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License Agreements, Research Collaborations and Development Agreements
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
License Agreements Research Collaborations And Development Agreements Disclosure [Abstract]  
License agreements, research collaborations and development agreements

Note 10 – License agreements, research collaborations and development agreements

 

Sandoz

 

In December 2018, Ares Genetics entered into a service frame agreement with Sandoz International GmbH (“Sandoz”), to leverage Ares Genetics’ database on the genetics of antibiotic resistance, ARESdb, and the ARES Technology Platform for Sandoz’s anti-infective portfolio.

 

Under the terms of the framework agreement, which had an initial term of 36 months and was subsequently extended to January 31, 2025, Ares Genetics and Sandoz intend to develop a digital anti-infectives platform, combining established microbiology laboratory methods with advanced bioinformatics and artificial intelligence methods to support drug development and life-cycle management. The collaboration, in the short- to mid-term, aims to both rapidly and cost-effectively re-purpose existing antibiotics and design value-added medicines with the objective of expanding indication areas and to overcome antibiotic resistance, in particular with regards to infections with bacteria that have already developed resistance against multiple treatment options. In the longer-term, the platform is expected to enable surveillance for antimicrobial resistant pathogens to inform antimicrobial stewardship and the development of novel anti-infectives that are less prone to encounter resistance and thereby preserve antibiotics as an effective treatment option.

 

Qiagen

 

On February 18, 2019, Ares Genetics and Qiagen GmbH, or Qiagen, entered into a strategic licensing agreement for ARESdb and AREStools, in the area of AMR research. The agreement has a term of 20 years and may be terminated by Qiagen for convenience with 180 days written notice.

 

Ares Genetics has retained the rights to use ARESdb and AREStools for AMR research, customized bioinformatics services, and for the development of specific AMR assays and applications for the Curetis Group (including Ares Genetics), as well as third parties (e.g., other diagnostics companies or partners in the pharmaceutical industry). As the Qiagen research offering is expected to also enable advanced molecular diagnostic services and products, Qiagen’s customers may obtain a diagnostic use license from Ares Genetics.

 

Under the terms of the original agreement, Qiagen, in exchange for a moderate six figure up-front licensing payment, has received an exclusive RUO license to develop and commercialize general bioinformatics offerings and services for AMR research use only, based on Ares Genetics’ database on the genetics of antimicrobial resistance, ARESdb, as well as on the ARES bioinformatics AMR toolbox, AREStools. Under the agreement, the parties had agreed to a mid-single digit percentage royalty rate on Qiagen net sales, which is subject to a minimum royalty rate that steps up upon certain achieved milestones, which is payable to Ares Genetics. The parties also agreed to further modest six figure milestone payments upon certain product launches. The contract was subsequently amended in May 2021 to a non-exclusive license and a flat annual license fee as well as a royalty percentage on potential future panel-based products that are developed by Qiagen.

 

 

Siemens

 

In 2016, Ares Genetics acquired the GEAR assets from Siemens Technology Accelerator GmbH (“STA”), providing the original foundation to ARESdb. Under the agreement with STA, Ares Genetics incurs royalties on revenues from licensed product sales or sublicensing proceeds. Royalty rates under the Siemens agreement range from 1.3% to 40% depending on the specifics of the licenses and rights provided by Ares Genetics to third parties and whether such third parties may have been originally introduced by Siemens to Ares Genetics. The total net royalty expense related to this agreement was $3,102 and $1,552 for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The total net royalty expense related to this agreement was $7,309 and $5,034 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

 

Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND)

 

On September 20, 2022, Curetis GmbH and FIND entered into a research and development collaboration agreement for a total amount due to Curetis of €0.7 million to develop a simple to use molecular diagnostic test for identification of pathogens and antibiotic resistances in positive blood cultures for deployment in low- and middle-income countries (“LMICs”). On April 4, 2023, the Company entered into an amendment to its research and development collaboration agreement with FIND to expand the deliverables in exchange for an additional €0.13 million in milestone payments (“Amendment 1”). The additional deliverables were completed by June 30, 2023. Following successful completion of the feasibility phase of the collaboration, including the additional deliverables, FIND and Curetis, on August 1, 2023, extended the research and development collaboration agreement through May 31, 2024, to include AMR assay and cartridge development, analytical testing, and software development for an additional €0.5 million (“Amendment 2”). During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company recognized revenues of €42 thousand and €0.6 million, respectively, related to the collaboration, increasing the total project revenue to €0.87 million.