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License Agreements
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024
Research and Development [Abstract]  
License Agreements

Note 14. License Agreements

License Agreement with Pharmanovia

In February 2023, Axsome Malta, a Malta limited company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into an exclusive license agreement with Pharmanovia (the “Pharmanovia License Agreement”) to commercialize and further develop Sunosi in Europe and certain countries in the Middle East and North Africa (the “Territory”). Under the terms of the Pharmanovia License Agreement, the Company retains its existing interest in Sunosi intellectual property and licenses those rights in the Territory to Pharmanovia. Pharmanovia is solely responsible for the clinical development and commercialization of Sunosi in the Territory. The Company will continue to manufacture Sunosi and provide product supply to Pharmanovia for an indefinite period of time, and the Company will recognize revenue as a component of product sales, net, when product is supplied to Pharmanovia.

In consideration for entering the Pharmanovia License Agreement, the Company received a non-refundable upfront payment of €62.0 million ($65.7 million). The Company also will receive a royalty percentage in the mid-twenties on Sunosi net sales in the Territory and is eligible to receive sales-based milestone payments totaling up to €94.5 million.

The Company evaluated the Pharmanovia License Agreement under ASC 606 and concluded that Pharmanovia represents a customer in the transaction. The initial transaction price consisted of the non-refundable upfront payment, which was recognized as License Revenue in the first quarter of 2023 upon transfer of the license to Pharmanovia, as the requirement for revenue recognition under ASC 606 were met. The remaining forms of consideration are variable because they are dependent on the achievement of sales-based or other milestones. The Company evaluated the constraint on variable consideration and concluded that the milestone payments are dependent on regulatory approvals and actions of third parties, and thus are highly susceptible to factors outside the Company’s influence. Therefore, at contract inception, the milestones are not included in the transaction price as it is not probable that a significant reversal of revenue would not occur. Sales-based milestones will be recognized as revenue in the period when the related sales threshold is met. All other development or regulatory milestones will be recognized as revenue immediately in the period the underlying milestone is achieved. Any consideration related to sales-based royalties will be recognized when the related sales occur. The Company recognized royalty revenue of $1.0 million and $0.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $2.6 million and $1.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to Pharmanovia’s sales of Sunosi. No other development or sales-based milestones were recognized during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

Exclusive License Agreement with Pfizer

In January 2020, the Company entered into an exclusive license agreement with Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) for Pfizer’s clinical and nonclinical data, and intellectual property for reboxetine, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in AXS-12 which the Company is developing for the treatment of narcolepsy. The agreement also provides the Company exclusive rights to develop and commercialize esreboxetine, a new late-stage product candidate referred to as AXS-14, in the U.S. for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer received 82,019 shares of the Company’s common stock having a stated value of $8.0 million, based on the average closing price of the Company’s common stock for the ten prior trading days of $97.54, in consideration for the license and rights and also received an upfront cash payment of $3.0 million. The Company determined that the fair value of each share of common stock granted to Pfizer on the closing date of January 9, 2020 was $87.24, based on the closing price of the Company’s stock on that date. As a result, the fair value of the stock issued was $7.2 million and, therefore, the total research and development expense recognized was $10.2 million related to the Pfizer license agreement during the year ended December 31, 2020.

Pfizer can also receive up to $323 million in regulatory and sales milestones, and tiered mid-single to low double-digit royalties on future sales related to the licensed products. Pfizer will also have a right of first negotiation on any potential future strategic transactions involving AXS-12 and AXS-14. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, no milestone payments or royalties were paid to Pfizer by the Company.

Exclusive License Agreements with Antecip

In 2012, the Company entered into three exclusive license agreements with Antecip, an entity owned by the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Herriot Tabuteau, M.D., in which the Company was granted exclusive licenses to develop, manufacture and commercialize Antecip’s patents and applications related to the development of AXS-05 (now marketed as Auvelity) and two product candidates no longer under active development, anywhere in the world for human therapeutic, veterinary, and diagnostic use. Pursuant to the agreements, the Company is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize these product candidates. Under the terms of the agreements, the Company is required to pay to Antecip a royalty equal to 3.0% for AXS-05 (and 1.5% or 4.5% for the other two product candidates no longer under active development), of net sales of products containing the licensed technology by the Company, its affiliates, or permitted sublicensees. These royalty payments are subject to reduction by an amount up to 50.0% of any required payments to third parties. Unless earlier terminated by a party for cause or by the Company for convenience, the agreements shall remain in effect on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis until the later to occur of (i) the applicable product is no longer covered by a valid claim in that country or (ii) 10 years from the first commercial sale of the applicable product in that country. Upon expiration of the agreements with respect to a product in a country, the Company’s license grant for that product in that country will become a fully paid-up, royalty-free, perpetual non-exclusive license. If Antecip terminates any of the agreements for cause, or if the Company exercises its right to terminate any of the agreements for convenience, the rights granted to the Company under such terminated agreement will revert to Antecip. The Company began recording royalty payments to Antecip along with the initiation of sales of Auvelity (the components of which are referred to as “AXS-05”) in the fourth quarter of 2022. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded royalty expense of $6.0 million and $2.4 million, respectively, for royalty due to Antecip, which is equal to 3.0% of net sales of Auvelity. This is considered to be a related party transaction.

In connection with the Loan Agreement, the Company entered into the Direct Agreement with Antecip and Hercules, pursuant to which Antecip consented to the collateral assignment of the License Agreement under the Loan Agreement, among other things.