CONTINGENCIES AND UNCERTAINTIES	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
CONTINGENCIES AND UNCERTAINTIES	7. CONTINGENCIES AND UNCERTAINTIES Legal Proceedings We are not currently a party to any material pending legal proceedings. From time to time, we may and have previously been involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, including potential securities lawsuits. Such lawsuits are subject to inherent uncertainties, and the actual defense and disposition costs will depend upon many unknown factors. We could be forced to expend significant resources in the defense of any additional lawsuits, and we may not prevail. Monitoring, initiating and defending against legal actions is time-consuming for our management, is likely to be expensive, and may detract from our ability to fully focus our internal resources on our business activities. We could be forced to expend significant resources in any potential future lawsuits, and we may not prevail in such lawsuits. Additionally, we may not be successful in having any such lawsuits dismissed or settled within the limits of our insurance coverage. Expenses associated with any potential future lawsuits could be material to our consolidated financial statements if we do not prevail in the defense of such lawsuits, or even if we do prevail. We have not established any reserve for any potential liability relating to any potential future lawsuits. It is possible that we could, in the future, incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims for monetary damages. Indemnifications to Officers and Directors Our corporate bylaws require that we indemnify our directors, as well as those who act as directors and officers of other entities at our request, against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with any proceedings arising out of their services to Geron. In addition, we have entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers which provide for indemnification of these directors and officers under similar circumstances and under additional circumstances. The indemnification obligations are more fully described in our bylaws and the indemnification agreements. We purchase standard insurance to cover claims or a portion of the claims made against our directors and officers. Since a maximum obligation is not explicitly stated in our bylaws or in our indemnification agreements and will depend on the facts and circumstances that arise out of any future claims, the overall maximum amount of the obligations cannot be reasonably estimated. Severance Plan We have adopted two severance plans that apply to all of our employees who are not subject to performance improvement plans, one plan covering employees above the Vice President level, i.e., executives, and all other employees hired before January 1, 2022, and the other plan covering all non-executive employees hired on or after January 1, 2022. The severance plans provide for, among other benefits: (i) a severance payment upon a Change of Control Triggering Event and Separation from Service and (ii) a severance payment for each non‑executive employee upon a Non‑Change of Control Triggering Event and Separation from Service. As defined in the severance plans, a Change of Control Triggering Event and Separation from Service requires a “double trigger” where: (i) an employee is terminated by us without cause in connection with a change of control or within 12 months following a change of control provided, however, that if an employee is terminated by us in connection with a change of control but immediately accepts employment with our successor or acquirer, the employee will not be eligible for the benefits outlined in the plans, (ii) an employee resigns because in connection with a change of control, the offered terms of employment (new or continuing) by us or our successor or acquirer within 30 days after the change of control results in a material change in the terms of employment, or (iii) after accepting (or continuing) employment with us after a change of control, an employee resigns within 12 months following a change of control due to a material change in the terms of employment. Under the severance plans, a Non‑Change of Control Triggering Event and Separation from Service is defined as an event where an employee is terminated by us without cause. Severance payments range from three to 18 months of base salary in connection with a Change of Control Triggering Event or from six weeks to 12 months of base salary in connection with a Non-Change of Control Triggering Event, as well as a pro-rata portion of the employee’s annual target bonus, depending on the employee’s position with us, payable in a lump sum payment, and monthly COBRA payments for the severance period. The severance plans also provide that they shall not supersede the provisions of any individual employment agreements entered into between us and our employees, and that the employees with such agreements will be entitled to whichever benefits are greater under the severance plan or their employment agreement. A copy of the severance plan covering our executive officers is filed as an exhibit to the 2023 Form 10-K. As of September 30, 2024, all our executive officers have employment agreements with severance provisions and will receive the greater severance benefits of their agreements or those in the severance plan applicable to them. Purchase Commitments We have engaged third‑party contract manufacturers and have re-established our own manufacturing supply chain to manufacture and supply additional quantities of RYTELO that meet applicable regulatory standards for current and potential future clinical trials and commercial uses. Related to those contract manufacturing agreements, we have noncancelable commercial purchase commitments for approximately $62.4 million in the aggregate as of September 30, 2024. These purchase commitments can vary based on the commercial demand of RYTELO and are binding based on future manufacturing needs. In the normal course of business, we enter into agreements with CROs for clinical trials for clinical and commercial supply manufacturing and with other vendors for non-clinical research studies, investigator-led trials and other services and products for operating purposes. We have not considered these payments to be contractual obligations since the contracts are generally cancellable at any time by us upon less than 180 days’ prior written notice. We also have certain in-license agreements that require us to pay milestones to such third parties upon achievement of certain development, regulatory or commercial milestones. Amounts related to contingent milestone payments are not considered contractual obligations as they are contingent on the successful achievement of certain development, regulatory approval and commercial milestones, which may not be achieved.

CONTINGENCIES AND UNCERTAINTIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

7. CONTINGENCIES AND UNCERTAINTIES

Legal Proceedings

We are not currently a party to any material pending legal proceedings. From time to time, we may and have previously been involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, including potential securities lawsuits. Such lawsuits are subject to inherent uncertainties, and the actual defense and disposition costs will depend upon many unknown factors. We could be forced to expend significant resources in the defense of any additional lawsuits, and we may not prevail. Monitoring, initiating and defending against legal actions is time-consuming for our management, is likely to be expensive, and may detract from our ability to fully focus our internal resources on our business activities. We could be forced to expend significant resources in any potential future lawsuits, and we may not prevail in such lawsuits. Additionally, we may not be successful in having any such lawsuits dismissed or settled within the limits of our insurance coverage. Expenses associated with any potential future lawsuits could be material to our consolidated financial statements if we do not prevail in the defense of such lawsuits, or even if we do prevail. We have not established any reserve for any potential liability relating to any potential future lawsuits. It is possible that we could, in the future, incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims for monetary damages.

Indemnifications to Officers and Directors

Our corporate bylaws require that we indemnify our directors, as well as those who act as directors and officers of other entities at our request, against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with any proceedings arising out of their services to Geron. In addition, we have entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers which provide for indemnification of these directors and officers under similar circumstances and under additional circumstances. The indemnification obligations are more fully described in our bylaws and the indemnification agreements. We purchase standard insurance to cover claims or a portion of the claims made against our directors and officers. Since a maximum obligation is not explicitly stated in our bylaws or in our indemnification agreements and will depend on the facts and circumstances that arise out of any future claims, the overall maximum amount of the obligations cannot be reasonably estimated.

Severance Plan

We have adopted two severance plans that apply to all of our employees who are not subject to performance improvement plans, one plan covering employees above the Vice President level, i.e., executives, and all other employees hired before January 1, 2022, and the other plan covering all non-executive employees hired on or after January 1, 2022. The severance plans provide for, among other benefits: (i) a severance payment upon a Change of Control Triggering Event and Separation from Service and (ii) a severance payment for each non‑executive employee upon a Non‑Change of Control Triggering Event and Separation from Service. As defined in the severance plans, a Change of Control Triggering Event and Separation from Service requires a “double trigger” where: (i) an employee is terminated by us without cause in connection with a change of control or within 12 months following a change of control provided, however, that if an employee is terminated by us in connection with a change of control but immediately accepts employment with our successor or acquirer, the employee will not be eligible for the benefits outlined in the plans, (ii) an employee resigns because in connection with a change of control, the offered terms of employment (new or continuing) by us or our successor or acquirer within 30 days after the change of control results in a material change in the terms of employment, or (iii) after accepting (or continuing) employment with us after a change of control, an employee resigns within 12 months following a change of control due to a material change in the terms of employment. Under the severance plans, a Non‑Change of Control Triggering Event and Separation

from Service is defined as an event where an employee is terminated by us without cause. Severance payments range from three to 18 months of base salary in connection with a Change of Control Triggering Event or from six weeks to 12 months of base salary in connection with a Non-Change of Control Triggering Event, as well as a pro-rata portion of the employee’s annual target bonus, depending on the employee’s position with us, payable in a lump sum payment, and monthly COBRA payments for the severance period. The severance plans also provide that they shall not supersede the provisions of any individual employment agreements entered into between us and our employees, and that the employees with such agreements will be entitled to whichever benefits are greater under the severance plan or their employment agreement. A copy of the severance plan covering our executive officers is filed as an exhibit to the 2023 Form 10-K. As of September 30, 2024, all our executive officers have employment agreements with severance provisions and will receive the greater severance benefits of their agreements or those in the severance plan applicable to them.

Purchase Commitments

We have engaged third‑party contract manufacturers and have re-established our own manufacturing supply chain to manufacture and supply additional quantities of RYTELO that meet applicable regulatory standards for current and potential future clinical trials and commercial uses. Related to those contract manufacturing agreements, we have noncancelable commercial purchase commitments for approximately $62.4 million in the aggregate as of September 30, 2024. These purchase commitments can vary based on the commercial demand of RYTELO and are binding based on future manufacturing needs.

In the normal course of business, we enter into agreements with CROs for clinical trials for clinical and commercial supply manufacturing and with other vendors for non-clinical research studies, investigator-led trials and other services and products for operating purposes. We have not considered these payments to be contractual obligations since the contracts are generally cancellable at any time by us upon less than 180 days’ prior written notice. We also have certain in-license agreements that require us to pay milestones to such third parties upon achievement of certain development, regulatory or commercial milestones. Amounts related to contingent milestone payments are not considered contractual obligations as they are contingent on the successful achievement of certain development, regulatory approval and commercial milestones, which may not be achieved.