Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v2.4.0.8
Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

7. Commitments and Contingencies

The University of Florida Research Foundation Licenses

UFRF-MU1140 and Replacement Therapy Licenses. In the Company’s UFRF amended license agreements for SMaRT Replacement Therapy and MU1140, the Company is obligated to pay 5% of the selling price of any products developed from the UFRF licensed technologies that the Company may sell as royalty to the UFRF. In addition, if the Company sublicenses any rights granted by the amended license agreements, the Company is obligated to pay to the UFRF 22% of all revenues received from the sublicenses, excluding monies received solely for development costs. The Company is also obligated to make the following payments to UFRF as follows: a one-time commercialization fee, post-commercialization minimum royalty payments, and a one-time cumulative royalty payment. The one-time commercialization fee would be due on the first anniversary of first commercial sale and is calculated at $5,000 per month between (1) May 1, 2013 (for the SMaRT Replacement Therapy license agreement) and April 1, 2013 (for the MU1140 license agreement) and (2) the month of the first anniversary of a commercial sale. No commercial sales have occurred and as such no commercialization fess have been paid. The post-commercialization minimum royalty payments of $50,000 annually would be due following payment of a commercialization fee. The one-time additional royalty payment would be due when total cumulative royalties paid to UFRF exceed $2.0 million, upon which we would be obligated to make a one-time additional payment to UFRF of 10% of the total royalties due to UFRF in the calendar year in which cumulative royalties exceeded $2.0 million.

The Company is required to make minimum annual maintenance payments to the UFRF for the term of the amended license agreements in the amount of $10,000 for each license agreement and $20,000 in aggregate. The aggregate minimum annual payments are required to be paid in advance on a quarterly basis (i.e. $5,000 per quarter) for both licenses. The Company must also pay all patent costs and expenses incurred by the UFRF for the preparation, filing, prosecution, issuance and maintenance of the patents.

The terms of the UFRF amended license agreements expire upon the earlier of (i) the date that no patents covered by the amended license agreements remain enforceable or (ii) the payment of earned royalties under the amended license agreements, once begun, ceases for more than three calendar quarters. The Company may voluntarily terminate the license agreement upon 90 days written notice to UFRF. UFRF may terminate the amended license agreements if the Company breaches its obligations to timely pay any amounts due under the amended license agreements, to submit development reports as required under the amended license agreements or commit any other breach of any other covenants contained in the amended license agreements and the Company fails to remedy such breach within 90 days after written notice of such breach by UFRF.

After the effective date of termination of the SMaRT Replacement Therapy amended license agreement, the Company may sell all licensed products and complete licensed products in the process of manufacture at the time of such termination and sell the same, provided the Company makes the royalty payments described above and submit the reports required under the SMaRT Replacement Therapy amended license agreement.

Texas A&M License Agreement

Under the terms of the Texas A&M license agreement, the Company made an initial payment of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to Texas A&M. The Company must also pay to Texas A&M a royalty of five percent (5%) of net sales of products that include the licensed technology, subject to royalty stacking provisions with a two percent (2%) minimum royalty. Additionally, in order to maintain the exclusive license, commencing in 2014 and each year thereafter prior to the calendar year of the first sale of products using the licensed technology, the Company must pay Texas A&M $15,000 as minimum consideration for the continuation of the license agreement. Once the Company commences the sale of products that include the technology the Company licenses from Texas A&M the Company must pay a minimum annual amount of $100,000 to Texas A&M and every year thereafter through the expiration of the Agreement. However, once sales begin, any royalty payments the Company makes on net sales will be credited against the $100,000 required maintenance payment.

The Company must also pay all patent costs and expenses for the preparation, filing, prosecution, issuance and maintenance of the patent rights. Sales by sublicensees are subject to the royalty rate above, and the Company is responsible for certain payments to Texas A&M for any other consideration received that is not in the form of a royalty.

Pursuant to the Texas A&M license agreement, the Company is obligated to meet the following milestones and make milestone payments: (i) enrollment of first patient in a Phase I clinical trial using the licensed technology, to occur on or before June 1, 2015, with a milestone achievement payment of $50,000, (ii) completion of Phase II clinical trial using the licensed technology to occur on or before June 1, 2019, with a milestone achievement payment of $100,000, (iii) completion of Phase III clinical trial of the licensed technology to occur on or before June 1, 2022, with a milestone achievement payment of $150,000, and (iv) first sale of the licensed technology to occur on or before June 1, 2025 with a milestone achievement payment of $400,000. If we fail to accomplish the milestones or fail to achieve net sales of products including the licensed technology for two consecutive calendar years Texas A&M at its sole option may waive the requirement, negotiate the missed milestones or terminate the license agreement. None of the Texas A&M milestones had been achieved as of March 31, 2014.

The term of the Texas A&M license agreement expires upon (i) the expiration of the applicable patent rights covered by the license agreement, (ii) the failure of any patent filed pursuant to the license agreement to issue, or (iii) the final and unappealable determination by a court that the patent rights are invalid. The Company may voluntarily terminate the license agreement upon 90 days written notice to Texas A&M. Texas A&M can terminate the license agreement if the Company materially breaches the license agreement and does not cure such breach within 60 days of receiving notice of such breach from Texas A&M.

The Lantibiotic Exclusive Channel Collaboration (“ECC”)

Under 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 preclinical and clinical development of candidate lantibiotics, as well as for other aspects of manufacturing and the commercialization of the product(s). Among other things, Intrexon is responsible for technology discovery efforts, cell-engineering development, certain aspects of the manufacturing process, and costs of filing, prosecution and maintenance of Intrexon’s patents.

Subject to certain expense allocations and other offsets provided in the Lantibiotic ECC, the Company will pay Intrexon on a quarterly basis 25% of gross quarterly profits derived in that quarter from the sale of products developed from the Lantibiotic ECC, calculated on an Oragenics Product-by-Oragenics Product basis. The Company has likewise agreed to pay Intrexon on a quarterly basis 50% of revenue obtained in that quarter from a sublicensor in the event of a sublicensing arrangement.

In addition, in partial consideration for each party’s execution and delivery of the Lantibiotic ECC, the Company entered into a Stock Issuance Agreement with Intrexon. Pursuant to the Stock Issuance Agreement, the Company issued to Intrexon 4,392,425 shares of the Company’s common stock as an initial technology access fee, in consideration for the execution and delivery of the Lantibiotic ECC and granted Intrexon certain equity participation rights and registration rights. Under the Stock Issuance Agreement and as part of the Lantibiotic ECC, the Company has also agreed to make certain payments to Intrexon upon the Company’s achievement of designated milestones in the form of shares of Company common stock or, at the Company’s option, make a cash payment to Intrexon (based upon the fair market value of the shares otherwise required to be issued). The milestone events and amounts payable are as follows:

 

  (i) upon filing of the first Investigational New Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an Oragenics Product, that number of shares equal to the number of shares of common stock comprising 1.0% of the Base Shares (as defined below);

 

  (ii) upon the dosing of the first patient in the first Phase 2 clinical study with an Oragenics Product, that number of shares equal to the number of shares of common stock comprising 1.5% of the Base Shares;

 

  (iii) upon the dosing of the first patient in the first Phase 3 clinical study with an Oragenics Product, that number of shares equal to the number of shares of common stock comprising 2% of the Base Shares;

 

  (iv) upon the filing of the first New Drug Application (“NDA”) or Biologics License Application (“BLA”) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an Oragenics Product, or alternatively the filing of the first equivalent regulatory filing with a foreign regulatory agency, that number of shares equal to the number of shares of Common Stock comprising 2.5% of the Base Shares; and

 

  (v) upon the granting of the first regulatory approval of an Oragenics Product, that number of shares equal to the number of shares of Common Stock comprising 3% of the Base Shares.

Base Shares is defined in the Stock Issuance Agreement to mean (i) the number of shares of Company common stock together with any securities or instruments convertible or exercisable for shares of common stock issued and outstanding at the time of the applicable milestone event, (ii) minus any shares issuable upon conversion of Capital Inducement Securities. Capital Inducement Securities is defined in the Stock Issuance Agreement to mean warrants or other convertible securities of the Company issued to investors in connection with a debt or equity investment in the Company that are issued in addition to the primary investment securities and in an amount not to exceed 10% of the overall number of shares issued in the investment (on an as-converted to common stock basis)

None of the Lantibiotic ECC milestones had been achieved as of March 31, 2014.

Intrexon may terminate the Lantibiotic ECC if we fail to use diligent efforts to develop and commercialize Oragenics Products or if we elect not to pursue the development of a Lantibiotics Program identified by Intrexon that is a “Superior Therapy” as defined in the Lantibiotic ECC. We may voluntarily terminate the Lantibiotic ECC at any time upon 90 days written notice to Intrexon.

Upon termination of the Lantibiotic ECC, the Company may continue to develop and commercialize any Oragenics Product that has been, at the time of termination:

 

    commercialized by the Company;

 

    approved by regulatory authorities;

 

    a subject of an application for regulatory approval that is pending before the applicable regulatory authority; or

 

    the subject of at least an ongoing Phase 1, Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical trial in the Field (in the case of a termination by Intrexon due to an uncured material breach by the Company or a voluntary termination by the Company).

The Company’s obligation to pay 25% of gross profits or revenue and milestone payments described above with respect to these “retained” products as well as to use diligent efforts to develop and commercialize these “retained” Oragenics Products will survive termination of the Lantibiotic ECC.

The Probiotic ECC

Under the Probiotic ECC, and subject to certain exceptions, the Company is responsible for, among other things, funding the further anticipated development of probiotics toward the goal of commercialization, conducting preclinical and clinical development of candidate probiotics, as well as for other aspects of manufacturing and the commercialization of the product(s). Among other things, Intrexon is responsible for technology discovery efforts, cell-engineering development, certain aspects of the manufacturing process, and costs of filing, prosecution and maintenance of Intrexon’s patents.

 

The Company will pay Intrexon 10% of the net sales derived from the sale of products developed from the exclusive channel collaboration relating to the Probiotics Program. The Company has likewise agreed to pay Intrexon a percentage of revenue obtained from a sublicensee in the event of a sublicensing arrangement. The percentage of the revenue to be paid will be determined at the time that a sublicense agreement is negotiated.

Under the SPIA and as part of the Probiotic ECC, the Company has also agreed to make certain payments to Intrexon upon the Company’s achievement of designated milestones. The milestone payments are each payable to Intrexon, at the Company’s election (subject to an election right of Intrexon if the milestone is achieved by a sublicensee), either in cash or in shares of Company common stock (using the fair market value of the shares to calculate the number of shares to be issued to Intrexon in lieu of cash). The Commercialization Milestone Events and amounts payable are as follows:

 

    $2,000,000 within thirty (30) days of the dosing of a patient by or on behalf of the Company, or an Affiliate (as that term is defined in the Probiotic ECC) or permitted sublicensee of the Company, in a phase II clinical trial, whether such occurs in the United States of America under the jurisdiction of the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or elsewhere under the jurisdiction of a foreign regulatory agency, for a Company Product;

 

    $5,000,000 within thirty (30) days of the first meeting of the primary endpoint by or on behalf of the Company, or an Affiliate or permitted sublicensee of the Company, in a phase III clinical trial, whether such occurs in the United States of America under the jurisdiction of the FDA or elsewhere under the jurisdiction of a foreign regulatory agency, for a Company Product;

 

    $10,000,000 within thirty (30) days of the first to occur of (a) the First Commercial Sale (as that term is defined in the Probiotic ECC) of a Company Product, or (b) the approval of a New Drug Application (as that term is defined in the Probiotic ECC) for a Company Product by the FDA or equivalent regulatory action in a foreign jurisdiction.

None of the Probiotic ECC milestones had been achieved as of March 31, 2014.

The Company may voluntarily terminate the Probiotic ECC upon 90 days written notice to Intrexon. Intrexon may also terminate the Probiotic ECC if the Company breaches the Probiotic ECC and fails to cure the breach within 60 days or the Company does not pursue development of the Superior Therapy under the probiotics identified by Intrexon that is a “Superior Therapy” as defined in the Probiotic ECC. Upon termination of the Probiotic ECC, the Company may continue to develop and commercialize any Company Product that, at the time of termination, satisfies at least one of the following criteria:

 

    commercialized by the Company;

 

    approved by regulatory authorities;

 

    a subject of an application for regulatory approval that is pending before the applicable regulatory authority; or

 

    the subject of at least an ongoing Phase 1, Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical trial in the field of the Probiotics Program.

The Company’s obligation to pay 10% of net sales and the milestone payments described above with respect to these “retained” products as well as to use diligent efforts to develop and commercialize these “retained” Company Products will survive termination of the Probiotic ECC.