Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v3.23.2
Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

7. Commitments and Contingencies

Operating Leases

In December 2010, the Company entered into a non-cancellable operating lease for office space and laboratory facilities in Yonkers, New York expiring in December 2025. In December 2011, the Company entered into an amendment which extended the term of the lease through December 2027 (the “Third Floor Lease”). The lease provides for the option to renew for two additional five-year terms. The premises were occupied in June 2011. Monthly rent payments began the date the office and laboratory facilities were ready for occupancy.

In January 2012, the Company entered into a non-cancellable operating lease for additional office space and laboratory facilities in the same building in Yonkers, New York expiring in December 2027 (the “Fourth Floor Lease”). The Fourth Floor Lease provides for an option to renew for two additional five-year terms. Effective August 1, 2017, the Company relinquished 10,912 square feet of space under the Fourth Floor Lease and was relieved of its obligations related to such space.

The balance sheet classification of the Company’s lease liabilities was as follows (in thousands):

 

Description

 

June 30,
2023

 

 

December 31,
2022

 

Operating lease liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current portion of lease liabilities

 

$

677

 

 

$

671

 

Long-term portion of lease liabilities

 

$

1,988

 

 

$

2,210

 

 

The Company adopted Topic 842 in accounting for its lease liabilities as of January 1, 2019. Operating lease liabilities are based on the net present value of the remaining lease payments over the remaining lease term. In determining the present value of lease payments, the Company used a discount rate of 9.93%, which was an estimate of its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the adoption date. The leases are renewable at the end of the lease term at the Company’s option. For the purposes of determining the remaining lease term in contemplation of available extensions, the Company did not consider either

renewal to be probable and therefore the remaining lease term used to determine the operating lease liability was 9.0 years at the adoption date.

As of June 30, 2023, the maturities of our operating lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

Amount

 

July 1, 2023—December 31, 2023

 

$

354

 

Year ending December 31:

 

 

 

2024

 

 

721

 

2025

 

 

736

 

2026

 

 

750

 

2027

 

 

702

 

Total lease payments

 

 

3,263

 

Less: Present value adjustment

 

 

(598

)

Operating lease liabilities

 

$

2,665

 

 

Lease costs under the terms of the Company’s leases for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

Operating lease cost (1)

 

$

150

 

 

$

154

 

 

$

301

 

 

$

307

 

Variable lease costs (2)

 

 

22

 

 

 

42

 

 

 

51

 

 

 

81

 

Total lease cost

 

$

172

 

 

$

196

 

 

$

352

 

 

$

388

 

 

(1)
Operating lease payments included in the measurement of the Company’s lease liabilities are comprised of fixed payments according to the terms of the Company’s leases.
(2)
Variable lease payments consist of the Company’s utility costs billed by and paid to its landlord. Variable lease payments are presented as operating expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations in the same line item as expense arising from fixed lease payments and in net cash used in operating activities in the Company’s Statement of Cash Flows.

Rockefeller University

License Agreements

The Company has entered into the following license agreements with The Rockefeller University:

On July 12, 2011, the Company entered into a license agreement for the worldwide, exclusive right to a patent covering the composition of matter for the lysin PlySS2 for the treatment and prevention of diseases caused by gram-positive bacteria (the “CF-301 License”). The Company rebranded PlySS2 as CF-301 and subsequently, exebacase. The license gives the Company the right to exclusively develop, make, have made, use, import, lease, sell and offer for sale products that would otherwise infringe a claim of this patent application or patent.
On June 1, 2011, the Company entered into a license agreement for the exclusive rights to The Rockefeller University’s interest in a joint patent application covering the method of delivering antibodies through the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria to the periplasmic space. This intellectual property was developed as a result of the sponsored research agreement between the Company and The Rockefeller University and was jointly discovered and filed by the two parties.
On September 23, 2010, the Company entered into a license agreement for the worldwide, exclusive right to develop, make, have made, use, import, lease, sell, and offer for sale products that would otherwise infringe a claim of the suite of patents and patent applications covering the composition of matter for eight individual lysin molecules for the treatment and prevention of diseases caused by gram-positive bacteria. The lysins in this suite have activity against Group B Streptococci, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Bacillus anthracis, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium.

In consideration for the licenses, the Company paid Rockefeller license initiation fees in cash and stock. The Company is currently required to pay $0.2 million each year until the licenses terminate. Depending on the success of its programs, the Company may also incur regulatory milestone payments up to a total of $5.0 million and royalties of up to 5% on net sales from products to Rockefeller. The Company is allowed to grant sublicenses to third parties without prior approval, subject to certain conditions and the

payment of a certain percentage of all payments we receive from sublicensees. There were no milestone, royalty or sublicense payments made during the three or six months ended June 30, 2023 or 2022. The Company has made total milestone payments under the CF-301 License of $0.8 million as of June 30, 2023.

Each license agreement terminates upon the later of (i) the expiration or abandonment of the last licensed patent under the license agreement to expire or become abandoned, or (ii) 10 years after the first commercial sale of the first licensed product. The Rockefeller University may terminate any license agreement in the event of a breach of such agreement by the Company or if the Company challenges the validity or enforceability of the underlying patent rights. The Company may terminate any license agreement at any time on 60 days’ notice.

Legal Contingencies

From time to time, the Company may be involved in disputes and legal proceedings in the ordinary course of its business. These proceedings may include allegations of infringement of intellectual property, employment or other matters. The Company records a liability in its financial statements for these matters when a loss is known or considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. The Company reviews these estimates each accounting period as additional information is known and adjusts the loss provision when appropriate. If a matter is both probable to result in a liability and the amounts of loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company estimates and discloses the possible loss or range of loss to the extent necessary to make the financial statements not misleading. If the loss is not probable or cannot be reasonably estimated, a liability is not recorded in the Company’s financial statements. The Company currently has no legal proceedings ongoing that management estimates could have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.