Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v3.20.2
Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

8. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Additional Consideration-NTI Acquisition. In connection with the Company’s acquisition of NTI, the Company is obligated to pay the former sole shareholder of NTI contingent consideration based upon the exercise of certain of the Company’s outstanding warrants as follows: (i) twenty percent (20%) of the cash proceeds received by the Company upon exercise of the Company’s warrants carrying an exercise price of $0.75 and $0.90 and (ii) forty-five percent (45%) of the cash proceeds received by the Company upon exercise of the Company’s warrants carrying an exercise price of $1.00, in each case, for so long as the warrants remain outstanding. The Company’s previously issued warrants carrying an exercise price of $0.75 have expired by their terms. As a result, no additional consideration will be due to the former sole shareholder of NTI relating to these warrants.

 

During the three month period ending September 30, 2020, 760,000 warrants of the Company’s previously reported remaining outstanding warrants to acquire 4,294,500 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share issued in connection with its July 2018 public offering, were exercised and (ii) 4,882,114 warrants of the Company’s previously reported outstanding warrants to acquire 9,583,334 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.90 per share issued in connection with its March 2019 public offering, were exercised. See Note 6. Warrants.

 

As a result of the Warrant Exercises, the Company paid $1,220,781 of additional consideration to the sole former shareholder of NTI. The additional consideration payment is included in research and development expenses.

 

NIH License

 

Through NTI, the Company is a party to a Patent License and Biological Materials License Agreement (the “License Agreement” or “NIH License”), dated March 23, 2020, with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (the “HHS”), as represented by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (“NIAID”), an Institute within the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”). Under the terms of the License Agreement, we hold a nonexclusive, worldwide license to certain specified patent rights (including patent applications, provisional patent applications and Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”) patent applications) and biological materials relating to the use of pre-fusion coronavirus spike proteins to exploit products (“Licensed Products”) and practice processes (“Licensed Processes”) that are covered by the licensed patent rights and biological materials for the purpose of developing and commercializing a vaccine product candidate for SARS-CoV-2.

  

Under the terms of the License Agreement, the NIAID is entitled to receive a non-creditable, nonrefundable upfront license issue royalty of $30,000 and reimbursement of $11,739 for our pro rata share of the NIAID’s past and future patent prosecution-related expenses (which amounts have already been paid). Additionally, the NIAID is entitled to receive lump sum nonrefundable minimum annual royalties, which increase in the year after the first commercial sale of any Licensed Products or the practice of any Licensed Processes, as well as lump sum benchmark royalties following our completion of certain commercial development and sales-related benchmarks. The NIH is entitled to receive earned royalties on the annual net sales of Licensed Products and the practice of any Licensed Processes (subject to certain reductions), at certain low- to mid-single digit royalty rates, which rates vary based on the total amount of annual net sales and the geographic market in which those sales occur. We must provide regular written reports to the NIAID on the development status of and royalty payments relating to the Licensed Products and the Licensed Processes.

 

The License Agreement will expire upon (a) twenty (20) years from the first commercial sale where no licensed patent rights exist or have ceased to exist or (b) the expiration of the last patent contained in the licensed patent rights, unless terminated earlier. None of the applications included in the NIH licensed patent rights have issued yet. The NIH may terminate or modify the license in the event of a material breach, including if the Company does not meet certain milestones by certain dates, or upon certain insolvency events that remain uncured following the date that is 90 days following written notice of such breach or insolvency event. The Company may terminate the license, or any portion thereof, at its sole discretion at any time upon 60 days written notice to the NIH.

 

The Lantibiotic ECC

 

Under the Company’s Lantibiotic ECC with ILH Holdings, Inc. (n/k/a Eleszto Genetika, Inc. (“EGI”)) (the “Lantibiotic ECC, and subject to certain exceptions, the Company is responsible for, among other things, funding the further anticipated development of lantibiotics toward the goal of commercialization, conducting nonclinical and clinical development of candidate lantibiotics, as well as for other aspects of manufacturing and the commercialization of the product(s). Among other things, EGI is responsible for technology discovery efforts, cell-engineering development, certain aspects of the manufacturing process, and costs of filing, prosecution and maintenance of EGI’s patents.

 

In November of 2017 the Lantibiotic ECC was amended to: (i) consolidate the development milestone payments into one payment of $25,000,000, being due six months after receiving FDA approval of a New Drug Application, (ii) reduce the sublicense revenue percentage we would have had to pay from 50% to 25% of sublicensing revenue, (iii) reduce the royalty rate from 25% of Product Profit to 10% of Net Sales, (iv) revise the form of milestone payments from being share based or cash at the Company’s election to only cash, and (v) commit that Diligent Efforts (as defined in the Lantibiotic ECC) in pursuing the Lantibiotic Program would be deemed satisfied in 2018 provided that at least $1,200,000 was budgeted for the advancement of the Lantibiotic Program.

 

In November of 2017, the Stock Issuance Agreement was also amended. Under the terms of the amendment, the Company has agreed to make certain payments, in cash, to EGI upon our achievement of designated milestones. The milestone events and amounts payable are as follows:

 

  (i) a one-time payment of twenty-five million United States dollars ($25,000,000) within six (6) months of the achievement of the Regulatory Approval Milestone Event meaning receiving approval from the FDA of a New Product Application for an Oragenics Product (or equivalent regulatory action in a foreign jurisdiction);
     
  (ii) a one-time payment of five million United States dollars ($5,000,000) within six (6) months of the achievement of the New Indication Milestone Event meaning receiving approval from the FDA of a Supplemental FDA Application (or an equivalent filing with another equivalent regulatory agency) which Supplemental FDA Application sought approval of an indication for use of the Oragenics Product other than the current regulatory-approved indication; and
     
  (iii) a one-time payment of five million United States dollars ($5,000,000) within six (6) months of the achievement of the New Product Milestone Event meaning receiving approval from the FDA of a New Product Application that is deemed to be a different drug product that the first Oragenics Product that was clinically pursued under the Lantibiotics Program.

  

Pursuant to the terms of the amendment, we will also pay EGI on a quarterly basis 10% of Net Sales derived in that quarter from the sale of products developed from the Lantibiotic ECC, calculated on an Oragenics Product-by-Oragenics Product basis and we will pay EGI on a quarterly basis 25% of revenue obtained in that quarter from a sublicensor in the event of a sublicensing arrangement.

 

On July 21, 2016, the Lantibiotics ECC was amended to revise the definition of Field in view of a provisional patent application filing between EGI and Oragenics and to further clarify Oragenics’ rights under the Lantibiotic ECC to genetically modified Streptococcus mutans that express Lantibiotic(s).

 

None of the Lantibiotic ECC milestones had been achieved as of September 30, 2020.

 

Leases

 

The Company’s Alachua facility is being leased from a real estate developer for a term of five years beginning in December 2019. Under the amended lease agreement, the rental payments range from $12,870 per month to $13,338 per month. The lease may be terminated prior to its stated expiration date upon the payment of nine-months rent.

 

In November of 2016, the Company entered into an amendment for the leased office space for corporate personnel located in Tampa, FL. The amended lease is for approximately 2,207 square feet. The lease period for the office space is for thirty-six months commencing on March 1, 2017. Lease payments range from $4,138 per month to $4,392 per month inclusive of insurance, taxes and utilities. The lease expired on February 29, 2020. In November of 2019, the Company entered into an amendment for the Tampa facility for a term of three years beginning in March of 2020. Under the amended lease agreement, the rental payments range from $4,524 per month to $4,800 per month.

 

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases is as follows:

 

    September 30, 2020  
Operating lease right-of-use assets   $ 697,910  
         
Operating lease liabilities - Short term   $ 173,536  
Operating lease liabilities - Long term     539,381  
Total operating lease liabilities   $ 712,917  
         
Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term In Years        
Operating leases     3.71  
         
Weighted Average Discount Rate        
Operating leases     5.70 %

 

Maturities of operating lease liabilities are as follows:

 

Year ended December 31:      
2020   $ 52,183  
2021     210,561  
2022     217,379  
2023     169,656  
2024     146,719  
Total   $ 796,498  
Less: Imputed interest     (83,581 )
Present value of lease liabilities   $ 712,917  

 

The cost component of operating leases is as follows:

 

   

For the Nine Months

Ended September 30, 2020

 
Operating lease cost   $ 169,126  
Short-term lease cost     1,839  
Total lease cost   $ 170,965  

  

Supplemental cash flow information related to operating leases is as follows:

 

   

For the Nine Months

Ended September 30, 2020

 
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:        
Operating cash flows from operating leases   $ 169,264