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Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
12.
Commitments and Contingencies.

In May 2019, the FDA approved a NDA for RUZURGI®, Jacobus’ version of amifampridine (3,4-DAP), for the treatment of pediatric LEMS patients (ages 6 to under 17). In June 2019 the Company filed suit against the FDA and several related parties challenging this approval and related drug labeling. Jacobus later intervened in the case. The Company ultimately prevailed in its litigation in September 2021 when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit determined that the FDA's approval of RUZURGI® violated the Company's rights to Orphan Drug Exclusivity.

On July 11, 2022, the Company settled certain of its disputes with Jacobus. In connection with the settlement, the Company licensed the rights to develop and commercialize RUZURGI® in the U.S. and Mexico (the Territory). Simultaneously, the Company purchased, among other intellectual property rights, Jacobus’ U.S. patents related to RUZURGI®, its new drug applications in the U.S. for RUZURGI®, and certain RUZURGI® inventory previously manufactured by Jacobus. At the same time, the Company received a license from Jacobus for use of its know-how related to the manufacture of RUZURGI®. Further, the Company settled its patent case against Jacobus, which was dismissed without prejudice. Finally, Jacobus agreed that until the later of (i) the expiration of the royalty term or (ii) December 31, 2034, Jacobus and its affiliates, will not, directly or indirectly, research, develop, manufacture, commercialize, distribute, use or otherwise exploit any product competitive to FIRDAPSE® or RUZURGI® in the Territory, and Laura Jacobus, the sole shareholder of Jacobus, and two of Jacobus’ other officers, also signed individual non-competition agreements containing the same terms.

In connection with the settlement with Jacobus, the Company paid the following consideration to Jacobus:

$30 million of cash, of which $10 million was paid at the closing of the settlement, $10 million was paid on the first anniversary of the closing, and the remaining $10 million was paid on the second anniversary of the closing; and
An annual royalty on the Company's net sales (as defined in the License and Asset Purchase Agreement between Catalyst and Jacobus) of amifampridine products in the U.S. equal to: (a) for calendar years 2022 through 2025, 1.5% (with a minimum annual royalty of $3.0 million per year), and (b) for calendar years 2026 through the expiration of the last to expire of the Company’s FIRDAPSE® patents in the U.S., 2.5% (with a minimum annual royalty of $5 million per year); provided, however, that the royalty rate may be reduced and the minimum annual royalty may be eliminated under certain circumstances.

In January 2023, the Company received Paragraph IV Certification Notice Letters from three generic drug manufacturers (Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (collectively Teva), Hetero USA, Inc. (Hetero), and Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Lupin)) advising that they had each submitted an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to the FDA seeking authorization from the FDA to manufacture, use or sell a generic version of FIRDAPSE® in the U.S. The notice letters each alleged that the six patents listed in the FDA Orange Book covering FIRDAPSE® are not valid, not enforceable, and/or will not be infringed by the commercial manufacture, use or sale of the proposed product described in these ANDA submissions. Under the FDCA, as amended by the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, the Company had 45 days from receipt of the notice letters to commence patent infringement lawsuits against these generic drug manufacturers in a federal district court to trigger a stay precluding the FDA from approving any ANDA until May 2026 or entry of judgment holding the patents invalid, unenforceable, or not infringed, whichever occurs first. In that regard, after conducting the necessary due diligence, the Company filed lawsuits on March 1, 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against each of the three generic drug manufacturers who notified the Company of their ANDA submissions, thus triggering the stay.

In June 2024, Lupin converted five of its Paragraph IV Certifications in its ANDA to Paragraph III certifications acknowledging the validity and their ANDA’s infringement of five of those patents, the latest ending in 2034. The Company subsequently dismissed all of its claims against Lupin related to those five patents but maintains its claims against Lupin for the remaining Paragraph IV certification for U.S. Patent No. 10,626,088 which is the patent expiring in 2037, so the litigation continues.

Further, on January 8, 2025, the Company reached a settlement with Teva in which Teva agreed not to market a generic version of FIRDAPSE® in the U.S. any earlier than February 25, 2035, if approved by the FDA, unless certain limited circumstances customarily included in these types of agreements occur. In accordance with the settlement agreement, the parties terminated all ongoing patent litigation between the Company and Teva regarding FIRDAPSE® patents pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

The pending FIRDAPSE® patent litigation against the remaining defendants, Hetero (for all of FIRDAPSE®’s Orange Book-listed patents) and Lupin (only for FIRDAPSE® patent expiring in 2037), remains ongoing, and there can be no assurance as to whether the currently ongoing litigation with Hetero and Lupin will allow a generic version of FIRDAPSE® to be marketed in the U.S. prior to February 25, 2035.

 

 

12.
Commitments and Contingencies (continued).

Finally, in October 2023, the Company received a Paragraph IV Certification Notice Letter from a fourth generic drug manufacturer (Inventia Life Science Pty Ltd. (Inventia)), and the Company filed a similar lawsuit against that manufacturer in November 2023. On July 30, 2024, the Company settled its patent litigation with Inventia for FIRDAPSE®. In that settlement, Inventia acknowledged both the validity of the Company's FIRDAPSE® patents and also the infringement by the ANDA filer's product of the Company's patents. As part of the settlement, Inventia also agreed not to commercialize its product until the earlier of all FIRDAPSE® patents expiration scheduled for February 2037, or the earlier entry into the market of another ANDA product meeting certain conditions.

At this time, a trial date has not been set for a trial with either of the remaining defendants, but the Company expects that a trial date for either or both cases may be set for sometime in the fourth quarter of 2025 or the first quarter of 2026 should one or both of the matters fail to settle prior to trial. Of course, any final trial dates will be subject to the judge’s management of his docket for all pending matters. Since the outcome of patent litigation with Paragraph IV challengers is always uncertain, there can be no assurance that the Company will prevail in these litigations.

On February 20, 2023, the Company received a Paragraph IV Certification Notice Letter from a company that appears to have filed the first ANDA for the oral suspension formulation for FYCOMPA®. The same company sent a similar letter to the Company later in February with a similar certification for the tablet formulation for FYCOMPA®. Similar to the actions with the FIRDAPSE® Paragraph IV Certifications described above, after due diligence the Company filed lawsuits on April 5, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against the drug manufacturer who notified the Company of their ANDA submissions for both FYCOMPA® formulations, thus triggering the 30-month stay for each application. This lawsuit was settled in June 2024. As part of this settlement, this Paragraph IV filer agreed not to commercialize their proposed ANDA products for both the oral suspension formulation of FYCOMPA® and for FYCOMPA® tablets until at least December 15, 2025.

Additionally, from time to time the Company may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Except as set forth above, the Company believes that there is no other litigation pending at this time that could have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.