Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Asset Acquisition And License Agreements

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Asset Acquisition And License Agreements
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
ASSET ACQUISITION AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS  
ASSET ACQUISITION AND LICENSE AGREEMENTS

6. Asset Acquisition and License Agreements

 

Merck CERC-301 License

 

In 2013, the Company entered into an exclusive license agreement with Merck pursuant to which Merck granted the Company rights relating to certain small molecule compounds. In consideration of the license, the Company may be required to make initial payments totaling $1.5 million upon the achievement of certain milestones. Pursuant to the license agreement the Company paid an initial payment of $750,000, which was recorded as a research and development expense in the Company’s statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2013, and upon achievement of FDA acceptance of Merck pre-clinical data and FDA approval of a Phase 3 clinical trial the Company will pay an additional $750,000. Additional payments may be due upon achievement of development and regulatory milestones, including first commercial sale. Upon commercialization of an NR2B product, the Company is obligated to pay Merck milestones and royalties on net sales.

 

Lilly CERC-501 License

 

In 2015, the Company acquired rights to CERC-501, which was previously referred to as OpRA Kappa, through an exclusive, worldwide license from Eli Lilly and Company (or “Lilly”). Pursuant to the license agreement, the Company paid $750,000 to Lilly within 30 days of the execution of the license agreement, which was recorded as research and development expense in the accompanying statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015. Upon the Company undertaking a nine-month toxicology study of CERC-501 in non-human primates and delivering a final study report, the Company will be required to pay Lilly an additional $250,000. Additional payments may be due upon achievement of development and regulatory milestones, including the first commercial sale. Upon commercialization, the Company is obligated to pay Lilly milestones and royalties on net sales.

 

Merck COMTi License

 

In 2013, the Company entered into a separate exclusive license agreement with Merck pursuant to which Merck granted the Company certain rights in small molecule compounds which are known to inhibit the activity of COMT. In consideration of the license, the Company made a $200,000 upfront payment to Merck. For each COMT product that is developed, the Company is required to pay up to $6.2 million in milestone payments upon achievement of various development and regulatory milestones. Upon commercialization of a COMT product, the Company is required to pay Merck a royalty of a low single digit on net sales.