3. SPONSORED RESEARCH AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS

We conduct research and development programs independently and in connection with our corporate collaborators. As of December 31, 2018, we are a party to a collaboration agreement with ongoing performance obligations, with Kissei for the development and commercialization of fostamatinib in Japan, China, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea. As of December 31, 2018, we are also a party to collaboration agreements, but do not have ongoing performance obligations with Aclaris for the development and commercialization of JAK inhibitors for the treatment of alopecia areata and other dermatological conditions, AZ for the development and commercialization of R256, an inhaled JAK inhibitor, BerGenBio for the development and commercialization of AXL inhibitors in oncology, and Daiichi to pursue research related to MDM2 inhibitors, a novel class of drug targets called ligases.

Under these agreements, which we entered into in the ordinary course of business, we received or may be entitled to receive upfront cash payments, payments contingent upon specified events achieved by such partners and royalties on any net sales of products sold by such partners under the agreements. Total future contingent payments to us under all of these agreements could exceed $369.9 million if all potential product candidates achieved all of the payment triggering events under all of our current agreements (based on a single product candidate under each agreement). Of this amount, up to $58.0 million relates to the achievement of development events, up to $220.6 million relates to the achievement of regulatory events and up to $91.3 million relates to the achievement of certain commercial or launch events. This estimated future contingent amount does not include any estimated royalties that could be due to us if the partners successfully commercialize any of the licensed products. Future events that may trigger payments to us under the agreements are based solely on our partners’ future efforts and achievements of specified development, regulatory and/or commercial events.

Kissei License Agreement

 

In October 2018, we entered into an exclusive license and supply agreement with Kissei to develop and commercialize fostamatinib in all current and potential indications in Japan, China, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea. Kissei is responsible for performing and funding all development activities for fostamatinib in the above-mentioned territories. We received an upfront cash payment of $33.0 million with the potential for up to an additional $147.0 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, and will receive mid to upper twenty percent, tiered, escalated net sales-based payments for the supply of fostamatinib. Under the agreement, we are obligated to grant Kissei the license rights on fostamatinib on the territories above, as well as supply Kissei with drug product for use in clinical trials and pre-commercialization activities. We remain responsible for the manufacture and supply of fostamatinib for all development and commercialization activities under the agreement. 

 

We accounted for this agreement following ASC 606 and identified the following distinct performance obligations at inception of the agreement namely: (a) granting of the license, (b) supply of fostamatinib for clinical use and (c) material right associated with discounted fostamatinib that are supplied for use other than clinical or commercial. We concluded that the granting of the license is distinct relative to the other performance obligations. Moreover, we determined that the upfront fee of $33.0 million represents the transaction price and was allocated to the performance obligations based on our best estimate of the relative standalone selling price as follows: (a) for the license, we estimated the standalone selling price using the adjusted market assessment approach to estimate its standalone selling price in the licensed territories; (b) for the supply of fostamatinib and the material right associated with discounted fostamatinib, we estimated the standalone selling price using the cost plus expected margin approach. Variable considerations of $147.0 million related to future development and regulatory milestones was fully constrained due to the fact that it was probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue would occur, given the inherent uncertainty of success with these future milestones. We will recognize revenues related to the supply of fostamatinib and material right upon delivery of fostamatinib to Kissei. For sales-based milestones and royalties, we determined that the license is the predominant item to which the royalties or sales-based milestones relate to. Accordingly, we will recognize revenue at the later of (i) when the related sales occur, or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). We will re-evaluate the transaction price in each reporting period and as uncertain events are resolved or other changes in circumstances occur.

 

As of December 31, 2018, we have granted Kissei the license rights over fostamatinib.  Accordingly, we recognized $30.6 million of the $33.0 million upfront fee as allocated revenue for the delivered license during the year ended December 31, 2018.  At December 31, 2018, performance obligations related to the supply of fostamatinib and material right associated with discounted fostamatinib supply have not yet been satisfied. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2018, the allocated transaction price of $2.4 million on these two unsatisfied performance obligations were recorded as deferred revenue in the balance sheet.

 

BMS Collaboration Agreement

 

In February 2015, we entered into a collaboration agreement with BMS for the discovery, development and commercialization of cancer immunotherapies based on our extensive portfolio of small molecule TGF beta receptor kinase inhibitors. Under the collaboration agreement, BMS will have exclusive rights and will be solely responsible for the clinical development and commercialization of any products. Pursuant to the collaboration agreement with BMS, we received a noncreditable and non-refundable upfront payment of $30.0 million in March 2015. We were also entitled to receive development and regulatory contingent fees that could exceed $309.0 million for a successful compound approved in certain indications. In addition, we were eligible to receive tiered royalties on the net sales of any products from the collaboration. BMS also agreed to reimburse us for agreed upon costs based on a contractual cost per full-time equivalent employee in connection with the performance of research activities during the research term. Under the collaboration agreement, we were obligated to provide the following deliverables: (i) granting of license rights to our program, (ii) participation in the Joint Research Committee, and (iii) performance of research activities. We concluded that these deliverables were a single unit of accounting as the license did not have stand-alone value apart from the other deliverables. Accordingly, the $30.0 million upfront payment was recognized ratably as revenue from the effective date of the agreement and was fully amortized in September 2016, the end of the research term. We believed that straight-line recognition of this revenue was appropriate as the research was performed ratably over the research period. During the year ended December 31, 2016, we recognized revenue of $13.4 million relating to the upfront payment and $290,000 and relating to the research activities we performed. As of September 30, 2016, all deliverables under the agreement had been delivered. In November 2016, we were notified by BMS that it has designated one compound as an early drug candidate and received $3.0 million in December 2016, triggered by this development event.  In July 2018, BMS notified us that they will discontinue their participation in the preclinical collaboration of cancer immunotherapies based on our small molecule TGF beta receptor kinase inhibitors which originally commenced in 2015. The agreement was terminated in August 2018.

BerGenBio License Agreement

 

In June 2011, we entered into an exclusive license agreement with BerGenBio for the development and commercialization of an oncology program. BerGenBio is responsible for all activities it wishes to perform under the license we granted to it.  In February 2017, we received $3.3 million from BerGenBio as a result of BerGenBio advancing BGB324, an AXL kinase inhibitor licensed under the agreement, to a Phase 2 clinical study. In June 2016, we received contingent payments of $1.7 million relating to a time-based non-refundable fee and $2.0 million relating to BerGenBio’s exercise of certain option rights before the prescription period to exercise the rights expired. All deliverables under the agreement had been previously delivered, as such, the above payments of $3.3 million in 2017 and $3.7 million in 2016, triggered by the above time-based and contingent events were recognized as revenue during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.