COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

10. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

On December 1, 2015, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Mount Sinai) filed a complaint against the Company in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai v. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., Case No. 1:15-cv-09414. In the complaint, Mount Sinai alleges that the Company, by entering into an exclusive worldwide collaboration with AbbVie to develop and commercialize next-generation GnRH antagonists, breached a license agreement with Mount Sinai dated August 27, 1999 (Mount Sinai License). Mount Sinai is seeking unspecified monetary damages, future sublicensing fees and attorney’s fees. In January 2016, the Company filed a motion to dismiss this complaint in its entirety. In June 2016, the Court denied the motion in part and granted the motion in part, ruling that while Mount Sinai could continue its lawsuit against the Company, there was no requirement by the Company to obtain Mount Sinai’s consent prior to licensing the next-generation GnRH antagonists to AbbVie. In July 2016, the Company filed its answer denying Mount Sinai’s allegations, and filed counterclaims against Mount Sinai alleging patent misuse, non-infringement of Mount Sinai’s patents, and that Mount Sinai’s patents that are subject to the Mount Sinai License are invalid. Mount Sinai has filed a motion to dismiss the Company’s counterclaims and affirmative defenses. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses to the claims made in the complaint and intends to vigorously defend against such claims, but is not able to predict the ultimate outcome of this action, or estimate any potential loss.