v3.25.2
License
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2025
License  
License

5.

License

2023 Lilly License

On April 26, 2023, the Company’s consolidated subsidiary ZB17 LLC (“ZB17”) entered into a license agreement (the “2023 Lilly License” and, together with the 2022 Lilly License (as defined below), the “Lilly Licenses”) with Lilly, for an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize a certain bispecific antibody relating to IL-17 and BAFF (“tibulizumab”).

In 2023, in consideration for the investment made by Stone Peach, ZB17 granted Stone Peach the right, but not the obligation, to purchase 4.99% of the fully diluted equity of ZB17 for $1.0 million (the “Stone Peach Call Right”). The Stone Peach Call Right is not exercisable until after the last patient is dosed in any single next clinical trial with tibulizumab and expires one year from the date of first indication approval for tibulizumab by the FDA or the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”). The Stone Peach Call Right represents noncontrolling interest in the Company’s consolidated subsidiary, ZB17. As of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the noncontrolling interest balance was $1.5 million in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

As additional consideration, beginning on May 1, 2023, Stone Peach receives an annual payment of $0.6 million initially, and increasing by 10% annually, so long as the Company maintains its license for tibulizumab, to be paid on May 1st of each year. The Company records expenses for these annual payments when they become due. An annual payment of $0.7 million became due and was paid during each of the three months ended June 30, 2025 and 2024. The Company recorded this payment within research and development expense in the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

A one-time payment of $4.5 million for additional consideration due to Stone Peach upon acceptance from the FDA for its Investigational New Drug (“IND”) and commencement of the clinical trial for tibulizumab was recorded in research and development in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 and was paid in June 2025. The payment is included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2024.

A letter agreement, dated as of April 25, 2023, by and between BAFFX17, Ltd (“BAFFX17”) and the Company, and as amended by Amendment No. 1 on December 18, 2023 (the “BAFFX17 Letter Agreement”), provided that, as a finder’s fee for arranging the acquisition of the 2023 Lilly License, the Company would be required to make a one-time milestone payment of $5.0 million to BAFFX17 upon the occurrence of either: (i) a change of control transaction, (ii) the closing of an issuance of equity or equity-linked securities by the Company of at least $100.0 million, (iii) the consummation of a sale of assets resulting in net proceeds in excess of $100.0 million, or (iv) the Company’s fully diluted shares outstanding exceed 52,500,000 shares (on a split adjusted basis) as measured on April 24th of each year. As the Company’s fully diluted shares outstanding exceeded 52,500,000 shares prior to December 31, 2023, the $5.0 million fee was previously accounted for in research and development in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023, and is included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024. On June 30, 2025, the Company received an invoice on behalf of BAFFX17 requesting a $5.0 million milestone payment (the “Milestone Payment”) pursuant to the BAFFX17 Letter Agreement. The Company has not made such payment pending the outcome of the review by a subcommittee of the Company’s audit committee of the board of directors.

In addition to the consideration paid and/or earned during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company is also obligated to make payments (a) to Lilly for four (4) development milestone payments up to an aggregate of $155.0 million, and sales milestone payments up to an aggregate of $440.0 million based on respective thresholds of net sales of products developed from tibulizumab; (b) to Lilly over a multi-year period (twelve years, or upon the later expiration of regulatory exclusivity of tibulizumab in a country) for an annual earned royalty at a marginal royalty rate in the mid-single digits to low-double digits, with increasing rates depending on net

sales in the respective calendar year, based on a percentage of sales within varying thresholds for a certain period of years; (c) to BAFFX17 for a fee equal to 3% of any milestone or royalty payments due to Lilly pursuant to the terms of either the 2022 Lilly License or the 2023 Lilly License; (d) to Stone Peach for a one-time milestone payment of $25 million upon either (i) certain equity-related transactions, or (ii) the receipt of regulatory approval from the applicable regulatory authority for any new indication in the applicable jurisdiction; and (e) to Stone Peach for a royalty of 2% of the aggregate net sales of any products developed from the Compound (collectively, the “2023 Lilly Contingent Payments”). As of June 30, 2025, none of the 2023 Lilly Contingent Payments are due and accordingly will not be recorded in the Company’s financial statements until they are due.

2022 Lilly License

On December 8, 2022, the Company’s consolidated subsidiary, Z33, entered into a license agreement (the “2022 Lilly License”) with Lilly pursuant to which Lilly granted Z33 an exclusive (even as to Lilly), royalty-bearing global license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize certain intellectual property owned by Lilly relating to its IL-33 compound.

A letter agreement dated as of November 21, 2023 (the “Stone Peach Letter Agreement”), by and between Stone Peach and the Company, provided that, as a finder’s fee for the 2022 Lilly License, the Company’s consolidated subsidiary Z33 issued 4,900,222 shares of Z33 Series Seed Preferred Shares to Stone Peach. Zura and Stone Peach have the following rights, as amended, (a) Zura had the right, but not the obligation to purchase up to 50% of the Series Seed Preferred Shares issued to Stone Peach at a price per share of $2.448869 for a period of two years from the date of the agreement (the “Call Option”); (b) Stone Peach has the right, but not the obligation to sell up to 50% of the Series Seed Preferred Shares issued to Stone Peach to Zura for a price per share of $2.040724 (the “Put Option”), and (c) Stone Peach has the right, but not the obligation to sell up to 50% of the Series Seed Preferred Shares issued to Stone Peach to Zura in exchange for 2,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares (the “Put Right”). Stone Peach may exercise its Put Option and Put Right at any time between April 24, 2024, and April 24, 2028. See Note 10. The Z33 Series Seed Preferred Shares are remeasured to the greater of the redemption value or the initial fair value, less noncontrolling shareholder’s interest in net loss of Z33, at each reporting period. The Z33 Series Seed Preferred Shares represent redeemable noncontrolling interest in the Company’s consolidated subsidiary, Z33. On July 14, 2025, the Company received a request from Stone Peach to exercise the Put Option pursuant to which Stone Peach would sell 50% of its Series Seed Preferred Shares in Z33 for $5.0 million. Additionally, on July 23, 2025, the Company received a further request from Stone Peach to exercise the Put Right pursuant to which Stone Peach would sell 50% of its Series Seed Preferred Shares in Z33 in exchange for 2,000,000 of the Company’s Class A Ordinary Shares. The Company has not effected either the Put Option or the Put Right pending the outcome of the review of a subcommittee of the Company’s audit committee of the board of directors.

In addition to the consideration paid and transferred in 2022 and 2023, the Company is also obligated to make payments to Lilly for (a) $3.0 million upon the completion of a financing by Z33 with gross proceeds exceeding $100.0 million; (b) 10 commercial, development and regulatory milestone payments up to an aggregate of $155.0 million and sales milestone payments up to an aggregate of $440.0 million based on respective thresholds of net sales of products developed from the licensed compound, if any; and (c) an annual earned royalty at a marginal royalty rate between in the mid-single to low-double digits (less than 20%), with increasing rates based on net sales in the respective calendar year, based on a percentage of sales within varying thresholds for a certain period of the year, if any year (collectively, the “2022 Lilly Contingent Payments”). The Company will account for these contingent milestone payments when they become due. As of June 30, 2025, none of the 2022 Lilly Contingent Payments are due and accordingly will not be recorded in the Company’s financial statements until they are due.

Pfizer Agreement

On March 22, 2022, the Company entered into a license agreement and a Series A-1 Subscription and Shareholder’s Agreement (collectively, the “Pfizer Agreement”) with Pfizer. Under the Pfizer Agreement, the Company acquired a license for a compound previously developed by Pfizer.

In addition to the consideration paid and transferred during 2022 and 2023 and the first $1.0 million development milestone paid during 2024, the Company is obligated to make payments to Pfizer for (a) eleven (11) remaining future development and regulatory milestone payments aggregating up to $69.0 million and sales milestone payments up to an aggregate of $525.0 million based on respective thresholds of net sales of products (developed from the licensed compound) (the “Products”), if any; and (b) an annual earned royalty at a marginal royalty rate in the mid-single digits to low double digits (less than 20%), based on thresholds of net sales of the Company’s Products, if any (collectively, the “Pfizer Contingent Payments”). Royalties are payable on a country-by-country basis for a certain period of years or upon the later expiration of regulatory exclusivity of the Company’s Products in a country. As of June 30, 2025, no additional Pfizer Contingent Payments are due and accordingly no additional Pfizer Contingent Payments will be recorded in the Company’s financial statements until they are due.

Lonza License

In July 2022, the Company entered into a license agreement (the “Lonza License”) with Lonza Sales AG (“Lonza”) for a worldwide non-exclusive license for Lonza’s gene expression system in exchange for varying considerations depending on a number of factors such as whether the Company enters further into manufacturing agreements with Lonza or with a third party, and whether the Company enters into sublicense agreements with third parties (including up to middle six-figure annual payments per sublicense upon commencement of a sublicense, as well as royalties of up to low-single digit percentages of net sales of certain products over a commercially standard double-digit multi-year term). The Lonza License will remain in effect until terminated. The Company may terminate the Lonza License at any time upon 60 days’ notice, with or without cause. Lonza may terminate the Lonza License for cause upon a breach by the Company or for other commercially standard reasons.

Pursuant to the terms of the Lonza License, the Company has a license fee of $0.4 million due to Lonza annually in the fourth quarter as a result of manufacturing drug substance with a third party other than Lonza since 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2024 the Company recorded $0.4 million for the Lonza License, which is included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024.

WuXi Biologics License

In July 2023, the Company entered into a biologics master services agreement (the “WuXi Biologics MSA”) with WuXi Biologics. Pursuant to the WuXi Biologics MSA, the parties enter into work orders setting forth the services and fees associated with drug substance and drug product activities and manufacturing for torudokimab, which fees are recognized as research and development expenses as incurred. Pursuant to the WuXi Biologics MSA, the Company entered into a cell line license agreement (the “Cell Line License Agreement”), which is further described below.

The Cell Line License Agreement was for certain of WuXi Biologics’ know – how, cell line, and biological materials (the “WuXi Biologics Licensed Technology”) to manufacture, have manufactured, use, sell and import certain products produced through the use of the cell line licensed by WuXi Biologics under the Cell Line License Agreement (the “WuXi Biologics Licensed Products”). If the Company manufactures all of its commercial supplies of bulk drug product for WuXi Biologics Licensed Products with a manufacturer other than WuXi Biologics or its affiliates, the Company is required to make royalty payments to WuXi Biologics in an amount equal to a fraction of a single digit percentage of global net sales of WuXi Biologics Licensed Products manufactured by a third-party manufacturer (the “Royalty”). If the Company manufactures part of its commercial supplies of the WuXi Biologics Licensed Products with WuXi Biologics or its affiliates, then the Royalty will be reduced accordingly on a pro rata basis. The Cell Line License Agreement will continue indefinitely unless terminated (i) by the Company upon three months’ prior written notice and its payment of all undisputed amounts due to WuXi Biologics through the effective date of termination, (ii) by WuXi Biologics for a material breach by the Company that remains uncured for 30 days after written notice, or (iii) by WuXi Biologics if the Company fails to make a payment and such failure continues for 30 days after receiving notice of such failure. As of June 30, 2025, there are no payments currently due under the Cell Line License Agreement.