March 24, 2025
 
/s/
Judy Krandel
 
Judy
Krandel
 
Chief
Financial Officer
 
(Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)