v3.22.2.2
Commitments and contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and contingencies

10.        Commitments and contingencies

Under various agreements, the Company will be required to pay royalties and milestone payments upon the successful development and commercialization of products. The Company has entered into funding agreements with The Wellcome Trust Limited ("Wellcome Trust") for the research and development of small molecule compounds in connection with the Company’s oncology and antibacterial programs. As the Company has discontinued development under its antibacterial program, it no longer expects that milestone and royalty payments from the Company to Wellcome Trust will apply under that agreement, resulting in a change to the total amount of development and regulatory milestone payments the Company may become obligated to pay for this program. Under the oncology program funding agreement, to the extent that the Company develops and commercializes program intellectual property on a for-profit basis itself or in collaboration with a partner (provided the Company retains overall control of worldwide commercialization), the Company may become obligated to pay to Wellcome Trust development and regulatory milestone payments and single-digit royalties on sales of any research program product. The Company’s obligation to pay such royalties would continue on a country-by-country basis until the longer of the expiration of the last patent in the program intellectual property in such country covering the research program product and the expiration of market exclusivity of such product in such country. The Company made the first development milestone payment of $0.8 million to Wellcome Trust under the oncology platform funding agreement during the second quarter of 2016. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company incurred $7.0 million of development milestones in connection with the enrollment of patients in the registration-directed Phase 2/3 trial of unesbulin for the treatment of LMS, $4.5 million of which is recorded in other long-term liabilities and $2.5 million is recorded in accounts payable and accrued expenses on the balance sheet. Additional milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $10.0 million may become payable by the Company to Wellcome Trust under this agreement.

The Company has also entered into a collaboration agreement with the SMA Foundation. The Company is obligated to pay the SMA Foundation single-digit royalties on worldwide net product sales of any collaboration product that is successfully developed and subsequently commercialized or, with respect to collaboration products the Company outlicenses, including Evrysdi, a specified percentage of certain payments the Company receives from its licensee. Since inception, the SMA Foundation has earned $24.5 million, $12.1 million which was paid and $12.4 million which was accrued as of September 30, 2022. The Company’s obligation to make such payments would end upon the Company’s payment to the SMA Foundation of an aggregate of $52.5 million.

Pursuant to the asset purchase agreement ("Asset Purchase Agreement") between the Company and Marathon Pharmaceuticals, LLC (now known as Complete Pharma Holdings, LLC) (“Marathon”), Marathon is entitled to receive contingent payments from the Company based on annual net sales of Emflaza up to a specified aggregate maximum amount over the expected commercial life of the asset. In addition, Marathon received a $50.0 million sales-based milestone during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Pursuant to the Agilis Merger Agreement, Agilis equityholders were previously entitled to receive contingent consideration payments from the Company based on (i) the achievement of certain development milestones up to an aggregate maximum amount of $60.0 million, (ii) the achievement of certain regulatory approval milestones together with a milestone payment following the receipt of a priority review voucher up to an aggregate maximum amount of $535.0 million, (iii) the achievement of certain net sales milestones up to an aggregate maximum amount of $150.0 million, and (iv) a percentage of annual net sales for Friedreich ataxia and Angelman syndrome during specified terms, ranging from 2%-6%. The

Company was required to pay $40.0 million of the development milestone payments upon the passing of the second anniversary of the closing of the Agilis Merger, regardless of whether the applicable milestones have been achieved.

Pursuant to the terms of a Rights Exchange Agreement, by and among the Company, the Rightholders set forth therein, and, for the limited purposes set forth therein, Shareholder Representatives Services LLC, dated as of April 29, 2020 (the “Rights Exchange Agreement”), the former equityholders of Agilis (the “Participating Rightholders”) canceled and forfeited their rights under the Agilis Merger Agreement to receive (i) $174.0 million, in the aggregate, of potential milestone payments based on the achievement of certain regulatory milestones and (ii) $37.6 million, in the aggregate, of $40.0 million in development milestone payments that would have been due upon the passing of the second anniversary of the closing of the Agilis Merger, regardless of whether the milestones are achieved.

The Rights Exchange Agreement has no effect on the Agilis Merger Agreement other than to provide for the cancellation and forfeiture of the Participating Rightholders’ rights to receive $211.6 million, in the aggregate, of the milestone payments described above. As a result, all other rights and obligations under the Agilis Merger Agreement remain in effect pursuant to their terms, including the Company’s obligation to pay up to an aggregate maximum amount of $20.0 million upon the achievement of certain development milestones (representing the remaining portion of potential development milestone payments for which rights were not canceled and forfeited pursuant to the Rights Exchange Agreement while excluding the remaining $2.4 million milestone payment that was due and paid upon the passing of the second anniversary of the closing of the Agilis Merger), up to an aggregate maximum amount of $361.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory milestones (representing the remaining portion of potential regulatory milestone payments for which rights were not canceled and forfeited pursuant to the Rights Exchange Agreement), up to a maximum aggregate amount of $150.0 million upon the achievement of certain net sales milestones and a percentage of annual net sales for Friedreich ataxia and Angelman syndrome during specified terms, ranging from 2% to 6%, pursuant to the terms of the Agilis Merger Agreement.

In July 2022, the European Commission approved Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency for patients 18 months and older within the EEA. As a result of such approval, the Company is obligated to pay the former equityholders of Agilis $50.0 million in accordance with the terms of the Agilis Merger Agreement. Accordingly, the Company reclassified $50.0 million from contingent consideration payable to accounts payable and accrued expenses as of September 30, 2022.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the BioElectron Asset Acquisition Agreement, BioElectron may become entitled to receive contingent milestone payments of up to $200.0 million (in cash or in shares of the Company’s common stock, as determined by the Company) from the Company based on the achievement of certain regulatory and net sales milestones. Subject to the terms and conditions of the BioElectron Asset Acquisition Agreement, BioElectron may also become entitled to receive contingent payments based on a percentage of net sales of certain products.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 5, 2020 (the “Censa Merger Agreement”) by and among the Company, Hydro Merger Sub, Inc., our wholly owned, indirect subsidiary, and, solely in its capacity as the representative, agent and attorney-in-fact of the securityholders of Censa, Shareholder Representative Services LLC (such merger pursuant thereto, the “Censa Merger”), former Censa securityholders may become entitled to receive contingent payments from the Company based on (i) the achievement of certain development and regulatory milestones up to an aggregate maximum amount of $217.5 million for sepiapterin’s two most advanced programs and receipt of a priority review voucher from the FDA as set forth in the Censa Merger Agreement, (ii) $109.0 million in development and regulatory milestones for each additional indication of sepiapterin, (iii) the achievement of certain net sales milestones up to an aggregate maximum amount of $160.0 million, (iv) a percentage of annual net sales during specified terms, ranging from single to low double digits of the applicable net sales threshold amount, and (v) any sublicense fees paid to the Company in consideration of any sublicense of Censa’s intellectual property to commercialize sepiapterin, on a country-by-country basis, which contingent payment shall equal to a mid-double digit percentage of any such sublicense fees. Pursuant to the Censa Merger Agreement, the Company has the option to pay the initial $30.0 million development milestone, for the completion of enrollment of a Phase 3 clinical trial for sepiapterin for PKU, if achieved, in cash or shares of the Company’s common stock.

The Company also has the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement for the commercialization of Tegsedi and Waylivra, and products containing those compounds in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Pursuant to the Tegsedi-Waylivra

Agreement, the Company paid Akcea an upfront licensing fee, which included an initial payment of $12.0 million. In 2019, a $6.0 million milestone was paid upon receipt of regulatory approval of Waylivra from the EMA and a $4.0 million milestone was paid upon regulatory approval of Tegsedi from ANVISA, the Brazilian health regulatory authority. In addition, a $4.0 million milestone was paid upon receipt of regulatory approval for Waylivra from ANVISA in August 2021. Akcea is also entitled to receive royalty payments subject to certain terms set forth in the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement.

The Company has employment agreements with certain employees which require the funding of a specific level of payments, if certain events, such as a change in control or termination without cause, occur. Additionally, the Company has royalty payments associated with Translarna, Emflaza, and Upstaza product net sales, payable quarterly or annually in accordance with the terms of the related agreements.

From time to time in the ordinary course of its business, the Company is subject to claims, legal proceedings, and disputes. The Company is not currently aware of any material legal proceedings against it.