v3.25.2
License and Collaboration Agreement
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2025
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
License and Collaboration Agreement License and Collaboration Agreement
Simcere License Agreement
On November 21, 2023 (the “Effective Date”), Connect HK and Connect SZ (“Licensor”) entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Simcere Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Simcere” or “Licensee”), a subsidiary of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd., to develop and commercialize rademikibart in Greater China.
Simcere has been granted exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize rademikibart for all indications in Greater China, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (the “Territory”), while Connect retains rights in all other markets. Under the License Agreement, Connect was required to complete all of rademikibart’s ongoing clinical trials and related analysis in the Territory in atopic dermatitis (“AD”), while the Licensee will be responsible for rademikibart’s new drug application for AD in China and will also conduct and be responsible for the costs of all future clinical studies in all additional disease indications for rademikibart in Greater China.
As consideration for the rights granted to Simcere under the License Agreement, Simcere paid the Licensor a non-refundable, non-creditable up-front fee of approximately $21 million. Simcere is also required to make milestone payments to the Licensor upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones (“Milestones”), initially totaling up to $123 million. In 2024, we received approximately $5 million in Milestone payments from Simcere for the achievement of certain development Milestones. In 2025, one time-based Milestone in the amount of approximately $8 million lapsed because it was not achieved by the deadline set forth in the License Agreement. Accordingly, as of June 30, 2025, we are eligible to receive remaining Milestone payments up to an aggregate amount of approximately $110 million. The achievement of these Milestones is dependent upon the timing and success of future development, regulatory and commercial activities to be completed by Simcere. Simcere is also required to make payments for cost reimbursements related to certain development activities, including supply of material for clinical development. The License Agreement additionally provides that Simcere is obligated to pay Licensor royalties at tiered percentage rates up to low double-digit percentages on net sales of the licensed product in the Territory.
The term of the License Agreement is coterminous with the period up to which sales-based royalty payments shall be made, which is approximately 12 years after commercialization of the licensed compound. After this period, the license is considered fully paid and Simcere can continue to exploit the rights in the license in the Territory.
Revenue Recognition
The Company evaluated the License Agreement which provides Simcere with the right to use the Company’s intellectual property in the Territory. The Company concluded that the License Agreement was subject to Topic 606 because the Company viewed the License Agreement as a contract with a customer as the activities were central to its business operations. As such, the Company assessed the terms of the License Agreement and identified four performance obligations for the license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize rademikibart in the Territory. The four performance obligations identified include: (i) transfer of the intellectual property and know-how; (ii) transfer of the current manufacturing process; (iii) development and transfer of a new manufacturing process; and (iv) completion of certain rademikibart development services.
At inception of each arrangement that includes milestone payments, the Company evaluates where the milestones are considered probable of being reached. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur, the associated milestone value is included in the transaction price. At the Effective Date, the Company determined the transaction price to be $25 million, which is comprised of (i) a $21 million upfront payment for the grant of license to the Licensee and (ii) $4 million of cost reimbursement upon delivery of certain clinical trial reports. All other milestones are considered to be constrained at the Effective Date because these milestones are not within the control of the Company and therefore these milestones are not included in the transaction price.
When an intellectual property license is determined to be a predominant promise in the arrangement, sales-based milestone payments and royalties are recognized at the later of when the associated performance obligation has been satisfied or when the sales occur. For cost reimbursements related to the supply of material for clinical development, the Company recognizes revenue when Simcere obtains control of the goods. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, the Company recognized $48,000 in revenue under the License Agreement related to cost reimbursements for clinical materials. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company recognized $24.1 million in revenue under the License Agreement, which related to the upfront license fee and achievement of certain development milestones.
Allocation of the Transaction Price
The transaction price is generally allocated to the identified performance obligations based on the relative stand-alone selling price estimated for each distinct performance obligation. However the Company has allocated certain regulatory and development milestone payments only to certain specific performance obligation(s) where the terms of such payments relate specifically to the Company’s efforts to satisfy the respective performance obligation, and provided that such allocation is consistent with the objective that transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation in order to reflect the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for satisfying those performance obligations. The Company allocated the $25.0 million transaction price based on relative stand-alone selling prices of each performance obligation as $23.8 million for the license, $0.1 million for the transfer of the current manufacturing process, $0.2 million for development and transfer of a new manufacturing process, and $0.9 million for completion of certain rademikibart development services. The Company developed the estimated stand-alone selling price for the license using a discounted cash flows model, which is an income approach. In estimating the stand-alone selling price for each performance obligation, the Company developed assumptions that require judgment and included forecasted revenues, expected development timelines, discount rates, probabilities of technical and regulatory success and costs for manufacturing clinical supplies.
The Company utilizes judgment to assess when control of the goods and services transfers to Simcere, to determine whether the performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue. When recognizing revenue over time, the Company evaluates the measure of progress each reporting period and, if necessary, adjusts the progress of performance and related revenue recognition.
The Company expects to recognize the transaction price, at a point in time or over the expected performance period of each respective performance obligation. The Company began recognizing revenue from the License Agreement once the Company had substantially completed the transfer of the intellectual property and know-how to Simcere. The revenue associated with the transfer of the intellectual property and know-how and transfer of the current manufacturing process were recognized at a point in time upon successful completion of each obligation during the second quarter of 2024. The Company will recognize the revenue associated with the transfer of a new manufacturing process at a point in time upon
successful completion of the obligation. For the performance obligation to complete certain development services, the Company recognized the transaction price over the expected performance period using an input method. To measure the progress of this obligation, the Company used the cost-to-cost basis approach to estimate the percentage of completion as this method provides the most faithful depiction of the Company’s performance in transferring control of the services promised to Simcere and represents the Company’s best estimate of the period of the obligation. The performance obligation related to certain rademikibart development services was completed in third quarter of 2024.
Milestone Payments
The Licensor is entitled to development milestones under the License Agreement and certain regulatory milestone payments which are paid upon receipt of regulatory approvals within the Territory.
At the end of each reporting period, the Company will re-evaluate the probability of achievement of each milestone and any related constraint, and if necessary, adjust its estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect the reported amount of license and collaboration revenues in the period of adjustment.
Royalties
As the license is deemed to be the predominant item to which sales-based royalties relate, the Company will recognize revenue when the related sales occur.
Contract Assets and Liabilities
As of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had no contract assets related to the License Agreement. As of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had contract liabilities related to the upfront fee received under the License Agreement of $0.2 million.