Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Collaboration Agreement

v3.5.0.2
Collaboration Agreement
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Collaboration Agreement

3. COLLABORATION AGREEMENT

In December 2009, we, through our wholly-owned subsidiary, OncoGenex Technologies, entered into a collaboration agreement, or Collaboration Agreement, with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., or Teva, for the development and global commercialization of custirsen (and related compounds), a pharmaceutical compound designed to inhibit the production of clusterin, a protein we believe is associated with cancer treatment resistance, or the Licensed Product. In December 2014, we and Teva agreed to terminate the Collaboration Agreement upon entry into a termination agreement. In April 2015, OncoGenex Technologies and Teva entered into an agreement, or the Termination Agreement, pursuant to which the Collaboration Agreement was terminated and we regained rights to custirsen.

Pursuant to the Termination Agreement, Teva paid to us, as advanced reimbursement for certain continuing research and development activities related to custirsen, an amount equal to $27.0 million less approximately $3.8 million, which reduction represented a hold-back amount of $3.0 million and $0.8 million for certain third-party expenses incurred by Teva between January 1, 2015 and April 24, 2015, or Closing Date. Teva was permitted to deduct from the $3.0 million hold-back certain costs incurred after January 1, 2015 that arose after the Closing Date. Teva will be responsible for expenses related to custirsen incurred pursuant to the Collaboration Agreement through December 31, 2014. We will be responsible for certain custirsen-related expenses from and after January 1, 2015. Pursuant to the Termination Agreement, one half of the then remaining hold-back amount was to be paid to us six months after the Closing Date, one half of the then remaining hold-back amount was to be paid to us nine months after the Closing Date and the entire then remaining hold-back amount was to be paid to us 12 months after the Closing Date. We received a nominal amount from the remaining hold-back after deductions by Teva for certain costs incurred after the Closing Date. We do not expect to receive any additional amounts from Teva.

In accordance with the Termination Agreement, Teva transferred certain third-party agreements for the ENSPIRIT study and custirsen development activities to us on the Closing Date. If any additional historical third-party agreements are discovered after the Closing Date and are used to conduct the ENSPIRIT study, then Teva will use commercially reasonable effort to assign such agreements to us and will be responsible for any costs invoiced under such agreements in excess of an aggregate of $0.1 million. We will be responsible for the initial $0.1 million of costs under such agreements.

All licenses granted by us to Teva under the Collaboration Agreement were terminated as of the Closing Date. In addition, Teva assigned to us certain patent applications related to custirsen and abandoned certain other patent applications as requested by us. Furthermore, Teva granted to us and our affiliates an exclusive license (except as to Teva and its affiliates) to any know-how created under and during the term of the Collaboration Agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize custirsen and certain other antisense inhibitors of clusterin, as set forth in more detail in the Termination Agreement. Teva additionally granted to us and our affiliates a non-exclusive license to any intellectual property owned by or licensed to Teva and its affiliates, whether as of the Closing Date or thereafter, to develop, manufacture and commercialize custirsen, subject to certain limitations. Teva also agreed not to challenge the patentability, validity or enforceability of certain of our patents, and agreed not to file any patent applications covering custirsen or any antisense inhibitor of clusterin for 18 months after the Closing Date. We are responsible for any such expenses incurred from and after January 1, 2015. We do not owe Teva any development milestone payments or royalty payments on sales of custirsen, if any.

As part of the termination, Teva assigned to us the investigational new drug application for custirsen and submitted amendments, on a country-by-country basis, transferring sponsorship of the ENSPIRIT study to us. In July 2015, we became the sole trial sponsor for the ENSPIRIT study in all countries.

We and Teva released each other from all claims related to the Collaboration Agreement. In addition, we agreed to indemnify Teva and its affiliates against any third-party claims attributable to the development and commercialization of custirsen prior to the execution of the Collaboration Agreement and after the Closing Date, and any third-party claims attributable to the conduct of the AFFINITY study. Teva agreed to indemnify us and our affiliates against any third-party claims attributable to the development of custirsen during the period between the execution of the Collaboration Agreement and the Closing Date, but excluding the AFFINITY study. The parties’ indemnity obligations cover, among other things, third-party claims brought by current or former patients in the relevant studies and patient product liability claims.

Revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 was $2.1 million and $5.1 million, respectively, which consists of recognition of deferred collaboration revenue representing our efforts in the development of custirsen. As of June 30, 2016, the full amount of the advanced reimbursement payment was recognized into collaboration revenue. The advanced reimbursement payment made by Teva, as part of the Termination Agreement, was deferred and recognized as collaboration revenue on a dollar for dollar basis as costs were incurred as part of the continuing research and development activities related to custirsen.

Ionis and UBC License Agreements

Pursuant to the terms of the agreements with Ionis and UBC, we anticipate we will pay royalties to third-parties of 4.0% to 8.0% of net sales, unless our royalties are adjusted for competition from generic compounds, in which case royalties to third parties will also be subject to adjustment on a country-by-country basis. Certain third-party royalties are tiered based on the royalty rate received by us. Minimum royalty rates payable by us assume certain third-party royalties are not paid at the time that the Licensed Product is marketed due to the expiration of patents held by such third parties. Maximum royalty rates assume all third-party royalty rates currently in effect continue in effect at the time the Licensed Product is marketed. We did not make any royalty payments to Ionis in the six months ended June 30, 2016. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the agreement with Ionis, we are required to pay to Ionis up to 20% of all non-royalty revenue (defined to mean revenue not based on net sales of products) we receive from third parties. Pursuant to the terms of agreement with UBC, we are required to pay low single digit royalties on milestones and the revenue from sales of custirsen. We did not make any royalty or milestone payments to UBC under the terms of the agreement in the six months ended June 30, 2016.

In May and November 2015, we received communications from Ionis requesting payment of 30% of the $23.2 million paid by Teva under the Termination Agreement, as well as 30% of any amounts paid by Teva upon release of the $3.0 million holdback amount. In January 2016, Ionis filed a lawsuit and claimed that OncoGenex Technologies was in breach of the license agreement for failing to pay Ionis a share of the advance reimbursement payment from Teva and other non-monetary consideration received from Teva in connection with the termination of the Collaboration Agreement. Ionis sought damages and a declaratory judgment that, based on OncoGenex Technologies’ alleged breach, Ionis has the right to terminate the license agreement.

In August 2016, we and Ionis settled this lawsuit. Pursuant to the settlement, we are required to pay Ionis a $1.4 million upfront payment. We will also be required to pay Ionis, success based payments in an amount that does not exceed $5.0 million based on, (i) an additional 5% royalty on net sales of custirsen and (ii) 50% of any money we receive related to the sale, license or any other commercial transaction involving custirsen, subject to certain limitations. The payments under (ii) above are in addition to, and not in lieu of,  non-royalty revenue due under our license agreement with Ionis, except that the non-royalty revenue paid to Ionis under the license agreement, combined with the payments under (ii) above, shall not exceed 50% of the consideration received by us at any given time. The success based payments above are subject to certain acceleration provisions in the event of a change of control.

Amendment to Ionis and UBC License Agreements

To facilitate the execution and performance of our prior Collaboration Agreement with Teva, we and Ionis agreed to amend the Ionis License Agreement and we and UBC agreed to amend the UBC License Agreement, in each case, effective December 19 and December 20, 2009, respectively.

The amendment to the Ionis License Agreement provides, among other things, that if we are the subject of a change of control with a third party, where the surviving company immediately following such change of control has the right to develop and sell the product, then (i) a milestone payment of $20.0 million will be due and payable to Ionis 21 days following the first commercial sale of the product in the United States; and (ii) unless such surviving entity had previously sublicensed the product and a royalty rate payable to Ionis by us has been established, the applicable royalty rate payable to Ionis will thereafter be the maximum amount payable under the Ionis License Agreement. Any non-royalty milestone amounts previously paid will be credited toward the $20.0 million milestone if not already paid. As a result of the $10.0 million milestone payment payable to Ionis in relation to the Collaboration Agreement entered into with Teva in 2009, the remaining amount owing in the event of change of control discussed above is a maximum of $10.0 million.