License Agreements |
12 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2017 | |
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
License Agreements |
7. LICENSE AGREEMENTS Sopharma License and Supply Agreements In 2009 and 2010, we entered into a license agreement, or the Sopharma License Agreement, and a supply agreement, or the Sopharma Supply Agreement, with Sopharma, AD, or Sopharma. Pursuant to the Sopharma License Agreement, we were granted access to all available manufacturing, efficacy and safety data related to cytisine, as well as a granted patent in several European countries including Germany, France and Italy related to new oral dosage forms of cytisine providing enhanced stability. Additional rights granted under the Sopharma License Agreement include the exclusive use of, and the right to sublicense, the trademark Tabex in all territories—other than certain countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as Vietnam, where Sopharma or its affiliates and agents already market Tabex—in connection with the marketing, distribution and sale of products. Under the Sopharma License Agreement, we agreed to pay a nonrefundable license fee. In addition, we agreed to make certain royalty payments equal to a mid-teens percentage of all net sales of Tabex branded products in our territory during the term of the Sopharma License Agreement, including those sold by a third party pursuant to any sublicense which may be granted by us. We have agreed to cooperate with Sopharma in the defense against any actual or threatened infringement claims with respect to Tabex. Sopharma has the right to terminate the Sopharma License Agreement upon the termination or expiration of the Sopharma Supply Agreement. The Sopharma License Agreement will also terminate under customary termination provisions including bankruptcy or insolvency and material breach. To date, we have paid Sopharma $10 pursuant to the Sopharma License Agreement. A cross-license exists between us and Sopharma whereby we grant to Sopharma rights to any patents or patent applications or other intellectual property rights filed by us in Sopharma territories. On May 14, 2015, we and Sopharma entered into an amendment to the Sopharma License Agreement. Among other things, the amendment to the Sopharma License Agreement reduced the royalty payments payable by us to Sopharma from a percentage in the mid-teens to a percentage in the mid-single digits and extended the term of the Sopharma License Agreement until May 26, 2029. On July 28, 2017, we and Sopharma entered into the amended and restated Sopharma Supply Agreement. Pursuant to the amended and restated Sopharma Supply Agreement, for territories as detailed in the licensing agreement, we will exclusively purchase all of our cytisine from Sopharma, and Sopharma agrees to exclusively supply all such cytisine requested by us, and we extended the term to 2037. In addition, we will have full access to the cytisine supply chain and Sopharma will manufacture sufficient cytisine to meet a forecast for a specified demand of cytisine for the five years commencing shortly after the commencement of the agreement, with the forecast to be updated regularly thereafter. Each of us and Sopharma may terminate the Sopharma Supply Agreement in the event of the other party’s material breach or bankruptcy or insolvency. University of Bristol License Agreement In July 2016, we entered into a license agreement with the University of Bristol, or the University of Bristol License Agreement. Under the University of Bristol License Agreement, we received exclusive and nonexclusive licenses from the University of Bristol to certain patent and technology rights resulting from research activities into cytisine and its derivatives for use in smoking cessation, including a number of patent applications related to novel approaches to cytisine binding at the nicotinic receptor level. Any patents issued in connection with these applications would be scheduled to expire on February 5, 2036 at the earliest. In consideration of rights granted by the University of Bristol, we agreed to pay amounts of up to $3.2 million, in the aggregate, tied to a financing milestone and to specific clinical development and commercialization milestones resulting from activities covered by the University of Bristol License Agreement. Additionally, if we successfully commercialize product candidates subject to the University of Bristol License Agreement, we are responsible for royalty payments in the low-single digits and payments up to a percentage in the mid-teens of any sublicense income, subject to specified exceptions, based upon net sales of such licensed products. On January 22, 2018, we and the University of Bristol entered into an amendment to the University of Bristol License Agreement. Pursuant to the amended University of Bristol License Agreement we received exclusive rights for all human medicinal uses of cytisine across all therapeutic categories from the University of Bristol from research activities into cytisine and its derivatives. In consideration of rights granted by the amended University of Bristol License Agreement, we agreed to pay an initial amount of $37,500 upon the execution of the amended University of Bristol License Agreement, and additional amounts of up to $1.7 million, in the aggregate, tied to a financing milestone and to specific clinical development and commercialization milestones resulting from activities covered by the amended University of Bristol License Agreement, in addition to amounts under the original University of Bristol License Agreement of up to $3.2 million in the aggregate, tied to specific financing, development and commercialization milestones. Additionally, if we successfully commercialize any product candidate subject to the amended University of Bristol License Agreement or to the original University of Bristol License Agreement, we will be responsible, as provided in the original University of Bristol License Agreement, for royalty payments in the low-single digits and payments up to a percentage in the mid-teens of any sublicense income, subject to specified exceptions, based upon net sales of such licensed products. To date, we have paid the University of Bristol $50,000 pursuant to the University of Bristol License Agreement. Unless otherwise terminated, the University of Bristol License Agreement will continue until the earlier of July 2036 or the expiration of the last patent claim subject to the University of Bristol License Agreement. We may terminate the University of Bristol License Agreement for convenience upon a specified number of days’ prior notice to the University of Bristol. The University of Bristol License Agreement will terminate under customary termination provisions including bankruptcy or insolvency or its material breach of the agreement. Under the terms of the University of Bristol License Agreement, we had provided 100 grams of cytisine to the University of Bristol as an initial contribution. Ionis and UBC License Agreements In August 2017, we discontinued further development of apatorsen. We provided a notice of discontinuance to our former development partners for apatorsen, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Ionis, and a letter of termination to the University of British Columbia, or UBC, notifying them that we have discontinued development of apatorsen resulting in termination of all licensing agreements related to this product candidate. We believe that all financial obligations, other than continuing mutual indemnification obligations and our requirement to pay for out-of-pocket patent expenses incurred up to the date of termination and for abandoning the apatorsen patents and patent applications, under all apatorsen related agreements with Ionis and UBC, are no longer owed and no further payments are due. |