Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

9. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Commitments

 

In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into non-cancellable leases to purchase equipment and for its facilities, including related party leases (see Note 10 – Transactions with Related Parties). Leases are accounted for as operating leases or finance leases, in accordance with ASC 842, Leases.

 

Operating Leases

 

The Company leases office space in Miami, Florida and research and development laboratory space in Bothell, Washington under operating leases that expire on August 31, 2024 and January 31, 2029, respectively. For operating leases, the weighted average discount rate is 6.0% and the weighted average remaining lease term is 5.9 years.

 

The following table summarizes the Company’s maturities of operating lease liabilities, by year and in aggregate, as of June 30, 2024 (table in thousands):

 

         
2024 (excluding the six months ended June 30, 2024)   $ 178  
2025     344  
2026     355  
2027     365  
2028     376  
2029 and thereafter     513  
Total operating lease payments     2,131  
Less: present value discount     (351 )
Total operating lease liabilities   $ 1,780  

 

As of June 30, 2024, the total operating lease liability of $251,000 is classified as a current operating lease liability.

 

The operating lease liabilities summarized above do not include variable common area maintenance (the “CAM”) charges, which are contractual liabilities under the Company’s Bothell, Washington lease. CAM charges for the Bothell, Washington facility are calculated annually based on actual common expenses for the building incurred by the lessor and proportionately billed to tenants based on leased square footage. For the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, approximately $95,000 and $54,000 of CAM was included in general and administrative operating expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations, respectively.

 

The minimum lease payments above include the amounts that would be paid if the Company maintains its Bothell lease for the five-year term, starting February 2024.

 

On September 1, 2021, the Company entered into a three-year lease extension with a limited liability company controlled by Dr. Phillip Frost, a director and a principal stockholder of the Company. On an annualized basis, straight-line rent expense is approximately $62,000, including fixed and estimable fees and taxes. The Company intends to renew the lease following expiration in 2024.

 

On September 21, 2023, the Company amended the lease agreement with a North Creek Tec LLC, to expand its laboratory facility in Bothell – WA, with additional 6,000 sq ft for a period of 5 years that expires on January 31, 2029, with monthly lease payments under this lease totaling $660,000. In addition, the Company amended the lease agreement to extend the original laboratory facility for an additional 7 years with monthly lease payments under this lease totaling $1,498,000. Through January 2031, the minimum lease payment combined totals approximately $380,000 annually.

 

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, operating lease expense, excluding short-term leases, finance leases and CAM charges, totaled approximately $189,000 and $116,000, respectively, of which $31,000 and $26,000 for each period was to a related party.

 

Finance Leases

 

In April 2020, the Company entered into lease agreements to acquire lab equipment with 36 monthly payments of $2,000 payable through March 31, 2023. The final payment under the lease agreement was made in March 2023 and the title of the equipment has transferred title to the Company.

 

The leased lab equipment is depreciable over five years and is presented net of accumulated depreciation on the condensed consolidated balance sheets under property and equipment. As of December 31, 2023, total right-of-use assets lab equipment exchanged for finance lease liabilities was $162,000 and accumulated depreciation for lab equipment under finance leases was $162,000. The remaining lab equipment under the finance lease terminated on March 31, 2023, and due to the leased equipment’s remaining 25 months of useful life, it was transferred to fixed assets at book value of $32,000 and continues to depreciate.

 

Phase 2a Clinical Trial

 

On August 3, 2022 the Company engaged hVIVO, a subsidiary of London-based Open Orphan plc (AIM: ORPH), a rapidly growing specialist contract research organization (“CRO”), to conduct a Phase 2a clinical trial with the Company’s novel, broad-spectrum, orally administered antiviral influenza candidate. The Company prepaid a reservation fee of $1.7 million upon execution of the agreement. As of June 30, 2024 the Company expensed $1.7 million leaving no balance in prepaid and other expenses. In addition, the Company incurred additional costs of $1.7 million on this agreement during the six months ending June 30, 2024.

 

The total estimated cost of the agreement (including the reservation fee) is approximately $6.9 million.

 

On May 21, 2024, the Company entered into a new agreement with hVIVO, as a follow-on to CPI-CST-001 Influenza virus challenge study, in which potential resistance to CC-42344 antiviral compound will be genotypically characterized. The Company incurred $45,000 on this agreement for three months ended June 30, 2024. The total estimated cost of this agreement is approximately $227,000.

 

Contingencies

 

From time to time, the Company is a party to, or otherwise involved in, legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. As of the date of this report, except as described below, the Company is not aware of any proceedings, threatened or pending, against it which, if determined adversely, would have a material effect on its business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.