Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

SPONSORED RESEARCH AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS

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SPONSORED RESEARCH AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Sponsored Research and License Agreements  
SPONSORED RESEARCH AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS

2. SPONSORED RESEARCH AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS

        We have several active collaborations, none of which that we currently consider significant. Under these collaborations, which we enter into in the ordinary course of business, we received or may be entitled to receive upfront cash payments, progress-dependent contingent payments on events achieved by such partners and royalties on any net sales of products sold by such partners under the agreements. As of December 31, 2014, total future contingent payments to us under all of these current collaborations could exceed $144.0 million if all potential product candidates achieved all of the payment triggering events under all of our current collaborations (based on a single product candidate under each agreement). Of this amount, up to $52.9 million relates to the achievement of development events, up to $53.6 million relates to the achievement of regulatory events and up to $37.5 million relates to the achievement of certain commercial or launch events. This estimated future contingent amount does not include any estimated royalties that could be due to us if any of these partners successfully commercialize the licensed products. Future events that may trigger payments to us under the agreements are based solely on our partners' future efforts and achievements of specified development, regulatory or commercial events.

        In June 2012, we entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with AstraZeneca AB (AZ) for the development and commercialization of our program, R256, an inhaled JAK inhibitor shown to inhibit IL-13 and IL-4 signaling, which is being investigated as a treatment for moderate to severe chronic asthma. AZ is responsible for beginning the first-in-human clinical studies for R256, and for designing and conducting the clinical development of the compound. AZ also has exclusive rights to commercialize R256 around the world. AZ paid us an upfront payment of $1.0 million in July 2012. Under the agreement, we were obligated to provide the following deliverables: (i) granting a license of rights to our program, and (ii) delivery of a small batch of compound to AZ. We concluded that these deliverables should be accounted for as separate units of accounting. As our obligations with respect to the deliverables were achieved by June 30, 2012, we recognized revenue of $1.0 million in the second quarter of 2012. On December 31, 2014 and 2013, we earned revenue associated with the time-based non-refundable payment of $5.8 million for each period from AZ in consideration for AZ's decision to continue its development of R256 in asthma. In October 2014, we earned a $2.5 million milestone from AZ for their continued development and initiation of a GLP toxicology study with R256.

        In June 2011, we entered into an exclusive license agreement with BerGenBio AS (BerGenBio) for the development and commercialization of an oncology program, which is currently in Phase 1 development. BerGenBio is responsible for all activities it wishes to perform under the license we granted to it. In July 2012, we received a time-based payment of $500,000 from BerGenBio due to us on June 29, 2012, pursuant to the terms of the agreement. We recognized the payment as revenue in the second quarter of 2012.

        In August 2002, we entered into a collaboration agreement with Daiichi Sankyo (Daiichi) to pursue research related to a specific target from a novel class of drug targets called ligases that control cancer cell proliferation through protein degradation, which is currently in Phase 1 development. In April 2013, we received a $1.4 million payment from Daiichi related to Daiichi's filing of an investigational new drug (IND) for an oncology compound. In January 2012, we received a $750,000 payment from Daiichi. To date, we have earned payments under this arrangement amounting to $7.9 million. The research phase of this three-year collaboration expired in August 2005. Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, we retain the rights to co-develop and co- promote certain products resulting from this collaboration in North America, while Daiichi retains co-development and promotion rights in the remainder of the world.