Eton Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Commitments Disclosure

Note 15 — Commitments and Contingencies

 

Legal

 

The Company is subject to legal proceedings and claims that may arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company is not aware of any pending or threatened litigation matters at this time that may have a material impact on the operations of the Company.

 

License and Product Development Agreements

 

The Company has entered into various agreements in addition to those discussed above which are described below.

 

The three oral solution pediatric neurology product candidates discussed below, Topiramate, Zonisamide and Lamotrigine, were developed by the Company and its various product candidate development partners and the Company subsequently sold all its rights and interests in these three products to Azurity in 2021, but retained rights to certain royalties. The Company has recognized $27,500 in milestone revenues to date from these three products, and in June 2023 the Company amended its asset purchase agreement with Azurity and sold the remaining royalty interests it received back to Azurity for $5,500. Azurity will assume royalty or profit share obligations owed to development partners as well as additional milestone payments based on sales volume targets.

 

Prior to January 1, 2022, the Company worked with Tulex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Tulex”) as a third-party contract manufacturer to develop an oral solution for Topiramate (fka ET-101) which targets a neurological condition. In November 2021, the product received approval from the FDA and was launched by Azurity in December 2021. The Company recognized a $5,000 milestone revenue at launch which was reflected in accounts receivable on the Company’s balance sheet at December 31, 2021 and subsequently collected in January 2022.

 

On January 23, 2019, the Company entered into a Licensing and Supply Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Liquimeds Worldwide (“LMW”) for Zonisamide oral liquid, a development stage product candidate (“ET-104”). Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the Company was to be responsible for regulatory and marketing activities and LMW was responsible for development and manufacturing of ET-104. The Company paid $650 to Azurity upon issuance of patent covering ET-104 listed in the FDA’s Orange Book in November 2022.

 

In March 2020, the Company entered into an Exclusive Licensing and Supply Agreement (the “Alkindi License Agreement”) with Diurnal for marketing ALKINDI SPRINKLE® in the United States. In September 2020, ALKINDI SPRINKLE®’s New Drug Application (NDA) was approved by the FDA as a replacement therapy for pediatric patients with adrenocortical insufficiency.

 

For the initial licensing milestone fee, the Company paid Diurnal $3,500 in cash and issued 379,474 shares of its common stock to Diurnal which were valued at $1,264 based on the Company’s closing stock price of $3.33 on March 26, 2020. The Company paid Diurnal $1,000 for a 2023 sales milestone in January 2024 that was recorded as licensing cost of sales in December 2023, and will also pay Diurnal $2,500 if the product obtains orphan drug exclusivity status from the FDA.

 

In June 2021, the Company acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to Crossject’s ZENEO® hydrocortisone needleless autoinjector, which is under development as a rescue treatment for adrenal crisis. The Company paid Crossject $500 upon signing, $500 in March 2022 upon a completion of a successful technical batch and could pay up to $3,500 in additional development milestones and up to $6,000 in commercial milestones, as well as a 10% royalty on net sales.

 

In October 2021, the Company acquired the U.S. marketing rights to Carglumic Acid Tablets. The product’s Abbreviated New Drug Application (“ANDA”), which is owned by Novitium Pharma, was approved by the FDA in October 2021. The product is an AB-rated, substitutable generic version of Carbaglu®. The Company paid $3,250 upon signing and retains 50% of the product profits with the balance being distributed to the licensor and manufacturer. The Company launched this product in December 2021.

 

In June 2022, the Company sold its rights in Cysteine Hydrochloride, Biorphen®, and Rezipres® to Dr. Reddy’s. Under the terms of the transaction, Dr. Reddy’s assumed immediate ownership of Eton’s rights and interest in the products. The Company received $5,000 at closing, recorded as licensing revenue in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, $812 of Sintetica profit share receivables were expensed as cost of goods sold in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022.

 

In September 2022, the Company acquired an FDA-approved ANDA for Betaine Anhydrous for oral solution. The ANDA was approved by the FDA in January 2022. The Company paid $2,000 upon signing and an additional $125 in November 2023, and could pay up to $1,000 in commercial milestones. The Company will retain 65% of the product profits with the balance being distributed to the licensor.

 

In March 2023, the Company acquired rare disease endocrinology product candidate ET-600 from Tulex. The Company paid $450 to Tulex in July 2023 as a result of successful manufacturing of registration batches. The Company will pay Tulex $200 upon acceptance by the FDA of the NDA for the product, $250 upon first commercial sale of the product, and tiered royalties of 12.5% to 17.0% on net sales.

 

In October 2023, the Company acquired an FDA-approved ANDA for Nitisinone. The ANDA was approved by the FDA in May 2023. The Company paid $150 to the seller and an additional $500 of cure amounts owed to the manufacturer upon signing. The Company will retain 80% of the product profits with the balance being distributed to the manufacturer.

 

In March 2024, the Company acquired the U.S. rights to PKU GOLIKE® from Relief Therapeutics Holding SA. The Company paid $2,200 and could pay up to $2,000 in additional commercial milestones, consisting of one-time $500 payments when net sales in a year reach $4 million, $8 million, $15 million, and $20 million. The Company will pay the seller a royalty of 30% of net sales, which will include the cost of the product.

 

In  August 2024, the Company entered into an agreement to sell its DS-200 product candidate. The Company received $500 upfront and could receive additional payments of up to $6,500 based on the achievement of certain future regulatory and commercial milestones related to DS-200. The Company will retain 45% of the proceeds from the transaction with the balance being distributed to other partners.

 

In November 2024, the Company entered into a licensing agreement with AMMTeK. pursuant to which the Company has agreed to acquire the U.S. rights to Amglidia (glyburide oral suspension). Amglidia was approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2018 and has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. FDA. AMMTeK. has conducted a post-approval study tracking five years of real-world safety and efficacy in European patients, which will be used to support the Company's s New Drug Application (“NDA”) submission. The Company intends to hold a meeting with the FDA in 2025. Under the terms of the licensing agreement, the Company will not make any upfront payments and retains the right to terminate the licensing agreement based on FDA meeting results prior to any payments being owed. The Company could pay up to $2,350 as follows: $500 following the receipt of FDA minutes; $550 upon NDA acceptance for review by FDA; and $1,300 upon NDA approval by the FDA and first commercial sale. The Company would also be required to pay a royalty of 14% of net sales to AMMTek.

 

In December 2024, the Company acquired GALZIN® (zinc acetate) from Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc and assumed the commercialization of the product in the U.S. during March of 2025. The Company accounted for the purchase as a product acquisition and paid $7,000 and paid an additional $200 for product inventory. The Company will pay the seller a royalty of 10% of U.S net sales through the tenth anniversary of the Company's first commercial sales of the product in the U.S.

 

In December 2024, the Company acquired INCRELEX® (mecasermin injection) from Ipsen S.A. The Company paid $22,500 and paid an additional $7,500 for product inventory. The Company will also make payments to seller of $2,500 on each of the first and second anniversaries of closing. The Company determined that the asset purchase agreement met the definition of a business under ASC 805; therefore, the Company accounted for the asset purchase agreement as a business combination and applied the acquisition method of accounting. See Note 4 — Business Combination for further discussion.

 

Indemnification

 

As permitted under Delaware law and in accordance with the Company’s Amended and Restated Bylaws, the Company is required to indemnify its officers and directors for certain events or occurrences while the officer or director is or was serving in such capacity. The Company is also party to indemnification agreements with its directors and officers. The Company believes the fair value of the indemnification rights and agreements is minimal. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded any liabilities for these indemnification rights and agreements as of December 31, 2024 or 2023.