NewLink Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ:NLNK) Files An 8-K Entry into a Material Definitive AgreementItem 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Amendment to Merck Agreement
Effective May 10, 2018, BioProtection Systems Corporation, or BPS, a wholly owned subsidiary of NewLink Genetics Corporation ("we", "our" or the "Company") and Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, or Merck, entered into an amendment, or the Merck Amendment, to the License and Collaboration Agreement between BPS and Merck dated November 21, 2014, as amended, or the Collaboration Agreement. The Merck Amendment memorializes the assignment and transfer to Merck of certain of the Company’s third party funding agreements, which was contemplated when the Collaboration Agreement was originally entered into, and clarifies and defines obligations for the potential future assignment to Merck of certain related agreements between the Company and third parties, including Merck’s assumption of certain liabilities and risks in connection with such assignment.
The foregoing description of the Merck Amendment is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the agreement, a copy of which will be filed with the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending June 30, 2018, portions of which will be subject to a FOIA Confidential Treatment Request to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to Rule 24-b under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The omitted material will be included in the request for confidential treatment.
Item 1.02. Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement.
Termination of Genentech Agreement
On May 10, 2018, the Company received notice from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, that it is terminating the License and Collaboration Agreement between the parties dated October 14, 2014, or the Genentech Agreement, in its entirety. Such termination will become effective 180 days after our receipt of this notice from Genentech. Genentech had previously terminated the Genentech Agreement in part with respect to NLG919, but the agreement remained in force with respect to next generation IDO/TDO inhibitors identified through the research program conducted under the Genentech Agreement. Upon termination of the Genentech Agreement in its entirety, the Company’s rights in such next generation compounds will revert to the Company, and Genentech will grant to the Company an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license, under certain Genentech intellectual property, to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize such next generation compounds, and the Company will be required to pay a low single-digit royalty to Genentech on any sales of next generation compounds, should the Company proceed to develop and commercialize them. Genentech is also obligated to assign to the Company, upon termination, certain data arising from research that Genentech conducted on the next generation compounds. These licenses, royalty obligations and assignments for next generation compounds are in addition to the licenses, royalty obligations and assignments for NLG919 that went into effect in December 2017 when the Genentech Agreement terminated with respect to NLG919.
About NewLink Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ:NLNK)
NewLink Genetics Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing immunotherapeutic products for cancer treatment. The Company’s portfolio includes biologic and small-molecule immunotherapy product candidates for a range of oncology indications. Its biologic product candidates are based on its HyperAcute immunotherapy technology platform, which is designed to stimulate the human immune system. Algenpantucel-L is its clinically advanced product candidate for patients with pancreatic cancer. Its additional HyperAcute cellular HyperAcute Cellular Immunotherapy product candidates in clinical development include tergenpumatucel-L and dorgenmeltucel-L for patients with advanced lung cancer and melanoma. It has two small-molecule product candidates in clinical development: GDC-0919 and indoximod. These product candidates are indoleamine-2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) pathway inhibitors and focus on breaking the immune system’s tolerance to cancer.
