Note 3 - License Supplier Agreements |
3 Months Ended | ||||||||||||
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Mar. 31, 2025 | |||||||||||||
Notes to Financial Statements | |||||||||||||
License Agreement Disclosure [Text Block] |
Note 3 — Licenses/Supplier Agreements
IV Tramadol License
Effective as of February 17, 2015, Fortress transferred the Revogenex license and all other rights and obligations under the IV Tramadol License Agreement to the Company, pursuant to the terms of the Founders Agreement. In connection with the terms of the IV Tramadol License Agreement, Fortress purchased an exclusive license to IV tramadol for the U.S. market from Revogenex, a privately held company in Dublin, Ireland, for $3.0 million and paid an additional $1.0 million following the Company’s submission of its NDA for IV Tramadol. In addition, under the terms of the agreement, Revogenex is eligible to receive an additional milestone payment totaling $3.0 million upon the approval of IV tramadol from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") as well as royalty payments on net sales of the product ranging in the high single digits to low double digits.
On October 29, 2018, the Company and Zaklady Farmaceutyczne Polpharma (“Polpharma”) extended the term of their exclusive supply agreement for drug product of IV tramadol to eight years from the date of the launch of the product. In addition, under the terms of the amended agreement, Polpharma is eligible to receive a milestone payment totaling $2.0 million upon the approval of IV tramadol from the FDA, as well as a low single digit royalty on net sales of the product for five years after launch.
Baergic Licenses
In December 2019, Baergic entered into two license agreements: (i) a license agreement with AstraZeneca AB (“AZ”) to acquire an exclusive license to patent and related intellectual property rights pertaining to their proprietary compound Gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor A alpha 2 & 3 (GABAA α2,3) positive allosteric modulators; and (ii) a license agreement with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (“CCHMC”) to acquire patent and related intellectual property rights pertaining to a GABA inhibitor program for neurological disorders. Baergic paid an upfront fee of $3.0 million to AZ and $0.2 million to CCHMC, as well as issued common shares of Baergic of approximately 20% and 5% of Baergic to each at the time of the license agreement, respectively.
Development milestones totaling approximately $81.5 million in the aggregate are due upon achievement of each milestone. Commercial and sales-based milestone payments totaling approximately $151 million are due upon achievement of each milestone, as well as royalty payments in the low to high single digits on any future aggregate, annual, worldwide net sales.
AnnJi License Agreement
On February 28, 2023, Avenue entered into a license agreement with AnnJi, whereby Avenue obtained an exclusive license (the "AnnJi License Agreement") from AnnJi to the intellectual property rights pertaining to the molecule known as JM17, which activates Nrf1 and Nrf2, enhances androgen receptor degradation and underlies AJ201, a clinical product candidate currently in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial in the U.S. for the treatment of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (“SBMA”, also known as Kennedy's Disease). Under the AnnJi License Agreement, in exchange for exclusive rights to the intellectual property underlying the AJ201 product candidates, Avenue paid $3.0 million, issued shares of Avenue stock in two tranches, and agreed to make additional payments including: reimbursement of payments up to $10.8 million in connection with the product’s Phase 1b/2a clinical trial, up to $14.5 million in connection with certain development milestones pertaining to the first indication in the U.S., up to $27.5 million in connection with certain drug development milestones pertaining to additional indications and development outside the U.S., up to $165 million upon the achievement of certain net sales milestones ranging from $75 million to $750 million in annual net sales, and royalty payments based on a percentage of net sales ranging from mid-single digits to the low-double digits, which were subject to potential diminution in certain circumstances. On March 3, 2025, Avenue received a notice of AnnJi’s intent to terminate the AnnJi License Agreement, in which AnnJi asserted several bases for its right to terminate the AnnJi License Agreement.
On the Termination Effective Date, Avenue and AnnJi entered into the Termination and Transfer Agreement, pursuant to which: (i) the AnnJi License Agreement and related agreements were terminated with immediate effect; (ii) the parties dismissed all pending dispute resolution proceedings and provided mutual releases of claims; (iii) Avenue transferred to AnnJi all of its rights, title and interest to and under the assets arising under the AnnJi License Agreement and otherwise related to AJ201 and (iv) Avenue agreed not to, for 48 months following the date of the Termination and Transfer Agreement, develop, commercialize, manufacture or sell any product competing with AJ201 in the US, Canada, the European Union, Great Britain or Israel. Under the Termination and Transfer Agreement, Avenue will repurchase all shares of common stock held by AnnJi for an aggregate payment of $1.00, and Avenue also made a payment of $0.2 million to AnnJi as consideration for legal expenses.
AnnJi agreed to make payments to Avenue of $2.0 million, with $1.0 million due within 30 days after the Termination Effective Date and $1 million due within 90 days after the Termination Effective Date. Additionally, Avenue will be eligible to receive from AnnJi:
The Termination and Transfer Agreement also contains customary representations and warranties and provisions related to confidentiality and indemnification.
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