NOTE 11. INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND GOODWILL

 

The Company’s intangible assets at December 31, 2024 consisted of the following:

 

   Weighted-average              Net 
   useful life      Accumulated       Carrying 
   (in years)  Cost   amortization   Impairment   value 
Patents  19 years  $611,000   $(216,000)  $(253,000)  $142,000 
Licenses  20 years   50,000    (36,000)   -    14,000 
Trademarks  Indefinite   230,000    -    -    230,000 
Acquired NDAs  14 years   207,398,000    (22,962,000)   -    184,436,000 
Customer relationships  7 years   596,000    (542,000)   -    54,000 
Trade name  5 years   75,000    (7,000)   -    68,000 
Non-competition clause  4 years   50,000    (50,000)   -    - 
State pharmacy licenses  25 years   8,000    (3,000)   -    5,000 
      $209,018,000   $(23,816,000)  $(253,000)  $184,949,000 

 

The Company’s intangible assets at December 31, 2023 consisted of the following:

 

   Weighted-average              Net 
   useful life      Accumulated       Carrying 
   (in years)  Cost   amortization   Impairment   value 
Patents  19 years  $984,000   $(253,000)  $(276,000)  $455,000 
Licenses  20 years   100,000    (30,000)   (22,000)   48,000 
Trademarks  Indefinite   281,000    -    (82,000)   199,000 
Acquired NDAs  14 years   170,353,000    (11,300,000)   -    159,053,000 
Customer relationships  7 years   596,000    (516,000)   -    80,000 
Trade name  5 years   75,000    (5,000)   -    70,000 
Non-competition clause  4 years   50,000    (50,000)   -    - 
State pharmacy licenses  25 years   8,000    (7,000)   -    1,000 
      $172,447,000   $(12,161,000)  $(380,000)  $159,906,000 

 

During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded a charge of $253,000 and $380,000, respectively, related to the impairment of certain licenses, trademarks, patents and patent applications. The Company determined that the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flows attributable to these intangible assets was less than their carrying value and that an impairment charge was required. Accordingly, the Company calculated the estimated fair value of the intangible assets based on the present value of the expected cash flows over their estimated lives. The impairment amount was calculated by deducting the present value of the expected cash flows from the carrying value. Significant estimates and assumptions used by the Company included sales and expense growth rates, and discounted projected cash flows. The estimates and assumptions used in the Company’s assessment represent a Level 3 measurement because they are supported by little or no market activity and reflect the Company’s own assumptions in measuring fair value. The assumptions used in the impairment analysis are inherently subject to uncertainty and, therefore, changes in these assumptions could have a significant impact on the concluded fair value.

 

See Note 4 related to other intangible assets acquired during the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

  

Amortization expense for intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were as follows:

 

   2024   2023 
   For the Years Ended December 31, 
   2024   2023 
Patents  $56,000   $84,000 
Licenses   35,000    7,000 
Acquired NDAs   11,669,000    9,937,000 
Customer relationships   22,000    54,000 
Trade name   1,000    - 
Amortization expense of intangible assets  $11,783,000   $10,082,000 

 

Estimated future amortization expense for the Company’s intangible assets at December 31, 2024 is as follows:

 

Years ending December 31,    
2025  $16,903,000 
2026   16,903,000 
2027   16,612,000 
2028   16,205,000 
2029   16,095,000 
Thereafter   102,001,000 
Intangible assets  $184,719,000 

 

In connection with an asset purchase agreement between Novartis and the Company, the Company recognized a $37,000,000 milestone payment during 2024 following the release of the first commercially available batch of TRIESENCE. The milestone payment was recognized as an increase in the amount of intangible assets for Acquired NDAs.

 

There were no changes in the carrying value of the Company’s goodwill during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

 

About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures

Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.

Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.