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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

11.  COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Operating Leases

All our existing leases as of March 31, 2020 are classified as operating leases. As of March 31, 2020, we have eleven material operating leases for facilities and office equipment with remaining terms expiring from 2021 through 2024 and a weighted average remaining lease term of 2.2 years. Many of our existing leases have fair value renewal options, none of which are considered certain of being exercised or included in the minimum lease term. Discount rates used in the calculation of our lease liability ranged between 4.02% and 8.95%.

Rent expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 consisted of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March

 

 

March 31,

 

March 31,

(in thousands)

    

2020

 

2019

Operating lease costs

 

$

52

 

$

44

Variable lease costs

 

 

15

 

 

13

Total lease costs

 

$

67

 

$

57

 

A maturity analysis of our operating leases follows:

 

 

 

 

(in thousands)

    

 

 

Future payments:

 

 

  

2020 (remainder of the year)

 

$

160

2021

 

 

151

2022

 

 

111

2023

 

 

40

2024

 

 

 3

2025 and thereafter

 

 

 —

Total

 

$

465

 

 

 

 

Discount

 

 

(25)

Lease liability

 

 

440

Current lease liability

 

 

(199)

Non-current lease liability

 

$

241

 

Government Regulation

Our products and facilities are subject to regulation by a number of federal and state governmental agencies. The Food and Drug Administration ("FDA”), in particular, maintains oversight of the formulation, manufacture, distribution, packaging, and labeling of all of our products. The Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) maintains oversight over our products that are controlled substances.

Unapproved Products

Two of our products, Esterified Estrogen with Methyltestosterone (“EEMT”) and Opium Tincture, are marketed without approved NDAs or Abbreviated New Drug Applications ("ANDAs”). During the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, net revenues for these products totaled $4.4 million and $5.4 million, respectively.

The FDA’s policy with respect to the continued marketing of unapproved products is stated in the FDA’s September 2011 Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 440.100 titled “Marketed New Drugs without Approved NDAs or ANDAs.” Under this policy, the FDA has stated that it will follow a risk-based approach with regard to enforcement against such unapproved products. The FDA evaluates whether to initiate enforcement action on a case-by-case basis, but gives higher priority to enforcement action against products in certain categories, such as those marketed as unapproved drugs with potential safety risks or that lack evidence of effectiveness. We believe that, so long as we comply with applicable manufacturing standards, the FDA will not take action against us under the current enforcement policy. There can be no assurance, however, that the FDA will continue this policy or not take a contrary position with any individual product or group of products. If the FDA were to take a contrary position, we may be required to seek FDA approval for these products or withdraw such products from the market. If we decide to withdraw the products from the market, our net revenues for generic pharmaceutical products would decline materially, and if we decide to seek FDA approval, we would face increased expenses and might need to suspend sales of the products until such approval was obtained, and there are no assurances that we would receive such approval.

In addition, one group of products that we manufacture on behalf of a contract customer is marketed by that customer without an approved NDA. If the FDA took enforcement action against such customer, the customer may be required to seek FDA approval for the group of products or withdraw them from the market. Our contract manufacturing revenues for these unapproved products for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 were $1.0 million and $0.6 million, respectively.

We receive royalties on the net sales of a group of contract-manufactured products, which are marketed by the contract customer without an approved NDA. If the FDA took enforcement action against such customer, the customer may be required to seek FDA approval for the group of products or withdraw them from the market.

Legal proceedings

We are involved, and from time to time may become involved, in various disputes, governmental and/or regulatory inquiries, investigations, and litigation matters, some of which could result in losses, including damages, fines, and/or civil or criminal penalties against us. These matters are often complex and have outcomes that we are unable to predict.

We intend to vigorously defend ourselves in these matters and believe that we have strong defenses regarding the claims currently asserted against us. However, from time to time, we may settle or otherwise resolve these matters on terms and conditions that we believe are in our best interests. Resolution of any or all claims, investigations, and legal proceedings, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and/or cash flows in any given accounting period or on our overall financial condition.

Some of these matters with which we are involved are described below, and unless otherwise disclosed, we are unable to predict the outcome of the matter or to provide an estimate of the range of reasonably possible material losses. We record accruals for loss contingencies to the extent we conclude it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. From time to time, we are also involved in other pending proceedings for which, in our opinion based upon facts and circumstances known at the time, either the likelihood of loss is remote or any reasonably possible loss associated with the resolution of such proceedings is not expected to be material to our results. If and when any reasonably possible losses associated with the resolution of such other pending proceedings, in our opinion, become material, we will disclose such matters.

Louisiana Medicaid Lawsuit

On September 11, 2013, the Attorney General of the State of Louisiana filed a lawsuit in Louisiana state court against numerous pharmaceutical companies, including us, under various state laws, alleging that each defendant caused the state’s Medicaid agency to provide reimbursement for drug products that allegedly were not approved by the FDA and therefore allegedly not reimbursable under the federal Medicaid program. The lawsuit relates to three cough and cold prescription products manufactured and sold by our former Gulfport, Mississippi operation, which was sold in September 2010. Through its lawsuit, the state seeks unspecified damages, statutory fines, penalties, attorneys’ fees, and costs. While we cannot predict the outcome of the lawsuit at this time, we could be subject to material damages, penalties, and fines. We intend to vigorously defend against all claims in the lawsuit.

Civil Action

In November of 2017, we were served with a complaint filed by Arbor Pharmaceuticals, LLC, in the United States District Court, District of Minnesota. The complaint alleges false advertising and unfair competition in violation of Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, Section 1125(a) of Title 15 of the United States Code, and Minnesota State law, and seeks injunctive relief and damages. Discovery in this action closed on March 31, 2019. Trial has been scheduled for October 2020. We continue to defend this action vigorously.

Other Commitments and Contingencies

All manufacturers of the drug Reglan and its generic equivalent metoclopramide, including ANI, have faced allegations from plaintiffs in various states claiming bodily injuries as a result of ingestion of metoclopramide or its brand name, Reglan, prior to the FDA’s February 2009 Black Box warning requirement (“legacy claims”). All these original legacy claims were settled or closed out, including a series of claims in California that were resolved by coordinated proceeding and settlement. At the end of March 2019, we were served with a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside, adding us as a defendant in a complaint filed in July 2017 that is alleged not to have been part of the original settled legacy claims. This new claim as well as the impact of the prior settlements on this claim is currently being evaluated by the Company, its insurers, and its legal counsel.

At the present time, we are unable to assess the likely outcome of the case. Our insurance company had assumed the defense of the legacy claims and paid all losses in settlement of the California cases. We cannot provide assurances that the outcome of this new matter will not have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results. Furthermore, like all pharmaceutical manufacturers, we may be exposed to other product liability claims in the future, which could limit our coverage under future insurance policies or cause those policies to become more expensive, which could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Our ANDA for Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate (“EES”) was originally approved by the FDA on November 27th, 1978. We purchased the EES ANDA from Teva on July 10, 2015. In August 2016, we filed with the FDA to reintroduce this product under a Changes Being Effected in 30 Days submission (a “CBE-30 submission”). Under a CBE-30 submission, certain defined changes to an ANDA can be made if the FDA does not object in writing within 30 days. The FDA’s regulations, guidance documents, and our historic actions support the filing of a CBE-30 for the types of changes that we proposed for our EES ANDA. We received no formal written letter from the FDA within 30 days of the CBE-30 submission date, and as such, launched the product in accordance with FDA regulations on September 27, 2016. On December 16, 2016, and nearly four months after our CBE-30 submission, the FDA sent us a formal written notice that a Prior Approval Supplement (“PAS”) was required for this ANDA. Under a PAS, proposed changes to an ANDA cannot be implemented without prior review and approval by the FDA. Because we did not receive this notice in the timeframe prescribed by the FDA’s regulations, we reserved our legal right to an internal Agency appeal. We believe that our supplemental ANDA is valid, and as such continued to market the product. In addition, we filed a PAS which was approved by the FDA on November 2, 2018 with no FDA objection to our prior actions.

On or about September 20, 2017, the Company and certain of its employees were served with search warrants and/or grand jury subpoenas to produce documents and possibly testify relating to a federal investigation of the generic pharmaceutical industry. The Company has been cooperating and intends to continue cooperating with the investigation. However, no assurance can be given as to the timing or outcome of the investigation.