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COLLABORATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENT | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
COLLABORATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENT |
COLLABORATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENT | 4. COLLABORATION AND LICENSE AGREEMENT In November 2014, we and Janssen entered into the Collaboration Agreement, under which we granted to Janssen exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize imetelstat for all human therapeutic uses, including hematologic myeloid malignancies. Upon the early termination of the waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, the Collaboration Agreement became effective on December 15, 2014. Upon the effectiveness of the Collaboration Agreement, we received $35,000,000 from Janssen as an upfront payment, which was classified as deferred revenue on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2014. Under the Collaboration Agreement, Janssen is wholly responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of, and seeking regulatory approval for imetelstat worldwide. To that end, Janssen is currently proceeding with the development of imetelstat with two clinical trials: a Phase 2 trial in MF, referred to as IMbark™, and a Phase 2/3 trial in MDS, referred to as IMerge™. Development costs for IMbark™ and IMerge™ are being shared between us and Janssen on a 50/50 basis. Additionally, under the terms of the Collaboration Agreement, we remain responsible for prosecuting, at Janssen's direction, the patents licensed to Janssen at the time we entered into the Collaboration Agreement, with costs shared between us and Janssen on a 50/50 basis. The cost-sharing arrangement with Janssen began in 2015. As of December 31, 2015, accrued collaboration charges of $2,328,000 on our balance sheet represent the net amount owed to Janssen for our proportionate share of research and development costs incurred by them under the imetelstat collaboration for the three months ended December 31, 2015. Following completion of the protocol-specified primary analysis of IMbark™ or after a certain time period after the initiation of the first Phase 3 myelofibrosis study, if any, Janssen must notify us whether it elects to maintain its license rights and continue to advance the development of imetelstat in any indication. In the event that IMbark™ has been terminated early or suspended, Janssen must instead notify us of its decision by the date that is the later of 24 months from the initiation of IMerge™ or 24 months from the termination of IMbark™ or commencement of the suspension period, as applicable. In the event that Janssen elects to continue to maintain its license rights and advance the development of imetelstat in any indication within the applicable timeframe set forth in the Collaboration Agreement (such decision, the Continuation Decision), we then would have an option, or the U.S. Opt-In Rights, to share further U.S. development and promotion costs in exchange for higher tiered royalty rates and higher future development and regulatory milestone payments if imetelstat is successfully developed and approved. If we exercise the U.S. Opt-In Rights, then we and Janssen would share U.S. development and promotion costs beyond IMbark™ or IMerge™ on a 20/80 basis (Geron 20%, Janssen 80%), we would receive a $65,000,000 milestone payment, or the Continuation Fee, at the time of an affirmative Continuation Decision, and would be eligible to receive additional potential payments of up to $470,000,000 in development and regulatory milestones, up to $350,000,000 in sales milestones, and tiered royalties ranging from a mid-teens up to low twenties percentage rate on worldwide net sales of imetelstat in any countries where regulatory exclusivity exists or there are valid claims under the patent rights exclusively licensed to Janssen. In addition, if we exercise the U.S. Opt-In Rights, we then would also have a separate option, or the Co-Promotion Option, to provide 20% of the U.S. selling effort with sales force personnel, in lieu of funding 20% of U.S. promotion costs, upon regulatory approval and commercial launch of imetelstat in the United States. Such co-promotion would be conducted under a Janssen prepared promotion plan, and in accordance with a co-promotion agreement to be agreed by the parties at the time of our exercise of the Co-Promotion Option. We would be responsible for all costs associated with establishing and maintaining a sales force in any conduct of such co-promotion. All product sales would be booked by Janssen. If we do not exercise the U.S. Opt-In Rights, then all further development and promotion costs beyond IMbark™ or IMerge™ would be borne by Janssen, we would receive the $65,000,000 Continuation Fee at the time of an affirmative Continuation Decision plus a $70,000,000 payment, or the Full U.S. Rights Fee, for Janssen's retention of full U.S. rights to imetelstat, and would be eligible to receive additional potential payments of up to $415,000,000 in development and regulatory milestones, up to $350,000,000 in sales milestones, and tiered royalties ranging from a double-digit up to mid-teens percentage rate on worldwide net sales of imetelstat in any countries where regulatory exclusivity exists or there are valid claims under the patent rights exclusively licensed to Janssen. Under the terms of the Collaboration Agreement, we and Janssen created a joint governance structure, including joint committees and working groups, to oversee and manage worldwide regulatory, development and manufacturing work under the joint clinical development plan and promotional activities (assuming we exercise the U.S. Opt-In Rights) for imetelstat, with Janssen responsible for the operational implementation of those activities. In addition, either of the parties may propose to the joint committees imetelstat development for any new indications not then provided for in the joint clinical development plan and if the parties agree such development should be conducted outside of the joint clinical development plan, each of Geron and Janssen would be entitled to independently undertake such development at its own cost, subject to the other party's obligation to provide reimbursement for its specified portion of the costs plus a premium for such independent development following marketing approval of imetelstat in such newly proposed indication as a result of such independent development. In the event that we do not exercise the U.S. Opt-In Rights following Janssen's affirmative Continuation Decision, the joint governance structure under the Collaboration Agreement would be dissolved, a joint oversight committee would monitor the progress of the collaboration, and we would have no further rights to conduct any independent imetelstat development. After an affirmative Continuation Decision by Janssen, the Collaboration Agreement would remain in effect until the expiration of the last-to-expire patent or the royalty obligations on sales of imetelstat cease, unless terminated earlier. If Janssen does not effect an affirmative Continuation Decision, then the Collaboration Agreement would terminate and all rights to the imetelstat program would revert to us. Janssen may terminate the Collaboration Agreement at any time for convenience or due to a safety-related concern. If a notice of termination from Janssen occurs, we would be entitled to certain continued operational support and cost-sharing under various circumstances and all rights to the imetelstat program would revert to us. The terms of the Collaboration Agreement contain multiple deliverables, which include at inception: (i) exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize imetelstat for all indications, (ii) transfer of know-how and intellectual property, including our obligation to procure supply for manufacturing imetelstat for up to nine months after the effective date of the Collaboration Agreement, (iii) participation on the joint committees and working groups and (iv) potential participation in promoting imetelstat in the United States, if approved for commercial sale. We concluded the license for exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize imetelstat has standalone value to Janssen based on the technical and financial resources of Janssen, including Janssen's drug development experience, sizeable employee base with specific experience in hematologic malignancies, and sufficient capital to independently develop imetelstat on a global basis. Since Janssen has final decision-making authority in the event a unanimous decision cannot be reached by the joint committees, we determined our participation on the joint committees does not represent a non-contingent deliverable under the Collaboration Agreement. In addition, we determined our potential participation in promoting imetelstat in the United States does not represent a non-contingent deliverable because such participation is uncertain and dependent on imetelstat being approved for commercial sale, which is not within our control. Accordingly, we determined delivery of the license rights granted by us to Janssen, together with our performance of certain technology transfer-related activities under the Collaboration Agreement, represents the sole non-contingent deliverable under the Collaboration Agreement associated with the upfront payment. Therefore, we accounted for our delivery of the imetelstat license rights and our performance of the technology transfer-related activities as a single unit of accounting. During the third quarter of 2015, we completed performance of the technology transfer-related activities to Janssen as outlined under the Collaboration Agreement. Combining this performance with the delivery of the imetelstat license rights, we fully recognized the $35,000,000 upfront payment from Janssen as collaboration revenue on our statements of operations in the third quarter of 2015. We have determined that each of the additional potential milestone payments to us under the Collaboration Agreement, including: (i) the Continuation Fee at the time of an affirmative Continuation Decision, (ii) the Full U.S. Rights Fee if we do not exercise the U.S. Opt-In Rights and (iii) payments based on the achievement of certain development, regulatory or commercial milestones, represent substantive milestones. Consequently, we will recognize revenue for these payments in their entirety upon successful accomplishment of the respective milestone. Royalties on future product sales of imetelstat, if successfully commercialized under the Collaboration Agreement, will be recognized as revenue when earned.

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