Rein Therapeutics, Inc. Commitments Disclosure
14. Commitments and Contingencies
Operating Leases
On August 16, 2021, Lung entered into an operating lease agreement to rent approximately 6,455 square feet of office space for its corporate headquarters in Austin, Texas, beginning on October 1, 2021. The lease expired March 31, 2024, and the Company did not renew the lease. Following expiration of the lease, the Company is operating virtually, and expects to do so for the foreseeable future.
Legal Proceedings
The Company may from time to time be party to litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. As of December 31, 2024, the Company was not party to any legal proceedings and no material legal proceedings are currently pending or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened.
Intellectual Property Licenses
Harvard and Dana-Farber Agreement
In August 2006, the Company entered into an exclusive license agreement with President and Fellows of Harvard College, or Harvard, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, or DFCI. The agreement granted the Company an exclusive worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, under specified patents and patent applications to develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize specified product candidates based on cell-permeating peptides. Under the agreement, the Company is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize one or more licensed products and to achieve specified milestone events by specified dates. In connection with entering into the agreement, the Company paid an upfront license fee and issued to Harvard and DFCI shares of its common stock.
In February 2010, the agreement was amended and restated, or the Harvard/DFCI agreement, under which additional patent rights were added to the scope of the license agreement and the annual license maintenance fees were increased. Under the Harvard/DFCI agreement, the Company is obligated to make aggregate milestones payments of up to $7,700 per licensed therapeutic product upon the Company’s achievement of specified clinical, regulatory and sales milestones with respect to such product and up to $700 per licensed diagnostic product upon the Company’s achievement of specified regulatory and sales milestones with respect to such product. In addition, the Company is obligated to pay royalties of low single-digit percentages on annual net sales of licensed products sold by the Company, its affiliates or its sublicensees. The royalties are payable on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis and may be reduced in specified circumstances. In addition, the agreement obligates the Company to pay a percentage, up to the mid-twenties, of fees received by the Company in connection with its sublicense of the licensed products. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, the Company’s sublicense payment obligations may be subject to specified reductions.
The Harvard/DFCI agreement requires the Company to pay annual license maintenance fees of $110 each year, which was reduced to $35 starting in 2023. Any payments made in connection with the annual license maintenance fees will be credited against any royalties due.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had not developed a commercial product using the licensed technologies and no royalties under the agreement had been paid or were due.
Under the Harvard/DFCI agreement, the Company is responsible for all patent expenses related to the prosecution and maintenance of the licensed patents and applications in-licensed under the agreement as well as cost reimbursement of amounts incurred for all documented patent-related expenses. The agreement will expire on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis upon the last to expire of any valid patent claim pertaining to licensed products covered under the agreement. The Company incurred $35 in license maintenance fees during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Agreement with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
In June 2013, the Company entered into a patent and technology license agreement with UT System, on behalf of UTHSCT. The patent and technology license agreement with UT System, or the UTHSCT Agreement, provides the Company access to patents and technology related to the development of LTI-01 and LTI-03. As part of the UTHSCT Agreement, the Company has (i) a royalty-bearing, exclusive license under the patent rights to manufacture, distribute, and sell certain intellectual property; (ii) a non-exclusive license under the technology rights to manufacture, distribute and sell the licensed product; and (iii) a sublicensing right that allows the Company to grant sublicenses to affiliates and third parties to use the licensed product in the field of use and approved territories outlined in the UTHSCT Agreement. In December 2013, the UTHSCT Agreement was amended and restated to include certain patents in all fields worldwide. In May 2017, the UTHSCT Agreement was amended and restated to modify the specific milestone criteria.
In consideration of the UTHSCT Agreement, the Company agreed to pay past and ongoing patent expenses, and the Company owes UTHSCT sublicensing fees, assignment fees, and single digit royalties on worldwide net product sales, with fixed minimum royalty payments that started in 2015.
Pursuant to the UTHSCT Agreement, the Company is required to use diligent efforts to commercialize the licensed technology as soon as commercially practicable, including maintaining active research and development, regulatory, marketing and sales program, all as commercially reasonable.
The Company may terminate the UTHSCT Agreement for convenience with 90 days’ notice. UTHSCT may also terminate the UTHSCT Agreement, but only if the Company breaches the terms of the agreement. The Company incurred $100 in a minimum royalty fee during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Agreement with the University of Texas at Austin
In May 2015, the Company entered into a patent license agreement with UT Austin on behalf of UT System. This license agreement with UT Austin, or the UT Austin 6607 Agreement, relates to the patent rights to polypeptide therapeutics and uses thereof. Pursuant to the UT Austin 6607 Agreement the Company has (i) a royalty-bearing, exclusive license under the patent rights to manufacture, distribute, and sell the licensed product; and (ii) a sublicensing right that allows the Company to grant sublicenses to affiliates and third parties to use the licensed product in the field of use and approved territories outlined in the agreement. The UT Austin 6607 Agreement was amended and restated in January 2017, November 2018, and June 2019. The amendments related to extension of milestone payment dates and specific terminology around the milestone achievement criteria.
In consideration of the UT Austin 6607 Agreement, the Company agreed to pay past and ongoing patent expenses, milestone fees upon certain development and regulatory milestone events, annual license fees, tiered sublicense fees, assignment fees, low single digit royalties on net sales and a Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, Priority Review Voucher fee if the Company sells or transfers this voucher.
Pursuant to the UT Austin 6607 Agreement, the Company is required to use diligent efforts to commercialize the licensed products, including maintaining active research and development, regulatory, marketing and sales program. Moreover, the Company is required to meet certain development and regulatory milestones by specific dates.
The Company may terminate the UT Austin 6607 Agreement for convenience with 90 days’ notice. UT Austin may also terminate the UT Austin 6607 Agreement, but only if the Company breaches the terms of the agreement. The Company did not incur any expenses under the UT Austin 6607 Agreement during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Agreement with Medical University of South Carolina
In March 2016, the Company entered into a license agreement with Medical University of South Carolina Foundation for Research Development, or MUSC. Pursuant to this license agreement with MUSC, or the MUSC Agreement, the Company has patent rights related to protecting against lung fibrosis by up regulating Cav1. The MUSC Agreement granted (i) a royalty-bearing, exclusive license under the patent rights to make, use and sell the license product; and (ii) a sublicensing right that allows the Company to grant sublicenses to affiliates and third parties to use the licensed product in the field of use and approved territories outlined in the agreement. In September 2018, the agreement was amended and restated to include definitions of related methods, related products and related rights.
In consideration of the MUSC Agreement, the Company agreed to pay a non-refundable license fee, patent expenses, milestone fees upon certain development, regulatory and commercial milestone events, sublicense fees, assignment fees and low single digit royalties on net sales, with a fixed minimum royalty payment starting in 2019 and a transaction fee upon the Company’s liquidation.
Pursuant to the MUSC Agreement, the Company is required to use diligent efforts to develop, manufacture and sell the licensed products.
The Company may terminate the MUSC Agreement for convenience by providing a written notice to MUSC effective 90 days following the receipt of notice, and either party may terminate the agreement for a breach of contract. The Company incurred $25 in a minimum royalty fee during the year ended December 31, 2024. The Company did not incur any expenses under the MUSC Agreement during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Agreement with Vivarta Therapeutics LLC
In March 2018, the Company entered into a license agreement with Vivarta Therapeutics, LLC, or Vivarta. This license agreement with Vivarta, or the Vivarta Agreement, relates to intellectual property relating to epithelial sodium channel inhibitors and methods to treat pulmonary disease. Pursuant to the Vivarta Agreement the Company has (i) a royalty-bearing, exclusive license under the intellectual property rights to make, use and sell the licensed product, and (ii) a sublicensing right that allows the Company to grant sublicenses to affiliates and third parties to use the licensed product in the field of use and approved territories outlined in the agreement.
In consideration for the Vivarta Agreement, the Company agreed to grant Vivarta a warrant to purchase an aggregate of 75,000 shares of common stock of Lung for $0.12 per share, to pay a license fee of $10,000 upon the Vivarta Agreement effective date and $40,000 within 30 days of the receipt of a positive freedom to operate analysis from legal counsel. the Company also agreed to pay patent expenses, milestone fees upon certain development and regulatory milestone events, sublicense fees, assignment fees and low single digit royalties on net sales.
Pursuant to the Vivarta Agreement, the Company is required to use diligent efforts to develop, manufacture and sell the licensed products.
The Company may terminate the Vivarta Agreement for convenience by providing a written notice to Vivarta effective 90 days following the receipt of notice, and either party may terminate the agreement for a breach of contract. The Company did not incur any expenses under the Vivarta Agreement during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Indemnification Agreements
In the ordinary course of business, the Company may provide indemnification of varying scope and terms to vendors, lessors, business partners and other parties with respect to certain matters including, but not limited to, losses arising out of breach of such agreements or from intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with members of its board of directors and officers that will require the Company, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is, in many cases, unlimited. To date, the Company has not incurred any material costs as a result of such indemnifications. The Company does not believe that the outcome of any claims under indemnification arrangements will have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows, and it had not accrued any liabilities related to such obligations in its consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2024 or 2023.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Apr 7, 2025 | Showing above |
| 2023 | Apr 15, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Mar 20, 2023 | |
| 2019 | Mar 30, 2020 | |
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.