REVENUE REVENUE (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

Refer to “—Note 2. Revenue” for a detailed discussion of accounting policies related to revenue recognition, including deferred revenue and royalties. Refer to “—Note 3. Alliances” for further detail regarding alliances.

Alliance and other revenues consist primarily of amounts related to collaborations and out-licensing arrangements. Each of these arrangements are evaluated for whether they represent contracts that are within the scope of the revenue recognition guidance in their entirety or contain aspects that are within the scope of the guidance, either directly or by reference based upon the application of the guidance related to the derecognition of nonfinancial assets (ASC 610).

Performance obligations are identified and separated when the other party can benefit directly from the rights, goods or services either on their own or together with other readily available resources and when the rights, goods or services are not highly interdependent or interrelated.

Transaction prices for these arrangements may include fixed up-front amounts as well as variable consideration such as contingent development and regulatory milestones, sales-based milestones and royalties. The most likely amount method is used to estimate contingent development, regulatory and sales-based milestones because the ultimate outcomes are binary in nature. The expected value method is used to estimate royalties because a broad range of potential outcomes exist, except for instances in which such royalties relate to a license. Variable consideration is included in the transaction price only to the extent a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized is not probable of occurring when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. Significant judgment is required in estimating the amount of variable consideration to recognize when assessing factors outside of BMS’s influence such as likelihood of regulatory success, limited availability of third party information, expected duration of time until resolution, lack of relevant past experience, historical practice of offering fee concessions and a large number and broad range of possible amounts. To the extent arrangements include multiple performance obligations that are separable, the transaction price assigned to each distinct performance obligation is reflective of the relative stand-alone selling price and recognized at a point in time upon the transfer of control.

Three types of out-licensing arrangements are typically utilized: (1) arrangements when BMS out-licenses intellectual property to another party and has no further performance obligations; (2) arrangements that include a license and an additional performance obligation to supply product upon the request of the third party; and (3) collaboration arrangements, which include transferring a license to a third party to jointly develop and commercialize a product.

Most out-licensing arrangements consist of a single performance obligation that is satisfied upon execution of the agreement when the development and commercialization rights are transferred to a third party. Up-front fees are recognized immediately and included in Other (income)/expense, net. Although contingent development and regulatory milestone amounts are assessed each period for the likelihood of achievement, they are typically constrained and recognized when the uncertainty is subsequently resolved for the full amount of the milestone and included in Other (income)/expense, net. Sales-based milestones and royalties are recognized when the milestone is achieved or the subsequent sales occur. Sales-based milestones are included in Other (income)/expense, net and royalties are included in Alliance and other revenue.

Certain out-licensing arrangements may also include contingent performance obligations to supply commercial product to the third party upon its request. The license and supply obligations are accounted for as separate performance obligations as they are considered distinct because the third party can benefit from the license either on its own or together with other supply resources readily available to it and the obligations are separately identifiable from other obligations in the contract in accordance with the revenue recognition guidance. After considering the standalone selling prices in these situations, up-front fees, contingent development and regulatory milestone amounts and sales-based milestone and royalties are allocated to the license and recognized in the manner described above. Consideration for the supply obligation is usually based upon stipulated cost-plus margin contractual terms which represent a standalone selling price. The supply consideration is recognized at a point in time upon transfer of control of the product to the third party and included in Alliance and other revenue. The above fee allocation between the license and the supply represents the amount of consideration that BMS expects to be entitled to for the satisfaction of the separate performance obligations.

Although collaboration arrangements are unique in nature, both parties are active participants in the operating activities and are exposed to significant risks and rewards depending on the commercial success of the activities. Performance obligations inherent in these arrangements may include the transfer of certain development or commercialization rights, ongoing development and commercialization services and product supply obligations. Except for certain product supply obligations which are considered distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations similar to the manner discussed above, all other performance obligations are not considered distinct and are combined into a single performance obligation since the transferred rights are highly integrated and interrelated to BMS's obligation to jointly develop and commercialize the product with the third party. As a result, up-front fees are recognized ratably over time throughout the expected period of the collaboration activities and included in Other (income)/expense, net as the license is combined with other development and commercialization obligations. Contingent development and regulatory milestones that are no longer constrained are recognized in a similar manner on a prospective basis. Royalties and profit sharing are recognized when the underlying sales and profits occur and are included in Alliance and other revenue. Refer to “—Note 3. Alliances” for further information.