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Licensing and Collaboration Arrangements
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Collaboration Arrangements [Abstract]  
Licensing and Collaboration Arrangements Licensing and Collaboration Arrangements
SB204 and SB206 Agreements
The Company has entered into a license agreement, as subsequently amended, with Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Sato”), relating to SB204, its drug candidate for the treatment of acne vulgaris, and SB206, its drug candidate for the treatment of viral skin infections (the “Sato Agreement”). Pursuant to the Sato Agreement, the Company granted to Sato an exclusive, royalty-bearing, non-transferable license under certain of its intellectual property rights, with the right to sublicense with the Company’s prior written consent, to develop, use and sell products in Japan that incorporate SB204 or SB206 in certain topical dosage forms for the treatment of acne vulgaris or viral skin infections, respectively, and to make the finished form of such products. The Company or its designated contract manufacturer will supply finished product to Sato for use in the development of SB204 and SB206 in the licensed territory. The rights granted to Sato do not include the right to manufacture the API of SB204 or SB206; rather, the parties agreed to negotiate a commercial supply agreement pursuant to which the Company or its designated contract manufacturer would be the exclusive supplier to Sato of the API for the commercial manufacture of licensed products in the licensed territory. Under the terms of the Sato Agreement, the Company also has exclusive rights to certain intellectual property that may be developed by Sato in the future, which the Company could choose to use for its own development and commercialization of SB204 or SB206 outside of Japan.
The term of the Sato Agreement (and the period during which Sato must pay royalties under the amended license agreement) expires on the twentieth anniversary of the first commercial sale of a licensed product in the licensed field in the licensed territory (adjusted from the tenth anniversary of the first commercial sale in the Sato Agreement). The term of the Sato Agreement may be renewed with respect to a licensed product by mutual written agreement of the parties for additional two-year periods following expiration of the initial term. All other material terms of the Sato Agreement remain unchanged by the Sato Amendment (as defined below).
Sato is responsible for funding the development and commercial costs for the program that are specific to Japan. The Company is obligated to perform certain oversight, review and supporting activities for Sato, including (i) using commercially reasonable efforts to obtain marketing approval of SB204 and SB206 in the United States, (ii) sharing all future scientific information the Company may obtain during the term of the Sato Agreement pertaining to SB204 and SB206, (iii) performing certain additional preclinical studies if such studies are deemed necessary by the Japanese regulatory authority, up to and not to exceed a total cost of $1,000, and (iv) participating in a joint committee that oversees, reviews and approves Sato’s development and commercialization activities under the Sato Agreement. Additionally, the Company has granted Sato the option to use the Company’s trademarks in connection with the commercialization of licensed products in the licensed territory for no additional consideration, subject to the Company’s approval of such use.
The Sato Agreement may be terminated by (i) Sato without cause upon 120 days’ advance written notice to the Company, (ii) either party in the event of the other party’s uncured material breach upon 60 days’ advance written notice, (iii) force majeure, (iv) either party in the event of the other party’s dissolution, liquidation, bankruptcy or insolvency, and (v) the Company immediately upon written notice if Sato challenges the validity, patentability, or enforceability of any of the Company’s patents or patent applications licensed to Sato under the Sato Agreement. In the event of a termination, no portion of the upfront fees received from Sato are refundable.
Wynzora Agreements
Effective as of January 1, 2022, EPI Health entered into an amended and restated promotion and collaboration agreement with MC2 Therapeutics Limited (“MC2”), relating to the commercialization of Wynzora for treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults in the United States (the “MC2 Agreement”). Pursuant to the MC2 Agreement, which sets forth the collaborative efforts between EPI Health and MC2 to commercialize and promote Wynzora with MC2 in the United States, MC2 granted EPI Health an exclusive right and license under MC2’s intellectual property rights to sell, or detail (as defined in the MC2 Agreement), and engage in certain commercialization activities with respect to Wynzora in the United States.
In exchange for the provision of promotional and commercialization activities, under the terms of the MC2 Agreement, EPI Health is entitled to receive:
•Reimbursement for all incremental costs incurred by the Company for the promotion and commercialization of Wynzora, including the incremental portion of the Company’s personnel and commercial operating costs. The supply price of Wynzora product inventory is also considered to be an incremental cost that is reimbursed by MC2.
•A commercialization fee equivalent to a percentage of net sales ranging from the mid-teens for net sales less than or equal to $65,000 to the upper single digits for annual net sales greater than $105,000. EPI Health collects this commercialization fee by retaining its portion of the Wynzora product net sales it collects from its customers, with the remainder of the net sales being remitted by EPI Health to MC2 periodically in the form of a royalty payment, pursuant to the MC2 Agreement.
•A contingent incentive fee equal to 5% of the first $30,000 in net sales of Wynzora sold in the United States by EPI Health in each of the 2022 and 2023 calendar years; provided that such incentive fee shall not exceed $1,500 each year and such incentive fee shall not be credited to EPI Health until the royalty payments paid to MC2 surpass the amount of certain commercialization payments made previously by MC2.
The term of the MC2 Agreement runs until the seventh anniversary of the first commercial sale of Wynzora (as defined in the MC2 Agreement) or June 30, 2028, whichever is earlier. Either party may terminate the MC2 Agreement for the other party’s material uncured breach or the bankruptcy or insolvency of the other party. MC2 may terminate the MC2 Agreement under certain scenarios, including for convenience with twelve months’ advance notice to EPI Health, provided that the termination is not effective unless MC2 pays any unpaid historical liabilities related to commercialization of Wynzora owed by MC2. In the case of such termination, MC2 is also required to make an additional sunset payment to EPI Health, paid in installments over the twenty-four month period following termination. EPI Health may terminate the MC2 Agreement for convenience with twelve months’ advance notice to MC2 provided that the termination is not effective unless the Company provides MC2 with a guarantee of the payment of any outstanding royalty payments, to the extent such royalty payments owed by EPI Health exceed any unpaid historical liabilities related to commercialization of Wynzora owed by MC2.
Rhofade Agreements
In connection with the Rhofade Acquisition Agreement that is described in Note 10—“Commitments and Contingencies,” EPI Health acquired rights to that certain Assignment and License Agreement, whereby EPI Health licenses certain intellectual property from Aspect Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Aspect” and such agreement, the “Aspect Agreement”). Under the terms of the Aspect Agreement, EPI Health, as successor-in-interest, has exclusive rights to, and is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to, commercialize the Rhofade product. EPI Health also has a duty to certain other parties to use commercially
reasonable efforts to commercialize the Rhofade product based on historical acquisition agreements for Rhofade that were assumed by EPI Health.
The Aspect Agreement expires upon the last-to-expire of patent claims made under the assigned and licensed patents under the Aspect Agreement. Aspect may terminate the agreement upon a material breach by EPI Health after providing an opportunity to cure. Upon such termination by Aspect, EPI Health will cease all development and commercialization of Rhofade and EPI Health will assign and convey to Aspect its entire right, title and interest in and to the assigned intellectual property transferred under the Aspect Agreement.
Additionally, under the Aspect Agreement, the Rhofade Acquisition Agreement and the other historical acquisitions related to Rhofade, EPI Health is also required to pay a combined royalty on net sales of Rhofade and related products initially in the low double digits, which rate may increase based on the thresholds of net sales achieved by EPI Health. EPI Health is also required to pay 25% of any upfront, license, milestone or other related payments received by EPI Health related to any sublicenses of Rhofade and related products.
In connection with two abbreviated new drug application (“ANDA”) settlement agreements that EPI Health entered into in connection with Rhofade in 2021, EPI Health granted two ANDA filers a license to launch their own generic product for the treatment of erythema in rosacea. The actual timing of the launch of such generic products is uncertain because the launch dates of such products under the settlement agreements are subject to acceleration under certain circumstances. In the absence of any circumstances triggering acceleration, the earliest launch of such a generic product would be in the third quarter of 2026.
Minolira Agreements
In connection with the Minolira acquisition that is described in Note 10—“Commitments and Contingencies,” EPI Health assumed the royalty obligation related to an ANDA settlement in connection with Minolira. Accordingly, EPI Health is required to pay a royalty to an ANDA filer in the low double digits of any generic form of Minolira that is the pharmaceutical equivalent of the 105 mg or 135 mg strength Minolira product.
Cloderm Agreements
In connection with the Cloderm acquisition that is described in Note 10—“Commitments and Contingencies,” on September 28, 2018, EPI Health entered into a distribution and supply agreement with Prasco, LLC (“Prasco”), whereby EPI Health has agreed to supply and Prasco has the right to purchase, distribute and sell an authorized generic (“AG”) version of the Cloderm product in the United States. Prasco is required to pay EPI Health the supply price for the products, along with an amount equal to net sales of the product, minus an amount for certain fees and expenses of Prasco initially equal to the low double digits of net sales of such product, which is retained by Prasco. The agreement will continue, on a product-by-product basis, for an initial five-year term from the first commercial sale of such product, which will automatically renew for an additional one-year term unless either party elects not to renew. The agreement may be terminated for convenience by EPI Health upon nine months’ written notice. Prasco may terminate with respect to a specific product based, among other factors, on a failure by EPI Health to deliver launch quantities. Either party may terminate immediately upon the occurrence of certain regulatory matters or based on a force majeure event.
Sitavig Agreements
On February 21, 2020, EPI Health entered into an agreement with Vectans Pharma (“Vectans”) in which the parties terminated an existing license agreement dated March 17, 2014 which granted EPI Health the exclusive right to develop and commercialize a prescription Sitavig product in the United States and Canada, and instead provided that EPI Health would purchase outright certain intellectual property (and license other intellectual property) related to the prescription Sitavig Rx product in the United States and Canada (the “Vectans Agreement”).
At the time it entered into the Vectans Agreement, EPI Health also entered into an OTC Switch License Agreement (the “OTC License Agreement”) with Bayer Healthcare LLC (“Bayer”). Under the OTC License Agreement, EPI Health granted to Bayer an exclusive and sublicensable license to develop and commercialize an OTC product in the United States and Canada.
Under the OTC License Agreement, Bayer has agreed to pay EPI Health various regulatory milestone payments upon the achievement of such regulatory milestones equaling a maximum aggregate amount of $9,500, along with various commercial milestone payments upon the achievement of such commercial milestones equaling a maximum aggregate amount of $20,000. Under the Vectans Agreement, EPI Health is required to pay Vectans various milestone and royalty payments in amounts ranging from 32% ‐ 50% of the amounts paid by Bayer to EPI Health pursuant to the OTC License Agreement, and the Company will also be required to pay a portion of such milestone payments to EPG under the EPI Health Purchase Agreement.
Bayer has also agreed to pay to EPI Health a tiered royalty ranging from a mid-single digit to a low-double digit percentage of net sales of licensed products in the licensed territory, subject to a reduction in the royalty payments in certain circumstances.
Bayer is responsible for funding the development and commercial costs for the OTC product in the United States and Canada. The Company is obligated to perform certain oversight, review and supporting activities for Bayer, including (i) maintaining existing EPI Health patents related to the Sitavig product, and (ii) participating in a joint committee that oversees, reviews and approves development and commercialization activities under the OTC License Agreement.
The OTC License Agreement expires on the tenth anniversary of the first commercial sale of an OTC product on a country-by-country basis. The OTC License Agreement may be terminated by (i) Bayer without cause upon nine months’ advance written notice to EPI Health, (ii) either party in the event of the other party’s uncured material breach upon 60 days’ advance written notice, (iii) either party, upon three months’ notice, in the event Bayer provides EPI Health with notice that Bayer has elected to permanently discontinue development of the OTC product in the United States and Canada, and (iv) either party in the event of the other party’s dissolution, liquidation, bankruptcy or insolvency. On the tenth anniversary of the first commercial sale of the OTC product on a country-by-country basis, assuming Bayer is not in breach and the OTC License Agreement has not been terminated, Bayer will have an irrevocable, royalty-free license to commercialize the OTC product without any further obligations to EPI Health.
Nuvail Agreements
On November 7, 2021, a predecessor of EPI Health entered into an exclusive license agreement with Chesson Laboratory Associates, Inc. (“Chesson”), as subsequently amended, for the sale of Nuvail, and pursuant to such agreement, EPI Health serves as an exclusive distributor of this product in the United States. Pursuant to the Nuvail license agreement, EPI Health is required to pay a tiered royalty up to a low double digit percentage of net sales of Nuvail, subject to a minimum annual royalty payment. The initial term of the license agreement expired in 2021 and was automatically extended for an additional five year renewal period. The license agreement may be terminated by either party for material breach. Chesson may terminate the license agreement early for convenience upon 12 months’ notice but is required to pay a termination fee based on a multiple of trailing twelve months gross sales. EPI Health is not currently actively promoting this product as part of its commercial portfolio.
UNC Agreements
The Amended, Restated and Consolidated License Agreement dated June 27, 2012, as amended, with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“UNC,” and such agreement, the “UNC License Agreement”) provides the Company with an exclusive license to issued patents and pending applications directed to the Company’s library of Nitricil compounds, including patents issued in the United States, Japan and Australia, with claims intended to cover NVN1000, the new chemical entity (“NCE”) for the Company’s current product candidates. The UNC License Agreement requires the Company to pay UNC up to $425 in regulatory and commercial milestones on a licensed product by licensed product basis and a running royalty percentage in the low single digits on net sales of licensed products. Licensed products include any products being developed by the Company or by its sublicensees.
Unless earlier terminated by the Company at its election, or if the Company materially breaches the agreement or becomes bankrupt, the UNC License Agreement remains in effect on a country by country and licensed product by licensed product basis until the expiration of the last to expire issued patent covering such licensed product in the applicable country. The projected date of expiration of the last to expire of the patents issued under the UNC License Agreement is 2036.
Other Research and Development Agreements
The Company has entered into various licensing agreements with universities and other research institutions under which the Company receives the rights, and in some cases substantially all of the rights, of the inventors, assignees or co-assignees to produce and market technology protected by certain patents and patent applications. In addition to the UNC License Agreement, which is the Company’s primary license agreement, the counterparties to the Company’s various other licensing agreements are the University of Akron Research Foundation, Hospital for Special Surgery, Strakan International S.a.r.l., which is a licensee of the University of Aberdeen, KIPAX AB and KNOW Bio.
The Company is required to make payments based upon achievement of certain milestones and will be required to make royalty payments based on a percentage of future sales of covered products or a percentage of sublicensing revenue. As future royalty payments are directly related to future revenues (either sales or sublicensing), future commitments cannot be determined. No accrual for future payments under these agreements has been recorded, as the Company cannot estimate if, when or in what amount payments may become due.
KNOW Bio Agreements
On December 30, 2015, the Company completed the distribution of 100% of the outstanding membership interests of KNOW Bio, LLC (“KNOW Bio”), a former wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, to Novan’s stockholders (the “Distribution”), pursuant to which KNOW Bio became an independent privately held company. In connection with the Distribution, the Company entered into exclusive license agreements and sublicense agreements with KNOW Bio, as described below. The agreements will continue for so long as there is a valid patent claim under the respective agreement, unless earlier terminated, and upon expiration, will continue as perpetual non-exclusive licenses. KNOW Bio has the right to terminate each such agreement, for any reason upon 90 days advance written notice to the Company.
License of existing and potential future intellectual property to KNOW Bio. The Company and KNOW Bio entered into an exclusive license agreement dated December 29, 2015 (the “KNOW Bio License Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the KNOW Bio License Agreement, the Company granted to KNOW Bio exclusive licenses, with the right to sublicense, under certain United States and foreign patents and patent applications that were controlled by the Company as of December 29, 2015 or that became controlled by the Company between that date and December 29, 2018, directed towards nitric-oxide releasing compositions and methods of manufacturing thereof, including methods of manufacturing Nitricil compounds and other nitric oxide-based therapeutics.
Sublicense of UNC and other third party intellectual property to KNOW Bio. The Company and KNOW Bio also entered into sublicense agreements dated December 29, 2015 (the “KNOW Bio Sublicense Agreements” and together with the KNOW Bio License Agreement, the “Original KNOW Bio Agreements”). Pursuant to the terms of the KNOW Bio Sublicense Agreements, the Company granted to KNOW Bio exclusive sublicenses, with the ability to further sublicense, under certain of the United States and foreign patents and patent applications exclusively licensed to the Company from UNC under the UNC License Agreement, and another third party directed towards nitric oxide-releasing compositions, to develop and commercialize products utilizing the licensed technology. Under the exclusive sublicense to the UNC patents and applications (the “UNC Sublicense Agreement”), KNOW Bio is subject to the terms and conditions under the UNC License Agreement, including milestone and diligence payment obligations. However, pursuant to the terms of the UNC License Agreement, the Company is directly obligated to pay UNC any future milestones or royalties, including those resulting from actions conducted by the Company’s sublicensees, including KNOW Bio. Therefore, in the event of KNOW Bio non-performance with respect to its obligations under the UNC Sublicense Agreement, the Company would be obligated to make such payments to UNC. KNOW Bio would then become obligated to repay the Company pursuant to the UNC Sublicense Agreement, otherwise KNOW Bio would be in breach of its agreements with the Company and intellectual property rights would revert back to the Company. There were no milestone or royalty payments required during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021.
On October 13, 2017, the Company and KNOW Bio entered into certain amendments to the Original KNOW Bio Agreements (the “KNOW Bio Amendments”). Pursuant to the terms of the KNOW Bio Amendments, the Company re-acquired from KNOW Bio exclusive, worldwide rights under certain United States and foreign patents and patent applications controlled by the Company as of December 29, 2015, and that became controlled by the Company between December 29, 2015 and December 29, 2018, directed towards nitric oxide-releasing compositions and methods of manufacturing thereof, including methods of manufacturing Nitricil compounds, and other nitric oxide-based therapeutics, to develop and commercialize products for all diagnostic, therapeutic, prophylactic and palliative uses for any disease, condition or disorder caused by certain oncoviruses (the “Oncovirus Field”).
KNOW Bio also granted to the Company an exclusive license, with the right to sublicense, under any patents and patent applications which became controlled by KNOW Bio during the three-year period between December 29, 2015 and December 29, 2018 and directed towards nitric oxide-releasing compositions and methods of manufacturing thereof, including methods of manufacturing Nitricil compounds, and other nitric oxide-based therapeutics, but not towards medical devices, to develop and commercialize products for use in the Oncovirus Field.
Upon execution of the KNOW Bio Amendments, in exchange for the Oncovirus Field rights, the Company paid KNOW Bio a non-refundable upfront payment of $250. Products the Company develops in the Oncovirus Field based on Nitricil will not be subject to any further milestones, royalties or sublicensing payment obligations to KNOW Bio under the KNOW Bio Amendments. However, if the Company develops products in the Oncovirus Field that incorporate a certain nitric oxide-releasing composition specified in the KNOW Bio Amendments and (i) are covered by KNOW Bio patents or (ii) materially use or incorporate know-how of KNOW Bio or the Company related to such composition that was created between December 29, 2015 and December 29, 2018, the Company would be obligated to make the certain contingent milestone and royalty payments to KNOW Bio under the KNOW Bio Amendments.
The rights granted to the Company in the Oncovirus Field in the KNOW Bio Amendments continue for so long as there is a valid patent claim under the Original KNOW Bio Agreements, and upon expiration continue on a perpetual non-exclusive basis, and are subject to the termination rights of KNOW Bio and the Company that are set forth in the Original KNOW Bio
Agreements. In addition, under the KNOW Bio Amendments, KNOW Bio may terminate the rights granted to the Company in the Oncovirus Field without terminating the Original KNOW Bio Agreements.
The KNOW Bio Amendments also provide a mechanism whereby either party may cause a NCE covered by the Original KNOW Bio Agreements to become exclusive to such party by filing an investigational new drug application (“IND”) on the NCE. An NCE that becomes exclusive to a party under this provision may not be commercialized by the other party until the later of expiration of patents covering the NCE or regulatory exclusivity covering the NCE. A party who obtains exclusivity for an NCE must advance development of the NCE pursuant to terms of the KNOW Bio Amendments in order to maintain such exclusivity; otherwise, such exclusivity will expire.
Research and Development Agreements
Royalty and Milestone Payments Purchase Agreement with Reedy Creek Investments LLC
On April 29, 2019, the Company entered into a royalty and milestone payments purchase agreement (the “Reedy Creek Purchase Agreement”) with Reedy Creek Investments LLC (“Reedy Creek”), pursuant to which Reedy Creek provided funding to the Company in an amount of $25,000 for the Company to use primarily to pursue the development, regulatory approval and commercialization activities (including through out-license agreements and other third-party arrangements) for SB206, a topical gel with anti-viral properties being developed as a treatment for molluscum, and advancing programmatically such activities with respect to SB204, a once-daily, topical monotherapy being developed for the treatment of acne vulgaris, and SB414, a topical cream-based product candidate being developed for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. If the Company successfully commercializes any such product following regulatory approval, the Company will be obligated to pay Reedy Creek a low single digit royalty on net sales of such products in the United States, Mexico or Canada.
The Company determined that the Reedy Creek Purchase Agreement is within the scope of ASC 730-20, Research and Development Arrangements (“ASC 730-20”), and that there has not been a substantive and genuine transfer of risk related to the Reedy Creek Purchase Agreement. As such, the Company determined that the appropriate accounting treatment under ASC 730-20 was to record the proceeds of $25,000 as cash and cash equivalents, as the Company had the ability to direct the usage of funds, and a long-term liability within its classified balance sheet.
Development Funding and Royalties Agreement with Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
On May 4, 2019, the Company entered into a development funding and royalties agreement (the “Ligand Funding Agreement”) with Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (“Ligand”), pursuant to which Ligand provided funding to the Company of $12,000, for the Company to use to pursue the development and regulatory approval of SB206, a topical gel with anti-viral properties being developed as a treatment for molluscum.
Pursuant to the Ligand Funding Agreement, the Company will pay Ligand up to $20,000 in milestone payments upon the achievement by the Company of certain regulatory and commercial milestones associated with SB206 or any product that incorporates or uses NVN1000, the API for the Company’s clinical stage product candidates, as a treatment for molluscum. In addition to the milestone payments, the Company will pay Ligand tiered royalties ranging from 7% to 10% based on annual aggregate net sales of such products in the United States, Mexico or Canada.
The Company determined that the Ligand transaction is within the scope of ASC 730-20 as it represents an obligation to perform contractual services for the development of SB206 using commercially reasonable efforts. As such, the Company concluded that the appropriate accounting treatment under ASC 730-20 was to record the proceeds of $12,000 as a liability and amortize the liability ratably during each reporting period, based on the Ligand funding as a percentage of the total direct costs incurred by the Company during the reporting period related to the estimated total cost to progress the SB206 program to a regulatory approval in the United States. The ratable Ligand funding is presented within the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss within research and development expenses associated with the SB206 program.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company recorded contra-research and development expense related to the SB206 developmental program of $223 and $851, respectively, related to amortization of the Ligand Funding Agreement amount. For the three months ended September 30, 2021, the Company recorded contra-research and development
expense related to the SB206 developmental program of $117 related to amortization of the Ligand Funding Agreement amount. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company recorded research and development expense of $93 related to accretion of the Ligand Funding Agreement amount.