v3.26.1
Description of Business
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2026
Description Of Business [Abstract]  
Description of Business
1.
Description of Business

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Atara, we, our or the Company) was incorporated in August 2012 in Delaware. Atara is a leader in T-cell immunotherapy, leveraging its novel allogeneic Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) T-cell platform to develop transformative therapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune disease.

Our most advanced T-cell immunotherapy program, tab-cel®(tabelecleucel), has received marketing authorization approval under the proprietary name Ebvallo™ by the European Commission (EC) for commercial sale and use in the European Economic Area (EEA), by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for commercial sale and use in the United Kingdom (UK) and by Swissmedic for commercial sale and use in Switzerland. Tab-cel is currently in Phase 3 development in the US. In October 2021, we entered into a commercialization agreement (Pierre Fabre Commercialization Agreement) with Pierre Fabre Medicament (Pierre Fabre), as amended in September 2022, pursuant to which we granted to Pierre Fabre an exclusive, field-limited license to commercialize and distribute Ebvallo in Europe and select emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (the Initial Territory), following regulatory approval. In December 2022, we sold a portion of our right to receive royalties and certain milestones in Ebvallo under the Pierre Fabre Commercialization Agreement to HCR Molag Fund L.P. (HCRx) for a total investment amount of $31.0 million, subject to a repayment cap between 185% and 250% of the total investment amount by HCRx. In February 2026, we entered into an amendment to the Purchase and Sale Agreement (HCRx Agreement) with HCRx. Under the terms of the amendment, HCRx agreed to amend the due date of the one-time $9.0 million cash payment from June 30, 2026 to January 1, 2028. See Note 6 for further information.

In October 2023, we amended and restated the Pierre Fabre Commercialization Agreement (A&R Commercialization Agreement). Pursuant to the A&R Commercialization Agreement, Pierre Fabre’s exclusive rights to research, develop, manufacture, commercialize and distribute tab-cel (Ebvallo) were expanded to include all other countries in the world (Additional Territory) in addition to the Initial Territory (Initial Territory and Additional Territory together, the Territory), subject to our performance of certain obligations. See Note 5 for further information. In March 2025, we completed the transfer of all manufacturing responsibility to Pierre Fabre and Pierre Fabre is, at its cost, responsible for manufacturing and supplying tabelecleucel for development and commercialization worldwide under an amendment to the A&R Commercialization Agreement (A&R Commercialization Agreement Amendment). Pursuant to the A&R Commercialization Agreement Amendment, Pierre Fabre also agreed to assume the future costs related to remediation of the third party manufacturing facility to address the FDA's requests to support resubmission of the BLA for tab-cel. In exchange for accelerating the transfer of all manufacturing responsibility and assumption of such remediation costs by Pierre Fabre, among other things, we agreed to reduce the amount of certain potential future regulatory and commercial milestone payments under the A&R Commercialization Agreement. In July 2025, we further amended the A&R Commercialization Agreement and completed the transfer of all clinical (including sponsorship of the ALLELE and tab-cel multi-cohort studies) and development responsibility for tab-cel to Pierre Fabre. Pierre Fabre is, at its cost, responsible for all clinical (including sponsorship of the ALLELE and tab-cel multi-cohort studies) and development activities (other than responsibility for regulatory activities) for tabelecleucel worldwide. In October 2025, we further amended the A&R Commercialization Agreement to transfer all regulatory activities (including sponsorship of the tab-cel BLA) to Pierre Fabre. Pierre Fabre is, at its cost, responsible for all regulatory activities (including sponsorship of the tab-cel BLA) for tab-cel worldwide, and Pierre Fabre is to use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain BLA approval as soon as possible. We will, at Pierre Fabre’s expense, continue to observe the regulatory activities and support Pierre Fabre in its efforts to obtain BLA approval.

We have licensed rights to T-cell product candidates from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), rights related to our next-generation CAR T programs from MSK, and rights to know-how and technology from the Council of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR Berghofer). In May 2025, we returned the rights to the ATA188 and EBV Vaccine programs to QIMR Berghofer. See Note 9 for further information.

We have executed various strategic reductions in force over the past several years. As of June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025, we had approximately $0.8 million and $0.9 million, respectively of further separation payments and benefits. In the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 expenses related to reductions in force were $0.8 million. In the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 expenses related to reductions in force were approximately $1.5 million and $11.3 million, respectively.

 

In June 2026, we executed a reduction in force of, at that time, approximately 23% of our total workforce, retaining approximately 10 employees essential to executing on our strategic priorities. We recognized approximately $0.8 million in

total severance and related benefits as a result of this reduction in force. We may also incur other charges or cash expenditures not currently contemplated due to events that may occur as a result of, or associated with, the workforce reduction.