XML 27 R14.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.22.2
LICENSES AND AGREEMENTS
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2022
LICENSES AND AGREEMENTS  
LICENSES AND AGREEMENTS

NOTE 7. LICENSES AND AGREEMENTS

National Institutes of Health (the “NIH”) and the National Cancer Institute (the “NCI”)

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (the “CRADA”)

In August 2011, the Company signed a five-year CRADA with the NCI to work on the development of adoptive cell immunotherapies that are designed to destroy metastatic melanoma cells. The CRADA was amended in 2015 and 2016 to, among other things, extend the term of the CRADA through August 2021, include new indications such as the development of TIL therapy for the treatment of patients with bladder, lung, triple-negative breast, and Human Papilloma Virus (“HPV”)-associated cancers, and modify the focus on the development of unmodified TIL as a stand-alone therapy or in combination. The parties have continued the development of improved methods for the generation and selection of TIL with anti-tumor reactivity in metastatic melanoma, bladder, lung, breast, and HPV-associated cancers.

In August 2021, the NCI and the Company entered into a third amendment to the CRADA. The third amendment, among other things, extended the term of the CRADA by three years to August 2024. The research plan in this amendment includes the evaluation in clinical trials of strategies for development of more potent TILs, such as selection of CD39/69 double negative cells and the use of certain inhibitors or other reagents in TIL expansion cultures.

Pursuant to the terms of the CRADA, as amended, the Company is required to make quarterly payments of $0.5 million to the NCI for support of research activities. To the extent the Company licenses patent rights relating to a TIL-based product candidate, the Company will be responsible for all patent-related expenses and fees, past and future, relating to the TIL-based product candidate. In addition, the Company may be required to supply certain test articles, including TIL, grown and processed under Current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”) conditions, suitable for use in clinical trials. The extended CRADA has a three-year term expiring in August 2024. The Company or the NCI may unilaterally terminate the CRADA for any reason or for no reason at any time by providing written notice at least 60 days before the desired termination date. The Company recorded costs associated with the CRADA of $0.5 million for each of the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $1.0 million for each of the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, as research and development expenses.

Patent License Agreement Related to the Development and Manufacture of TIL

The Company entered into an Exclusive Patent License Agreement (the “Patent License Agreement”) with the NIH, an agency of the U.S. Public Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2011, as amended in 2015. Pursuant to the Patent License Agreement, as amended, the NIH granted the Company licenses, including exclusive, co-exclusive, and non-exclusive licenses, to certain technologies relating to autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocyte adoptive cell therapy products for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, lung, breast, bladder and HPV-positive cancers.

Effective May 6, 2021, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Patent License Agreement with NIH, which included the grant of additional exclusive, worldwide patent rights in the indications to cytokine-tethered TIL technology, and expanded the non-exclusive, worldwide field of use to all cancers. Effective August 1, 2022, the Company entered into the Second Amended and Restated Patent License Agreement with NIH to include additional exclusive, worldwide patent rights to TIL products expressing IL-12, expanded rights to TIL selection technologies previously licensed under the Exclusive Patent License Agreement below, and additional non-exclusive, worldwide patent rights to certain technologies related to enhancing TIL potency.

The Amended and Restated Patent License Agreement requires the Company to pay royalties based on a percentage of net sales in jurisdictions where patent rights exist, which percentage can fall into a tier that may be less than one percent to mid-single digits depending upon certain events, including the exclusivity of the rights, and the Company expects lower overall royalty payments as a result. The Company also agreed to potential milestone payments on the achievement of certain clinical, regulatory, and commercial sales milestones for each of the indications and other direct costs incurred by the NIH pursuant to the Amended and Restated Patent License Agreement. The Company anticipates making milestone payments, including a payment in the low-single-digit millions of dollars in conjunction with the approval of a Biologics License Application for any of its product candidates covered by the Amended and Restated Patent License Agreement. The term of the Amended and Restated Patent License Agreement continues until the expiry of the last-to-expire patent rights licensed thereunder, and the agreement contains standard termination provisions.

Exclusive Patent License Agreement Related to TIL Selection

On February 10, 2015, the Company entered into an exclusive patent license agreement (the “Exclusive Patent License Agreement”) with the NIH under which the Company received an exclusive, worldwide license under the selected TIL patents. This license was superseded and replaced by the Second Amended and Restated Patent License Agreement.

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center

Research Collaboration and Clinical Grant Agreements with Moffitt

In June 2020, the Company entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center (“Moffitt”), with a term that ends either upon completion of the research thereunder or on July 1, 2022, whichever is sooner, and under which immaterial payments will be made to Moffitt in connection with the research services thereunder. In June 2022, this agreement was extended to December 31, 2022. The Company recorded $0.2 million and a de minimis amount for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $0.3 million and $0.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

In December 2016, the Company entered into a clinical grant agreement with Moffitt to support an ongoing clinical trial at Moffitt that combines TIL therapy with nivolumab for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. In June 2017, the Company entered into a second clinical grant agreement with Moffitt to support a new clinical trial at Moffitt that combines TIL therapy with nivolumab for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, under which the Company obtained a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to any new Moffitt inventions made in the performance of the agreement. Under both clinical grant agreements with Moffit, the Company has non-exclusive rights to clinical data arising from the respective clinical trials. The Company recorded $0.1 million of research and development expense for each of the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, and $0.1 million and $0.2 million of research and development expense for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, in connection with the research collaboration and clinical grant agreements with Moffitt.

Exclusive License Agreements with Moffitt

The Company entered into a license agreement with Moffitt (the “First Moffitt License”), effective as of June 28, 2014, under which the Company received a world-wide license to Moffitt’s rights to patent-pending technologies related to methods for improving TIL for adoptive cell therapy using toll-like receptor agonists. Unless earlier terminated, the term of the license extends until the earlier of the expiration of the last issued patent related to the licensed technology or 20 years after the effective date of the license agreement.

Pursuant to the First Moffitt License, the Company paid an upfront licensing fee in the amount of $0.1 million which was recorded as research and development expense. A patent issuance fee will also be payable under the First Moffitt License, upon the issuance of the first U.S. patent covering the subject technology. In addition, the Company agreed to pay milestone license fees upon completion of specified milestones, customary royalties based on a specified percentage of net sales (which percentage is in the low single digits) and sublicensing payments, as applicable, and annual minimum royalties beginning with the first sale of products based on the licensed technologies, which minimum royalties will be credited against the percentage royalty payments otherwise payable in that year. The Company will also be responsible for all costs associated with the preparation, filing, maintenance and prosecution of the patent applications and patents covered by the First Moffitt License related to the treatment of any cancers in the U.S., Europe, and Japan and in other countries designated by the Company in agreement with Moffitt. No expenses were recorded for the First Moffitt License for both the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.

The Company entered into a second license agreement with Moffitt effective as of May 7, 2018 (the “Second Moffitt License”), under which the Company received a license to Moffitt’s rights to patent-pending technologies related to the use of 4-1BB agonists in conjunction with TIL manufacturing processes and therapies. Pursuant to the Second Moffitt License, the Company paid an upfront licensing fee in the amount of $0.1 million in 2018. An annual license maintenance fee is also payable commencing on the first anniversary of the effective date. In addition, the Company agreed to pay an annual commercial use payment for each indication for which a first sale has occurred, which in the aggregate amounts to up to $0.4 million a year. The Company recorded $0.1 million and a de minimis amount for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $0.1 million and a de minimis amount for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 as research and development expenses in connection with this agreement.

The Company subsequently exercised an option to exclusively license Moffitt’s rights to patent pending technologies related to the use of tumor digests in conjunction with TIL manufacturing processes and therapies and entered into an amended and restated Second Moffitt License in October 2021 (the “Amended & Restated Second Moffit License”), to include these rights. Pursuant to the Amended & Restated Second Moffitt License, the Company paid an upfront licensing fee in the amount of $0.2 million in 2021, which was recorded as research and development expense. In addition, the Company agreed to pay an annual commercial use payment for each indication for which a first sale has occurred for products relating to the use of 4-1BB antagonists and for products relating to the use of tumor digests covered by the license.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Strategic Alliance Agreement

On April 17, 2017, the Company entered into a Strategic Alliance Agreement (the “SAA”) with The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (“MDACC”) under which the Company and MDACC agreed to conduct clinical and preclinical research studies. The Company agreed in the SAA to provide total funding not to exceed approximately $14.2 million for the performance of the multi-year studies under the SAA, of which approximately $7.0 million has been funded cumulatively through June 30, 2022, and has been recorded as research and development expense. In return, the Company acquired all rights to inventions resulting from the studies and has been granted a non-exclusive, sub-licensable, royalty-free, and perpetual license to specified background intellectual

property of MDACC reasonably necessary to exploit, including the commercialization thereof. The Company has also been granted certain rights in clinical data generated by MDACC outside of the clinical trials to be performed under the SAA. The SAA’s term shall continue in effect until the later of the fourth anniversary of the SAA or the completion or termination of the research and receipt by the Company of all deliverables due from MDACC thereunder. The Company recorded zero and $0.1 million associated with the SAA for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $0.1 million for each of the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, as research and development expenses.

WuXi Advanced Therapies, Inc.

In November 2016, the Company entered into a three-year manufacturing and services agreement (“MSA”) with WuXi Advanced Therapies, Inc. (“WuXi”) pursuant to which WuXi agreed to provide manufacturing and other services, which has since been amended and assigned to its subsidiary Iovance Biotherapeutics Manufacturing LLC. Under the MSA, the Company entered into two statements of work for two cGMP manufacturing suites to be established and operated by WuXi for the Company. Both of the suites are expected to be capable of being used for the commercial manufacture of the Company’s products. The terms of one of these statements of work was extended to December 2022. The Company recorded costs associated with agreements with WuXi of $3.2 million and $4.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $7.1 million and $8.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, as research and development expenses.

Cellectis S.A.

On December 31, 2019, the Company entered into a research collaboration and exclusive worldwide license agreement whereby the Company will license gene-editing technology from Cellectis S.A. (“Cellectis”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, to develop TIL therapies that have been genetically edited, including a PD-1 inactivated product that the Company refers to as IOV-4001. Financial terms of the license include development, regulatory and sales milestone payments from the Company to Cellectis, as well as royalty payments based on net sales of TALEN®-modified TIL products. The Company recorded costs associated with the license agreement with Cellectis of $0.1 million for each of the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, and $0.2 million for each of the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, as research and development expense.

Novartis Pharma AG

On January 12, 2020, the Company obtained a license from Novartis Pharma AG (“Novartis”) to develop and commercialize an antibody cytokine engrafted protein, which the Company refers to as IOV-3001. Under the agreement, the Company has paid an upfront payment to Novartis and may pay future milestones related to initiation of patient dosing in various phases of clinical development for IOV-3001 and approval of the product in the U.S, EU, and Japan. Novartis is also entitled to low-to-mid single digit percentage royalties from commercial sales of the product. The Company recorded costs associated with the license agreement from Novartis of $10.0 million as research and development expenses during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. No expenses were recorded for both the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.