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License Agreement
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
License Agreement  
License Agreement

6. License Agreement

 

Beijing SL License and Collaboration Agreement

 

Upon the close of the Merger, the License and Collaboration Agreement (the “Beijing SL Agreement”) with Beijing SL Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Beijing SL”) was assumed by the Company, pursuant to which the Company granted Beijing SL an exclusive royalty-bearing license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize pharmaceutical products comprising, as an active ingredient, Gemcabene in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan (each, a “region,” and collectively, the “Territory”). The terms of the agreement include payments based upon achievement of milestones and royalties on net product sales. Under the Beijing SL Agreement, the Company has variable consideration in the form of milestone payments. As of December 31, 2019, no revenue under the Beijing SL Agreement has been recognized. 

 

Under the terms of the Beijing SL Agreement, Beijing SL will be responsible, at its expense, for developing and commercializing products containing Gemcabene (each, a “Licensed Product”) in the Territory, with certain assistance from the Company. To the extent mutually agreed to in writing, the Company and Beijing SL will collaborate on the Phase 3 clinical trial for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or other clinical trials with the Company as the sponsor designed to enroll patients both inside and outside the Territory (a “Global Study”), but Beijing SL will be responsible, at its expense, for the conduct of any Global Study to the extent solely in the Territory, subject to the Company’s final decision making authority, and the Company will be responsible, at its expense, for the conduct of any Global Study to the extent solely outside of the Territory. Under a territory development plan, the parties shall develop Licensed Products with respect to the Territory. Beijing SL will be responsible for development activities, including non-clinical and clinical studies directed at obtaining regulatory approval of the Licensed Product in the Territory. Beijing SL has agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize the Licensed Products for each indication that receives regulatory approval in the Territory and shall prepare and present a commercialization plan that shall be subject to approval by the joint steering committee.

 

Pursuant to the Beijing SL Agreement, Beijing SL was to make a non-refundable upfront gross payment of $2.5 million to the Company within 45 days of the effective date of the Beijing SL Agreement; the upfront payment was received in October 2019 and such funds were fully expended prior to the close of Merger. Additionally, with respect to each Licensed Product, the Company is eligible to receive (i) payments for specified developmental and regulatory milestones (including submission of a new drug application to China’s National Medical Product Administration, dosing of the first patient in a phase 3 clinical trial in mainland China and regulatory approval for the first and each additional indication of a Licensed Product in the Territory) totaling up to $6 million in the aggregate and (ii) payments for specified global net sales milestones of up to $20 million in the aggregate multiplied by the ratio of the net sales of a Licensed Product sold by Beijing SL in the Territory divided by the global net sales of a Licensed Product, which net sales milestone payments are payable once, upon the first achievement of such milestone.

 

Beijing SL is also obligated to pay the Company tiered royalties ranging from the mid-teens to twenty percent on the net sales of all Licensed Products in the Territory until the latest of (a) the date on which any applicable regulatory exclusivity with respect to such Licensed Product expires in such region, (b) the expiration or abandonment of the last valid patent claim or joint patent claim covering such Licensed Product in each region and (c) the fifth anniversary of the first commercial sale of such Licensed Product in such region (the “Royalty Term”). Future milestone payments under the Beijing SL Agreement, if any, are not expected to begin for at least one year and will extend over a number of subsequent years. The Company cannot determine the date on which Beijing SL’s potential royalty payment obligations to the Company would expire because Beijing SL has not yet developed any Licensed Products under the Beijing SL Agreement and therefore the Company cannot at this time identify the date of the first commercial sale or the periods of any regulatory exclusivity or patent claims with respect to any Licensed Product.

 

On a Licensed Product-by-Licensed Product and region-by-region basis upon the expiration of the Royalty Term, the license granted to Beijing SL shall be deemed perpetual, fully paid-up and royalty free with respect to such Licensed Product in such region. Either party may terminate the Agreement (x) with written notice in the event of the other party’s material breach following a cure period or (y) if the other party becomes subject to certain insolvency proceedings. In addition, the Company may terminate the agreement in its entirety if Beijing SL or its affiliates or sublicensees commence a proceeding challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of any of the Company’s patents.

 

To the extent rights granted to Beijing SL under the Beijing SL Agreement are controlled by the Company pursuant to the Pfizer Agreement, such rights are subject to the terms and conditions of such agreement with Pfizer, and Beijing SL has agreed to comply with such terms and conditions.

 

The Beijing SL Agreement contemplates that Beijing SL and the Company shall, no later than twelve months prior to the anticipated date of the first commercial sale of a Licensed Product, if any, negotiate in good faith and execute a commercial supply agreement, pursuant to which Beijing SL shall purchase from the Company, and the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to supply, Gemcabene or Licensed Product for clinical or commercial purposes, as applicable, until manufacturing and regulatory transfers are complete.

 

Each of the Company and Beijing SL has agreed to indemnify the other party against certain losses and expenses relating to the development or commercialization of a Licensed Product by the indemnifying party, the negligence or willful misconduct of the indemnifying party or its directors, officers, employees or agents or a breach of the indemnifying party’s representations, warranties or covenants.