XML 119 R8.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.24.0.1
Collaboration and License Agreements
 3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Collaboration and License Agreements COLLABORATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS
The following table provides a summary of revenue recognized:
Three Months Ended December 31,
20232022
(in thousands)
GSK$2,685 $(677)
Horizon— 21,667 
Takeda866 16,312 
Janssen— 244 
Amgen— 25,000 
Total$3,551 $62,546 
The following table summarizes the balance of receivables and contract liabilities related to the Company’s collaboration and license agreements:
December 31, 2023September 30, 2023
(in thousands)
Receivables included in accounts receivable$— $— 
Contract liabilities included in deferred revenue$— $866 
Glaxosmithkline Intellectual Property (No. 3) Limited (“GSK”)
GSK License Agreement
On November 22, 2021, GSK and the Company entered into an Exclusive License Agreement (the “GSK License Agreement”). Under the GSK License Agreement, GSK has received an exclusive license for GSK-4532990 (formerly ARO-HSD). The exclusive license is worldwide with the exception of greater China. GSK is wholly responsible for all clinical development and commercialization of GSK-4532990 in its territory. GSK dosed the first patient in a Phase 2b trial in March 2023 and paid a $30.0 million milestone payment to the Company in the third quarter of fiscal 2023.
The Company is eligible for an additional payment of $100.0 million upon achieving the first patient dosed in a Phase 3 trial. Furthermore, should the Phase 3 trial read out positively, and the potential new medicine receives regulatory approval in major markets, the deal provides for commercial milestone payments to the Company of up to $190.0 million at first commercial sale, and up to $590.0 million in sales-related milestone payments. The Company is further eligible to receive tiered royalties on net product sales in a range of mid-teens to twenty percent.
GSK-HBV Agreement
On December 11, 2023, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated License Agreement with GSK (the “GSK-HBV Agreement”) pursuant to which GSK received a worldwide, exclusive license to develop and commercialize JNJ-3989 (formerly ARO-HBV), the Company’s third-generation subcutaneously administered RNAi therapeutic candidate being developed as a potential therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. JNJ-3989 had previously been licensed to Janssen in October 2018.
Under the terms of the GSK-HBV Agreement, the Company received $2.7 million in December 2023, upon signing the amended GSK-HBV Agreement. The Company is eligible to receive up to $832.5 million in development and sales milestone payments under the GSK-HBV Agreement.
There were no contract assets and liabilities recorded as of December 31, 2023.
Horizon Therapeutics Ireland DAC (“Horizon”)
In June 2021, Horizon and the Company entered into a collaboration and license agreement (the “Horizon License Agreement”). Under the terms of the Horizon License Agreement, Horizon received a worldwide exclusive license for HZN-457, a clinical-stage medicine being developed by Horizon as a potential treatment for people with uncontrolled gout.
At the inception of the Horizon License Agreement, the Company identified one distinct performance obligation. The Company determined that the key deliverables included the license and certain R&D services, including the Company’s responsibilities to conduct all activities through the preclinical stages of development of HZN-457 (the “Horizon R&D Services”). The Company received a $40.0 million upfront payment in July 2021. Revenue was recognized
on a straight-line basis over the timeframe for completing the Horizon R&D Services, concluding in the first quarter of 2023. Further, the Company received an additional $15.0 million upon Horizon’s initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial in January 2023.
On October 6, 2023, Amgen completed its acquisition of Horizon and subsequently notified the Company of Amgen’s intent to terminate the HZN-457 license. Horizon exercised its right to terminate the Horizon License Agreement for convenience, which took effect on December 21, 2023.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”)
In October 2020, Takeda and the Company entered into an Exclusive License and Co-Funding Agreement (the “Takeda License Agreement”). Under the Takeda License Agreement, Takeda and the Company will co-develop the Company’s Fazirsiran program (formerly TAK-999 and ARO-AAT), the Company’s second-generation subcutaneously administered RNAi therapeutic candidate being developed as a treatment for liver disease associated with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Within the United States, fazirsiran, if approved, will be co-commercialized under a 50/50 profit sharing structure. Outside the United States, Takeda received an exclusive license to commercialize fazirsiran and will lead the global commercialization strategy, while the Company will be eligible to receive tiered royalties of 20% to 25% on net sales.
At the inception of the Takeda License Agreement, the Company identified one distinct performance obligation. The Company determined that the key deliverables included the license and certain R&D services including the Company’s responsibilities to complete the initial portion of the SEQUOIA study, to complete the ongoing Phase 2 AROAAT2002 study and to ensure certain manufacturing of fazirsiran drug product is completed and delivered to Takeda (the “Takeda R&D Services”). Due to the specialized and unique nature of these Takeda R&D Services and their direct relationship with the license, the Company determined that these deliverables represent one distinct bundle and, thus, one performance obligation. Beyond the Takeda R&D Services, which are the responsibility of the Company, Takeda will be responsible for managing future clinical development and commercialization outside the United States. Within the United States, the Company will also participate in co-development and co-commercialization efforts and will co-fund these efforts with Takeda as part of the 50/50 profit sharing structure within the United States. The Company considers the collaborative activities, including the co-development and co-commercialization, to be a separate unit of account within Topic 808, and as such, these co-funding amounts are recorded as research and development expenses or general and administrative expenses, as appropriate.
Under the terms of the Takeda License Agreement, the Company received $300.0 million as an upfront payment in January 2021 and an additional $40.0 million upon Takeda’s initiation of a Phase 3 REDWOOD clinical study of fazirsiran in March 2023, and is eligible to receive up to $527.5 million in additional potential development, regulatory and commercial milestones.
The Company has allocated the total $300.0 million initial transaction price to its one distinct performance obligation for the fazirsiran license and the associated Takeda R&D Services. Revenue is recognized using the input method (based on actual patient visits completed versus total estimated visits completed for the ongoing SEQUOIA and AROAAT2002 clinical studies). The Company previously expected these clinical trials to extend to September 2025 in order to demonstrate long term safety and efficacy in the open label extension (OLE) part of the studies; however, in August 2023, Takeda initiated a Phase 3 OLE study, concluding the Phase 2 study visits for patients in the SEQUOIA and AROAAT2002 studies by December 31, 2023. Consequently, the Company adjusted its revenue recognition estimates in the fiscal year 2023 to align with the revised performance period, resulting in accelerated revenue of $70.5 million, or $0.66 per diluted share, for the year ended September 30, 2023. The remaining $0.9 million of deferred revenue was recognized for the three months ended December 31, 2023. There were no further contract liabilities as of December 31, 2023.
The Company also recorded $11.1 million as accrued expenses as of December 31, 2023 that was primarily driven by co-development and co-commercialization activities.
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Janssen”)
On April 7, 2023, Janssen voluntarily terminated its collaboration agreement with the Company and the Company regained full rights to ARO-PNPLA3, formerly called JNJ-75220795. ARO-PNPLA3 is in Phase 1 clinical trials, which are now being developed by the Company.
Further, on December 11, 2023, the Company entered into the GSK-HBV Agreement, as discussed above, pursuant to which GSK received an exclusive license for JNJ-3989 (formerly ARO-HBV). JNJ-3989 had previously been licensed to Janssen in October 2018.
Amgen Inc. (“Amgen”)
In September 2016, Amgen and the Company entered into two collaboration and license agreements and a common stock purchase agreement. Under the Second Collaboration and License Agreement (the “Olpasiran Agreement”), Amgen received a worldwide, exclusive license to the Company’s novel RNAi olpasiran (previously referred to as AMG- 890 or ARO-LPA) program. These RNAi molecules are designed to reduce elevated lipoprotein(a), which is a genetically validated, independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Under the Olpasiran Agreement, Amgen is wholly responsible for clinical development and commercialization.
Under the Olpasiran Agreement, the Company has received $35.0 million in upfront payments and $21.5 million in the form of an equity investment by Amgen in the Company’s common stock. Further, the Company received additional an $55.0 million in milestone payments; $10.0 million upon Amgen’s initiation of a Phase 1 study in September 2018, $20.0 million upon its initiation of a Phase 2 clinical study in July 2020, and $25.0 million upon its first subject enrollment in a Phase 3 trial in December 2022. The Company has substantially completed its performance obligations under the Olpasiran Agreement. There were no contract assets and liabilities recorded as of December 31, 2023.
In November 2022, Royalty Pharma and the Company entered into the Royalty Pharma Agreement. In consideration for the payments under the Royalty Pharma Agreement, Royalty Pharma is entitled to receive all royalties otherwise payable by Amgen to the Company under the Olpasiran Agreement. The Company remains eligible to receive up to an additional $535.0 million in remaining development, regulatory and sales milestone payments payable from Amgen and Royalty Pharma. See Note 11.
Visirna Therapeutics, Inc. (“Visirna”)
In April 2022, the Company and Visirna, its subsidiary, entered into a License Agreement (the “Visirna License Agreement”), pursuant to which Visirna received an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize four of the Company’s RNAi-based investigational cardiometabolic medicines in Greater China (including the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan).
The Company also performs manufacturing and development work pursuant to a Clinical Supply Agreement between the parties contemplated by the Visirna License Agreement. The Company received $85,989 and $749,262 as consideration for this manufacturing and development work for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. There were no contract assets and liabilities recorded as of December 31, 2023.