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Asset Acquisitions
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2021
Asset Acquisitions [Abstract]  
Asset Acquisitions

7. Asset Acquisitions

Assignment and License Agreement with Shire International GmbH (Takeda)

In November 2018, the Company entered into an Assignment and License Agreement (the “Shire Agreement”) with Shire International GmbH (“Shire”), which was subsequently acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, and made an upfront payment to Shire of $7.5 million and issued Shire 1,859,151 shares of redeemable common stock with an estimated fair value of $7.0 million, or $3.76 per share. Under the terms of the Shire Agreement, Shire granted the Company an exclusive, royalty bearing worldwide license to develop and commercialize its two product candidates, maralixibat and volixibat. As part of the Shire Agreement, the Company was assigned license agreements held by Shire with Satiogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Satiogen”), Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) and Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH (“Sanofi”). The Company has the right to sublicense under the Shire Agreement and additionally has the right to sublicense under the Satiogen, Pfizer and Sanofi licenses subject to the terms of those license agreements.

The Company is obligated to pay Shire up to an aggregate of $109.5 million upon the achievement of certain clinical development and regulatory milestones for maralixibat in certain indications and an additional $25.0 million upon regulatory approval of maralixibat for each and every other indication. In addition, the Company is required to pay up to an aggregate of $30.0 million upon the achievement of certain clinical development and regulatory milestones for volixibat solely for the first indication sought. Upon commercialization, the Company is obligated to pay Shire product sales milestones on total licensed products up to an aggregate of $30.0 million. The Company is also obligated to pay tiered royalties with rates ranging from low double-digits to mid-teens based upon annual worldwide net sales for all licensed products; however, these royalties are reduced in part by royalties due under the Satiogen and Sanofi licenses, as discussed below, related to maralixibat and volixibat, as applicable. The Company’s royalty obligations will continue on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis until the later to occur of the expiration of the last valid claim in a licensed patent covering the applicable licensed product in such country, expiration of any regulatory exclusivity for the licensed product in a country and ten years after the first commercial sale of a licensed product in such country. The Company paid development milestones of $2.5 million in July 2019 related to the initiation of the Phase 3 MARCH clinical trial of maralixibat in progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (“PFIC”), $10.0 million in December 2020 upon acceptance of a marketing authorization application filing to the European Medicines Agency for maralixibat for the treatment of PFIC2 and $2.0 million in January 2021 associated with the initiation of the VISTAS Phase 2b clinical trial of volixibat in primary sclerosing cholangitis. Development milestones achieved prior to regulatory approval of the product are expensed by the Company in the period incurred as research and development. As of March 31, 2021, the Company accrued $15.0 million of additional milestones which were subsequently paid in April 2021, consisting of (1) $5.0 million which would have been due had the Company initiated a Phase 3 clinical trial in ALGS, and (2) $10.0 million associated with the acceptance of the Company’s NDA filing by the FDA for maralixibat for the treatment of cholestatic pruritus in patients with ALGS based upon the results of the Company’s Phase 2b ICONIC clinical trial.

Satiogen License

Through the Shire Agreement, the Company was assigned a license agreement with Satiogen pursuant to which the Company obtained an exclusive, worldwide license to certain patents and know-how, with the right to sublicense to a third party subject to certain financial considerations. The Company is obligated to pay to Satiogen up to an aggregate of $10.5 million upon the achievement of certain milestones, of which $0.5 million was for initiation of certain development activities, $5.0 million for the completion of regulatory approvals and $5.0 million for commercialization activities. Additionally, the Company will be required to pay a low single-digit royalty on net sales. The Company’s royalty obligations continue on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis until the expiration of the last valid claim in a licensed patent covering the applicable licensed product in such country. Royalty obligations under the Satiogen license are creditable against the royalty obligations to Shire under the Shire Agreement. In July 2019, the Company achieved a development milestone related to the initiation of the Phase 3 MARCH-PFIC clinical trial of maralixibat in PFIC and made a $0.5 million payment to Satiogen, which was expensed by the Company as research and development expense. As of March 31, 2021, no additional milestones had been accrued as there were no other potential milestones yet considered probable.

Pfizer License

Through the Shire Agreement, the Company was assigned a license agreement with Pfizer pursuant to which the Company obtained an exclusive, worldwide license to certain Pfizer know-how with a right to sublicense. Upon commercialization of any product utilizing the licensed product, the Company will be required to pay to Pfizer a low single-digit royalty on net sales of product sold by the Company, its affiliates or sublicensees. The Company’s royalty obligations continue on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis until the eighth anniversary of the first commercial sale of such licensed product anywhere in the world.

Sanofi License

Through the Shire Agreement, the Company was assigned a license agreement with Sanofi pursuant to which the Company obtained an exclusive, worldwide license to certain patents and know-how with the right to sublicense to a third party subject to certain financial considerations. The Company is obligated to pay up to an aggregate of $36.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory, commercialization and product sales milestones. Additionally, upon commercialization, the Company is required to pay tiered royalties in the mid to high single-digit range based upon net sales of licensed products sold by the Company and sublicensees in a calendar year, subject to adjustments in certain circumstances. The Company’s royalty obligations continue on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis until the later to occur of the expiration of the last valid claim in a licensed patent covering the applicable licensed product in such country and ten years after the first commercial sale of a licensed product in such country. Royalty obligations under the Sanofi license are creditable against the royalty obligations to Shire under the Shire Agreement. As of March 31, 2021, no milestones had been accrued as there were no potential milestones yet considered probable.