Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Licenses and Collaborations

v3.19.1
Licenses and Collaborations
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Licenses And Collaborations  
Licenses and Collaborations

11. Licenses and Collaborations

 

Emory University

 

On December 6, 2018, we notified Emory University (“Emory”) of the termination of our License Agreement with Emory, dated March 7, 2013 (the “License Agreement”). Pursuant to the License Agreement, Emory agreed to add to the Licensed Patents and Licensed Technology Emory’s rights to any patent, patent application, invention, or technology application that was based on technology disclosed within three (3) years of March 7, 2013. The License Agreement included payments due to Emory ranging from $40,000 to $500,000 based on successful achievement of certain drug development milestones. Additionally, Cocrystal undertook to make royalty payments at 3.5% of net sales due to Emory with a minimum in year one of $25,000 and increase to $400,000 in year five upon product commercialization.

  

The License Agreement covered patents and patent applications for hepatitis C virus (“HCV”) inhibitors, which we no longer consider essential to our HCV program. As part of our HCV program, we continue to focus our efforts on CC-31244, our HCV Non-Nucleoside Polymerase Inhibitor, in Phase 2a clinical trial. The Company had the right to terminate the License Agreement at its sole discretion upon a 90 days’ prior written notice and upon payment of all amounts due Emory under the License Agreement through the date of termination. No amounts are due under the License Agreement.

 

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

 

On January 2, 2019, the Company entered into an Exclusive License and Research Collaboration Agreement (the “Collaboration Agreement”) with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (“Merck”) to discover and develop certain proprietary influenza A/B antiviral agents. Under the terms of the Collaboration Agreement, Merck will fund research and development for the program, including clinical development, and will be responsible for worldwide commercialization of any products derived from the collaboration. Cocrystal received an upfront payment of $4 million and is eligible to receive payments related to designated development, regulatory and sales milestones with the potential to earn up to $156,000,000, as well as royalties on product sales. Merck can terminate the Collaboration Agreement at any time prior to the first commercial sale of the first product developed under the Collaboration Agreement, in its sole discretion, without cause.

 

National Institute of Health

 

Cocrystal has two Public Health Biological Materials License Agreements with the National Institute of Health. The original License Agreements were dated August 31, 2010 and amended on November 6, 2013. The materials licensed are being used in Norovirus assays to screen potential antiviral agents in our library.

 

Duke University and Emory University

 

In February 2016, the Company entered into an agreement with Duke University and Emory University to license various patents and know-how to use CRISPR/Cas9 technologies for developing a possible cure for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papilloma virus (HPV). On September 25, 2017 (“Termination Date”), the Company mutually terminated the agreement with Duke University and Emory University, there are no further rights or obligations under this license agreement after the termination date.