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COMMITMENTS
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
COMMITMENTS  
COMMITMENTS

15.    COMMITMENTS

License Agreement

The NTD Technology is held under a license agreement signed in fiscal 2010 (the “License Agreement”). As consideration for the License Agreement, the Company issued Common Shares of the Company. The License Agreement contains an annual royalty as a percentage of annual net revenue and a percentage of any annual sublicensing revenue earned with respect to the NTD Technology. The License Agreement stipulates annual minimum advance royalty payments of C$85,000.  In addition, there are certain milestone payments for the first compound, to be paid in stages as to C$20,000 upon filing an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application, C$50,000 at the start of a Phase 2 clinical trial, C$900,000 at the start of a Phase 3 clinical trial, C$1,450,000 at application for marketing approval, and with further milestone payments on the second and additional compounds. To date, the Company has paid C$20,000 for filing an IND application for masofaniten (EPI-7386). The next milestone of C$50,000 will be due upon initiation of the Phase 2 clinical trial for masofaniten (EPI-7386).

The Company has the following obligations over the next five years:

Contractual obligations

    

2024

    

2025

    

2026

    

2027

    

2028

Minimum annual royalty per License Agreement

 

C$

85,000

 

C$

85,000

 

C$

85,000

 

C$

85,000

 

C$

85,000

Lease on CDN office spaces

C$

76,610

C$

C$

C$

C$

Lease on U.S. office spaces

$

81,509

$

$

$

$

Collaborative agreements

On January 13, 2021, the Company announced a clinical collaboration with Janssen to evaluate masofaniten (EPI-7386) with abiraterone acetate with prednisone as well as the combination of masofaniten (EPI-7386) with apalutamide in patients with mCRPC. Under the terms of the agreement, Janssen may sponsor and conduct up to two Phase 1/2 studies evaluating the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of the combination of masofaniten (EPI-7386) and apalutamide as well as the combination of masofaniten (EPI-7386) with abiraterone acetate plus prednisone in patients with mCRPC who have failed a current second-generation antiandrogen therapy. Janssen will assume all costs associated with the studies, other than the manufacturing costs associated with the clinical drug supply of masofaniten (EPI-7386). The parties will form a joint oversight committee for the clinical studies. ESSA will retain all rights to masofaniten (EPI-7386).

The combination trial was initiated in March 2022. Enrollment was suspended by Janssen in October 2022 due to operational recruitment challenges. ESSA has announced its intention to revise the collaboration, with ESSA conducting a study of the combinations, potentially in an earlier patient population, and Janssen supplying apalutamide and abiraterone acetate.

On February 25, 2021, the Company announced a clinical collaboration with Astellas Pharma Inc. (“Astellas”) to evaluate the combination of masofaniten (EPI-7386) and Astellas/Pfizer’s androgen receptor inhibitor, enzalutamide, for patients with mCRPC. Under the terms of the agreement, ESSA will sponsor and conduct a Phase 1/2 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of the combination of masofaniten (EPI-7386) and enzalutamide in mCRPC patients who have not yet been treated with second-generation antiandrogen therapies. Astellas will supply enzalutamide for the trial. ESSA will retain all rights to masofaniten (EPI-7386).

On April 28, 2021, the Company announced that it had entered into a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Bayer Consumer Care AG (“Bayer”) to evaluate masofaniten (EPI-7386) in combination with Bayer’s androgen receptor inhibitor, darolutamide, in patients with mCRPC.  Under the terms of the agreement, following review of certain clinical data, Bayer may sponsor and conduct a Phase 1/2 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy of the combination of masofaniten (EPI-7386) and darolutamide in mCRPC patients. ESSA will supply masofaniten (EPI-7386) for the trial and will retain all rights to masofaniten (EPI-7386).