Strategic transactions and agreements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2025

Strategic transactions and agreements

Strategic transactions and agreements

7. Strategic transactions and agreements

Ayala Pharmaceuticals

On March 25, 2024, the Company and Ayala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Ayala, completed an Asset Purchase Agreement, or the Ayala Purchase Agreement, that was entered into in February 2024, pursuant to which the Company acquired Ayala’s AL101 and varegacestat (then known as AL102) programs and assumed certain liabilities associated with the acquired assets. The upfront consideration included (i) payment of approximately $20.0 million in cash, and (ii) the issuance of 2,175,489 unregistered shares of the Company’s common stock at an aggregate fair value of $50.6 million on the acquisition date. The fair value of the shares issued to Ayala was based on the closing stock price of the Company’s common stock on March 25, 2024 of $24.00 per share less a discount of 3.0% related to unregistered share restrictions.

The Company accounted for the transaction as an asset acquisition as substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired was concentrated in two programs that were grouped as a single identifiable IPR&D asset. The assets acquired in the transaction were measured based on the estimated fair value of the consideration paid of $71.3 million, which included direct transaction costs of $0.7 million.

The consideration paid and the relative fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were as follows (in thousands):

	Amount
Common stock issued to Ayala	$	50,645
Upfront consideration paid to Ayala		20,039
Transaction costs		657
Consideration paid	$	71,341
Assets acquired:
In-process research and development	$	73,382
Other long-term assets		2,480
Total assets acquired	$	75,862
Liabilities assumed:
Accrued expenses	$	4,521
Total liabilities assumed	$	4,521
Net assets acquired	$	71,341

The cost attributable to the IPR&D was expensed in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the three months ended March 31, 2024 since the acquired IPR&D had no alternative future use.

Under the Ayala Purchase Agreement, the Company will be required to pay Ayala up to $37.5 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestone events. Any potential future milestone payment amounts will be accrued when the related contingency is resolved and the milestone consideration becomes payable.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals

On January 5, 2024, the Company entered into a license agreement with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or the Zentalis License Agreement, pursuant to which the Company received an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain intellectual property relating to Zentalis’ proprietary ADC platform technology, ROR1 antibodies and ADCs targeting ROR1 to exploit products covered by or incorporating the licensed intellectual property rights, or, collectively, the Zentalis Licensed Assets.

As upfront consideration for the license, the Company paid to Zentalis $15.0 million in cash and issued to Zentalis 2,298,586 unregistered shares of its common stock at an aggregate fair value of $23.4 million. The fair value of the common stock issued to Zentalis was based on the closing stock price of the Company’s common stock on January 5, 2024 of $11.12 per share less a discount of 8.5% related to unregistered share restrictions. The Company accounted for the transaction as an asset acquisition as substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired was concentrated in a single identifiable IPR&D asset. The consideration paid to acquire the license and intellectual property rights, which included transaction costs of $0.2 million, was immediately recognized as IPR&D expense in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the three months ended March 31, 2024 since the acquired IPR&D had no alternative future use.

On October 25, 2024, the Company and Zentalis entered into an asset purchase agreement, or the Zentalis Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which the Company purchased the Zentalis Licensed Assets that were licensed to the Company under the then-existing Zentalis License Agreement dated January 5, 2024, together with all the customary rights and obligations of a sole owner, or the Zentalis Asset Purchase. Upon the closing of the Zentalis Asset Purchase, the Zentalis License Agreement was terminated in its entirety, including the termination of all of the Company’s contingent milestone and royalty payment obligations. Certain accrued rights and obligations of the parties survive the closing of the Zentalis Asset Purchase.

As consideration for the Zentalis Asset Purchase, the Company issued to Zentalis 1,805,502 unregistered shares of its common stock at an aggregate fair value of $21.0 million. The fair value of the common stock issued to Zentalis was based on the closing stock price of the Company’s common stock on October 25, 2024 of $12.11 per share less a discount of 4.0% related to unregistered share restrictions. The consideration paid to Zentalis for the Zentalis Asset Purchase was immediately recognized as IPR&D expense.

The Company was also obligated to pay Zentalis a one-time payment of $5.0 million in cash upon the achievement of a developmental milestone, which was achieved in December 2024 and paid during the three months ended March 31, 2025. The related liability was accrued within accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024.

Bristol-Myers Squibb

In connection with the closing of the Ayala Purchase Agreement in March 2024, the Company assumed a license agreement, the BMS License Agreement, with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, or BMS, pursuant to which the Company obtained a worldwide, non-transferable, royalty-bearing, exclusive, sublicensable, license under certain patent rights and know-how of BMS to research, discover, develop, make, have made, use, sell, offer to sell, export, import and commercialize AL101 and varegacestat, or the BMS Licensed Compounds, and products containing AL101 or varegacestat, or the BMS Licensed Products, for all uses including the prevention, treatment or control of any human or animal disease, disorder or condition.

Under the BMS License Agreement, the Company is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop at least one BMS Licensed Product. The Company is also required to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain regulatory approvals in certain major market countries for at least one BMS Licensed Product, as well as to affect the first commercial sale of and commercialize each BMS Licensed Product after obtaining such regulatory approval.

The Company is required to pay BMS up to approximately $142.0 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain clinical development or regulatory milestones for AL101 and varegacestat across multiple indications. In addition, the Company is required to pay BMS up to $50.0 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain commercial milestones for each BMS Licensed Product. Any potential future milestone payment amounts will be accrued when the related contingency is resolved and the milestone consideration becomes payable. BMS is also eligible to receive tiered royalties ranging from a high single-digit to a low teen percentage on annual worldwide net sales of any BMS Licensed Products. Royalty payments will be expensed in the period in which the underlying revenues are earned.

BMS has the right to terminate the BMS License Agreement in its entirety if the Company fails to fulfill its development and commercialization obligations within a defined period of time following written notice by BMS. The Company has the right to terminate the BMS License Agreement for convenience upon prior written notice to BMS. Upon termination of the BMS License Agreement by the Company for convenience or by BMS, the Company will grant an exclusive, non-transferable, sublicensable, worldwide license to BMS for certain patent rights that are necessary to develop, manufacture or commercialize the BMS Licensed Compounds or BMS Licensed Products. In exchange for such license, BMS will be obligated to pay the Company a low single-digit percentage royalty on net sales of the BMS Licensed Compounds and/or BMS Licensed Products by it or its affiliates, licensees or sublicensees, provided that the termination occurred after a specified developmental milestone for such BMS Licensed Compounds and/or BMS Licensed Products.

Following the closing of the Ayala Purchase Agreement, on August 7, 2024, the Company and BMS entered into Amendment No. 2 to the BMS License Agreement, or the BMS License Agreement Amendment. As consideration to BMS for entering into the BMS License Agreement Amendment, the Company issued BMS 230,415 unregistered shares of its common stock at an aggregate fair value of $2.7 million. The fair value of the common stock issued to BMS was based on the closing stock price of the Company’s common stock on August 7, 2024 of $12.46 per share less a discount of 6.0% related to unregistered share restrictions. The consideration paid to BMS to amend the BMS License Agreement was immediately recognized as IPR&D expense.

Other asset acquisitions and license agreements

The Company has entered into various other asset purchase and license agreements to further acquire, discover, develop and commercialize certain technologies and treatments. There was no IPR&D expense under these agreements for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024.

Under the terms of these agreements, the Company may need to pay certain development, regulatory, and commercial milestones payments and royalties on product sales, if any. Any potential future milestone payment amounts will be accrued when the related contingency is resolved and the milestone consideration becomes payable. Royalty payments will be expensed in the period in which the underlying revenues are earned.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company accrued $1.2 million within accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet related to upfront license fees and the achievement of certain milestones under these agreements. These amounts were subsequently settled during the three months ended March 31, 2025.