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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED September 30, 2017

 

OR

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM        TO      

 

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 001-13111

 

DEPOMED, INC.

(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

 

CALIFORNIA

 

94-3229046

(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF

 

(I.R.S. EMPLOYER

INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION)

 

IDENTIFICATION NUMBER)

 

7999 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 300

Newark, California 94560

(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES, INCLUDING ZIP CODE)

 

(510) 744-8000

(REGISTRANT’S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes ☒ No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer ☒

 

Accelerated filer ☐

 

 

 

Non-accelerated filer ☐

 

Emerging growth company ☐

 

Smaller reporting company ☐

 

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes ☐ No ☒

 

The number of issued and outstanding shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock, no par value, as of November 6, 2017 was 63,013,451.

 

 

 

 

 


 

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DEPOMED, INC

 

 

 

PAGE

 

 

 

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION  

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1.  

 

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

7

 

 

 

 

Item 2.  

 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

28

 

 

 

 

Item 3.  

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk

41

 

 

 

 

Item 4.  

 

Controls and Procedures

41

 

 

 

PART II — OTHER INFORMATION  

 

 

 

 

Item 1.  

 

Legal Proceedings

42

 

 

 

 

Item 1A.  

 

Risk Factors

42

 

 

 

 

Item 2.  

 

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

64

 

 

 

 

Item 3.  

 

Defaults upon Senior Securities

64

 

 

 

 

Item 4.  

 

Mine Safety Disclosures

64

 

 

 

 

Item 5.  

 

Other Information

64

 

 

 

 

Item 6.  

 

Exhibits

65

 

 

 

 

 

Signatures

66

 

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PAR T I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

DEPOMED, INC.

COND ENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

107,585

 

$

117,709

 

Short-term investments

 

 

5,872

 

 

59,711

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

77,192

 

 

102,056

 

Receivables from collaborative partners

 

 

506

 

 

533

 

Inventories

 

 

10,415

 

 

13,033

 

Prepaid and other current assets

 

 

17,704

 

 

13,162

 

Total current assets

 

 

219,274

 

 

306,204

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

13,943

 

 

15,526

 

Intangible assets, net

 

 

824,944

 

 

902,149

 

Other assets

 

 

1,346

 

 

1,458

 

Total assets

 

$

1,059,507

 

$

1,225,337

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

7,033

 

$

14,855

 

Accrued rebates, returns and discounts

 

 

136,998

 

 

131,536

 

Accrued liabilities

 

 

47,599

 

 

59,398

 

Income taxes payable

 

 

28

 

 

59

 

Current portion of Senior Notes

 

 

57,500

 

 

 —

 

Contingent consideration liability, current portion

 

 

1,757

 

 

4,578

 

Interest payable

 

 

11,308

 

 

15,924

 

Other current liabilities

 

 

927

 

 

892

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

263,150

 

 

227,242

 

Contingent consideration liability, long-term portion

 

 

3,879

 

 

10,247

 

Senior Notes

 

 

311,726

 

 

466,051

 

Convertible Notes

 

 

265,163

 

 

252,725

 

Other long-term liabilities

 

 

16,942

 

 

18,284

 

Commitments and Contingencies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

Common stock

 

 

309,351

 

 

291,634

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

75,707

 

 

75,917

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(186,404)

 

 

(116,744)

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax

 

 

(7)

 

 

(19)

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

198,647

 

 

250,788

 

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

 

$

1,059,507

 

$

1,225,337

 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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DEPOMED, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product sales, net

 

$

95,204

 

$

110,303

 

$

285,721

 

$

331,391

 

Royalties

 

 

209

 

 

221

 

 

596

 

 

595

 

Total revenues

 

 

95,413

 

 

110,524

 

 

286,317

 

 

331,986

 

Costs and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of sales (excluding amortization of intangible assets)

 

 

17,396

 

 

20,243

 

 

54,895

 

 

64,757

 

Research and development expenses

 

 

1,761

 

 

10,412

 

 

12,459

 

 

23,477

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

48,850

 

 

51,574

 

 

147,379

 

 

156,036

 

Amortization of intangible assets

 

 

25,734

 

 

27,037

 

 

77,204

 

 

81,111

 

Restructuring charges

 

 

434

 

 

 —

 

 

3,875

 

 

 —

 

Total costs and expenses

 

 

94,175

 

 

109,266

 

 

295,812

 

 

325,381

 

(Loss) Income from operations

 

 

1,238

 

 

1,258

 

 

(9,495)

 

 

6,605

 

Other (expense) income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest and other income

 

 

72

 

 

113

 

 

604

 

 

310

 

Loss on prepayment of Senior Notes

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

(5,364)

 

 

(5,777)

 

Interest expense

 

 

(17,815)

 

 

(20,307)

 

 

(55,697)

 

 

(63,182)

 

Total other expense

 

 

(17,743)

 

 

(20,194)

 

 

(60,457)

 

 

(68,649)

 

Net loss before income taxes

 

 

(16,505)

 

 

(18,936)

 

 

(69,952)

 

 

(62,044)

 

Benefit from income taxes

 

 

513

 

 

6,042

 

 

560

 

 

17,692

 

Net loss

 

$

(15,992)

 

$

(12,894)

 

$

(69,392)

 

$

(44,352)

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share

 

$

(0.25)

 

$

(0.21)

 

$

(1.11)

 

$

(0.73)

 

Shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share

 

 

62,997,484

 

 

61,422,015

 

 

62,555,921

 

 

61,163,059

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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DEPOMED, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Net loss

 

$

(15,992)

 

$

(12,894)

 

$

(69,392)

 

$

(44,352)

 

Unrealized (loss) gain on available-for-sale securities, net of tax

 

 

(5)

 

 

(12)

 

 

12

 

 

23

 

Comprehensive loss

 

$

(15,997)

 

$

(12,906)

 

$

(69,380)

 

$

(44,329)

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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DEPOMED, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

 

Operating Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(69,392)

 

$

(44,352)

 

Adjustments for non-cash items:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

79,031

 

 

83,019

 

Accretion of debt discount and debt issuance costs

 

 

14,249

 

 

13,084

 

Loss on prepayment of Senior Notes

 

 

5,364

 

 

5,777

 

Provision for inventory obsolescence

 

 

2,345

 

 

754

 

Gain on disposal of property and equipment

 

 

(275)

 

 

 —

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

9,922

 

 

12,602

 

Change in fair value of contingent consideration

 

 

(7,517)

 

 

918

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

 —

 

 

(17,826)

 

Other

 

 

244

 

 

617

 

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

24,864

 

 

(15,833)

 

Receivables from collaborative partners

 

 

27

 

 

134

 

Inventories

 

 

272

 

 

(1,519)

 

Prepaid and other assets

 

 

(4,428)

 

 

(9,134)

 

Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities

 

 

(20,648)

 

 

3,276

 

Accrued rebates, returns and discounts

 

 

5,463

 

 

3,614

 

Interest payable

 

 

(4,616)

 

 

(4,903)

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

34,905

 

 

30,228

 

Investing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(563)

 

 

(2,786)

 

Proceeds from disposal of property and equipment

 

 

281

 

 

 —

 

Purchases of marketable securities

 

 

(7,074)

 

 

(48,861)

 

Maturities of marketable securities

 

 

60,681

 

 

108,207

 

Sales of marketable securities

 

 

 —

 

 

2,007

 

Net cash provided by investing activities

 

 

53,325

 

 

58,567

 

Financing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payment of contingent consideration liability

 

 

(1,673)

 

 

(940)

 

Repayment of Senior Notes

 

 

(100,000)

 

 

(100,000)

 

Prepayment fees for repayment of Senior Notes

 

 

(4,000)

 

 

(5,000)

 

Proceeds from issuance of common stock

 

 

7,529

 

 

6,785

 

Shares withheld for payment of employee's withholding tax liability

 

 

(210)

 

 

(367)

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(98,354)

 

 

(99,522)

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(10,124)

 

 

(10,727)

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

 

117,709

 

 

101,084

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

107,585

 

$

90,357

 

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash paid for income taxes

 

$

121

 

 

83

 

Cash paid for interest

 

$

44,832

 

 

53,043

 

Capital expenditures incurred but not yet paid

 

$

87

 

 

392

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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DEPOMED, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

 

NOTE 1.  ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Organization

 

Depomed, Inc. (Depomed or the Company) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on pain and other central nervous system (CNS) conditions. The products that comprise the Company’s current specialty pharmaceutical business are (i) NUCYNTA ® ER (tapentadol extended release tablets), a product for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long term opioid treatment, including neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in adults, and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate, and NUCYNTA ® IR (NUCYNTA) (tapentadol), a product for the management of moderate to severe acute pain in adults, each of which the Company acquired the U.S. rights to in April 2015, (ii) Gralise ® (gabapentin), a once-daily product for the management of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) that the Company launched in October 2011, (iii) CAMBIA ® (diclofenac potassium for oral solution), a product for the acute treatment of migraine attacks that the Company acquired in December 2013, (iv) Zipsor ® (diclofenac potassium) liquid filled capsules, a product for the treatment of mild to moderate acute pain that the Company acquired in June 2012, and (v) Lazanda ® (fentanyl) nasal spray, a product for the management of breakthrough pain in cancer patients 18 years of age and older who are already receiving and who are tolerant to opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain that the Company acquired in July 2013.  We divested our rights to Lazanda to Slán Medicinal Holdings Limited ("Slán") on November 7, 2017.

 

As of September 30, 2017, the Company has one product candidate, cebranopadol initially for the treatment of chronic lower back pain and potentially for chronic nociceptive and neuropathic pain.  The Company is currently evaluating the development plan for cebranopadol, including the timing of potential Phase 3 trials.

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the related footnote information of the Company have been prepared pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules and regulations, certain footnotes or other financial information that are normally required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the accompanying interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the information for the periods presented. The results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the entire year ending December 31, 2017 or future operating periods.

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2016 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC (the 2016 Form 10-K). The balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date, as filed in the Company’s 2016 Form 10-K.

 

See Note 14 herein for information regarding impact of an out of period adjustment related to the Branded Prescription Drug fee (BPD) on our consolidated financial statements.

 

Principles of Consolidation

 

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Depomed Bermuda Ltd (Depo Bermuda), Depo NF Sub, LLC (Depo NF Sub) and Depo DR Sub, LLC (Depo DR Sub). All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated on consolidation.

 

On November 17, 2015, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the U.S. and Canadian rights to cebranopadol and its related follow-on compound from Grünenthal GmbH (Grünenthal). The acquisition of these

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rights closed on December 30, 2015, at which point the Company assigned its rights under the agreement to Depo Bermuda, a Company which was formed in Bermuda on December 22, 2015.

 

Depo NF Sub was formed on March 26, 2015, in connection with a Note Purchase Agreement dated March 12, 2015 (Note Purchase Agreement) governing the Company’s issuance of $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes on April 2, 2015, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $562.0 million. On April 2, 2015, the Company and Depo NF Sub entered into a Pledge and Security Agreement with the Collateral Agent pursuant to which the Company and Depo NF Sub each granted the Collateral Agent (on behalf of the Purchasers) a security interest in substantially all of their assets, other than specifically excluded assets.

 

Depo DR Sub was formed in October 2013 for the sole purpose of facilitating the license of certain rights to PDL Biopharma (the PDL Transaction). The Company contributed to Depo DR Sub all of its rights, title and interests in certain license agreements to receive royalty and milestone payments. Immediately following the transaction, Depo DR Sub sold to PDL, among other things, such rights to receive royalty and milestone payments, for an upfront cash purchase price of $240.5 million.

 

The Company and Depo DR Sub continue to retain certain administrative duties and obligations under the specified license agreements. These include the collection of the royalty and milestone amounts due and enforcement of related provisions under the specified license agreements, among others. In addition, the Company and Depo DR Sub must prepare a quarterly distribution report relating to the specified license agreements, containing, among other items, the amount of royalty payments received by the Company and reimbursable expenses. The Company and Depo DR Sub must also provide PDL with notice of certain communications, events or actions with respect to the specified license agreements and infringement of any underlying intellectual property.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Estimates are used when accounting for amounts recorded in connection with acquisitions, including initial fair value determinations of assets and liabilities as well as subsequent fair value measurements. Additionally, estimates are used in determining items such as, but not limited to, sales discounts and returns, depreciable and amortizable lives, share-based compensation assumptions, fair value of contingent consideration and taxes on income. Although management believes these estimates are based upon reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of the Company’s business and operations, actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

 

Change in estimate – During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company established a reserve with respect to a dispute with a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) over rebates relating to NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA and Gralise. The dispute relates to rebate claims submitted with respect to the year ended December 31, 2015 and the first half of 2016.  As of December 31, 2016, the Company established a reserve for $1.0 million with respect to these claims, and had determined the likely amount payable on settlement would not be material to the consolidated financial statements.  However, as a result of further communication with the PBM during the three months ended March 31, 2017, it became clear that the Company’s failure to pay the disputed amount would adversely impact the Company’s ability to maintain a favorable position on the PBM’s formulary. Accordingly, despite the Company’s belief that the claims in dispute are invalid, the Company increased the reserve against this matter by $4.7 million which is an offset to net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2017.  The Company will adjust net sales in the future if it resolves this matter for an amount different than currently reserved.

 

Measuring the Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities associated with Business Combinations

 

The Company accounts for acquired businesses using the acquisition method of accounting, which requires that assets acquired and liabilities assumed be recorded at the date of acquisition at their respective fair values. The fair value of the consideration paid, including contingent consideration, is assigned to the underlying net assets of the acquired business based on their respective fair values. Any excess or shortfall of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill or bargain purchase, as applicable.

 

Significant judgments are used in determining the estimated fair values assigned to the assets acquired, liabilities assumed, contingent consideration and in determining estimates of useful lives of long-lived assets. Fair value

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determinations and useful life estimates are based on, among other factors, estimates of expected future net cash flows, estimates of appropriate discount rates used to calculate present value of expected future net cash flows, the assessment of each asset's life cycle, the impact of competitive trends on each asset's life cycle and other factors. These judgments can materially impact the estimates used to allocate acquisition date fair values to assets acquired and liabilities assumed and the resulting timing and amounts charged to, or recognized in, current and future operating results. For these and other reasons, actual results may vary significantly from estimated results.

 

Any changes in the fair value of contingent consideration resulting from a change in the underlying inputs are recognized in operating expenses until the contingent consideration arrangement is settled. Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration resulting from the passage of time are recorded within interest expense until the contingent consideration is settled.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

The Company recognizes revenue from the sale of its products, royalties and milestones earned under its contractual arrangements.

 

Revenue is recognized when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred and title has passed, the price is fixed or determinable and the Company is reasonably assured of collecting the resulting receivable. Revenue arrangements with multiple elements are evaluated to determine whether the multiple elements meet certain criteria for dividing the arrangement into separate units of accounting, including whether the delivered element(s) have stand-alone value to the Company's customer or licensee. Where there are multiple deliverables combined as a single unit of accounting, revenues are deferred and recognized over the period that the Company remains obligated to perform services.

 

·

Product Sales—The Company sells commercial products to wholesale distributors and retail pharmacies. Products sales revenue is recognized when title has transferred to the customer and the customer has assumed the risks and rewards of ownership, which typically occurs on delivery to the customer.

 

·

Product Sales Allowances—The Company recognizes product sales allowances as a reduction of product sales in the same period the related revenue is recognized. Product sales allowances are based on amounts owed or to be claimed on the related sales. These estimates take into consideration the terms of the Company's agreements with customers, historical product returns, rebates or discounts taken or expected to be taken, estimated levels of inventory in the distribution channel, the shelf life of the product and specific known market events, such as competitive pricing and new product introductions. If actual future results vary from the Company's estimates, the Company may need to adjust these estimates, which could have an effect on product sales and earnings in the period of adjustment. The Company's sales allowances include:

 

·

Product Returns—The Company allows customers to return product for credit with respect to product that is within six months before and up to 12 months after its product expiration date. The Company estimates product returns on NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, Gralise, CAMBIA, Zipsor and Lazanda. Under the terms of the Zipsor asset purchase agreement, the Company assumed financial responsibility for returns of Zipsor product previously sold by Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Xanodyne). Under the terms of the CAMBIA asset purchase agreement, the Company also assumed financial responsibility for returns of CAMBIA product previously sold by Nautilus. The Company did not assume financial responsibility for returns of NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA previously sold by Janssen Pharma or Lazanda product previously sold by Archimedes Pharma US Inc. See Note 12 for further information on the acquisition of NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, CAMBIA, Lazanda and Zipsor.

 

The shelf life of NUCYNTA ER is 24 to 36 months and NUCYNTA is 36 months from the date of tablet manufacture, respectively. The shelf life of Gralise is 24 to 36 months from the date of tablet manufacture. The shelf life of CAMBIA is 24 to 48 months from the manufacture date. The shelf life of Zipsor is 36 months from the date of tablet manufacture. The shelf life of Lazanda is 24 to 36 months from the manufacture date. Estimates for returns are based on historical return trends by product or by return trends of similar products, taking into consideration the shelf life of product at the time of shipment, shipment and prescription trends, estimated distribution channel inventory levels and consideration of the introduction of competitive products.

 

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Because of the shelf life of the Company's products and its return policy of issuing credits with respect to product that is returned within six months before and up to 12 months after its product expiration date, there may be a significant period of time between when the product is shipped and when the Company issues credit on a returned product. Accordingly, the Company may have to adjust product return estimates, which could have an effect on product sales and earnings in the period of adjustments.

 

·

Wholesaler and Retail Pharmacy Discounts—The Company offers contractually determined discounts to certain wholesale distributors and retail pharmacies that purchase directly from it. These discounts are either taken off-invoice at the time of shipment or paid to the customer on a quarterly basis one to two months after the quarter in which product was shipped to the customer.

 

·

Prompt Pay Discounts—The Company offers cash discounts to its customers (generally 2% of the sales price) as an incentive for prompt payment. Based on the Company's experience, the Company expects its customers to comply with the payment terms to earn the cash discount.

 

·

Patient Discount Programs—The Company offers patient discount co-pay assistance programs in which patients receive certain discounts off their prescriptions at participating retail pharmacies. The discounts are reimbursed by the Company approximately one month after the prescriptions subject to the discount are filled.

 

·

Medicaid Rebates—The Company participates in Medicaid rebate programs, which provide assistance to certain low-income patients based on each individual state's guidelines regarding eligibility and services. Under the Medicaid rebate programs, the Company pays a rebate to each participating state, generally two to three months after the quarter in which prescriptions subject to the rebate are filled.

 

·

Chargebacks—The Company provides discounts to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) of the General Services Administration under an FSS contract with the Department of Veterans Affairs. These federal entities purchase products from the wholesale distributors at a discounted price, and the wholesale distributors then charge back to the Company the difference between the current retail price and the price the federal entity paid for the product.

 

·

Managed Care Rebates—The Company offers discounts under contracts with certain managed care providers. The Company generally pays managed care rebates one to three months after the quarter in which prescriptions subject to the rebate are filled.

 

·

Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Rebates—The Company participates in the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap Discount Program under which it provides rebates on prescriptions that fall within the "donut hole" coverage gap. The Company generally pays Medicare Part D Coverage Gap rebates two to three months after the quarter in which prescriptions subject to the rebate are filled.

 

·

Royalties—Royalties are recognized as earned in accordance with the contract terms when royalties from licensees can be reliably measured and collectability is reasonably assured.

 

·

License and Collaborative Arrangements—Revenue from license and collaborative arrangements is recognized when the Company has substantially completed its obligations under the terms of the arrangement and the Company's remaining involvement is inconsequential and perfunctory. If the Company has significant continuing involvement under such an arrangement, license and collaborative fees are recognized over the estimated performance period. The Company recognizes milestone payments for its research and development collaborations upon the achievement of specified milestones if (1) the milestone is substantive in nature, and the achievement of the milestone was not reasonably assured at the inception of the agreement, (2) consideration earned relates to past performance and (3) the milestone payment is nonrefundable. A milestone is considered substantive if the consideration earned from the achievement of the milestone is consistent with the Company's performance required to achieve the milestone or consistent with the increase in value to the collaboration resulting from the Company's performance; the consideration earned relates solely to past performance; and the consideration earned is reasonable relative to all of the other deliverables and payments within the arrangement. License, milestones and collaborative fee payments received in excess of amounts earned are classified as deferred revenue until earned.

 

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Recently Issued Accounting Standards

 

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11 Inventory (Topic 330):   Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory . ASU 2015-11 requires an entity to measure inventory, other than inventory accounted for under last-in, first-out method or retail inventory method, at the lower of cost or net realizable value. ASU 2015-11 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016 on a prospective basis. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2017, and the adoption of this guidance did not materially affect our consolidated financial statements.

 

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No 2016-09 “ Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting ”. This guidance simplifies the accounting for the taxes related to stock based compensation, requiring excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be recognized as a component of income tax expense rather than equity. This guidance also requires excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be presented as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows and allows an entity to make an accounting policy election to either estimate expected forfeitures or to account for them as they occur. The inclusion of excess tax benefits and deficiencies as a component of our income tax expense will increase volatility within our provision for income taxes as the amount of excess tax benefits or deficiencies from stock-based compensation awards are dependent on our stock price at the date the awards vest. The magnitude of such impacts will depend upon future movements in the Company’s share price as well as the timing of stock award exercises, which are both difficult to estimate. The Company adopted this ASU as of January 1, 2017.

 

As a result of adopting this standard, the Company has made an accounting policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur, rather than estimate expected forfeitures. This change has been applied on a modified retrospective basis, resulting in a cumulative-effect adjustment to increase accumulated deficit by $0.3 million as of January 1, 2017, the date of adoption. The adoption of this guidance also requires excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies be recorded in the income statement as opposed to additional paid-in capital when the awards vest or are settled.

 

Additionally, the Company has applied the provisions of this ASU on a retrospective basis in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, which includes presenting: (i) excess tax benefits as an operating activity, which were previously presented as a financing activity; and (ii) cash payments to tax authorities for employee taxes when shares are withheld to meet statutory withholding requirements as a financing activity, which were previously presented as an operating activity.

 

The adoption requires recognition through opening retained earnings of any pre-adoption date net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards from non-qualified stock options and other employee share- based payments. As a result, the Company determined the impact of the adoption to be a $5.8 million increase to deferred tax assets related to share-based compensation incurred as of December 31, 2016 with a corresponding increase to the Company's valuation allowance for financial statement purposes since the Company is in a full valuation allowance position. 

 

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU or Update) No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" . This guidance outlines a new, single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. This new revenue recognition model provides a five-step analysis in determining when and how revenue is recognized. The new model will require revenue recognition to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration a company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. On July 9, 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date of this Update to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted on the original effective date of fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. This guidance can be adopted on a full retrospective basis or on a modified retrospective basis. The Company plans to adopt this guidance on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective transition method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of that date. Upon adoption, the Company will recognize the cumulative effect of adopting this guidance as an adjustment to its opening balance of accumulated deficit. Prior periods will not be retrospectively adjusted. The Company has substantially completed an analysis of existing contracts with its customers and has assessed the differences in accounting for such contracts under this guidance compared with current revenue accounting standards. Based on its review of current customer contracts, the Company does not expect the implementation of this guidance to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements as the timing of revenue recognition for product sales is not expected to significantly change.

 

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In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, " Leases ". This guidance requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase by the lessee. This classification will determine whether lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease, respectively. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than twelve months regardless of classification. If the available accounting election is made, leases with a term of twelve months or less can be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases. For a public entity, the amendments in this guidance are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application of the amendments in this guidance is permitted for all entities. The Company is currently evaluating and has not yet determined the impact implementation will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15 “ Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments”. ASU 2016-15 provides guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2018 and will be applied on a retrospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. The Company early adopted this guidance on January 1, 2017, and the adoption of this guidance did not materially affect the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 (ASU 2016-13) " Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" which requires the measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held at amortized cost. ASU 2016-13 replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss methodology, which will result in more timely recognition of credit losses. ASU 2016-13 is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-13 on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

 

NOTE 2.  CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS

 

Securities classified as cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 are summarized below (in thousands). Estimated fair value is based on quoted market prices for these investments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

    

Gross

    

Gross

    

 

 

 

 

 

Amortized

 

Unrealized

 

Unrealized

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2017

 

Cost

 

Gains

 

Losses

 

Fair Value

 

Cash and cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

$

88,559

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

88,559

 

Money market funds

 

 

101

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

101

 

US Treasury securities

 

 

3,605

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

3,605

 

Corporate debt securities and commercial paper

 

 

15,320

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

15,320

 

Total cash and cash equivalents

 

$

107,585

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

107,585

 

Short-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate debt securities and commercial paper with maturities less than 1 year

 

$

5,873

 

$

 —

 

$

(1)

 

$

5,872

 

Total short-term investments

 

$

5,873

 

$

 —

 

$

(1)

 

$

5,872

 

Total

 

$

113,458

 

$

 —

 

$

(1)

 

$

113,457

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

    

Gross

    

Gross

    

 

 

 

 

 

Amortized

 

Unrealized

 

Unrealized

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2016

 

Cost

 

Gains

 

Losses

 

Fair Value

 

Cash and cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

$

87,845

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

87,845

 

Money market funds

 

 

532

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

532

 

Corporate debt securities and commercial paper

 

 

29,334

 

 

 —

 

 

(2)

 

 

29,332

 

Total cash and cash equivalents

 

$

117,711

 

$

 —

 

$

(2)

 

$

117,709

 

Short-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate debt securities and commercial paper with maturities less than 1 year

 

$

59,728

 

$

 —

 

$

(17)

 

$

59,711

 

Total short-term investments

 

$

59,728

 

$

 —

 

$

(17)

 

$

59,711

 

Total

 

$

177,439

 

$

 —

 

$

(19)

 

$

177,420

 

 

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity at the date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on deposit with banks, money market instruments and corporate debt securities. The Company invests its cash in marketable securities, U.S. Treasury and government agency securities, and high quality securities of financial and commercial institutions. To date, the Company has not experienced material losses on any of its balances. These securities are carried at fair value, which is based on readily available market information, with unrealized gains and losses included in “accumulated other comprehensive loss” within shareholders’ equity on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company uses the specific identification method to determine the amount of realized gains or losses on sales of marketable securities. Realized gains or losses have been insignificant and are included in “interest and other income” in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

 

As of September 30, 2017, the Company had 2 securities in an unrealized loss position. The following table shows the gross unrealized losses and fair value of the Company’s investments with unrealized losses that are not deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position, at September 30, 2017 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less than 12 months

 

12 months or greater

 

Total

 

 

    

 

 

    

Gross

    

 

 

    

Gross

    

 

 

    

Gross

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrealized

 

 

 

 

Unrealized

 

 

 

 

Unrealized

 

 

 

Fair Value

 

Losses

 

Fair Value

 

Losses

 

Fair Value

 

Losses

 

Corporate debt securities

 

$

2,308

 

$

(1)

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

2,308

 

$

(1)

 

 

The gross unrealized losses above were caused by interest rate increases. No significant facts or circumstances have arisen to indicate that there has been any deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuers of the securities held by the Company. Based on the Company’s review of these securities, including the assessment of the duration and severity of the unrealized losses and the Company’s ability and intent to hold the investments until the recovery or maturity of such investments, there were no material other-than-temporary impairments for these securities at September 30, 2017. For debt securities, the Company does not intend to sell the investments and it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investments before recovery of the amortized cost.

 

Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

 

The Company utilizes the following fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs:

 

·

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

·

Level 2: Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

·

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

 

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The following tables represent the Company’s fair value hierarchy for its financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2017

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

    

Total

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

$

101

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

101

 

Commercial paper

 

 

 —

 

 

18,883

 

 

 —

 

 

18,883

 

Corporate debt securities

 

 

 —

 

 

2,308

 

 

 —

 

 

2,308

 

US Treasury securities

 

 

 —

 

 

3,605

 

 

 —

 

 

3,605

 

Total

 

$

101

 

$

24,796

 

$

 —

 

$

24,897

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contingent consideration—Zipsor

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

452

 

$

452

 

Contingent consideration—Lazanda

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

4,219

 

 

4,219

 

Contingent consideration—CAMBIA

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

965

 

 

965

 

 

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

5,636

 

$

5,636

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2016

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

    

Total

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

$

532

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

532

 

Commercial paper

 

 

 —

 

 

52,192

 

 

 —

 

 

52,192

 

Corporate debt securities

 

 

 —

 

 

36,850

 

 

 —

 

 

36,850

 

Total

 

$

532

 

$

89,042

 

$

 —

 

$

89,574

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contingent consideration—Zipsor

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

1,489

 

$

1,489

 

Contingent consideration—Lazanda

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

11,742

 

 

11,742

 

Contingent consideration—CAMBIA

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

1,594

 

 

1,594

 

 

 

$

 —

 

$

 —

 

$

14,825

 

$

14,825

 

 

The fair value measurement of the contingent consideration obligations arises from the Zipsor, CAMBIA and Lazanda acquisitions and relates to fair value of the potential future milestone payments and royalties payable under the respective agreements which are determined using Level 3 inputs. The key assumptions in determining the fair value are the revenue forecast, discount rate and the probability assigned to the potential milestones and royalties being achieved. At each reporting date, the Company re-measures the contingent consideration obligation arising from the above acquisitions to their estimated fair values. Any changes in the fair value of contingent consideration resulting from a change in the underlying inputs are recognized in operating expenses until the contingent consideration arrangement is settled. Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration resulting from the passage of time are recorded within interest expense until the contingent consideration is settled. The table below provides a summary of the changes in fair value recorded in interest expense and selling, general and administrative expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

Fair value, beginning of the period

 

$

7,356

 

$

14,898

 

$

14,825

 

$

14,971

Changes in fair value recorded in interest expense

 

 

221

 

 

608

 

 

1,017

 

 

1,802

Changes in fair value recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

(1,415)

 

 

78

 

 

(7,542)

 

 

(209)

Royalties and milestone paid

 

 

(526)

 

 

(635)

 

 

(2,664)

 

 

(1,615)

Total

 

 

5,636

 

 

14,949

 

 

5,636

 

 

14,949

 

The estimated fair value of the 2.50% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021, which the Company issued on September 9, 2014 is based on a market approach. The estimated fair value, based on quoted market prices of the Company’s debt, was approximately $257.3 million and $390.0 million (par value $345.0 million) as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, and represents a Level 2 valuation. The principal amount of the Senior Notes approximates their fair value as of September 30, 2017 and represents a Level 2 valuation. When determining the estimated fair value of the Company’s debt, the Company uses a commonly accepted valuation methodology and market-based risk measurements that are indirectly observable, such as credit risk. 

 

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There were no transfers between Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016.

 

NOTE 3.  NET LOSS PER SHARE

 

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, plus potentially dilutive common shares, related to unexercised stock options, unvested restricted stock awards, outstanding shares under the employee stock purchase plan and convertible debt. As the Company had net losses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, all potentially dilutive common shares were determined to be anti-dilutive. Basic and diluted earnings per common share are calculated as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

(in thousands, except for per share amounts)

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(15,992)

 

$

(12,894)

 

$

(69,392)

 

$

(44,352)

 

Denominator

 

 

62,997

 

 

61,422

 

 

62,556

 

 

61,163

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share

 

$

(0.25)

 

$

(0.21)

 

$

(1.11)

 

$

(0.73)

 

 

The following table sets forth outstanding potentially dilutive common shares that are not included in the computation of diluted net loss per share because to do so would be anti-dilutive:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

(in thousands)

    

2017

    

2016

 

Convertible debt

 

17,931

 

17,931

 

Stock options and equivalents

 

7,393

 

9,482

 

Total potentially dilutive common shares

 

25,324

 

27,413

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE 4.  LICENSE ARRANGEMENTS

 

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

 

In August 2012, the Company entered into a license agreement with Janssen Pharma that granted Janssen Pharma a non-exclusive license to certain patents and other intellectual property rights to its Acuform ® drug delivery technology for the development and commercialization of tapentadol extended release products, including NUCYNTA ER (tapentadol extended-release tablets). The Company receives low single digit royalties on net sales of NUCYNTA ER in Canada and Japan through December 31, 2021. The Company was also previously receiving royalties on sales of NUCYNTA ER in the U.S. until its acquisition of the U.S. rights to NUCYNTA ER from Janssen Pharma on April 2, 2015.

 

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NOTE 5.  STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

 

The following table presents stock-based compensation expense recognized for stock options, stock awards, restricted stock units and the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Cost of sales

 

$

 9

 

$

11

 

$

84

 

$

27

 

Research and development expense

 

 

45

 

 

121

 

 

652

 

 

329

 

Selling, general and administrative expense

 

 

2,857

 

 

4,232

 

 

9,134

 

 

12,246

 

Restructuring charges

 

 

52

 

 

 —

 

 

52

 

 

 —

 

Total

 

$

2,963

 

$

4,364

 

$

9,922

 

$

12,602

 

 

At September 30, 2017, the Company had $25.4 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to stock option grants and restricted stock units that will be recognized over an average vesting period of 2.42 years.

 

NOTE 6.  INVENTORIES

 

Inventories consist of finished goods, raw materials and work in process and are stated at the lower of cost or market and consist of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

Raw materials

 

$

1,710

 

$

2,362

 

Work-in-process

 

 

331

 

 

869

 

Finished goods

 

 

8,374

 

 

9,802

 

Total

 

$

10,415

 

$

13,033

 

 

 

NOTE 7.  ACCRUED LIABILITIES

 

Accrued liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

Accrued compensation

 

$

7,650

 

$

11,730

 

Accrued royalties

 

 

9,111

 

 

21,703

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

 

30,838

 

 

25,965

 

Total accrued liabilities

 

$

47,599

 

$

59,398

 

 

 

 

NOTE 8.  DEBT

 

Senior Notes

 

On April 2, 2015, the Company issued $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes (the Senior Notes) for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $562.0 million pursuant to a Note Purchase Agreement dated March 12, 2015 (Note Purchase Agreement) between the Company and Deerfield Private Design Fund III, L.P., Deerfield Partners, L.P., Deerfield International Master Fund, L.P., Deerfield Special Situations Fund, L.P., Deerfield Private Design Fund II, L.P., Deerfield Private Design International II, L.P., BioPharma Secured Investments III Holdings Cayman LP, Inteligo Bank Ltd. and Phemus Corporation (collectively, the Purchasers) and Deerfield Private Design Fund III, L.P., as collateral agent. The Company used $550.0 million of the net proceeds received upon the sale of the Senior Notes to fund a portion of the Purchase Price paid to Janssen Pharma in connection with the NUCYNTA acquisition. The Company incurred debt issuance costs of $0.5 million during 2015.

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The Senior Notes will mature on April 2, 2022 (unless earlier prepaid or repurchased), are secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company and any subsidiary guarantors, and bear interest at the rate equal to the lesser of (i) 9.75% over the three month London Inter-Bank Offer Rate (LIBOR), subject to a floor of 1.0% and (ii) 11.95% (through the third anniversary of the purchase date) and 12.95% (thereafter). The interest rate is determined at the first business day of each fiscal quarter, commencing with the first such date following April 2, 2015. The interest rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was 10.75%; the interest rate for the three months ended June 30, 2017 was 10.90%; and the interest rate for the three months ended September 30, 2017 was 11.05%.

 

Pursuant to the repayment terms specified in the Note Purchase Agreement, in April 2016, the Company prepaid and retired $100.0 million of the Senior Notes and paid a $5.0 million prepayment fee. The Company recorded a net loss on prepayment of the Senior Notes of $5.8 million which represented the prepayment fee of $5.0 million and the immediate recognition of unamortized balances of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $0.8 million in April 2016. 

 

In April 2017, the Company prepaid and retired $100.0 million of the Senior Notes and paid a $4.0 million prepayment fee. The Company recorded a net loss on prepayment of the Senior Notes of $5.4 million which represented the prepayment fee of $4.0 million and the immediate recognition of unamortized balances of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $1.4 million in April 2017.

 

The remaining $375.0 million of Senior Notes can be repaid prior to maturity, at the Company’s option. The Company is required to repay the outstanding Senior Notes in full if the principal amount outstanding on its existing 2.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2021 as of March 31, 2021, is greater than $100.0 million. In addition, if the successor entity in a Major Transaction, as defined in the Note Purchase Agreement, does not satisfy specified qualification criteria, the Purchasers may require the Company to prepay the Senior Notes upon consummation of the Major Transaction in an amount equal to the principal amount of outstanding Senior Notes, accrued and unpaid interest and a prepayment premium in an amount equal to what the Company would have otherwise paid in an optional prepayment described in the following paragraph. The Company is required to make mandatory prepayments on the Senior Notes in an amount equal to the proceeds it receives in connection with asset dispositions in excess of $10.0 million, together with accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount prepaid.

 

The Company paid a prepayment premium of $5.0 million in connection with the April 2016 prepayment of Senior Notes and a prepayment premium of $4.0 million with the April 2017 prepayment of Senior Notes. The Company is required to pay a prepayment premium equal to (i) 4% of the principal amount of the Notes to be prepaid, if such prepayment occurs after the second anniversary of the Purchase Date but on or prior to the third anniversary of the Purchase Date; (ii) 3% of the principal amount of the Notes to be prepaid, if such prepayment occurs after the third anniversary of the Purchase Date but on or prior to the fourth anniversary of the Purchase Date; (iii) 2% of the principal amount of the Notes to be prepaid, if such prepayment occurs after the fourth anniversary of the Purchase Date but on or prior to the fifth anniversary of the Purchase Date; (iv) 1% of the principal amount of the Notes to be prepaid, if such prepayment occurs after the fifth anniversary of the Purchase Date but on or prior to the sixth anniversary of the Purchase Date; and (v) zero, if such prepayment occurs after the sixth anniversary of the Purchase Date.

 

The Senior Notes and related indentures contain customary covenants, including, among other things, and subject to certain qualifications and exceptions, covenants that restrict the Company’s ability and the ability of its subsidiaries to: incur or guarantee additional indebtedness; create or permit liens on assets; pay dividends on capital stock or redeem, repurchase or retire capital stock or subordinated indebtedness; make certain investments and other restricted payments; engage in mergers, acquisitions, consolidations and amalgamations; transfer and sell certain assets; and engage in transactions with affiliates.

 

Pursuant to the Note Purchase Agreement, upon the consummation of the sale of the Senior Notes on April 2, 2015, the Company and Depo NF Sub, LLC entered into a Pledge and Security Agreement with the Deerfield Private Design Fund III, L.P. (the Collateral Agent), pursuant to which the Company and Depo NF Sub each granted the Collateral Agent (on behalf of the Purchasers) a security interest in substantially all of their assets, other than specifically excluded assets.

 

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The principal amount of the Senior Notes is repayable as follows (amounts in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2, 2018

    

$

57,500

 

April 2, 2019

 

 

115,000

 

April 2, 2020

 

 

115,000

 

April 2, 2021

 

 

87,500

 

 

 

$

375,000

 

 

The following is a summary of the carrying value of the Senior Notes as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 30,

    

December 31,

 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

Principal amount of the Senior Notes

 

$

375,000

 

$

475,000

 

Unamortized debt discount balance

 

 

(5,551)

 

 

(8,605)

 

Unamortized debt issuance costs

 

 

(223)

 

 

(344)

 

 

 

$

369,226

 

$

466,051

 

 

The debt discount and debt issuance costs are being amortized as interest expense through April 2022 using the effective interest method. The following is a summary of interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Contractual interest expense

 

$

10,589

 

 

13,049

 

 

33,748

 

 

41,671

 

Amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs

 

 

614

 

 

581

 

 

1,811

 

 

1,663

 

Total interest expense

 

$

11,203

 

$

13,630

 

$

35,559

 

$

43,334

 

 

Convertible Notes

 

On September 9, 2014, the Company issued $345.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2.50% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021 (the Convertible Notes) resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $334.2 million after deducting the underwriting discount and offering expenses of $10.4 million and $0.4 million, respectively.

 

The Convertible Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, as supplemented by a supplemental indenture between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the Trustee), and mature on September 1, 2021, unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased. The Convertible Notes bear interest at the rate of 2.50% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears on March 1 and September 1 of each year, beginning March 1, 2015.

 

Prior to March 1, 2021, holders of the Convertible Notes can convert their securities, at their option: (i) during any calendar quarter commencing after December 31, 2014, if the last reported sale price of the common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to $25.01 (130% of the $19.24 conversion price) on each applicable trading day; (ii) during the five business day period after any five consecutive trading day period in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of our common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; and (iii) at any time upon the occurrence of specified corporate transactions, to include a change of control (as defined in the Notes Indenture). On or after March 1, 2021 to the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, the holders of the Convertible Notes may convert all or any portion of their notes, in multiples of $1,000 principal amount, at the option of the holder regardless of the foregoing circumstances. The initial conversion rate of 51.9852 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $19.24 per share of common stock.

 

Upon conversion, the Company will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of the Company's common stock or a combination of cash and shares of the Company's common stock, at the Company's election. As more fully described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issuance of the Convertible Notes filed with the SEC on

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September 5, 2014, if the conversion obligation is satisfied solely in cash or through payment and delivery of a combination of cash and shares, the amount of cash and shares, if any, due upon conversion will be based on a daily conversion value calculated on a proportionate basis for each trading day in a 40 trading day observation period.

 

The closing price of the Company’s common stock did not exceed 130% of the $19.24 conversion price, for the required period during the three months ended September 30, 2017. As a result, the Convertible Notes were not convertible as of September 30, 2017.

 

The Convertible Notes were accounted for in accordance with ASC Subtopic 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options. Pursuant to ASC Subtopic 470-20, since the Convertible Notes can be settled in cash, shares of common stock or a combination of cash and shares of common stock at the Company’s option, the Company is required to separately account for the liability (debt) and equity (conversion option) components of the instrument. The carrying amount of the liability component of any outstanding debt instrument is computed by estimating the fair value of a similar liability without the conversion option. The amount of the equity component is then calculated by deducting the fair value of the liability component from the principal amount of the convertible debt instrument. The effective interest rate used in determining the liability component of the Convertible Notes was 9.34%. This resulted in the recognition of $226.0 million as the liability component net of a $119.0 million debt discount with a corresponding increase to paid-in capital representing the equity component of the Convertible Notes. The underwriting discount of $10.4 million and offering expenses of $0.4 million were allocated between debt issuance costs and equity issuance costs in proportion to the allocation of the proceeds.

 

The following is a summary of the liability component of the Convertible Notes as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

December 31,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

 

Principal amount of the Convertible Notes

 

$

345,000

 

$

345,000

 

Unamortized discount of the liability component

 

 

(75,892)

 

 

(87,570)

 

Unamortized debt issuance costs

 

 

(3,945)

 

 

(4,705)

 

 

 

$

265,163

 

$

252,725

 

 

The debt discount and debt issuance costs are being amortized as interest expense through September 2021. The following is a summary of interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Stated coupon interest

 

$

2,156

 

 

2,157

 

 

6,468

 

 

6,469

 

Amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs

 

 

4,225

 

 

3,879

 

 

12,438

 

 

11,421

 

Total interest expense

 

$

6,381

 

$

6,036

 

$

18,906

 

$

17,890

 

 

 

NOTE 9.  SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

Option Exercises

 

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, employees exercised options to purchase 50,159 and 863,511 shares of the Company’s common stock with net proceeds to the Company of approximately $0.3 million and $6.3 million, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, employees exercised options to purchase 154,789 and 569,288 shares of the Company’s common stock with net proceeds to the Company of approximately $1.6 million and $5.0 million, respectively.

 

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Restricted Stock Units

 

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company issued zero and 42,068 shares of the Company’s common stock due to vesting of restricted stock units, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the Company issued zero and 42,697 shares of the Company’s common stock due to vesting of restricted stock units, respectively.

 

NOTE 10.  INCOME TAXES

 

As of September 30, 2017, our net deferred tax assets are fully offset by a valuation allowance.  The valuation allowance is determined in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740, Income taxes , which require an assessment of both negative and positive evidence when measuring the need for a valuation allowance.  Based on the weight of available evidence, we provided a full valuation allowance against our net deferred assets in December of 2016.  We reassess the need for a valuation allowance on a quarterly basis.  If it is determined that a portion or all of the valuation allowance is not required, it will generally be a benefit to the income tax provision in the period such determination is made.

 

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the difference between the recorded benefit for income taxes and the tax benefit based on the federal statutory rate of 35%, was primarily attributable to the impact of the valuation allowance. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the difference between the recorded benefit for income taxes and the tax benefit based on the federal statutory rate of 35%, was primarily attributable to the impact of net non-deductible expenses and minor discrete adjustments. 

 

Tax years 2013-2017 remain open to examination by the Internal Revenue Service and tax years 2007-2017 remain open in certain state taxing jurisdictions in which the Company operates.  The Company’s net operating losses and credits from earlier tax years may remain open to adjustment by taxing authorities until the statute of limitation tolls on the year all carryovers are utilized in full.  Interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits, would be recognized as income tax expense by the Company. The Company has approximately $0.9 million of accrued interest and penalties associated with unrecognized tax benefits.

 

NOTE 11.  COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Leases

 

We have a non-cancelable operating lease for our office building and we are obligated to make payments under non-cancelable operating leases for automobiles used by our sales force. Future minimum lease payments under our non-cancelable operating leases at September 30, 2017 were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year Ending December 31,

    

Lease Payments

 

2017 (remainder)

 

$

1,082

 

2018

 

 

3,909

 

2019

 

 

2,433

 

2020

 

 

1,972

 

2021

 

 

1,673

 

Thereafter

 

 

1,572

 

Total

 

$

12,641

 

 

In April 2012, the Company entered into an office and laboratory lease agreement to lease approximately 52,500 rentable square feet in Newark, California commencing on December 1, 2012. The Company occupied approximately 8,000 additional rentable square feet commencing in July 2015.  The lease will expire on November 30, 2022. However, the Company has the right to renew the lease for one additional five year term, provided that written notice is made to the landlord no later than 12 months prior to the lease expiration.

 

The Company was allowed to control physical access to the premises upon signing the lease. Therefore, in accordance with the applicable accounting guidance, the lease term was deemed to have commenced in April 2012. Accordingly, the rent free periods and the escalating rent payments contained within the lease are being recognized on a

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straight-line basis from April 2012. The Company will pay approximately $8.3 million in aggregate rent over the remaining term of the lease for the above premises. Deferred rent was approximately $1.5 million as of September 30, 2017 and $1.6 million as of December 31, 2016. Rent expense relating to the office and laboratory lease agreement for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, was $0.1 million and $0.1 million, respectively, and $0.4 million and $0.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively.

 

The Company has an operating lease agreement with Enterprise FM Trust (Enterprise) for the lease of vehicles to be used by the Company's sales force, with the lease terms ranging from 18 to 48 months. The Company will pay approximately $4.2 million in aggregate rent over the remaining term of the lease for the vehicles. Rent expense relating to the lease of cars for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016 was $0.8 million and $0.8 million, respectively, and $2.4 million and $2.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively.

 

Legal Matters

 

Depomed v. NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA ER ANDA Filers

 

Actavis & Alkem :  In July 2013, Janssen Pharma filed patent infringement lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (D.N.J.) against Actavis Elizabeth LLC, Actavis Inc. and Actavis LLC (collectively, Actavis), as well as Alkem Laboratories Limited and Ascend Laboratories, LLC (collectively, Alkem). The patent infringement claims against Actavis and Alkem relate to their respective ANDAs seeking approval to market generic versions of NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA ER before the expiration of U.S. Reissue Patent No. 39,593 (the ’593 Patent), U.S. Patent No. 7,994,364 (the ’364 Patent) and, as to Actavis only, U.S. Patent No. 8,309,060 (the ’060 Patent). In December 2013, Janssen Pharma filed an additional complaint in the D.N.J. against Alkem asserting that U.S. Patent No. 8,536,130 (the ’130 Patent) relates to Alkem’s ANDA seeking approval to market a generic version of NUCYNTA ER. In August 2014, Janssen Pharma amended the complaint against Alkem to add additional dosage strengths.

 

Sandoz & Roxane :  In October 2013, Janssen Pharma received a Paragraph IV Notice from Sandoz, Inc. (Sandoz) with respect to NUCYNTA related to the ’364 Patent, and a Paragraph IV Notice from Roxane Laboratories, Inc. (Roxane) with respect to NUCYNTA related to the ’364 and ’593 Patents. In response to those notices, Janssen Pharma filed an additional complaint in the D.N.J. against Roxane and Sandoz asserting the ’364 Patent against Sandoz and the ’364 and ’593 Patents against Roxane. In April 2014, Janssen Pharma and Sandoz entered into a joint stipulation of dismissal of the case against Sandoz, based on Sandoz's agreement not to market a generic version of NUCYNTA products prior to the expiration of the asserted patents. In June 2014, in response to a Paragraph IV Notice from Roxane with respect to NUCYNTA ER, Janssen Pharma filed an additional complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey asserting the ’364, ’593, and ’130 Patents against Roxane.

 

Watson :  In July 2014, in response to a Paragraph IV Notice from Watson Laboratories, Inc. (Watson) with respect to the NUCYNTA oral solution product and the ’364 and ’593 Patents, Janssen Pharma filed a lawsuit in the D.N.J. asserting the ’364 and ’593 Patents against Watson.

 

In each of the foregoing actions, the ANDA filers counterclaimed for declaratory relief of noninfringement and patent invalidity. At the time that the actions were commenced, Janssen Pharma was the exclusive U.S. licensee of the patents referred to above. On April 2, 2015, the Company acquired the U.S. rights to the NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA from Janssen Pharma. As part of the acquisition, the Company became the exclusive U.S. licensee of the patents referred to above. The Company was added as a plaintiff to the pending cases and is actively litigating them.

In September 2015, the Company filed an additional complaint in the D.N.J. asserting the ’130 Patent against Actavis. The ’130 Patent issued in September 2013 and was timely listed in the Orange Book for NUCYNTA ER, but Actavis did not file a Paragraph IV Notice with respect to this patent.  In its new lawsuit, the Company claimed that Actavis would infringe or induce infringement of the ’130 Patent if its proposed generic products were approved. In response, Actavis counterclaimed for declaratory relief of noninfringement and patent invalidity, as well as an order requiring the Company to change the corrected use code listed in the Orange Book for the ’130 Patent.

In February 2016, Actavis, Actavis UT, Roxane and Alkem each stipulated to infringement of the ’593 and ’364 patents.  A two-week bench trial on the validity of the three asserted patents and infringement of the ’130 Patent was commenced on March 9, 2016.  Closing arguments took place on April 27, 2016.  On September 30, 2016, the Court

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issued its final decision.  The Court found that the ’593, ’364 Patent, and ’130 Patents are all valid and enforceable, that Alkem will induce infringement of the ’130 Patent, and that Roxane and Actavis will not infringe the ’130 Patent. 

On November 3, 2016, Alkem filed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit appealing the Court’s finding that the ’364 and ’130 Patents are not invalid and that Alkem infringes the ’130 Patent.  The Company moved to terminate Alkem’s appeal on the grounds that a final judgment had not yet been entered by the Court, and the Federal Circuit deactivated Alkem’s appeal on December 16, 2016.  On April 11, 2017, the Court entered final judgment in favor of the Company on the validity and enforceability of all three patents, on infringement of the ’593 and ’364 Patents by all defendants, and on infringement of the ’130 Patent against Alkem.  The judgment includes an injunction enjoining all three defendants from engaging in certain activities with tapentadol (the active ingredient in NUCYNTA), and ordering the effective date of any approval of Actavis, Actavis UT, and Roxane’s ANDAs, and Alkem’s ANDA for NUCYNTA IR to be no earlier than the expiry of the ’364 Patent (June 27, 2025), and the effective date of any approval of Alkem’s ANDA for NUCYNTA ER to be no early than the expiry of the ’130 Patent (September 22, 2028).  The period of exclusivity with respect to all four defendants may in the future be extended with the award of pediatric exclusivity.

Notices of appeal were filed by defendants Alkem and Roxane concerning the ’364 and ’130 patent issues.  The Company filed its own cross-appeal with regard to the Court’s finding that Roxane and Actavis will not infringe the claims of the ’130 Patent.  The appeals have been consolidated at the Federal Circuit, and the briefing schedule is expected to continue until the first quarter of 2018, with a hearing scheduled later in 2018.  The ’593 patent is not the subject of any appeals.

 

Depomed v. Purdue

 

The Company has sued Purdue Pharma L.P (Purdue) for patent infringement in a lawsuit filed in January 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The lawsuit arises from Purdue’s commercialization of reformulated OxyContin® (oxycodone hydrochloride controlled-release) in the U.S. and alleges infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,340,475 (the ‘475 Patent) and 6,635,280 (the ‘280 Patent), which expired in September 2016.

 

On September 28, 2015, the district court stayed the Purdue lawsuit pending the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in Purdue’s appeal of the PTAB’s Final Written Decisions described below.  On June 30, 2016, the district court lifted the stay based on the CAFC’s opinion and judgment affirming the PTAB’s Final Written Decisions confirming the patentability of the patent claims of the ‘475 and ‘280 Patents Purdue had challenged. The parties filed opening Markman briefs on June 3, 2016 and their responsive Markman briefs in July 2016. The Markman hearing was held on November 2, 2016 and on April 6, 2017, the Court issued a Markman order which is available on the docket.  On June 10, 2016, the Company filed a motion for leave to file a second amended Complaint to plead willful infringement and remove claims of infringement related to U.S. Patent No. 6,723,340 (the ‘340 Patent) and 8,329,215 (the ‘215 Patent). On June 21, 2016, Purdue filed an opposition to the Company’s motion for leave to plead willful infringement, but did not oppose removing claims related to the ‘340 and ‘215 Patents. On June 28, 2016, the Company filed a reply brief to its motion for leave. On January 31, 2017, the Court granted the Company’s motion for leave to plead willful infringement. 

 

On June 1, 2016, Purdue filed a motion for leave to amend its invalidity contentions to add allegations of indefiniteness and confirm that certain invalidity defenses remained in the case post-IPR proceedings. On June 21, 2016 the Company filed an opposition to Purdue’s motion for leave and a cross-motion to strike Purdue’s invalidity contentions.  On November 4, 2016, the Court granted Purdue’s motion for leave to amend its invalidity contentions, and denied the Company’s cross-motion to strike. On October 28, 2016, Purdue moved for leave to amend its answer to add a counterclaim of unenforceability and affirmative defenses of inequitable conduct and unclean hands.  On November 7, 2016, Depomed filed its opposition to Purdue’s motion for leave to amend its Answer.  On November 14, 2016, Purdue filed a reply to its motion for leave to amend its Answer. 

 

On February 1, 2017, Depomed filed a Second Amended Complaint pleading willful infringement.  On February 15, 2017, Purdue answered Depomed’s Second Amended Complaint asserting counterclaims of non-infringement, invalidity and unenforceability.  On March 6, 2017, Depomed moved to dismiss Purdue’s counterclaim of inequitable conduct and moved to strike affirmative defenses of inequitable conduct, unclean hands, and patent misuse.  On March 20, 2017, Purdue filed an opposition to Depomed’s motion, and on March 27, 2017, Depomed filed a reply brief.  On April 17, 2017, the Court issued an order finding Purdue’s motion to amend its Answer was moot.  On June 28, 2017, the Court issued an order granting Depomed’s motion to dismiss Purdue’s affirmative defense of patent misuse and

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theory of inequitable conduct related to interrogatory responses, and the order denied the remainder of Depomed’s motion.  On July 10, 2017, the case was reassigned to Judge Wolfson.  On July 11, 2017, the Court scheduled fact discovery regarding inequitable conduct to close on August 2, 2017, expert discovery to close on November 16, 2017, the deadline for dispositive motions as December 19, 2017, and a pretrial conference on January 25, 2018.  The Court also scheduled a teleconference for October 12, 2017.  No trial date has been set by the Court, though the Company expects a trial may be scheduled in early 2018.

 

In response to petitions filed by Purdue, the PTAB instituted IPRs of certain of the claims asserted in the Company’s lawsuit against Purdue. In the IPRs initiated by Purdue, in July 2014, the PTAB declined to institute an IPR as to two claims of the ‘475 patent and two claims of the ‘280 Patent. The PTAB instituted an IPR as to the other 15 claims of the ‘475 Patent and as to the other ten claims of the ‘280 Patent asserted against Purdue.  In July 2015, the PTAB issued Final Written Decisions confirming the patentability of all claims at issue. In March 2016, following Purdue’s appeal of the PTAB’s decisions, the CAFC affirmed the PTAB’s Final Written Decisions.    

 

Depomed v. Strides Pharma Inc. and Strides Pharma Global Pte Limited

 

On May 5, 2017, the Company filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against Strides Pharma Inc. and Strides Pharma Global Pte Limited (collectively, Strides) based on Strides’ filing of an ANDA to market a generic version of ZIPSOR prior to the expiration of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,662,858; 7,884,095; 7,939,518; 8,110,606; 8,623,920; and 9,561,200 (the patents-in-suit).  By letter dated March 27, 2017, Strides informed the Company that it had filed an ANDA for a generic version of ZIPSOR with Paragraph IV certifications against each of the patents-in-suit.  The Company’s filing of the complaint against Strides resulted in an automatic 30-month stay of FDA approval of Strides’ ANDA, lasting until September 2019.

 

On August 11, 2017, the Company and the defendants reached a settlement of the case that permits Strides to begin selling their generic version of ZIPSOR in September 2022, or earlier in certain circumstances.  In accordance with applicable legal requirements, the Company and Strides submitted the ZIPSOR settlement agreement to the United States Federal Trade Commission and United States Department of Justice for review.  The ZIPSOR settlement agreement provides for a full settlement and release by both the Company and Strides of all claims that were or could have been asserted in the litigation and that arise out of the issues that were the subject of the litigation or Strides’ generic version of ZIPSOR.

 

Previously, in July 2013, the Company filed suit against Banner Pharmacaps Inc. (Banner) and Watson Laboratories, Inc. (Watson) based on Banner’s filing of an ANDA for a generic version of ZIPSOR.  The Company and the defendants reached a settlement of the case that permits Watson to begin selling their generic version of ZIPSOR on March 24, 2022, or earlier under certain circumstances. The Company believes that Banner and Watson may be entitled to 180-day exclusivity with respect to generic ZIPSOR.

 

Securities Class Action Lawsuit

 

On August 23, 2017, the Company, its current chief executive officer and president, its former chief executive officer and president, and its current chief financial officer were named as defendants in a purported federal securities law class action filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (Huang v. Depomed et al., No. 3:17-cv-04830-JST, N.D. Cal.).  The action alleges violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 10b-5 relating to certain prior disclosures of the Company about its business, compliance, and operational policies; and practices concerning the sales and marketing of its opioid products.  The plaintiff, who seeks to represent a class consisting of all purchasers of Company common stock between February 26, 2015 and August 7, 2017, contends that the conduct supporting the alleged violations affected the value of Company common stock and is seeking damages and other relief.  Motions to appoint lead plaintiff and lead counsel were filed on October 17, 2017, with a motion hearing set for December 7, 2017.  The Company believes that the action is without merit and intends to contest it vigorously.

 

Opioid-Related Request and Subpoenas

 

The Company, and a number of other pharmaceutical companies, recently received a request for information from the ranking minority member of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs related to the promotion of opioids.  The Company has voluntarily furnished information responsive to such request.

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The Company, and a number of other pharmaceutical companies, recently received subpoenas or civil investigative demands related to opioid sales and marketing from the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, the Office of the Attorney General of New Jersey, the Attorney General of Missouri and the United States Department of Justice.  The Company is currently cooperating with the each of the foregoing states and the Department of Justice in their respective investigations.

 

General

 

The Company cannot reasonably predict the outcome of the pending legal proceedings or other matters described above, nor can the Company estimate the amount of loss, range of loss or other adverse consequence, if any, that may result from these proceedings or the amount of any gain in the event we prevail in litigation involving a claim for damages. As such, the Company is not currently able to estimate the impact of the above matters on its financial position or results of operations.

 

The Company may from time to time become party to actions, claims, suits, investigations or proceedings arising from the ordinary course of its business, including actions with respect to intellectual property claims, breach of contract claims, labor and employment claims and other matters. Although actions, claims, suits, investigations and proceedings are inherently uncertain and their results cannot be predicted with certainty, other than the matters set forth above, the Company is not currently involved in any matters that it believes may have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations or financial condition. However, regardless of the outcome, litigation, actions, claims, suits, investigations and proceedings can have an adverse impact on the Company because of associated cost and diversion of management time.

 

NOTE 12.  ACQUISITIONS

 

The Cebranopadol Acquisition

 

On November 17, 2015, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the U.S. and Canadian rights to cebranopadol and its related follow-on compound from Grünenthal. Cebranopadol is a novel, first-in-class analgesic in development for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic nociceptive and neuropathic pain. The Company is currently evaluating the development plan for cebranopadol, including the timing of potential Phase 3 trials. The acquisition was completed on December 30, 2015.

 

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Endo International Plc (Endo), to resolve Depomed's ongoing patent litigation against Endo for alleged infringement of three of the Company's patents by Endo's OPANA ER product (the Settlement). As the formulator of OPANA ER, Grünenthal indemnified Endo for certain intellectual property matters, including the Company's ongoing patent infringement lawsuit against Endo. The settlement agreement granted Endo a non-exclusive patent license in the United States, and a covenant not to sue outside the United States, for the currently marketed form of OPANA ER. In addition, the Company provided Grünenthal with a limited covenant not to sue under certain of the Company's Acuform® drug delivery patents with specific drug substances as well as $25.0 million in cash. The Company will also pay Grünenthal royalties on net sales and one-time net sales milestones. There are no clinical, regulatory or approval milestone payments.

 

The cebranopadol acquisition was treated as an asset acquisition under the applicable guidance contained within U.S. GAAP. The total purchase consideration of $54.9 million consisting of $25 million paid in cash upon the closing of the acquisition and $29.9 million reflecting the fair value of each of the elements of the Settlement, was recorded as in-process research and development expense in the fourth quarter of 2015. Significant judgments were used in determining the estimated fair values assigned to the elements of the Settlement, such as but not limited to, the probability of the Company succeeding in its litigation against Endo had the litigation not been resolved, estimates of royalty rates and any damages that may have been awarded by the court, the timing of such an award and estimates of appropriate discount rates used to present value these expected future net cash flows. An actual judgment awarded by the court may have differed materially from the amounts recorded.

 

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The NUCYNTA Acquisition

 

On January 15, 2015, the Company, entered into an asset purchase agreement pursuant to which the Company acquired from Janssen and its affiliates the U.S. rights to the NUCYNTA franchise of pharmaceutical products (the NUCYNTA U.S. Product Rights) as well as certain related assets for $1.05 billion in cash (the Purchase Price).

 

The NUCYNTA franchise includes NUCYNTA ER (tapentadol) extended release tablets indicated for the management of pain, including neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment, NUCYNTA (tapentadol), an immediate release version of tapentadol, for management of moderate to severe acute pain in adults, and NUCYNTA (tapentadol) oral solution, an approved oral form of tapentadol that has not been commercialized (collectively, the Products).

 

Upon the consummation of the transaction on April 2, 2015, the Company acquired (i) rights to commercialize the Products in the United States, and (ii) certain other assets relating to the Products, including finished goods product inventory and certain manufacturing equipment.  In addition, Janssen Pharma assigned to the Company all of its rights and obligations under the License Agreement (U.S.) (the License Agreement) by and among Janssen Pharma, Janssen Research & Development, LLC and Grünenthal pursuant to which Janssen has a royalty-bearing license to certain Grünenthal patents and other intellectual property rights covering the commercialization of the Products in the United States.

 

In connection with the transaction, the Company assumed responsibility for the ongoing legal proceedings relating to certain of the Grünenthal patents licensed under the License Agreement and Janssen Pharma’s clinical obligations relating to the Products and will be responsible for the associated post acquisition costs.  Other than as set forth in the Asset Purchase Agreement, Janssen Pharma retained all liabilities relating to the Products associated with Janssen Pharma’s commercialization of the Products prior to the consummation of the transaction.

 

In connection with the transaction, the Company, Janssen Pharma and certain affiliates of Janssen also entered into (i) supply agreements pursuant to which Janssen Pharma will manufacture and supply the Products to the Company until the Company, or its contract manufacturer, begins commercial production of the Products, following which the Company will manufacture and supply Janssen Pharma for its requirements for NUCYNTA outside of the United States and (ii) a supply agreement pursuant to which an affiliate of Janssen will manufacture and supply the Company with the active pharmaceutical ingredient contained in the Products.

 

In connection with the consummation of the transaction, on April 2, 2015, the Company sold an aggregate of $575.0 million principal amount of the Senior Notes for gross proceeds of approximately $562.0 million. The Company used $550.0 million of the net proceeds received upon the sale of the Senior Notes to fund a portion of the Purchase Price paid to Janssen Pharma.

 

Pursuant to ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations, the Transaction was determined to be a business combination and was accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting. The following table presents a summary of the purchase price consideration for the Transaction:

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

    

 

 

 

Cash Paid

 

$

1,050,000

 

Rebates payable by Seller

 

 

(9,977)

 

Total Purchase Consideration

 

$

1,040,023

 

 

The rebates payable by Janssen Pharma represent a reduction to the total purchase consideration. The fair value of the rebates payable by Janssen Pharma was determined based on estimates that take into consideration the terms of agreements with customers, historical rebates taken, and the estimated amount of time it takes the product to flow through the distribution channel.

 

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Under the acquisition method of accounting, we have recognized net tangible and intangible assets acquired based upon their respective estimated fair values as of the acquisition date. The table below shows the fair values of the assets acquired:

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

    

 

 

 

NUCYNTA U.S. Product Rights

 

$

1,019,978

 

Inventories

 

 

11,590

 

Manufacturing Equipment

 

 

8,455

 

 

 

$

1,040,023

 

 

NUCYNTA U.S. Product Rights

 

The valuation of the NUCYNTA US Product Rights was based on management’s estimates, information and reasonable and supportable assumptions. This estimated fair value was determined using the income approach under the discounted cash flow method. Significant assumptions used in valuing the NUCYNTA US Product Rights included revenue projections based on assumptions relating to pricing and reimbursement rates, market size and market penetration rates, general and administrative expenses, sales and marketing expenses, research and development expenses for clinical and regulatory support and developing an appropriate discount rate. If the Company’s assumptions are not correct, there could be an impairment loss or, in the case of a change in the estimated useful life of the asset, a change in amortization expense. The NUCYNTA US Product Rights intangible asset is amortized using the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of approximately ten years. The estimated useful life was determined based on the period of time over which the NUCYNTA US Product Rights are expected to contribute to the Company’s future cash flows.

 

NOTE 13.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS

 

The gross carrying amounts and net book values of our intangible assets were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2017

 

December 31, 2016

 

 

    

Remaining

    

Gross

    

    

    

    

 

    

Gross

    

    

    

    

 

 

 

Useful Life

 

Carrying

 

Accumulated

 

Net Book

 

Carrying

 

Accumulated

 

Net Book

 

Amounts in thousands

 

(In years)

 

Amount

 

Amortization

 

Value

 

Amount

 

Amortization

 

Value

 

NUCYNTA product rights

 

8.3

 

$

1,019,978

 

$

(243,016)

 

$

776,962

 

$

1,019,978

 

$

(172,288)

 

$

847,690

 

CAMBIA product rights

 

6.3

 

 

51,360

 

 

(19,471)

 

 

31,889

 

 

51,360

 

 

(15,619)

 

 

35,741

 

Lazanda product rights

 

4.9

 

 

10,480

 

 

(4,852)

 

 

5,628

 

 

10,480

 

 

(3,979)

 

 

6,501

 

Zipsor product rights

 

4.6

 

 

27,250

 

 

(16,785)

 

 

10,465

 

 

27,250

 

 

(15,033)

 

 

12,217

 

 

 

 

 

$

1,109,068

 

$

(284,124)

 

$

824,944

 

$

1,109,068

 

$

(206,919)

 

$

902,149

 

 

In September 2016, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled in favor of the Company in the Company's patent litigation against all three ANDA filers for the Company’s NUCYNTA franchise. Based upon the Court’s ruling, the Company expects market exclusivity until December 2025 for NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA oral solution (an unmarketed form of NUCYNTA). Based upon the Court’s ruling in 2016, the Company

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reviewed the useful life of the NUCYNTA product rights and extended that from the previous estimate of June 2025 to December 2025.

 

Based on finite-lived intangible assets recorded as of September 30, 2017, and assuming the underlying assets will not be impaired and that we will not change the expected lives of the assets, future amortization expenses were estimated as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Estimated

 

 

 

Amortization

 

Year Ending December 31,

 

Expense

 

2017 (remainder)

 

$

25,734

 

2018

 

 

102,939

 

2019

 

 

102,939

 

2020

 

 

102,939

 

2021

 

 

102,939

 

Thereafter

 

 

387,454

 

Total

 

$

824,944

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE 14.  OUT OF PERIOD ADJUSTMENT

 

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company identified that it had understated the amount payable for the Branded Prescription Drug fee (BPD) relating to net sales of the NUCYNTA franchise since its acquisition in the second quarter of 2015. Accordingly, the Company recorded an adjustment during the three months ended March 31, 2017 to increase its BPD accrual relating to the net sales of the NUCYNTA franchise in the cumulative amount of $3.4 million of which $1.4 million and $2.0 million related to the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2016, respectively. This adjustment resulted in an increase in loss per share by $0.05 in the three months ended March 31, 2017. In accordance with the relevant guidance, management evaluated the materiality of the error from a qualitative and quantitative perspective. Based on such evaluation, we concluded that correcting the cumulative error would not be material to the expected full year results for 2017, and correcting the error would not have had a material impact on any individual prior period financial statements or affect the trend of financial results.

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE 15.  RESTRUCTURING CHARGES

 

The Company announced a reduction-in-force during the three months ended June 30, 2017 in order to streamline operations and achieve operating efficiencies. The Company recorded $0.5 million and $3.9 million in severance and benefits charges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.  Restructuring and related liabilities payable as of September 30, 2017 is $0.7 million. The restructuring activities were completed by September 30, 2017.

 

 

 

NOTE 16. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

On November 7, 2017, the Company entered into an agreement with Slán Medicinal Holdings Limited (Slán) under which it (i) acquired from Slán certain rights to market the specialty drug, cosyntropin (Synthetic ACTH Depot) in the United States and (ii) divested to Slán all of its rights to Lazanda® (fentanyl) nasal spray CII. 

 

On November 8, 2017, the Company, in accordance with the terms of the Senior Notes, prepaid $10 million of the remaining $375 million principal amount thereunder. In addition, the Company also paid a $0.4 million prepayment fee and recorded an expense for related unamortized balances of debt discount and debt issuance costs in November 2017.

 

 

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

 

Statements made in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events.  Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “will,” “may” and other similar expressions.  In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not necessarily limited to, those relating to:

 

·

the commercial success and market acceptance of our products;

·

the current and future market conditions for short-acting and long-acting opioids;

·

the reversal or any successful appeal of the court’s favorable ruling in our patent infringement litigation against the filers of Abbreviated New Drug Applications (each, an ANDA) to market generic versions of NUCYNTA® ER and NUCYNTA® in the United States (U.S.);

·

any additional patent infringement or other litigation, proceeding or government investigation that may be instituted related to any of our products, product candidate or products we may acquire;

·

legal and regulatory developments in the United States affecting our industry on the market for our products, product candidate or products we may acquire;

·

our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from our business to make payments on our indebtedness and our compliance with the terms and conditions of the agreements governing our indebtedness;

·

our and our collaborative partners’ compliance or non-compliance with legal and regulatory requirements related to the promotion of pharmaceutical products in the U.S.;

·

our plans to acquire, in-license or co-promote other products;

·

the results of our research and development efforts including clinical studies relating to our product candidate;

·

submission, acceptance and approval of regulatory filings;

·

our ability to raise additional capital, if necessary;

·

our collaborative partners’ compliance or non-compliance with obligations under our collaboration agreements; and

·

the outcome of our ongoing patent infringement litigation against Purdue Pharma L.P. (Purdue).

 

Factors that could cause actual results or conditions to differ from those anticipated by these and other forward-looking statements include those more fully described in the “ RISK FACTORS ” section and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement publicly, or to revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or developments occurring after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, even if new information becomes available in the future. Thus, you should not assume that our silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in any such forward-looking statement.

 

ABOUT DEPOMED

 

Depomed is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on pain and other central nervous system (CNS) conditions. Our current specialty pharmaceutical business includes the following six products marketed in the United States for various pain states:

 

·

The NUCYNTA® franchise of pain products we acquired in April 2015 (the Nucynta Acquisition), which includes two products currently marketed in the U.S.:

·

NUCYNTA® ER (tapentadol extended release tablets), a product for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long term opioid treatment, including neuropathic pain

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associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in adults, and for which alternate treatment options are inadequate; and

·

NUCYNTA®   IR  ( NUCYNTA) (tapentadol), an immediate release version of tapentadol for the management of moderate to severe acute pain in adults.

·

Gralise® (gabapentin), a once-daily product for the management of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) we launched in October 2011.

·

CAMBIA® (diclofenac potassium for oral solution), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for the acute treatment of migraine attacks we acquired in December 2013.

·

Lazanda® (fentanyl) nasal spray, a product for the management of breakthrough cancer pain in cancer patients 18 years of age and older who are already receiving and who are tolerant to opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain we acquired in July 2013.  We divested our rights to Lazanda to Slán Medicinal Holdings Limited ("Slán") on November 7, 2017.

·

Zipsor® (diclofenac potassium) liquid filled capsules, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for the treatment of mild to moderate acute pain we acquired in June 2012.

 

We actively seek to expand our product portfolio through acquiring or in-licensing commercially available products or late-stage product candidates that may be marketed and sold effectively with our existing products through our sales and marketing capability, which currently includes approximately 300 full-time sales representatives and 50 contract sales representatives.

 

We currently have one product candidate, cebranopadol initially for treatment of chronic lower back pain and potentially for chronic nociceptive and neuropathic pain. We licensed the U.S. and Canadian rights to cebranopadol from Grünenthal GmbH (Grünenthal) in December 2015. We are currently evaluating the development plan for cebranopadol, including the timing of potential Phase 3 trials.

 

We also have royalty and milestone producing license arrangements based on our proprietary Acuform® gastroretentive drug delivery technology with Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Ironwood) and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Janssen Pharma).

 

Commercialized Products and Product Candidate Development Pipeline

 

The following table summarizes our products and product candidate development pipeline:

 

Depomed Commercialized Products and Development Pipeline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product

    

Indication

    

Status

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NUCYNTA ER

 

Pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long term opioid treatment, including neuropathic pain associated with DPN in adults, and for which alternate treatment options are inadequate

 

Currently sold in the U.S.

  Acquired in April 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NUCYNTA

 

Management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate.

 

Currently sold in the U.S.
Acquired in April 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gralise

 

Management of PHN

 

Currently sold in the U.S.
Launched in October 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAMBIA

 

Acute treatment of migraine attacks in adults 18 years of age or older

 

Currently sold in the U.S.
Acquired in December 2013

 

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Zipsor

 

Mild to moderate acute pain

 

Currently sold in the U.S.
Acquired in June 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lazanda

 

Breakthrough pain in cancer patients 18 years of age and older who are already receiving and who are tolerant to continuous opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain

 

Currently sold in the U.S.

Acquired in July 2013.  We divested our rights to Lazanda to Slán on November 7, 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cebranopadol

 

Initially for chronic lower back pain and potentially for chronic nociceptive and neuropathic pain

 

In development
Licensed in December 2015

 

 

OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS

 

As of September 30, 2017, our revenues are generated primarily from commercialized products.

 

Commercialized Products

 

NUCYNTA ER (Tapentadol Extended Release Tablets)

 

NUCYNTA ER is an extended release version of tapentadol that is indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long term opioid treatment, including neuropathic pain associated with DPN in adults, and for which alternate treatment options are inadequate. We acquired the U.S. rights to NUCYNTA ER from Janssen Pharma and began shipping and recognizing product sales on NUCYNTA ER in April 2015. We began commercial promotion of NUCYNTA ER in June 2015.

 

NUCYNTA (Tapentadol)

 

NUCYNTA is an immediate release version of tapentadol that is indicated for the management of moderate to severe acute pain in adults. We acquired the U.S. rights to NUCYNTA from Janssen Pharma and began shipping and recognizing product sales on NUCYNTA in April 2015. We began commercial promotion of NUCYNTA in June 2015.

 

Combined NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA product sales were $58.7 million and $183.3 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively.

 

Gralise (Gabapentin)

 

Gralise is our proprietary, once-daily formulation of gabapentin indicated for management of PHN, a persistent pain condition caused by nerve damage during a shingles, or herpes zoster, viral infection. We made Gralise commercially available in October 2011. The FDA has granted Orphan Drug exclusivity for PHN. Gralise product sales were $21.1 million and $57.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively.

 

CAMBIA (Diclofenac Potassium for Oral Solution)

 

CAMBIA is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) indicated for the acute treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in adults 18 years of age or older. We acquired CAMBIA in December 2013 from Nautilus Neurosciences, Inc. (Nautilus). We began shipping and recognizing product sales on CAMBIA in December 2013. CAMBIA product sales were $8.2 million and $23.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively.

 

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Zipsor (Diclofenac Potassium) Liquid-Filled Capsules

 

Zipsor is an NSAID indicated for relief of mild to moderate acute pain in adults. Zipsor uses proprietary ProSorb® delivery technology to deliver a finely dispersed, rapidly absorbed formulation of diclofenac. We acquired Zipsor on June 21, 2012 from Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Xanodyne). Zipsor product sales were $3.2 million and $12.3 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively.

 

Lazanda (Fentanyl) Nasal Spray

 

Lazanda nasal spray is an intranasal fentanyl drug used to manage breakthrough pain in adults (18 years of age and older) who are already routinely taking other opioid pain medicines around-the-clock for cancer pain. We acquired Lazanda in July 2013 from Archimedes Pharma US Inc. and its affiliated companies (collectively, Archimedes). Lazanda product sales were $4.0 million and $13.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively. We divested our rights to Lazanda to Slán Medicinal Holdings Limited ("Slán") on November 7, 2017.

 

Segment and Customer Information

 

The Company operates in one operating segment and has operations solely in the United States. To date, all of the Company’s revenues from product sales are related to sales in the United States. The Company has recognized license and royalty revenue from license agreements in the territories of the United States, Canada, and South Korea.

 

OUR DRUG DELIVERY TECHNOLOGY AND RELATED LICENSE AND DEVELOPMENT ARRANGEMENTS AND PATENT LITIGATION

 

Our Acuform drug delivery technology is based on our proprietary oral drug delivery technologies and is designed to include formulations of drug-containing polymeric tablets that allow multi-hour delivery of an incorporated drug when taken with a meal. Of our marketed products, Gralise and NUCYNTA ER utilize this technology.

 

We have also licensed our drug delivery technology to several other pharmaceutical companies, and have asserted the U.S. patents comprising our Acuform technology in patent infringement litigation.

 

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.— IW -3718 for Refractory GERD

 

In July 2011, we entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Ironwood granting Ironwood a license for worldwide rights to certain patents and other intellectual property rights to our Acuform drug delivery technology for IW-3718, an Ironwood product candidate under evaluation for refractory GERD. We have received $3.4 million under the agreement, including a milestone payment of $1.0 million in March 2014 as a result of the initiation of clinical trials relating to IW-3718 by Ironwood.

 

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.— NUCYNTA ER

 

In August 2012, the Company entered into a license agreement with Janssen Pharma that grants Janssen Pharma a non-exclusive license to certain patents and other intellectual property rights to the Company’s Acuform drug delivery technology for the development and commercialization of tapentadol extended release products, including NUCYNTA ER. The Company received a $10.0 million upfront license fee. The Company also received low single digit royalties on sales of NUCYNTA ER in the U.S. for sales from July 2, 2012 until the Company’s acquisition of the U.S. rights to NUCYNTA ER from Janssen Pharma on April 2, 2015, and will continue to receive low single digit royalties on net sales of NUCYNTA ER in Canada and Japan through December 31, 2021.

 

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Critical accounting policies are those that require significant judgment and/or estimates by management at the time that the financial statements are prepared such that materially different results might have been reported if other assumptions had been made. We consider certain accounting policies related to revenue recognition, accrued liabilities and use of estimates to be critical policies. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities. There have been no changes to our critical accounting policies since we filed our Annual Report

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on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the SEC on February 24, 2017 (the 2016 Form 10-K). The description of our critical accounting policies is incorporated herein by reference to our 2016 Form 10-K.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 and 2016.

 

Revenue

 

Total revenues by products are summarized in the following table (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Product sales:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NUCYNTA products

 

$

58,665

 

$

65,287

 

$

183,299

 

$

206,568

 

Gralise

 

 

21,103

 

 

20,640

 

 

57,777

 

 

63,451

 

CAMBIA

 

 

8,164

 

 

9,110

 

 

23,862

 

 

22,900

 

Lazanda

 

 

4,040

 

 

8,181

 

 

13,239

 

 

19,093

 

Zipsor

 

 

3,232

 

 

7,085

 

 

12,286

 

 

19,379

 

Pharmacy benefit manager dispute reserve

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

(4,742)

 

 

 —

 

Total product sales

 

 

95,204

 

 

110,303

 

 

285,721

 

 

331,391

 

Royalties:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total royalty revenue

 

 

209

 

 

221

 

 

596

 

 

595

 

Total revenues

 

$

95,413

 

$

110,524

 

$

286,317

 

$

331,986

 

 

Product Sales

 

NUCYNTA .   We completed the acquisition of the NUCYNTA franchise on April 2, 2015 and began shipments on April 6, 2015. From closing until June 2015, we retained the contract sales force that had been promoting NUCYNTA for Janssen Pharma, and we re-launched NUCYNTA with our increased sales force in mid-June 2015. The decrease in NUCYNTA product sales in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the same periods in 2016 is primarily the result of lower unit demand for NUCYNTA attributable to declines in both the long-acting and short-acting opioid prescription markets. In addition, NUCYNTA franchise product sales for the three months ended September 30, 2017 were negatively impacted by approximately $2 million due to temporary delays in the packaging and delivery of certain dosage strengths of NUCYNTA resulting from the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria at our third party manufacturing facility located in Puerto Rico.

 

Based on the information available to the Company at this time, the Company will experience temporary outages of certain strengths of NUCYNTA ER in the fourth quarter. The Company expects that based on our current inventory and our manufacturer’s potential ability to produce new drug supply that the magnitude of the outages in the fourth quarter will be less than $10 million. NUCYNTA IR recently transitioned to a new third party manufacturer in the United States, and based on currently available information, the Company does not anticipate any material disruption to this supply.

 

In addition, prescriptions in the opioid market have declined in recent quarters as a result of, among other things, regulatory actions, government investigations and heightened public attention on opioid abuse, and we expect prescriptions in the opioid market are likely to continue to decline at least in the short term.

 

Gralise .   In October 2011, we announced the commercial availability of Gralise and began distributing Gralise to wholesalers and retail pharmacies.  The decrease in Gralise product sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the same periods in 2016 was primarily due to lower unit demand resulting, in part, from a decline in the number of sales representatives promoting Gralise.  We expanded the sales force promoting Gralise from 40 to 90 sales representatives in September 2017 and we do not expect to see any material impact of this increase until 2018.  Based on the information available at this time, the Company believes it has an adequate inventory of Gralise, which is manufactured in Puerto Rico.

 

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CAMBIA .  We began shipping and recognizing product sales on CAMBIA in December 2013. We began commercial promotion of CAMBIA in February 2014. The increase in CAMBIA product sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the same periods in 2016, is primarily a result of lower managed care rebates and lower co-pay assistance programs, offset by lower prescription demand.  We expanded the sales force promoting CAMBIA from 40 to 90 sales representatives in September 2017 and we do not expect to see any material impact of this increase until 2018.

 

Lazanda . We began shipping and recognizing product sales on Lazanda in August 2013. We began commercial promotion of Lazanda in October 2013. The decrease in Lazanda product sales in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to the same periods in 2016 is primarily a result of lower unit demand attributable to decline in the Transmucosal Immediate Release Fentanyl (TIRF) prescription market offset, in part, by price increases. As a result of the divestiture of Lazanda on November 7, 2017, we will no longer record revenues and related costs associated with Lazanda after that date. 

 

Zipsor .   We began shipping and recognizing product sales on Zipsor at the end of June 2012. We began commercial promotion of Zipsor in July 2012. The decrease in Zipsor product sales in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the same periods in 2016, is a result of reduced unit demand and increased product returns offset, in part, by price increases.

 

Pharmacy Benefit Manager .   During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we established a reserve with respect to a dispute with a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) over rebates relating to NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA and Gralise. The dispute relates to rebate claims submitted with respect to the year ended December 31, 2015 and the first half of 2016. As of December 31, 2016, we established a reserve for $1.0 million with respect to these claims, and had determined the likely amount payable on settlement would not be material to the consolidated financial statements.  However, as a result of further communication with the PBM during the three months ended March 31, 2017, it became clear that our failure to pay the disputed amount would adversely impact our ability to maintain a favorable position on the PBM’s formulary.  Accordingly, despite our belief that the claims in dispute are invalid, we increased the reserve against this matter by $4.7 million which is an offset to net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2017.  We will adjust net sales in the future if the dispute is resolved for an amount that is different than that currently reserved.

 

Royalties

 

Royalties for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 are primarily comprised of royalties from Tribute Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on net sales of CAMBIA in Canada and royalties from Janssen Pharma on net sales of NUCYNTA ER in Canada and Japan. Mallinckrodt ceased commercial promotion of XARTEMIS™ XR in 2015. 

 

Cost of Sales

 

Cost of sales consists of costs of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, contract manufacturing and packaging costs, royalty payments, inventory write-downs, product quality testing, internal employee costs related to the manufacturing process, distribution costs and shipping costs related to our product sales. Cost of sales excludes the amortization of intangible assets described separately below under “Amortization of Intangible Assets”. Total cost of sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to the corresponding period in the prior year, was as follows (in thousands):  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Cost of Sales

 

$

17,396

 

$

20,243

 

$

54,895

 

$

64,757

 

Dollar change from prior year

 

 

(2,847)

 

 

(671)

 

 

(9,862)

 

 

17,866

 

Percentage change from prior year

 

 

(14.1)

%  

 

(3.2)

%

 

(15.2)

%  

 

38.1

%  

 

The decrease in cost of sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the same periods in 2016 was primarily due to lower product sales and no milestone payments for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the same periods in 2016. 

 

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We acquired and began selling CAMBIA in December 2013. In connection with the acquisition, we assumed a liability to make certain milestone payments to third parties that were unrelated to the Seller. The milestones are based on cumulative net sales of CAMBIA in a consecutive twelve month period. A post-acquisition milestone of $3 million was triggered during the three months ended March 31, 2016 and is included in cost of sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.

 

Cost of sales for NUCYNTA includes a royalty on net sales payable to Grünenthal. NUCYNTA cost of sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 was approximately 24%. 

 

The cost of sales for Gralise, CAMBIA, Lazanda and Zipsor, combined was approximately 9% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017. 

 

We expect cost of sales for the remainder of 2017 for NUCYNTA to be approximately 24% of net sales reflecting the manufacturing transfer price and a royalty on net sales payable to Grünenthal, the developer of the product. Cost of sales for our other products varies significantly, but we expect cost of sales as a percentage of net sales for the remainder of 2017 will continue at approximately the levels incurred in the first three quarters of 2017 .    

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Our research and development expenses currently include salaries, clinical trial costs, and consultant fees, supplies, manufacturing costs for research and development programs and allocations of corporate costs. It is extremely difficult to predict the scope and magnitude of future research and development expenses for our product candidate in development, as it is extremely difficult to determine the nature, timing and extent of clinical trials and studies and the FDA’s requirements for a particular drug. As potential products proceed through the development process, each step is typically more extensive, and therefore more expensive, than the previous step. Therefore, success in development generally results in increasing expenditures until actual product approval. Total research and development expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Research and development expenses

 

$

1,761

 

$

10,412

 

$

12,459

 

 

23,477

 

Dollar change from prior year

 

 

(8,651)

 

 

5,783

 

 

(11,018)

 

 

12,276

 

Percentage change from prior year

 

 

(83.1)

%  

 

124.9

%

 

(46.9)

%  

 

109.6

%  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 decreased as compared to the same periods in 2016 primarily as a result of completion of certain portions of our ongoing pediatric trials for NUCYNTA during the second quarter, and delays in the next steps of those pediatric trials, and a reduction in the development costs associated with cebranopadol.  In light of the changing opioid landscape, we are exploring ways to improve cebranopadol’s differentiated profile and potential modifications to the development program prior to its entry into Phase 3 trials. Therefore, we do not expect to incur significant expenses associated with cebranopadol in 2017.

 

We expect research and development costs for the remainder of 2017 to slightly increase from the levels incurred in the third quarter of 2017.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses primarily consist of personnel, marketing and promotion expenses associated with our commercial products, personnel expenses to support our administrative and operating activities, facility costs and professional expenses, such as legal fees. Total selling, general and administrative expenses for the

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three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to the same periods in 2016, were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

$

48,850

 

$

51,574

 

$

147,379

 

$

156,036

 

Dollar change from prior year

 

 

(2,724)

 

 

2,509

 

 

(8,657)

 

 

15,021

 

Percentage change from prior year

 

 

(5.3)

%  

 

5.1

%

 

(5.5)

%  

 

10.7

%  

 

The decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to the same period in 2016, was primarily due to lower legal expenses in 2017 and a $7.5 million reduction in the fair value of contingent consideration relating primarily to our Lazanda acquisition and, to a lesser extent, our CAMBIA and Zipsor acquisitions. The reduction in the fair value of contingent consideration relating to Lazanda reflects the continued deterioration of the TIRF market and the cessation of promotion of Lazanda by our salesforce in May 2017. The decrease in the fair value of contingent consideration relating to the CAMBIA and Zipsor acquisitions resulted from a reduction in the Company’s estimate of future sales of these products in light of the lower than expected results since March 2017. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 includes a $3.4 million adjustment booked in the three months ended March 31, 2017 related to an increase in estimates associated with the branded prescription drug fee of which $1.4 million and $2.0 million related to the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2016, respectively. 

 

We expect selling, general and administrative expenses to increase from our current levels for the remainder of 2017 in part, due to an expected increase in legal expenses associated with new government inquiries and subpoenas directed to opioid manufacturers as well as higher expenses associated with the increase in our neurology salesforce.

 

Amortization of Intangible Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

(In thousands)

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Amortization of intangible assets—NUCYNTA

 

$

23,575

 

 

24,877

 

$

70,727

 

$

74,632

 

Amortization of intangible assets—Zipsor

 

 

584

 

 

585

 

 

1,752

 

 

1,754

 

Amortization of intangible assets—Lazanda

 

 

291

 

 

291

 

 

873

 

 

873

 

Amortization of intangible assets—CAMBIA

 

 

1,284

 

 

1,284

 

 

3,852

 

 

3,852

 

 

 

$

25,734

 

$

27,037

 

$

77,204

 

$

81,111

 

 

The NUCYNTA product rights of approximately $1.0 billion that we acquired on April 2, 2015, have been recorded as intangible assets in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and are being amortized using the straight line method over the estimated useful life of approximately 10 years. Amortization commenced on the acquisition date. In September 2016, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled in favor of the Company in our patent litigation against all three filers of Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) for our NUCYNTA franchise. Based upon the Court’s ruling, we expect market exclusivity until December 2025 for NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA oral solution (an unmarketed form of NUCYNTA). Based also upon the Court’s ruling, we reviewed the useful life of the NUCYNTA product rights and in 2016 extended that from the previous estimate of June 2025 to December 2025. The estimated amortization expense for the remainder of 2017 is expected to be $23.6 million.  

 

The Zipsor product rights of $27.2 million have been recorded as intangible assets on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and are amortized over the estimated useful life of the asset on a straight-line basis through March 2022. The estimated amortization expense for the remainder of 2017 is expected to be $0.6 million.

 

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The CAMBIA product rights of $51.4 million have been recorded as intangible assets on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and are being amortized over the estimated useful life of the asset on a straight-line basis through December 2023. Amortization commenced on December 17, 2013, the date on which we acquired CAMBIA. The estimated amortization expense for the remainder of 2017 is expected to be $1.3 million.

 

The Lazanda product rights of $10.5 million have been recorded as intangible assets on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and were being amortized over the estimated useful life of the asset on a straight-line basis through August 2022. Amortization commenced on July 29, 2013, the date on which we acquired Lazanda. The unamortized net intangible balance associated with Lazanda as of November 7, 2017 will be recognized in the entries associated with the divestiture of Lazanda on November 7, 2017.

 

Restructuring Charges

 

We announced a reduction-in-force during the three months ended June 30, 2017 in order to streamline operations and achieve operating efficiencies. We recorded $0.5 million and $3.9 million in severance and benefits charges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.  Restructuring and related liabilities payable as of September 30, 2017 is $1.1 million.

 

Interest Income and Expense

 

The decrease in net interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year, is primarily due to prepayment of $100.0 million of the Senior Notes in April 2016 and April 2017 resulting in lower interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017. The net interest expense is comprised of:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

(In thousands)

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

Interest and other income

 

$

72

 

$

113

 

$

604

 

$

310

 

Interest expense

 

 

(17,815)

 

 

(20,307)

 

 

(55,697)

 

 

(63,182)

 

Net interest expense

 

$

(17,743)

 

$

(20,194)

 

$

(55,093)

 

$

(62,872)

 

 

The interest expense is comprised of:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

(In thousands)

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

    

Interest payable on Senior Notes

 

$

10,589

 

$

13,049

 

$

33,748

 

 

41,671

 

Interest payable on Convertible Notes

 

 

2,156

 

 

2,157

 

 

6,468

 

 

6,469

 

Amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs relating to Senior Notes and Convertible Notes

 

 

4,839

 

 

4,460

 

 

14,249

 

 

13,084

 

Changes in fair value of contingent consideration

 

 

221

 

 

608

 

 

1,017

 

 

1,802

 

Other

 

 

10

 

 

33

 

 

215

 

 

156

 

Total interest expense

 

$

17,815

 

$

20,307

 

$

55,697

 

$

63,182

 

 

The Senior Notes

 

On April 2, 2015, we issued $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $562.0 million pursuant to a Note Purchase Agreement dated March 12, 2015 (Note Purchase Agreement) between the Company and Deerfield Private Design Fund III, L.P., Deerfield Partners, L.P., Deerfield International Master Fund, L.P., Deerfield Special Situations Fund, L.P., Deerfield Private Design Fund II, L.P., Deerfield Private Design International II, L.P., BioPharma Secured Investments III Holdings Cayman LP, Inteligo Bank Ltd. and Phemus Corporation (collectively, the Purchasers) and Deerfield Private Design Fund III, L.P., as collateral agent. The Company used $550.0 million of the net proceeds received upon the sale of the Senior Notes to fund a portion of the Purchase Price paid to Janssen Pharma.

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The Senior Notes will mature in seven years after issuance (unless earlier prepaid or repurchased), are secured by substantially all of our assets and any subsidiary guarantors, and bear interest at the rate equal to the lesser of (i) 9.75% over the three month London Inter-Bank Offer Rate (LIBOR), subject to a floor of 1.0% and (ii) 11.95% (through the third anniversary of the purchase date) and 12.95% (thereafter). The interest rate is determined at the first business day of each fiscal quarter, commencing with the first such date following April 2, 2015. The Senior Notes can be prepaid, at our option, (i) after the first anniversary of the purchase date but prior to the second anniversary, up to $100.0 million, (ii) before the second anniversary, under certain conditions and (iii) after the second anniversary, at our discretion.

 

In April 2016, we prepaid and retired $100.0 million of the Senior Notes and paid a $5.0 million prepayment fee. We recorded a net loss on prepayment of the Senior Notes of $5.8 million which represented the prepayment fee of $5.0 million and unamortized balances of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $0.8 million.  This loss was recorded as a loss on prepayment of Senior Notes in the consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2016. In April 2017, we prepaid and retired $100.0 million of the Senior Notes and paid a $4.0 million prepayment fee. We recorded a loss on prepayment of the Senior Notes of $5.4 million which represented the prepayment fee of $4.0 million and unamortized balances of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $1.4 million in the Consolidated Statement of Operations during the three months ended June 30, 2017. As a result of the prepayment of $100.0 million of Senior Notes in April 2017, we expect the interest expense relating to the Senior Notes in the fourth quarter of 2017 to be approximately the same as in the three months ended September 30, 2017.

 

Convertible Notes

 

In September, 2014, we issued the Convertible Debt resulting in net proceeds of $334.2 million after deducting the underwriting discount and offering expenses of $10.4 million and $0.4 million, respectively. The interest rate for the Convertible Notes is fixed at 2.50% per annum and is payable semi-annually in arrears on March 1 and September 1 of each year.

 

In accordance with accounting guidance on embedded conversion features, we valued and bifurcated the conversion option associated with the Convertible Notes from the respective host debt instrument and recorded the conversion option of $111.9 million for the Convertible Notes in “Shareholders’ Equity” on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The resulting debt discounts on the Convertible Notes are being amortized to interest expense at an effective interest rate of 9.34% over the contractual term of the Convertible Notes.

 

Income Tax Provision

 

We recorded a benefit from income taxes of $0.5 million and $0.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to a benefit from income taxes of $6.0 million and $17.7 million, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively.  The benefit for income taxes in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the benefit from income taxes for the same period in 2016 is primarily attributable to a full valuation allowance in 2017.  We paid zero and approximately $0.1 million in income taxes in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively.  We paid approximately $0.01 and $0.08 million in income taxes in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively.

 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

To supplement our financial results presented on a U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, basis, we have included information about non GAAP adjusted earnings, non GAAP adjusted earnings per share and non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA, non GAAP financial measures, as useful operating metrics.

 

We believe that the presentation of these non GAAP financial measures, when viewed with our results under GAAP and the accompanying reconciliation, provides supplementary information to analysts, investors, lenders, and our management in assessing the Company’s performance and results from period to period. We use these non GAAP measures internally to understand, manage and evaluate the Company’s performance, and in part, in the determination of bonuses for executive officers and employees.

 

These non GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, and not a substitute for, or superior to, net income or other financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.

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Non GAAP adjusted earnings and non GAAP adjusted earnings per share are not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP and represent GAAP net income (loss) and GAAP earnings (loss) per share adjusted to exclude amortization, IPR&D and non cash adjustments related to product acquisitions, stock based compensation expense, non cash interest expense related to debt,  costs associated with the special meeting requests made by an activist investor and CEO transition, costs associated with an attempted debt refinancing, restructuring costs, adjustments associated with non-recurring legal settlements and disputes, and to adjust for the tax effect related to each of the non-GAAP adjustments. Non GAAP adjusted EBITDA is not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP and represents GAAP net income (loss) adjusted to exclude interest income, interest expense, amortization, IPR&D and non cash adjustments related to product acquisitions, stock based compensation expense, depreciation, taxes, restructuring costs, adjustments related to non-recurring legal settlements and disputes, costs associated with an attempted debt refinancing, the special meeting requests made by an activist investor, and CEO transition.

 

Non GAAP financial measures used by us may be calculated differently from, and therefore may not be comparable to, non GAAP measures used by other companies.

 

The following table reconciles the Company’s GAAP net loss to non-GAAP adjusted earnings for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively (in thousands, except per share amount):

 

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET LOSS TO NON-GAAP ADJUSTED EARNINGS

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAAP net loss

 

$

(15,992)

 

$

(12,894)

 

$

(69,392)

 

$

(44,352)

 

    Non-cash interest expense on debt

 

 

4,839

 

 

4,460

 

 

15,613

 

 

13,861

 

    Managed care dispute reserve

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

4,742

 

 

 —

 

    Intangible amortization related to product acquisitions

 

 

25,734

 

 

27,037

 

 

77,204

 

 

81,111

 

    Inventory step-up related to product acquisitions

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

16

 

    Contingent consideration related to product acquisitions

 

 

(1,194)

 

 

686

 

 

(6,525)

 

 

1,593

 

    Stock based compensation

 

 

2,911

 

 

4,364

 

 

9,870

 

 

12,602

 

    Other costs (1)

 

 

612

 

 

2,015

 

 

3,142

 

 

2,942

 

    Restructuring charges

 

 

434

 

 

 —

 

 

3,875

 

 

 —

 

    Valuation allowance on deferred tax assets

 

 

4,172

 

 

 —

 

 

19,274

 

 

 —

 

    Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments (3)

 

 

(11,846)

 

 

(13,479)

 

 

(38,249)

 

 

(39,211)

 

Non-GAAP adjusted earnings

 

$

9,670

 

$

12,189

 

$

19,554

 

$

28,562

 

Add interest expense of convertible debt, net of tax (2)

 

 

1,348

 

 

1,348

 

 

2,695

 

 

2,695

 

Numerator

 

$

11,018

 

$

13,537

 

$

22,249

 

$

31,257

 

Shares used in calculation (2)

 

 

81,376

 

 

81,940

 

 

81,607

 

 

81,370

 

Non-GAAP adjusted earnings per share

 

$

0.14

 

$

0.17

 

$

0.27

 

$

0.38

 


(1)

Other costs represents non-recurring costs associated with the special meeting requests of an activist investor, CEO transition, and an attempted debt refinancing.

(2)

The Company uses the if-converted method to compute diluted earnings per share with respect to its convertible debt.

(3)

Calculated by taking the pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments and applying the statutory tax rate.  Expected cash taxes were zero for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and $(1,303) for the three months ended September 30, 2016. Expected cash taxes were zero for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and $1,509 for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.

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The following table reconciles the Company’s GAAP net loss to non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

 

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET LOSS TO NON-GAAP ADJUSTED EBITDA

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

    

2017

    

2016

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAAP net loss

 

$

(15,992)

 

$

(12,894)

 

$

(69,392)

 

$

(44,352)

 

    Pharmacy benefit manager dispute reserve

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

4,742

 

 

 —

 

    Intangible amortization related to product acquisitions

 

 

25,734

 

 

27,037

 

 

77,204

 

 

81,111

 

    Inventory step-up related to product acquisitions

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

16

 

    Contingent consideration related to product acquisitions

 

 

(1,194)

 

 

686

 

 

(6,525)

 

 

1,593

 

    Stock based compensation

 

 

2,911

 

 

4,364

 

 

9,870

 

 

12,602

 

    Interest income

 

 

(72)

 

 

(113)

 

 

(332)

 

 

(310)

 

    Interest expense

 

 

17,584

 

 

19,666

 

 

59,829

 

 

67,001

 

    Depreciation

 

 

605

 

 

646

 

 

1,839

 

 

1,908

 

    Benefit from income taxes

 

 

(513)

 

 

(6,042)

 

 

(560)

 

 

(17,692)

 

    Other costs (1)

 

 

612

 

 

2,015

 

 

3,142

 

 

2,942

 

    Restructuring charges

 

 

434

 

 

 —

 

 

3,875

 

 

 —

 

    Transaction costs

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

45

 

Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA

 

$

30,109

 

$

35,365

 

$

83,692

 

$

104,864

 

 

(1)

Other costs represents non-recurring costs associated with the special meeting requests of an activist investor, CEO transition, and an attempted debt refinancing.

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30,

 

December 31,

 

(In thousands)

    

2017

    

2016

 

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments

 

$

113,457

 

$

177,420

 

 

The decrease in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 is primarily attributable to the prepayment of $100.0 million of secured indebtedness in April 2017 along with a $4.0 million related prepayment fee. These payments were partially off-set by the cash generated from operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

 

We may incur operating losses in future years. We believe that our existing cash balances and cash we expect to generate from operations will be sufficient to fund our operations, and to meet our existing obligations for the foreseeable future, including our obligations under the Convertible Notes and the Senior Notes. We base this expectation on our current operating plan and the anticipated impact of the NUCYNTA acquisition, which may change as a result of many factors.

 

Our cash needs may vary materially from our current expectations because of numerous factors, including:

 

·

acquisitions or licenses of complementary businesses, products, technologies or companies;

·

sales of our marketed products;

·

expenditures related to our commercialization of NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA, Gralise, CAMBIA and Zipsor;

·

the timing and cost of our cebranopadol clinical trials;

·

milestone and royalty revenue we receive under our collaborative development and commercialization arrangements;

·

expenses associated with any litigation, action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding instituted by or against us;

·

interest and principal payments on our current and future indebtedness;

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·

financial terms of definitive license agreements or other commercial agreements we may enter into;

·

changes in the focus and direction of our business strategy and/or research and development programs; and

·

results of clinical testing requirements of the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory agencies.

 

The following table summarizes our cash flow activities (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

(In thousands)

    

2017

    

2016

 

Cash provided by operating activities

 

$

34,905

 

$

30,228

 

Cash provided by investing activities

 

 

53,325

 

 

58,567

 

Cash used in financing activities

 

 

(98,354)

 

 

(99,522)

 

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

 

Cash provided by operating activities was higher during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016 primarily due to a reduction in our accounts receivable balance as a result of lower sales in the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

 

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

 

The reduction in cash provided by investing activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 primarily relates to the timing of maturity of marketable securities for the prepayment of debt in April 2017. Cash provided by investing activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 primarily relates to the maturities of marketable securities.

 

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

 

The reduction in cash used in financing activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016 primarily relates to higher proceeds from stock option exercises during the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

As of September 30, 2017, our aggregate contractual obligations as shown in the following table were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

More than

    

 

 

 

 

1 Year

 

2 ‑ 3 Years

 

4 ‑ 5 Years

 

5 Years

 

Total

 

Senior Notes—principal

 

$

57,500

 

 

230,000

 

 

87,500

 

 

 —

 

$

375,000

 

Senior Notes—interest

 

 

40,407

 

 

51,896

 

 

7,359

 

 

 —

 

 

99,662

 

Convertible Debt—principal

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

345,000

 

 

 —

 

 

345,000

 

Convertible Debt—interest

 

 

8,625

 

 

17,250

 

 

8,625

 

 

 —

 

 

34,500

 

Operating leases(1)

 

 

4,350

 

 

4,628

 

 

3,377

 

 

286

 

 

12,641

 

Purchase commitments

 

 

29,509

 

 

1,100

 

 

 —

 

 

 —

 

 

30,609

 

 

 

$

140,391

 

$

304,874

 

$

451,861

 

$

286

 

$

897,412

 


(1)

Amounts represent payments under a non-cancelable office and laboratory lease and under an operating lease for vehicles used by our sales force.

 

As of September 30, 2017, we had non-cancelable purchase orders and minimum purchase obligations of approximately $30.6 million under our manufacturing agreements related to NUCYNTA, Gralise, Zipsor, and CAMBIA. The amounts disclosed only represent minimum purchase requirements. Actual purchases are expected to exceed these amounts. We divested our rights to Lazanda to Slán on November 7, 2017.

 

In April 2012, we entered into an office and laboratory lease agreement to lease approximately 52,500 rentable square feet in Newark, California commencing on December 1, 2012. We leased an additional 8,000 rentable square feet

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commencing in July 2015. The Newark lease included free rent for the first five months of the lease. Lease payments began in May 2013.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

None.

 

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

There have been no material changes in the sources and effects of our market risk compared to the disclosures in Item 7A of our Annual Report on the 2016 Form 10-K.

 

Interest Rate Risk.  We are subject to interest rate fluctuation exposure through our borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facility and our investments in money market funds which bear a variable interest rate. Borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facility bear interest at a rate equal to the three month LIBOR plus 9.75% per annum, subject to a 1.0% LIBOR floor and certain thresholds. Since current LIBOR rates are below the 1.0% LIBOR floor, the interest rate on our borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facility has been 10.75% per annum. An increase in LIBOR of 100 basis points above the current three-month LIBOR rates would increase our interest expense by $3.8 million per year on the remaining principal of $375 million of Senior Notes.

 

The goals of our investment policy are associated with the preservation of capital, fulfillment of liquidity needs and fiduciary control of cash. To achieve our goal of maximizing income without assuming significant market risk, we maintain our excess cash and cash equivalents in money market funds. Because of the short-term maturities of our cash equivalents, we do not believe that an increase in interest rates would have any material negative impact on the fair value of our cash equivalents.

 

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

An evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report. Based on that evaluation, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

 

We review and evaluate the design and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures on an ongoing basis to improve our controls and procedures over time and to correct any deficiencies that we may discover in the future. Our goal is to ensure that our senior management has timely access to all material financial and non-financial information concerning our business. While we believe the present design of our disclosure controls and procedures is effective to achieve our goal, future events affecting our business may cause us to significantly modify our disclosure controls and procedures.

 

Changes in Internal Controls

 

There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting during the three months ended September 30, 2017 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

For a description of our material pending legal proceedings, see Note 11 “Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Matters” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS  

 

The risk factors presented below amend and restate the risk factors previously disclosed in our 2016 Form 10-K.

 

The following factors, along with those described above under “MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES” should be reviewed carefully, in conjunction with the other information contained in this Form 10-Q and our financial statements. These factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated and contained in forward-looking statements made in this Form 10-Q and presented elsewhere by our management from time to time. See “Part I, Item 2—Forward-Looking Information.”

 

If we do not successfully commercialize NUCYNTA® ER and NUCYNTA® IR (NUCYNTA), our largest selling products, or Gralise®, CAMBIA®, and Zipsor®, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

 

In April 2015, we acquired and began commercial promotion of NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA. In October 2011, we began commercial sales of Gralise. In June 2012, we acquired Zipsor and began commercial promotion of Zipsor in July 2012. In December 2013, we acquired CAMBIA and began commercial promotion of CAMBIA in February 2014. As a Company, we have a limited history of selling and marketing pharmaceutical products. In addition to the risks discussed elsewhere in this section, our ability to successfully commercialize and generate revenues from NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, our largest selling products, or Gralise, CAMBIA, and Zipsor, depends on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to:

 

·

develop and execute our sales and marketing strategies for our products;

·

achieve, maintain and grow market acceptance of, and demand for, our products;

·

obtain and maintain adequate coverage, reimbursement and pricing from managed care, government and other third-party payers;

·

maintain, manage or scale the necessary sales, marketing, manufacturing, managed markets, and other capabilities and infrastructure that are required to successfully integrate and commercialize our products;

·

obtain adequate supply of our products;

·

maintain and extend intellectual property protection for our products; and

·

comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

 

If we are unable to successfully achieve or perform these functions, we will not be able to maintain or increase our product revenues and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected. Further, if we are unable to maintain or increase our revenues from NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, our largest selling products which generated approximately 62% of our total product revenues in 2016, and approximately 63% of our total product revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

 

If generic manufacturers use litigation and regulatory means to obtain approval for generic versions of our products, our business will be materially and adversely affected.

 

Under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (FDCA), the FDA can approve an ANDA for a generic version of a branded drug without the ANDA applicant undertaking the clinical testing necessary to obtain approval to market a new drug. In place of such clinical studies, an ANDA applicant usually needs only to submit data demonstrating that its product has the same active ingredient(s) and is bioequivalent to the branded product, in addition to any data necessary to establish that any difference in strength, dosage, form, inactive ingredients or delivery mechanism does not result in different safety or efficacy profiles, as compared to the reference drug.

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The FDCA requires an applicant for a drug that relies, at least in part, on the patent of one of our branded drugs to notify us of their application and potential infringement of our patent rights. Upon receipt of this notice we have 45 days to bring a patent infringement suit in federal district court against the company seeking approval of a product covered by one of our patents. The discovery, trial and appeals process in such suits can take several years. If such a suit is commenced, the FDCA provides a 30-month stay on the FDA’s approval of the competitor’s application. Such litigation is often time-consuming and quite costly and may result in generic competition if the patents at issue are not upheld or if the generic competitor is found not to infringe such patents. If the litigation is resolved in favor of the applicant or the challenged patent expires during the 30-month stay period, the stay is lifted and the FDA may thereafter approve the application based on the standards for approval of ANDAs.

 

We have been involved in patent litigation lawsuits against filers of ANDAs (the Filers) seeking to market generic versions of NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA ER before the expiration of the patents listed in the Patent and Exclusivity Information Addendum of FDA’s publication, Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (commonly known as the Orange Book) for these two products. A two-week bench trial was completed on April 27, 2016. On September 30, 2016, the Court issued its opinion finding all three of the Orange Book patents valid and enforceable. On April 11, 2017, the Court entered a final judgment, which included an injunction enjoining the Filers from engaging in certain activities with tapentadol (the active ingredient in NUCYNTA) and ordering the effective date of any approval of Actavis, Actavis UT, and Roxane’s ANDAs, and Alkem’s ANDA for NUCYNTA IR to be no earlier than the expiry of the ’364 Patent (June 27, 2025), and the effective date of any approval of Alkem’s ANDA for NUCYNTA ER to be no early than the expiry of the ’130 Patent (September 22, 2028).  The foregoing periods of exclusivity may in the future be extended with the award of pediatric exclusivity.  The Court’s final judgment remains subject to potential appeal.

 

Any introduction of one or more products generic to NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA, Gralise, CAMBIA, or Zipsor, whether as a result of an ANDA or otherwise, would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.  The filing of the ANDAs described above, or any other ANDA or similar application in respect to any of our products, could have an adverse impact on our stock price.  Moreover, if the patents covering our products are not upheld in litigation or if a generic competitor is found not to infringe these patents, the resulting generic competition would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If we are unable to negotiate acceptable pricing or obtain adequate reimbursement for our products from third-party payers, our business will suffer.

 

Sales of our products depend significantly on the availability of acceptable pricing and adequate reimbursement from third party payers such as:

 

·

government health administration authorities;

·

private health insurers;

·

health maintenance organizations;

·

managed care organizations;

·

pharmacy benefit management companies; and

·

other healthcare-related organizations.

 

If reimbursement is not available for our products or product candidates, demand for our products may be limited. Further, any delay in receiving approval for reimbursement from third party payers could have an adverse effect on our future revenues.

 

Third-party payers frequently require pharmaceutical companies to negotiate agreements that provide discounts or rebates from list prices. We have agreed to provide such discounts and rebates to certain third-party payers. We expect increasing pressure to offer larger discounts and rebates or discounts and rebates to a greater number of third-party payers to maintain acceptable reimbursement levels for and access to our products for patients at co-pay levels that are reasonable and customary. If we are forced to provide additional discounts and rebates to third party payers to maintain acceptable access to our products for patients, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. If third-party payers do not accurately and timely report the eligibility and utilization of our products under their plans, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected. In addition, if our competitors reduce the prices of their products, or otherwise demonstrate that they are better or more cost effective than

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our products, this may result in a greater level of reimbursement for their products relative to our products, which would reduce sales of our products and harm our results of operations. The process for determining whether a third-party payer will provide coverage for a product may be separate from the process for setting the price or reimbursement rate that such third-party payer will pay for the product once coverage is approved. Third-party payers may limit coverage to specific products on an approved list, or formulary, which might not include all of the approved products for a particular indication, including one or more of our products. Any third-party payer decision not to approve pricing for, or provide adequate coverage and reimbursement of, our products, including by reducing, limiting or denying reimbursement for new products or excluding products that were previously eligible for reimbursement, would limit the market acceptance and commercial prospects of our products and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.  In addition, any third-party payer decision to impose restrictions, limitations or conditions on prescribing or reimbursement of our products, including on the dosing or duration of prescriptions for our products, would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

There have been, and there will continue to be, legislative, regulatory and third-party payer proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that could impact our ability to commercialize our products profitably. We anticipate that the federal and state legislatures and the private sector will continue to consider and may adopt and implement healthcare policies, such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (the ACA), intended to curb rising healthcare costs. These cost containment measures may include: controls on government-funded reimbursement for drugs; new or increased requirements to pay prescription drug rebates to government health care programs; controls on healthcare providers; challenges to or limits on the pricing of drugs, including pricing controls or limits or prohibitions on reimbursement for specific products through other means; requirements to try less expensive products or generics before a more expensive branded product; and public funding for cost effectiveness research, which may be used by government and private third-party payers to make coverage and payment decisions. In California, voters rejected Proposition 61 in November 2016, a ballot initiative that would have prohibited the state from buying prescription drugs from a drug manufacturer at a price over the lowest price paid for such drug by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Although Proposition 61 was defeated, these and other cost containment or price control measures, if adopted at the federal or state level, could significantly decrease the price that we receive for our products and any product that we may develop or acquire, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Changes in laws and regulations applicable to and investigations of, the pharmaceutical industry, including the opioid market, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The manufacture, marketing, sale, promotion and distribution of our products are subject to comprehensive government regulation. Changes in laws and regulations applicable to the pharmaceutical industry could potentially affect our business. For instance, federal, state and local governments have recently given increased attention to the public health issue of opioid abuse. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued national, non-binding guidelines on the prescribing of opioids, providing recommended considerations for primary care providers when prescribing opioids, including specific considerations and cautionary information about opioid dosage increases and morphine milligram equivalents (MME).  Certain third-party payers are, or are considering, adopting some or all of these CDC guidelines to limit access to high doses of opioids. Recently, CVS Pharmacy announced it would only fill first time opioid prescriptions for acute pain for a seven day supply. In July 2017, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a trade association representing pharmacy benefit managers, wrote a letter to the commissioner of FDA in which it expressed support for, among other things, the CDC guidelines and a seven-day limit on the supply of opioids for acute pain. In addition, states, including the Commonwealths of Massachusetts  and Virginia and the States of New York, Ohio, Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rode Island, Colorado, Wisconsin, Alabama, South Carolina, Washington and New Jersey, have either recently enacted, intend to enact, or have pending legislation or regulations designed to among other things, limit the duration and quantity of initial prescriptions of immediate release form of opiates, mandate the use by prescribers of prescription drug databases, and mandate prescriber education. Also, at the state and local level, a number of states and cities have brought separate lawsuits against various pharmaceutical companies marketing and selling opioid pain medications, alleging misleading or otherwise improper promotion of opioid drugs to physicians and consumers.  In addition, the attorneys general from several states have announced the launch of a joint investigation into the marketing and sales practices of drug companies that market opioid pain medications. These and other similar initiatives and actions, whether taken by governmental authorities or other industry stakeholders, may result in the reduced prescribing and use of opioids, including NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA ER, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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At the federal level, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the National Institute of Health are coordinating efforts between the FDA, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the United States Department of Health and Human Services and pharmaceutical industry groups to research and develop effective non-opioid pain relievers. The DEA continues to increase its efforts to hold manufacturers, distributors, prescribers and pharmacies accountable through various enforcement actions as well as the implementation of compliance practices for controlled substances. Further, the FDA is requiring “black-box” warnings on immediate release opioids highlighting the risk of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose and death as well as implementing a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for immediate release opioids. Many elected officials, including President Trump, have called for the DEA to restrict the amount of opioids that can be manufactured in the U.S. In March 2017, President Trump announced the creation of a commission, through ONDCP, to make recommendations to the president on how to best combat opioid addiction and abuse. In August 2017, the commission issued a preliminary report calling on President Trump to officially declare the crisis of opioid abuse a national emergency. On October 26, 2017, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a “national public health emergency”. The commission’s final report was released in early November 2017. These and other changes, and potential changes in laws, regulations and industry practices including those that have the effect of reducing the overall market for opioids or reducing the prescribing of opioids, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Heightened attention on the problems associated with the abuse of opioids could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In recent years, there has been increased public attention on the public health issue of opioid abuse.  The ability of drug abusers to discover previously unknown ways to abuse and misuse opioid products; public inquiries and governmental investigations into prescription drug abuse; litigation and heightened regulatory activity regarding the sales, marketing, distribution or storage of opioid products, among other things, could cause additional unfavorable publicity regarding the use and misuse of opioids, which could have a material adverse effect on our products and our reputation. Such negative publicity could reduce the potential size of the market for our products and product candidate and decrease the revenues we are able to generate from their sale. Additionally, such increased scrutiny of opioids generally, whether focused on our products or otherwise, could have the effect of negatively impacting our relationships with healthcare providers and other members of the healthcare community, reducing the overall market for opioids or reducing the prescribing and use of our products.

 

Governmental investigations and inquiries as well as regulatory actions with respect to the commercialization and use of opioids could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

As a result of the greater public awareness of the public health issue of opioid abuse, there has been increased scrutiny of, and investigation into, the commercial practices of opioid manufacturers generally by federal, state and local regulatory and governmental agencies. For example, we were named as a defendant in a case brought by the City of Chicago against a number of pharmaceutical companies marketing and selling opioid pain medications, alleging misleading or otherwise improper promotion of opioid drugs to physicians and consumers. This case against the Company was dismissed.  We recently received a letter from Senator Claire McCaskill, the Ranking Member on the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, requesting certain information from the Company regarding its commercialization of opioid products.  We voluntarily furnished information responsive to Sen. McCaskill’s requests.  We recently received subpoenas or civil investigative demands from the Attorney Generals of Maryland, Missouri and New Jersey seeking documents and information regarding the sales and marketing of opioid products. We are cooperating with each of the foregoing states in their investigations.  We recently received a subpoena from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking documents and information regarding the sales and marketing of opioid products.  We are cooperating with the DOJ in its investigation.

 

These and other governmental investigations or inquiries in which we may become involved may result in claims and lawsuits being brought against the Company by governmental agencies or private parties.  It is not possible at this time to predict the outcome of any governmental investigations or inquiries of the Company or any lawsuits or regulatory responses that may result from such investigations or inquiries or otherwise.  However, the initiation of any investigation, inquiry or lawsuit relating to the Company, or any assertion, claim or finding of wrongdoing by the Company, could:

 

adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations;

result in reputational harm and reduced market acceptance and demand for our products;

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harm our ability to market our products;

cause us to incur significant costs and expenses; and

cause our senior management to be distracted from execution of our business strategy.

 

Furthermore, governmental regulators could take measures that could have a negative effect on the Company’s business and its products.  For example, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently voluntarily withdrew, at the FDA’s request, OPANA® ER from the market due to the FDA’s view that the risks associated with the use of the product outweighed the potential benefits.  Any negative regulatory request or action taken by a regulatory agency, including the FDA, with respect to NUCYNTA or NUCYNTA ER would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We may be unable to compete successfully in the pharmaceutical industry.

 

Tapentadol, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, is a proprietary opioid analgesic that we market exclusively in the U.S. NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA compete with a number of branded and generic products that are widely used to treat moderate to severe pain, including neuropathic pain associated with DPN, and acute pain, respectively. These products include OxyContin® (oxycodone hydrochloride extended-release tables), which is marketed by Purdue Pharma L.P., and OPANA® ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride), which is owned by Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (voluntarily withdrawn from the market, stopping shipments in September 2017), each of which is approved for marketing in the U.S. for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. OxyContin®, and prior to its withdrawal, OPANA® ER, achieved significant levels of market acceptance. There are also a number of branded and generic short and long acting opioids, including oxycodone, oxymorphone, fentanyl patch, morphine, buprenorphine patch, tramadol, hydrocodone and hydromorphone, which have received approval and are marketed in the U.S. for the treatment of moderate to severe pain, including chronic and acute pain. More opioid development and launches of both generics and brands are expected to continue.  For example, Butrans® (promoted by Purdue) has been facing generics entrants since June 2017. In addition, Pfizer’s new opioid Troxyca® ER was approved in 2016, but has not yet launched. Teva’s Vantrela TM ER was approved in 2017, but has not yet launched. Inspirion has received approval for MorphaBond ER (morphine sulfate) and RoxyBond (oxycodone HCL), with expected launches in fourth quarter of 2017 and first quarter of 2018, respectively. Lyrica® (pregabalin), which is marketed by Pfizer, Inc. (Pfizer), is approved for marketing in the U.S. for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with DPN. Pfizer also received approval on October 13, 2017 to market Lyrica CR (pregabalin extended-release tablets), a once-daily treatment for the management of pDPN and PHN. Branded and generic versions of duloxetine and lidocaine have also been approved for marketing in the U.S. for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with DPN. There are a number of other products and treatments prescribed for, or under development for, the management of chronic and acute pain, including neuropathic pain associated with DPN, which are now or may become competitive with NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA.

 

Branded gabapentin is currently sold by Pfizer as Neurontin® for adjunctive therapy for partial onset epileptic seizures and for PHN. Pfizer’s basic U.S. patents relating to Neurontin® have expired, and numerous companies have received approval to market generic versions of the immediate release product. In addition to receiving approval for marketing to treat neuropathic pain associated with DPN, Lyrica® (pregabalin), has also been approved for marketing in the U.S. for the treatment of post herpetic pain, fibromyalgia, adjunctive therapy for partial onset epileptic seizures, and nerve pain associated with spinal cord injury and has captured a significant portion of the market. Pfizer received approval on October 13, 2017 to market Lyrica CR (pregabalin extended-release tablets), a once-daily treatment for the management of pDPN and PHN. Arbor Pharmaceuticals, LLC’s Horizant™ (gabapentin enacarbil extended-release tablets) is approved for the management of PHN and Restless Leg Syndrome. There are other products prescribed for or under development for PHN which are now or may become competitive with Gralise.

 

Diclofenac, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Zipsor, is an NSAID that is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of mild to moderate pain in adults, including the symptoms of arthritis. Both branded and generic versions of diclofenac are marketed in the U.S. Zipsor competes against other drugs that are widely used to treat mild to moderate pain in the acute setting. In addition, a number of other companies are developing NSAIDs in a variety of dosage forms for the treatment of mild to moderate pain and related indications. Other drugs are in clinical development to treat acute pain.

 

An alternate formulation of diclofenac is the active ingredient in CAMBIA that is approved in the U.S. for the acute treatment of migraines in adults. CAMBIA competes with a number of triptans that are used to treat migraines and

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certain other headaches. Pfizer’s Relpax® patent expired in December 2016, and generic entrants began in July 2017. Currently, seven triptans are available and sold in the U.S. (almotriptan, eletriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan and zolmitriptan). Branded competitors include Zomig® nasal, Onzetra®, Xsail®,TM ZembraceTM, SymTouchTM and Treximet®, which is a fixed-dose combination product containing sumatriptan plus naproxen. There are other products prescribed for or under development for the treatment of migraines that are now or may become competitive with CAMBIA, including CGRP products which may launch in 2018.

 

Competition in the pharmaceutical industry is intense and we expect competition to increase. Competing products currently under development or developed in the future may prove superior to our products and may achieve greater commercial acceptance. Most of our principal competitors have substantially greater financial, sales, marketing, personnel and research and development resources than we do.

 

Pharmaceutical marketing is subject to substantial regulation in the U.S. and any failure by us or our collaborative partners to comply with applicable statutes or regulations could adversely affect our business.

 

All marketing activities associated with NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA, Gralise, CAMBIA, and Zipsor, as well as marketing activities related to any other products that we may acquire, or for which we obtain regulatory approval, will be subject to numerous federal and state laws governing the marketing and promotion of pharmaceutical products. The FDA regulates post-approval promotional labeling and advertising to ensure that they conform to statutory and regulatory requirements. In addition to FDA restrictions, the marketing of prescription drugs is subject to laws and regulations prohibiting fraud and abuse under government healthcare programs. For example, the federal healthcare program anti-kickback statute prohibits giving things of value to induce the prescribing or purchase of products that are reimbursed by federal healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. In addition, federal false claims laws prohibit any person from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to the federal government. Under this law, in recent years, the federal government has brought claims against drug manufacturers alleging that certain marketing activities caused false claims for prescription drugs to be submitted to federal programs. Many states have similar statutes or regulations that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs, and, in some states, such statutes or regulations apply regardless of the payer. If we, or our collaborative partners, fail to comply with applicable FDA regulations or other laws or regulations relating to the marketing of our products, we could be subject to criminal prosecution, civil penalties, seizure of products, injunctions and exclusion of our products from reimbursement under government programs, as well as other regulatory actions against our product candidates, our collaborative partners or us.

 

We may incur significant liability if it is determined that we are promoting or have in the past promoted the “off-label” use of drugs.

 

Companies may not promote drugs for “off-label” use—that is, uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and that differ from those approved by the FDA. Physicians may prescribe drug products for off-label uses, and such off-label uses are common across some medical specialties. Although the FDA and other regulatory agencies do not regulate a physician’s choice of treatments, the FDCA and FDA regulations restrict communications on the subject of off-label uses of drug products by pharmaceutical companies. The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (OIG), the FDA, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) all actively enforce laws and regulations prohibiting promotion of off-label use and the promotion of products for which marketing clearance has not been obtained. Such liabilities would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations as well as divert management’s attention from our business operations and damage our reputation.

 

If we engage in strategic transactions that fail to achieve the anticipated results and synergies, our business will suffer.

 

We may seek to engage in strategic transactions with third parties, such as product or company acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures or business combinations. We may face significant competition in seeking potential strategic partners and transactions, and the negotiation process for acquiring any product or engaging in strategic transactions can be time-consuming and complex. Engaging in strategic transactions, such as our acquisition in 2015 of the U.S. rights to NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, may require us to incur non-recurring and other charges, increase our near- and long-term expenditures, pose integration challenges and fail to achieve the anticipated results or synergies or distract our management and business, which may harm our business.

 

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As part of an effort to acquire a product or company or to enter into other strategic transactions, we conduct business, legal and financial due diligence with the goal of identifying, evaluating and assessing material risks involved in the transaction. Despite our efforts, we ultimately may be unsuccessful in ascertaining, evaluating and accurately assessing all such risks and, as a result, might not realize the intended advantages of the transaction. We may also assume liabilities and legal risks in connection with a transaction, including those relating to activities of the seller prior to the consummation of the transaction and contracts that we assume. Failure to realize the expected benefits from acquisitions or strategic transactions that we may consummate, or that we have completed, such as the acquisition in 2015 of the U.S. rights to NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, whether as a result of identified or unidentified risks, integration difficulties, regulatory setbacks, governmental investigations, litigation or other events, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We depend on third parties that are single source suppliers to manufacture our products. If these suppliers are unable to manufacture and supply our products, or if there is insufficient availability of our products or the raw materials necessary to manufacture our products, our business will suffer.

 

We have one qualified supplier for the active pharmaceutical ingredient in each of NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA, CAMBIA, Zipsor, and Gralise. An affiliate of Janssen Pharma is currently our sole supplier of NUCYNTA ER pursuant to a manufacturing supply agreement we entered into with such entity in April 2015. Halo Pharmaceutical, Inc. (Halo) and a Janssen Pharma affiliate that manufacture NUCYNTA ER are currently our two suppliers of NUCYNTA. Upon completion of the transition of NUCYNTA manufacturing to Halo by the end of 2017, Halo will become our sole supplier of NUCYNTA.  Patheon Puerto Rico Inc. (Patheon) is our sole supplier for Gralise pursuant to a manufacturing and supply agreement we entered into with Patheon in September 2011. Accucaps Industries Limited is our sole supplier for Zipsor pursuant to a manufacturing agreement we assumed in connection with our acquisition of Zipsor in June 2012. MiPharm, S.p.A is our sole supplier for CAMBIA pursuant to a manufacturing and supply agreement that we assumed in connection with our acquisition of CAMBIA in December 2013. We do not have, and we do not intend to establish in the foreseeable future, internal commercial scale manufacturing capabilities. Rather, we intend to use the facilities of third parties to manufacture products for commercialization and clinical trials. Our dependence on third parties for the manufacture of our products and our product candidates may adversely affect our ability to obtain such products on a timely or competitive basis, if at all. Any stock out, or failure to obtain sufficient supplies of NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA, Gralise, CAMBIA, or Zipsor, or the necessary active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients or components from our suppliers would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

For example, Hurricanes Irma and Maria recently caused significant devastation and damage throughout Puerto Rico, including widespread flooding and power loss.  As a result, we experienced delays in the manufacture, packaging and delivery of certain dosage strengths of NUCYNTA ER in the third quarter of 2017 and may continue to experience such delays during the fourth quarter of 2017.  Any delay in the manufacture, packaging or delivery of NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA ER will adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations for 2017, and potentially 2018, if the manufacturing facility at which NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA ER are made is not fully operational for an extended period of time.

 

The manufacturing process for pharmaceutical products is highly regulated, and regulators may shut down manufacturing facilities that they believe do not comply with regulations. We, our third-party manufacturers and our suppliers are subject to numerous regulations, including current FDA regulations governing manufacturing processes, stability testing, record keeping and quality standards. Similar regulations are in effect in other countries. Our third-party manufacturers and suppliers are independent entities who are subject to their own unique operational and financial risks which are out of our control. If we or any third-party manufacturer or supplier fails to perform as required or fail to comply with the regulations of the FDA and other applicable governmental authorities, our ability to deliver adequate supplies of our products to our customers on a timely basis, or to continue our clinical trials could be adversely affected. The manufacturing processes of our third party manufacturers and suppliers may also be found to violate the proprietary rights of others. To the extent these risks materialize and adversely affect such third-party manufacturers’ performance obligations to us, and we are unable to contract for a sufficient supply of required products on acceptable terms, or if we encounter delays and difficulties in our relationships with manufacturers or suppliers, our business, results of operation and financial condition could be adversely affected.

 

Our failure to generate sufficient cash flow from our business to make payments on our debt would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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We have incurred significant indebtedness in the aggregate principal amount of $720.0 million under the senior secured notes we issued in April 2015 (the Senior Notes) and the convertible notes we issued in September 2014 (the Convertible Notes). Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance the Convertible Notes, the Senior Notes and any additional debt obligations we may incur depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors that may be beyond our control. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and to make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on commercially reasonable or acceptable terms, which could result in a default on our obligations, including the Convertible Notes and the Senior Notes.

 

In addition, our significant indebtedness, combined with our other financial obligations and contractual commitments, could have other important consequences to our business. For example, it could:

 

·

make it more difficult for us to meet our payment and other obligations under the Convertible Notes, the Senior Secured Notes or our other indebtedness;

·

result in an event of default if we fail to comply with the financial and other covenants contained in the Note Purchase Agreement, which event of default could result in all of our debt becoming immediately due and payable;

·

make us more vulnerable to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;

·

subject us to the risk of increased sensitivity to interest rate increases on our indebtedness with variable interest rates, including the Senior Notes;

·

require the dedication of a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of our cash flow available for other purposes, including working capital, clinical trials, research and development, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes;

·

prevent us from raising funds necessary to repurchase the Convertible Notes in the event we are required to do so following a “fundamental change,” as specified in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes, to repurchase the Senior Notes in the event we are required to do so following a “major transaction” or as required in the event that the principal amount outstanding under the Convertible Notes as of March 31, 2021 is greater than $100.0 million, as specified in the Note Purchase Agreement or to settle conversions of the Convertible Notes in cash ;

·

result in dilution to our existing shareholders as a result of the conversion of the Convertible Notes into shares of common stock;

·

limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry;

·

put us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors who have less debt; and

·

limit our ability to borrow additional amounts for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including funding possible acquisitions of, or investments in, additional products, technologies and companies.

 

Any of these factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we incur additional indebtedness, the risks related to our business and our ability to service or repay our indebtedness would increase.

 

Acquisition of new and complementary businesses, products and technologies is a key element of our corporate strategy. If we are unable to successfully identify and acquire such businesses, products or technologies, our business growth and prospects will be limited .

 

Since June 2012, we have acquired NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA, CAMBIA, and Zipsor and exclusively in-licensed the right to develop and commercialize cebranopadol. An important element of our business strategy is to actively seek to acquire products or companies and to in-license or seek co-promotion rights to products that could be sold by our sales force. We cannot be certain that we will be able to successfully identify, pursue and complete any further acquisitions or whether we would be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, product or technology or retain any key employees. If we are unable to enhance and broaden our product offerings, our business and prospects will be limited.

 

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If we are unable to successfully integrate any business, product or technology we may acquire, our business, financial condition and operating results will suffer.

 

Integrating any business, product or technology we acquire, such as NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, is expensive, time consuming and can disrupt and adversely affect our ongoing business, including product sales, and distract our management. Our ability to successfully integrate any business, product or technology we acquire depends on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to:

 

·

minimize the disruption and distraction of our management and other employees, including our sales force, in connection with the integration of any acquired business, product or technology;

·

maintain and increase sales of our existing products;

·

establish or manage the transition of the manufacture and supply of any acquired product, including the necessary active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients and components;

·

identify and add the necessary sales, marketing, manufacturing, regulatory and other related personnel, capabilities and infrastructure that are required to successfully integrate any acquired business, product or technology;

·

manage the transition and migration of all commercial, financial, legal, clinical, regulatory and other pertinent information relating to any acquired business, product or technology;

·

comply with legal, regulatory and contractual requirements applicable to any acquired business, product or technology;

·

obtain and maintain adequate coverage, reimbursement and pricing from managed care, government and other third-party payers with respect to any acquired product; and

·

maintain and extend intellectual property protection for any acquired product or technology.

 

If we are unable to perform the above functions or otherwise effectively integrate any acquired businesses, products or technologies, our business, financial condition and operating results will suffer.

 

We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of the Convertible Notes in cash, to repurchase the Convertible Notes upon a fundamental change or to repurchase the Senior Notes upon a major transaction put or as required in the event that the principal amount outstanding under the Convertible Notes as of March 31, 2021 is greater than $100.0 million.  

 

Holders of the Convertible Notes will have the right to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their Convertible Notes upon the occurrence of certain events, including events deemed to be a “fundamental change,” at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the outstanding Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. Upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the Convertible Notes being converted.

 

Furthermore, holders of the Senior Notes will have the right to require us to repurchase all of their Senior Notes (i) if the principal amount outstanding under the Convertible Notes as of March 31, 2021 is greater than $100.0 million, at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the outstanding Senior Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, or (ii) upon the occurrence of certain events deemed to be a “major transaction” at a repurchase price equal to: (a) 100% of the principal amount of the outstanding Senior Notes to be repurchased, plus (b) accrued and unpaid interest, if any, plus (c) a prepayment premium, which may be substantial.

However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases of Convertible Notes or Senior Notes or pay cash with respect to Convertible Notes being converted. In addition, our ability to repurchase or to pay cash upon conversion of the Convertible Notes may be limited by law, regulatory authority or agreements governing our future indebtedness. An event of default under the indenture governing the Convertible Notes, including our failure to repurchase Convertible Notes when required by the indenture governing the Convertible Notes, would constitute a default under the Note Purchase Agreement. In addition, an event of default under the Note Purchase Agreement, including our failure to repurchase Senior Notes when the repurchase is required by the Note Purchase Agreement, would constitute a default under the indenture governing the Convertible Notes. Moreover, the occurrence of a fundamental change under the indenture governing the Convertible Notes or a major transaction under the Note Purchase Agreement could constitute an event of default under either the indenture governing the Convertible Notes or the Note Purchase Agreement, as applicable and any agreements that may govern any future

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indebtedness. Following an event of default, if the payment of our outstanding indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay such indebtedness.

 

Health care reform could increase our expenses and adversely affect the commercial success of our products.

 

The ACA includes numerous provisions that affect pharmaceutical companies. For example, the ACA seeks to expand healthcare coverage to the uninsured through private health insurance reforms and an expansion of Medicaid. The ACA also imposes substantial costs on pharmaceutical manufacturers, such as an increase in liability for rebates paid to Medicaid, new drug discounts that must be offered to certain enrollees in the Medicare prescription drug benefit and an annual fee imposed on all manufacturers of brand prescription drugs in the U.S. The ACA also requires increased disclosure obligations and an expansion of an existing program requiring pharmaceutical discounts to certain types of hospitals and federally subsidized clinics and contains cost-containment measures that could reduce reimbursement levels for pharmaceutical products. The ACA also includes provisions known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which require manufacturers of drugs, biologics, devices and medical supplies covered under Medicare and Medicaid to record any transfers of value to physicians and teaching hospitals and to report this data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for subsequent public disclosure. Similar reporting requirements have also been enacted on the state level domestically, and an increasing number of countries worldwide either have adopted or are considering similar laws requiring transparency of interactions with health care professionals. Failure to report appropriate data may result in civil or criminal fines and/or penalties. These and other aspects of the ACA, including regulations that may be imposed in connection with the implementation of the ACA, such as the 340B Program, could increase our expenses and adversely affect our ability to successfully commercialize our products and product candidates.

 

Many members of Congress and President Trump have pledged to repeal the ACA. In January 2017, the House and Senate passed a budget resolution that authorizes congressional committees to draft legislation to repeal all or portions of the ACA and permits such legislation to pass with a majority vote in the Senate.  President Trump also recently issued an executive order in which he stated that it is his administration’s policy to seek the prompt repeal of the ACA and directed executive departments and federal agencies to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of burdensome provisions of the ACA to the maximum extent permitted by law. Although several attempts to repeal and replace the ACA have recently failed to pass both houses of Congress, there is still uncertainty with respect to the impact President Trump’s administration and the Congress may have, if any, and any changes will likely take time to unfold. Any new laws or regulations that have the effect of imposing additional costs or regulatory burden on pharmaceutical manufacturers, or otherwise negatively affect the industry, could adversely affect our ability to successfully commercialize our products and product candidates. In addition, President Trump has indicated that reducing the price of prescription drugs will be a priority of his administration. The implementation of any price controls or caps on prescription drugs, whether at the federal level or state level, could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

If we are unable to obtain or maintain regulatory approval for our products or product candidates, we will be limited in our ability to commercialize our products, and our business will suffer.

 

The regulatory process is expensive and time consuming. Even after investing significant time and expenditures on clinical trials, we may not obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates. Data obtained from clinical trials are susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval, and the FDA may not agree with our methods of clinical data analysis or our conclusions regarding safety and/or efficacy. Significant clinical trial delays could impair our ability to commercialize our products and could allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do. In addition, changes in regulatory policy for product approval during the period of product development and regulatory agency review of each submitted new application may cause delays or rejections. Even if we receive regulatory approval, this approval may entail limitations on the indicated uses for which we can market a product.

 

Further, with respect to our approved products, once regulatory approval is obtained, a marketed product and its manufacturer are subject to continual review. The discovery of previously unknown problems with a product or manufacturer may result in restrictions on the product, manufacturer or manufacturing facility, including withdrawal of the product from the market. Manufacturers of approved products are also subject to ongoing regulation and inspection, including compliance with FDA regulations governing current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) or Quality System Regulation (QSR). The FDCA, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA) and other federal and foreign statutes and regulations govern and influence the testing, manufacturing, packing, labeling, storing, record keeping,

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safety, approval, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution of our products. In addition, we and our partners are also subject to ongoing DEA regulatory obligations, including annual registration renewal, security, recordkeeping, theft and loss reporting, periodic inspection and annual quota allotments for the raw material for commercial production of our products. The failure to comply with these regulations could result in, among other things, warning letters, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, non-renewal of marketing applications or authorizations or criminal prosecution, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We are also required to report adverse events associated with our products to the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Unexpected or serious health or safety concerns could result in labeling changes, recalls, market withdrawals or other regulatory actions. Recalls may be issued at our discretion or at the discretion of the FDA or other empowered regulatory agencies. For example, in June 2010, we instituted a voluntary class 2 recall of 52 lots of our 500mg Glumetza product after chemical traces of 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) were found in the product bottle.

 

If a product liability claim against us is successful, our business will suffer.

 

Our business involves exposure to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the development, production and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. Side effects, manufacturing defects, misuse or abuse of any of our products could result in patient injury or death. Patient injury, abuse, or death can result in product liability claims being brought against us, even if our products did not cause an injury, abuse, or death. Product liability claims may be brought against us by consumers, health care providers, pharmaceutical companies or others who come into contact with our products.

 

We have obtained product liability insurance for sales of our products and clinical trials currently underway, but:

 

·

we may be unable to maintain product liability insurance on acceptable terms;

·

we may be unable to obtain product liability insurance for future trials;

·

we may be unable to obtain product liability insurance for future products;

·

we may be unable to secure increased coverage as the commercialization of our Acuform gastric retentive technology expands; or

·

our insurance may not provide adequate protection against potential liabilities.

 

Our inability to obtain or maintain adequate insurance coverage at an acceptable cost could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of our products. Defending a lawsuit could be costly and significantly divert management’s attention from conducting our business. If third parties were to bring a successful product liability claim or series of claims against us for uninsured liabilities or in excess of insured liability limits, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

 

Any failure by us or our partners to comply with applicable statutes or regulations relating to controlled substances could adversely affect our business.

 

Each of NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA are opioid analgesics that contain tapentadol. Cebranopadol is a development stage opioid analgesic. Tapentadol is a regulated “controlled substance” under the CSA. The CSA establishes, among other things, certain registration, production quotas, security, recordkeeping, reporting, import, export and other requirements administered by the DEA. The DEA regulates controlled substances as Schedule I, II, III, IV or V substances, with Schedule II substances being those that present the highest risk of abuse. Tapentadol is listed by the DEA as a Schedule II substance under the CSA. The scheduling for cebranopadol will not be determined until after the FDA’s approval. The manufacture, shipment, storage, sale and use, among other things, of controlled substances that are pharmaceutical products are subject to a high degree of regulation. For example, generally all Schedule II substance prescriptions must be written and signed by a physician, physically presented to a pharmacist and may not be refilled without a new prescription. 

 

The DEA also conducts periodic inspections of certain registered establishments that handle controlled substances. Facilities that conduct research, manufacture, distribute, import or export controlled substances must be registered to perform these activities and have the security, control and inventory mechanisms required by the DEA to prevent drug loss and diversion. Failure to maintain compliance, particularly non-compliance resulting in loss or diversion, can result in regulatory action that could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The DEA may

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seek civil penalties, refuse to renew necessary registrations, or initiate proceedings to restrict, suspend or revoke those registrations and in certain circumstances, violations could lead to criminal proceedings against us or our manufacturing and distribution partners, and our respective employees, officers and directors.

 

In addition to federal regulations, many individual states also have controlled substances laws. Although state controlled substances laws generally mirror federal law, because the states are separate jurisdictions they may separately schedule our products. Any failure by us or our partners to obtain separate state registrations, permits or licenses in order to be able to obtain, handle and distribute fentanyl or to meet applicable regulatory requirements could lead to enforcement and sanctions by the states in addition to those from the DEA or otherwise arising under federal law and could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Limitations on the production of Schedule II substances in the U.S. could limit our ability to successfully commercialize NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA.  

 

The availability and production of all Schedule II substances, including tapentadol, is limited by the DEA through a quota system that includes a national aggregate quota, production quotas for individual manufacturers and procurement quotas that authorize the procurement of specific quantities of Schedule II controlled substances for use in drug product manufacturing. The DEA annually establishes an aggregate quota for total tapentadol production in the U.S. based on the DEA’s estimate of the quantity needed to meet commercial and scientific need. The aggregate quota of tapentadol that the DEA allows to be produced in the U.S. annually is allocated among applicable individual drug manufacturers, which must submit applications annually to the DEA for individual production quotas. In turn, the manufacturers of NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA have to obtain a procurement quota to source tapentadol for the production of NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA.

 

The DEA requires substantial evidence and documentation of expected legitimate medical and scientific needs before assigning quotas for these activities. The DEA may adjust aggregate production quotas and individual production and procurement quotas from time to time during the year, although the DEA has substantial discretion in whether or not to make such adjustments. Based on a variety of factors, including public policy considerations, the DEA may set the aggregate quota lower for tapentadol than the total amount requested by individual manufacturers. Although through our manufacturing partner we are permitted to ask the DEA to increase our manufacturer’s procurement quota after it is initially established, we cannot be certain that the DEA would act favorably upon such a request. In addition, our manufacturers obtain a procurement quota for tapentadol for all tapentadol products manufactured at their facility, which is allocated to NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA, as applicable, at the manufacturer’s discretion. If the available quota of tapentadol is insufficient to meet our commercial demand or clinical needs, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. Further, during the 2016 presidential campaign, President Trump called for the DEA to restrict the amount of opioids that can be manufactured in the U.S. Any delay or refusal by the DEA or our manufacturers in establishing the production or procurement quota or any reduction by the DEA or our manufacturer in the allocated quota for tapentadol could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

The FDA-mandated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy program may limit the commercial success of NUCYNTA ER and Lazanda.

 

NUCYNTA ER is subject to a FDA-mandated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) protocol that requires enrollment and participation in the REMS program to prescribe, dispense or distribute such products for outpatient use. Many physicians, health care practitioners and pharmacies are unwilling to enroll and participate in the REMS programs. As a result, there are relatively few prescribers and dispensers of products subject to REMS protocols. In addition, the FDA recently mandated a REMS protocol for NUCYNTA. If we are not able to successfully promote NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA to participants in the applicable REMS program, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. 

 

The market price of our common stock historically has been volatile. Our results of operations may fluctuate and affect our stock price.

 

The trading price of our common stock has been, and is likely to continue to be, volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. From September 30, 2015 through September 30, 2017, our stock price has ranged from $5.58 to $27.02 per share.

 

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Factors affecting our operating results and that could adversely affect our stock price include:

 

·

the degree of commercial success and market acceptance of NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA, Gralise, CAMBIA, and Zipsor;

·

the current and future market conditions for short-acting and long-acting opioids;

·

filings and other regulatory or governmental actions, investigations or proceedings related to our products and product candidate and those of our collaborative partners;

·

the reversal or any appeal of the court’s favorable ruling in our patent infringement litigation against the filers of ANDAs for NUCYNTA ER and NUCYNTA;

·

developments concerning proprietary rights, including patents, infringement allegations, inter party review proceedings and litigation matters;

·

legal and regulatory developments in the United States;

·

actions taken by industry stakeholders affecting the market for our products;

·

our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from our business to make payments on our indebtedness;

·

our and our collaborative partners’ compliance or non-compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and with obligations under our collaborative agreements;

·

our ability to successfully develop and execute our sales and marketing strategies, including the sales force realignment we undertook in the first quarter of 2017 and the commercial initiatives we announced in May 2017;

·

our plans to acquire, in-license or co-promote other products, compounds or acquire or combine with other companies, and our degree of success in realizing the intended advantages of, and mitigating any risks associated with, any such transaction;

·

our ability to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize a product containing cebranopadol;

·

adverse events related to our products, including recalls;

·

interruptions of manufacturing or supply, or other manufacture or supply difficulties;

·

variations in revenues obtained from collaborative agreements, including milestone payments, royalties, license fees and other contract revenues;

·

adverse events or circumstances related to our peer companies or our industry or the markets for our products;

·

adoption of new technologies by us or our competitors;

·

the outcome of our patent infringement litigation against Purdue;

·

the outcome and impact of a proxy contest initiated by an activist shareholder;

·

our compliance with the terms and conditions of the agreements governing our indebtedness;

·

decisions by collaborative partners to proceed or not to proceed with subsequent phases of a collaboration or program;

·

sales of large blocks of our common stock or the dilutive effect of our Convertible Notes; and

·

variations in our operating results, earnings per share, cash flows from operating activities, deferred revenue, and other financial metrics and non-financial metrics, and how those results are measured, presented and compare to analyst expectations.

 

As a result of these factors, our stock price may continue to be volatile and investors may be unable to sell their shares at a price equal to, or above, the price paid. Any significant drops in our stock price could give rise to shareholder lawsuits, which are costly and time consuming to defend against and which may adversely affect our ability to raise capital while the suits are pending, even if the suits are ultimately resolved in our favor.

 

In addition, if the market for pharmaceutical stocks or the stock market in general experiences uneven investor confidence, the market price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, operating results or financial condition. For example, if one or more securities or industry analysts downgrades our stock or publishes an inaccurate research report about our company, the market price for our common stock would likely decline. The market price of our common stock might also decline in reaction to events that affect other companies within, or outside, our industry even if these events do not directly affect us.

 

We have incurred operating losses in the past and may incur operating losses in the future.

 

To date, we have recorded revenues from product sales, license fees, royalties, collaborative research and development arrangements and feasibility studies. In 2016 and 2015 we incurred net losses of $88.7 million and $75.7

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million, respectively, and in 2014 we recognized net income of $131.8 million. We expect to incur operating losses in 2017 and may continue to incur operating losses in future years. Any such losses may have an adverse impact on our total assets, shareholders’ equity and working capital.

 

Our existing capital resources may not be sufficient to fund our future operations or product acquisitions and strategic transactions that we may pursue.

 

We fund our operations primarily through revenues from product sales and do not have any committed sources of capital. To the extent that our existing capital resources and revenues from ongoing operations are insufficient to fund our future operations, or product acquisitions and strategic transactions that we may pursue, we will have to raise additional funds through the sale of our equity securities, through additional debt financing, from development and licensing arrangements or from the sale of assets. We may be unable to raise such additional capital on favorable terms, or at all. If we raise additional capital by selling our equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of such securities could result in dilution of our shareholders’ equity positions.

 

We have significant amounts of intangible assets which depend upon future positive cash flows to support the values recorded in our balance sheet. We may have an increased risk of future impairment charges should actual financial results differ materially from our projections.

 

Our consolidated balance sheet contains significant amounts of intangible assets representing the product rights which we have acquired over the last few years. We review the carrying value of our intangible assets when indicators of impairment are present. Conditions that could indicate impairment of intangible assets include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in market conditions, significant competing product launches by our competitors and the legal or regulatory environment.

 

In performing our impairment tests, we utilize our future projections of cash flows. Projections of future cash flows are inherently subjective and reflect assumptions that may or may not ultimately be realized. Significant assumptions utilized in our projections include, but are not limited to, our evaluation of the market opportunity for our products, the current and future competitive landscape and resulting impacts to product pricing, future regulatory actions, planned strategic initiatives and the realization of benefits associated with our existing patents. Given the inherent subjectivity and uncertainty in projections, we could experience significant unfavorable variances in future periods or revise our projections downward. This would result in an increased risk that that our intangible assets may be impaired. If an impairment were recognized, this could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our customer concentration may materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

We sell a significant amount of our products to a limited number of independent wholesale drug distributors. Three of our wholesale distributors represented 36%, 27% and 25% of our product shipments for the year ended December 31, 2016 and 36%, 27% and 27% of our product shipments for the nine months ended September 30, 2017. If we were to lose the business of one or more of these distributors, if any of these distributors failed to fulfill their obligations, if any of these distributors experienced difficulty in paying us on a timely basis, or if any of these distributors negotiated lower pricing terms, it could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

Our product revenues have historically been lower in the first quarter of the year as compared to the fourth quarter of the preceding year, which may cause our stock price to decline.

 

Our product revenues have historically been lower in the first quarter of the year as compared to the fourth quarter of the preceding year. We believe this arises primarily as a result of wholesalers’ reductions of inventory of our products in the first quarter and annual changes in health insurance plans that occur at the beginning of the calendar year.

 

In 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, our wholesalers ended the calendar year with higher levels of inventory of our products than at the end of the first quarter of the following year. As a result, in the first quarters of 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, net sales were lower than would otherwise have been the case as a result of the reduction of product inventory at our wholesalers. Any material reduction by our wholesalers of their inventory of our products in the first quarter of

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any calendar year as compared to the fourth quarter of the preceding calendar year, could adversely affect our operating results and may cause our stock price to decline.

 

Many health insurance plans and government programs reset annual limits on deductibles and out-of-pocket costs at the beginning of each calendar year and require participants to pay for substantially all of the costs of medical services and prescription drug products until such deductibles and annual out-of-pocket cost limits are met. In addition, enrollment in high-deductible health insurance plans has increased significantly in recent years. As a result of these factors, patients may delay filling or refilling prescriptions for our products or substitute less expensive generic products until such deductibles and annual out-of-pocket cost limits are met. Any reduction in the demand for our products, including as a result of the foregoing factors, could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Our collaborative arrangements may give rise to disputes over commercial terms, contract interpretation and ownership or protection of our intellectual property and may adversely affect the commercial success of our products.

 

We currently have collaboration or license arrangements with a number of companies, including Grünenthal, Janssen Pharma and Ironwood. In addition, we have in the past and may in the future enter into other collaborative arrangements, some of which have been based on less definitive agreements, such as memoranda of understanding, material transfer agreements, options or feasibility agreements. We may not execute definitive agreements formalizing these arrangements.

 

Collaborative relationships are generally complex and may give rise to disputes regarding the relative rights, obligations and revenues of the parties, including the ownership of intellectual property and associated rights and obligations, especially when the applicable collaborative provisions have not been fully negotiated and documented. Such disputes can delay collaborative research, development or commercialization of potential products, and can lead to lengthy, expensive litigation or arbitration. The terms of collaborative arrangements may also limit or preclude us from developing products or technologies developed pursuant to such collaborations. Additionally, the collaborative partners under these arrangements might breach the terms of their respective agreements or fail to maintain, protect or prevent infringement of the licensed patents or our other intellectual property rights by third parties. Moreover, negotiating collaborative arrangements often takes considerably longer to conclude than the parties initially anticipate, which could cause us to enter into less favorable agreement terms that delay or defer recovery of our development costs and reduce the funding available to support key programs. Any failure by our collaborative partners to abide by the terms of their respective agreements with us, including their failure to accurately calculate, report or pay any royalties payable to us, may adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We may be unable to enter into future collaborative arrangements on acceptable terms, which could harm our ability to develop and commercialize our current and potential future products and technologies. Other factors relating to collaborations that may adversely affect the commercial success of our products include:

 

·

any parallel development by a collaborative partner of competitive technologies or products;

·

arrangements with collaborative partners that limit or preclude us from developing products or technologies;

·

premature termination of a collaboration agreement; or

·

failure by a collaborative partner to devote sufficient resources to the development and commercial sales of products using our current and potential future products and technologies.

 

Our collaborative arrangements do not necessarily restrict our collaborative partners from competing with us or restrict their ability to market or sell competitive products. Our current and any future collaborative partners may pursue existing or other development-stage products or alternative technologies in preference to those being developed in collaboration with us. Our collaborative partners may also terminate their collaborative relationships with us or otherwise decide not to proceed with development and commercialization of our products.

 

We may be unable to protect our intellectual property and may be liable for infringing the intellectual property of others.

 

Our success will depend in part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection for our products and technologies, and to preserve our trade secrets. Our policy is to seek to protect our proprietary rights by, among other methods, filing patent applications in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions to cover certain aspects of our technology. We

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hold issued U.S. patents and have patent applications pending in the U.S. In addition, we are pursuing patent applications relating to our technologies in the U.S. and abroad. We have also applied for patents in numerous foreign countries. Some of those countries have granted our applications and other applications are still pending. Our pending patent applications may lack priority over other applications or may not result in the issuance of patents. Even if issued, our patents may not be sufficiently broad to provide protection against competitors with similar technologies and may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing related products or may not provide us with competitive advantages against competing products. We also rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how, which are difficult to protect. We seek to protect such information, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants, collaborative partners and others before such persons or entities have access to our proprietary trade secrets and know-how. These confidentiality agreements may not be effective in certain cases, due to, among other things, the lack of an adequate remedy for breach of an agreement or a finding that an agreement is unenforceable. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently developed by competitors.

 

Our ability to develop our technologies and to make commercial sales of products using our technologies also depends on not infringing other patents or intellectual property rights. We are not aware of any such intellectual property claims against us. However, the pharmaceutical industry has experienced extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights. Patents issued to third parties relating to sustained release drug formulations or particular pharmaceutical compounds could in the future be asserted against us, although we believe that we do not infringe any valid claim of any patents. If claims concerning any of our products were to arise and it was determined that these products infringe a third party’s proprietary rights, we could be subject to substantial damages for past infringement or could be forced to stop or delay our activities with respect to any infringing product, unless we can obtain a license, or we may have to redesign our product so that it does not infringe upon such third party’s patent rights, which may not be possible or could require substantial funds or time. Such a license may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we, our collaborators or our licensors were able to obtain a license, the rights may be nonexclusive, which could give our competitors access to the same intellectual property. In addition, any public announcements related to litigation or interference proceedings initiated or threatened against us, even if such claims are without merit, could cause our stock price to decline.

 

From time to time, we may become aware of activities by third parties that may infringe our patents. Infringement of our patents by others may reduce our market shares (if a related product is approved) and, consequently, our potential future revenues and adversely affect our patent rights if we do not take appropriate enforcement action. We may need to engage in litigation to enforce any patents issued or licensed to us or to determine the scope and validity of third-party proprietary rights. For instance, we have previously been engaged in ANDA litigation involving NUCYNTA ER, NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA oral solution as well as Gralise. It is possible our issued or licensed patents may not be held valid by a court of competent jurisdiction or the PTAB. Whether or not the outcome of litigation or the PTAB proceeding is favorable to us, the litigation and the proceedings may take significant time, may be expensive and may divert management’s attention from other business concerns. We may also be required to participate in derivation proceedings or other post-grant proceedings declared by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the purposes of, respectively, determining the priority of inventions in connection with our patent applications or determining validity of claims in our issued patents. Adverse determinations in litigation or proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition and could require us to seek licenses which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or subject us to significant liabilities to third parties. If we need but cannot obtain a license, we may be prevented from marketing the affected product.

 

We are subject to risks associated with NDAs submitted under Section 505(b)(2) of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

 

The products we develop or acquire generally are or will be submitted for approval under Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA, which was enacted as part of the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, otherwise known as the Hatch-Waxman Act. Section 505(b)(2) permits the submission of an NDA where at least some of the information required for approval comes from studies not conducted by or for the applicant and for which the applicant has not obtained a right of reference. For instance, the NDA for Gralise relies on the FDA’s prior approval of Neurontin, the immediate release formulation of gabapentin initially approved by the FDA. 

 

For NDAs submitted under Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA, the patent certification and related provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Act apply. In accordance with the Hatch-Waxman Act, such NDAs may be required to include certifications, known as “Paragraph IV certifications,” that certify any patents listed in the Orange Book publication in

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respect to any product referenced in the 505(b)(2) application are invalid, unenforceable and/or will not be infringed by the manufacture, use or sale of the product that is the subject of the 505(b)(2) application. Under the Hatch-Waxman Act, the holder of the NDA which the 505(b)(2) application references may file a patent infringement lawsuit after receiving notice of the Paragraph IV certification. Filing of a patent infringement lawsuit triggers a one-time automatic 30-month stay of the FDA’s ability to approve the 505(b)(2) application. Accordingly, we may invest a significant amount of time and expense in the development of one or more products only to be subject to significant delay and patent litigation before such products may be commercialized, if at all. A Section 505(b)(2) application may also not be approved until any non-patent exclusivity, such as exclusivity for obtaining approval of a new chemical entity, listed in the Orange Book for the referenced product has expired. The FDA may also require us to perform one or more additional clinical studies or measurements to support the change from the approved product. The FDA may then approve the new formulation for all or only some of the indications sought by us. The FDA may also reject our future Section 505(b)(2) submissions and may require us to file such submissions under Section 501(b)(1) of the FDCA, which could be considerably more expensive and time consuming.

 

The development of drug candidates such as cebranopadol is inherently difficult and uncertain, and we cannot be certain that any of our product candidates or those of our collaborative partners will be approved for marketing or, if approved, will achieve market acceptance.  

 

Clinical development is a long, expensive and uncertain process and is subject to delays and failures. As a condition to regulatory approval, each product candidate must undergo extensive and expensive preclinical studies and clinical trials to demonstrate to a statistically significant degree that the product candidate is safe and effective. The results at any stage of the development process may lack the desired safety, efficacy or pharmacokinetic characteristics. Positive or encouraging results of prior clinical trials are not necessarily indicative of the results obtained in later clinical trials, as was the case with the Phase 3 trial for Gralise for the management of PHN that we completed in 2007, and with the Phase 3 trials evaluating Sefelsa, our prior product candidate, for menopausal hot flashes, the last of which we completed in October 2011. Further, product candidates in later clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy despite having progressed in development. In addition, data obtained from pivotal clinical trials are susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval.

 

Our own product candidates, including cebranopadol, and those of our collaborative partners are subject to the risk that any or all of them may be found to be ineffective or unsafe, or otherwise may fail to receive necessary regulatory clearances. The FDA or other applicable regulatory agencies may determine that our data is not sufficiently compelling to warrant marketing approval and require us to engage in additional clinical trials or provide further analysis, which may be costly and time-consuming. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including us, have suffered significant setbacks in clinical trials, even in advanced clinical trials after showing positive results in preclinical studies or earlier clinical trials. If our current or future product candidates fail at any stage of development, they will not receive regulatory approval, we will not be able to commercialize them and we will not receive any return on our investment in those product candidates.

 Other factors could delay or result in the termination of our current and future clinical trials and related development programs, including:

 

·

negative or inconclusive results;

·

patient noncompliance with the protocol;

·

adverse medical events or side effects among patients during the clinical trials;

·

FDA inspections of our clinical operations;

·

failure of our third party clinical trial vendors to comply with applicable regulatory laws and regulations;

·

inability of our third party clinical trial vendors to satisfactorily perform their contractual obligations, comply with applicable laws and regulations or meet deadlines;

·

delays or failures in obtaining clinical materials and manufacturing sufficient quantities of the product candidate for use in our clinical trials

·

delays or failures in recruiting qualified patients to participate in our clinical trials; and

·

actual or perceived lack of efficacy or safety of the product candidate.

 

We are unable to predict whether any of our product candidates, including cebranopadol, or those of our collaborative partners will receive regulatory clearances or be successfully manufactured or marketed. Further, due to the extended testing and regulatory review process required before marketing clearance can be obtained, the time frame for commercializing a product is long and uncertain. Even if these other product candidates receive regulatory clearance, our

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products may not achieve or maintain market acceptance. If it is discovered that the Acuform technology could have adverse effects or other characteristics that indicate it is unlikely to be effective as a delivery system for drugs or therapeutics, our product development efforts and our business could be significantly harmed.

 

Even assuming our products obtain regulatory approval, successful commercialization requires:

 

·

market acceptance;

·

a cost-effective commercial scale production; and

·

reimbursement under private or governmental health plans.

 

Any material delay or failure in the governmental approval process and/or the successful commercialization of our potential products or those of our collaborative partners could adversely impact our financial position and liquidity.

 

We depend on third party contract research organizations, clinical investigators and clinical sites to conduct our clinical trials, and if they do not perform their regulatory, legal and contractual obligations, or successfully enroll patients in and manage our clinical trials, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approvals for our product candidates, including cebranopadol.

 

We rely on third party contract research organizations and other third parties to assist us in designing, managing, monitoring and otherwise conducting our clinical trials. We do not control these third parties and, as a result, we may be unable to control the amount and timing of resources that they devote to our clinical trials.

 

Although we rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials, we are responsible for confirming that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with its general investigational plan and protocol, as well as the FDA’s and other applicable regulatory agencies’ requirements, including good clinical practices, for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to ensure that the data and results are credible and accurate and that the trial participants are adequately protected. If we, contract research organizations or other third parties assisting us with our clinical trials fail to comply with applicable good clinical practices, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA, or other applicable regulatory agencies, may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot be certain that, upon inspection, the FDA or other applicable regulatory agencies will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with good clinical practices. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under the FDA’s cGMP regulations and similar regulations outside of the United States. Our failure, or the failure of our product manufacturers, to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat or redesign clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

 

We also rely on clinical investigators and clinical sites to enroll patients and other third parties to manage our trials and to perform related data collection and analysis. If our clinical investigators and clinical sites fail to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials or fail to enroll them on our planned schedule, we will be unable to complete these trials or to complete them as planned, which could delay or prevent us from obtaining regulatory approvals for our product candidates.

 

Our agreements with clinical investigators and clinical sites for clinical testing and for trial management services place substantial responsibilities on these parties, which could result in delays in, or termination of, our clinical trials if these parties fail to perform as expected. If these clinical investigators, clinical sites or other third parties do not carry out their contractual duties or obligations or fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to their failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, our product candidates.  

 

We have recently experienced a significant transition in our Board of Directors and executive management .   

 

We recently experienced significant changes in our Board of Directors and executive management team. If our newly appointed directors, Chief Executive Officer and executive officers are not able to timely develop, implement and execute successful business strategies and plans to maintain and increase our product revenues, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, the changes to our Board of Directors and executive management team may result in disruption to the operation of our business. While our newly appointed Chief Executive Officer has significant industry-related experience, he has not previously worked together

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with the other members of our executive management team and it may take time for the team to become fully integrated. Any delay in the integration of our Board of Directors or executive management team could affect our ability to develop, implement and execute our business strategies and plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

Further, as a result of the changes to our Board of Directors and executive management, the future business strategies and plans of the Company may differ materially from those of those we previously pursued. If the implementation of our new business strategies and plans, including the strategic initiatives announced by us in May 2017, cause disruption in our business or operations or do not achieve the level of success or results we anticipate, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our success is dependent in large part upon the continued services of our executive management with whom we do not have employment agreements.

 

Our success is dependent in large part upon the continued services of members of our executive management team, and on our ability to attract and retain key management and operating personnel. We do not have agreements with any of our executive officers that provide for their continued employment with us. We may have difficulty filling open senior commercial, scientific and financial positions. Management, scientific and operating personnel are in high demand in our industry and are often subject to competing offers. The loss of the services of one or more members of management or key employees or the inability to hire additional personnel as needed could result in delays in the research, development and commercialization of our products and potential product candidates.

 

Our financial results are impacted by management’s assumptions and use of estimates.

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Estimates are used when accounting for amounts recorded in connection with acquisitions, including initial fair value determinations of assets and liabilities as well as subsequent fair value measurements. Additionally, estimates are used in determining items such as sales discounts and returns, depreciable and amortizable lives, share-based compensation assumptions, fair value of contingent consideration and taxes on income. Although management believes these estimates are based upon reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of the Company’s business and operations, actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

 

If we are unable to satisfy regulatory requirements relating to internal controls, our stock price could suffer.

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires companies to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of their internal control over financial reporting. At the end of each fiscal year, we must perform an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting, include in our annual report the results of the evaluation and have our external auditors also publicly attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Our ability to produce accurate financial statements and comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations is largely dependent on our maintenance of internal control and reporting systems, as well as on our ability to attract and retain qualified management and accounting and actuarial personnel to further develop our internal accounting function and control policies. If we fail to effectively establish and maintain such reporting and accounting systems or fail to attract and retain personnel who are capable of designing and operating such systems, these failures will increase the likelihood that we may be required to restate our financial results to correct errors or that we will become subject to legal and regulatory infractions, which may entail civil litigation and investigations by regulatory agencies including the SEC. In addition, if material weaknesses are found in our internal controls in the future, if we fail to complete future evaluations on time or if our external auditors cannot attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we could fail to meet our regulatory reporting requirements and be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of public confidence in our internal controls, which could have an adverse effect on our stock price or expose us to litigation or regulatory proceedings, which may be costly or divert management attention.

 

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Changes in fair value of contingent consideration assumed as part of our acquisitions could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

Contingent consideration obligations arise from the Zipsor and CAMBIA acquisitions and relate to the potential future milestone payments and royalties payable under the respective agreements. The contingent consideration is initially recognized at its fair value on the acquisition date and is re-measured to fair value at each reporting date until the contingency is resolved with changes in fair value recognized in earnings. The estimates of fair values for the contingent consideration contain uncertainties as it involves assumptions about the probability assigned to the potential milestones and royalties being achieved and the discount rate. Significant judgment is employed in determining these assumptions as of the acquisition date and for each subsequent period. Updates to assumptions could have a significant impact on our results of operations in any given period.

 

The conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

 

In the event the conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes is triggered, holders of Convertible Notes will be entitled to convert the Convertible Notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation in cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.

 

The accounting method for convertible debt securities that may be settled in cash, such as the Convertible Notes could have a material effect on our reported financial results.

 

In May 2008, FASB issued FASB Staff Position No. APB 14-1, Accounting for Convertible Debt Instruments That May Be Settled in Cash upon Conversion (Including Partial Cash Settlement), which has subsequently been codified as Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20). Under ASC 470-20, an entity must separately account for the liability and equity components of the convertible debt instruments (such as the Convertible Notes) that may be settled entirely or partially in cash upon conversion in a manner that reflects the issuer’s economic interest cost. The effect of ASC 470-20 on the accounting for the Convertible Notes is that the equity component is required to be included in the additional paid-in capital within shareholders’ equity on our consolidated balance sheet at the issuance date and the value of the equity component would be treated as debt discount for purposes of accounting for the debt component of the Convertible Notes. As a result, we will be required to record a greater amount of non-cash interest expense as a result of the accretion of the discounted carrying value of the Convertible Notes to their face amount over the term of the notes. We will report lower net income (or larger net losses) in our financial results because ASC 470-20 will require interest to include both the accretion of the debt discount and the instrument’s non-convertible coupon interest rate, which could adversely affect our reported or future financial results, the trading price of our common stock.

In addition, if the Convertible Notes become convertible, we are required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than a long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital. Finally, we use the if-converted method to compute diluted earnings per share with respect to our convertible debt, which could be more dilutive than assuming the debt would be settled in cash.

 

Any of these factors could cause a decrease in the market price of our common stock.

 

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Our business could be negatively affected as a result of any future proxy fight or the actions of activist shareholders .

 

On October 17, 2016, we and Starboard Value LP (Starboard) entered into a settlement agreement pursuant to which, among other things, (i) three independent directors appointed by Starboard joined our Board of Directors, (ii) we amended our bylaws to move the window for shareholders director nominations and other shareholder proposals for consideration at the 2017 annual meeting of shareholders to March 15, 2017 through April 15, 2017 and (iii) Starboard agreed to withdraw its request for the Special Meeting scheduled to be held on November 15, 2016. On March 28, 2017, we and Starboard entered into a cooperation and support agreement pursuant to which, among other things, two additional independent directors appointed by Starboard joined our Board of Directors and the parties agreed to certain standstill commitments.

 

Another proxy contest or related activities with Starboard or other activist shareholders, could adversely affect our business for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to the following:

 

·

responding to proxy contests and other actions by activist stockholders can be costly and time-consuming, disrupting our operations and diverting the attention of management and our employees;

·

perceived uncertainties as to our future direction may result in the loss of potential business opportunities and may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel, business partners, customers and others important to our success, any of which could negatively affect our business and our results of operations and financial condition; and

·

if nominees advanced by activist shareholders are elected or appointed to our Board of Directors with a specific agenda, it may adversely affect our ability to effectively and timely implement our strategic plans or to realize long-term value from our assets, and this could in turn have an adverse effect on our business and on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

A proxy contest could also cause our stock price to experience periods of volatility.  Further, if a proxy contest results in a change in control of our Board of Directors, such an event could give third parties certain rights under our existing contractual obligations, which could adversely affect our business.

 

We may be subject to disruptive unsolicited takeover attempts in the future.

 

We have in the past and may in the future be subject to unsolicited attempts to gain control of our company. Responding to any such attempt would distract management attention away from our business and would require us to incur significant costs. Moreover, any unsolicited takeover attempt may disrupt our business by causing uncertainty among current and potential employees, producers, suppliers, customers and other constituencies important to our success, which could negatively impact our financial results and business initiatives. Other disruptions to our business include potential volatility in our stock price and potential adverse impacts on the timing of, and our ability to consummate, acquisitions of products and companies.

 

Certain provisions applicable to the Convertible Notes and the Senior Notes could delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial takeover or takeover attempt.

 

Certain provisions applicable to the Convertible Notes and the indenture governing the Convertible Notes, the Senior Notes and the Note Purchase Agreement, could make it more difficult or more expensive for a third party to acquire us. For example, if an acquisition event constitutes a fundamental change under the indenture for the Convertible Notes or a major transaction under the Note Purchase Agreement, holders of the Convertible Notes or the Senior Notes, as applicable, will have the right to require us to repurchase their notes in cash. In addition, if an acquisition event constitutes a “make-whole fundamental change” under the indenture, we may be required to increase the conversion rate for holders who convert their Convertible Notes in connection with such make-whole fundamental change. In any of

these cases, and in other cases, our obligations under the Convertible Notes and the indenture, the Senior Notes and the Note Purchase Agreement, as well as provisions of our organizational documents and other agreements, could increase the cost of acquiring us or otherwise discourage a third party from acquiring us or removing incumbent management.

 

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Provisions in our restated articles of incorporation, bylaws and California law might discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the market price of our common stock.

 

Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation and the California General Corporation Law could discourage a third party from acquiring, or make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of our company without the approval of our Board of Directors. These provisions could also limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. Certain provisions allow the Board of Directors to authorize the issuance of preferred stock with rights superior to those of the common stock. 

 

On July 12, 2015, our Board of Directors adopted and approved an amendment and restatement to our bylaws (the Amended Bylaws). The Amended Bylaws, among other things, provide for the establishment of a measurement record date for purposes of ascertaining shareholders eligible to call for a special meeting of shareholders and establish certain other procedures relating to the calling of a special meeting of shareholders. The Amended Bylaws also supplement the advanced notice requirements and procedures for the submission by shareholders of nominations for the Board of Directors and of other proposals to be presented at shareholder meetings, and provide that the exclusive forum for any shareholder to bring any: (i) derivative action, (ii) claim asserting a breach of fiduciary duty, (iii) action under the California Corporations Code or our organizational documents or (iv) other action relating to our internal affairs, shall in each case be the Santa Clara County Superior Court within the State of California or, if no state court located within the State of California has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the Northern District of California. The Amended Bylaws also make certain other ministerial changes.

 

We are also subject to the provisions of Section 1203 of the California General Corporation Law, which requires a fairness opinion to be provided to our shareholders in connection with their consideration of any proposed “interested party” reorganization transaction.

 

We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock so any returns on shares of our common stock will be limited to changes in the value of our common stock.

 

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings for the development, operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. In addition, our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock may be prohibited or limited by the terms of any future debt financing arrangement. Any return to shareholders will therefore be limited to the increase, if any, of our stock price.

 

Business interruptions could limit our ability to operate our business.

 

Our operations and infrastructure, and those of our partners, third party suppliers and vendors are vulnerable to damage or interruption from cyber-attacks and security breaches, human error, natural disasters, fire, flood, the effects of climate change, power loss, telecommunications failures, equipment failures, intentional acts of theft, vandalism, terrorism and similar events. In particular, our corporate headquarters are located in the San Francisco Bay area, which has a history of seismic activity. We have not established a formal disaster recovery plan, and our back-up operations and our business interruption insurance may not be adequate to compensate us for losses that occur. A significant business interruption could result in losses or damages incurred by us and require us to cease or curtail our operations.

 

For example, Hurricanes Irma and Maria recently caused significant devastation and damage throughout Puerto Rico, including widespread flooding and power loss.  As a result, we experienced delays in the manufacture, packaging and delivery of certain dosage strengths of NUCYNTA ER in the third quarter of 2017 and may continue to experience such delays during the fourth quarter of 2017.  Any delay in the manufacture, packaging or delivery of NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA ER will adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations for 2017, and potentially 2018, if the manufacturing facility at which NUCYNTA and NUCYNTA ER are made is not fully operational for an extended period of time.

 

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Data breaches and cyber-attacks could compromise our intellectual property or other sensitive information and cause significant damage to our business.

 

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, maintain and transmit sensitive data on our computer networks and information technology systems, including our intellectual property and proprietary or confidential business information. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our business. We believe that companies have been increasingly subject to a wide variety of security incidents, cyber-attacks and other attempts to gain unauthorized access. These threats can come from a variety of sources, ranging in sophistication from an individual hacker to a state-sponsored attack and motive (including corporate espionage). Cyber threats may be generic, or they may be custom-crafted to target our information systems. Cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly more prevalent and much harder to detect and defend against. Our network and storage applications and those of our third party vendors may be subject to unauthorized access by hackers or breached due to operator error, malfeasance or other system disruptions. It is often difficult to anticipate or immediately detect such incidents and the damage caused by such incidents. These data breaches and any unauthorized access or disclosure of our information or intellectual property could compromise our intellectual property and expose sensitive business information, including the information of our business partners. Cyber-attacks could cause us to incur significant remediation costs, result in product development delays, disrupt key business operations and divert attention of management and key information technology resources. Our network security and data recovery measures and those of our third party vendors may not be adequate to protect against such security breaches and disruptions. These incidents could also subject us to liability, expose us to significant expense and cause significant harm to our business. 

 

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

 

Not applicable.

 

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ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

 

(a)    Exhibits

 

 

 

 

3.1

(1)

Third Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation

3.2

(2)

Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation

3.3

(3)

Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation

3.4

(4)

Certificate of Determination of Series RP Preferred Stock of the Company

3.5

(5)

Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Determination of Series RP Preferred Stock of the Company

3.6

(5)

Certificate of Determination of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the Company

3.7

(6)

Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Determination of Series A Preferred Stock

3.8

(7)

Amended and Restated Bylaws

10.1

(*)

Waiver and Release Agreement dated July 12, 2017 by and between the Company and Thadd M. Vargas

10.2

(*)

Drug Product Manufacturing Services Agreement dated June 6, 2017 by and between the Company and Halo Pharmaceutical, Inc.  

10.3

(*)

Offer Letter dated October 17, 2017 by and between the Company and Santosh J. Vetticaden, M.D., PH.D.

31.1

(*)

Certification pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 of Arthur J. Higgins

31.2

(*)

Certification pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 of August J. Moretti

32.1

(**)

Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 of Arthur J. Higgins

32.2

(**)

Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 of August J. Moretti

101

(*)

Interactive Data Files pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T


(1) Incorporated by reference to the Company’s registration statement on Form SB-2 (File No. 333-25445)

(2) Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2003 (File No. 001-13111)

(3) Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on May 19, 2015 (File No. 001-13111)

(4) Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2005 (File No. 001-13111)

(5) Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on July 13, 2015 (File No. 001-13111)

(6) Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on July 29, 2015 (File No. 001-13111)

(7) Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on May 22, 2017 (File No. 001-13111)

(*) Filed herewith

(**) Furnished herewith

(+) Confidential treatment requested

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

Date: November 8, 2017

DEPOMED, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Arthur J. Higgins

 

Arthur J. Higgins

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ August J. Moretti

 

August J. Moretti

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

66


Exhibit 10.1

 

DEPOMED, INC.

 

WAIVER AND RELEASE AGREEMENT

 

In connection with my retirement, Depomed, Inc. has offered to pay me certain benefits (the “ Benefits ”) as described herein, which were offered to me in exchange for my agreement, among other things, to waive all of my claims against and release Depomed, Inc. and its predecessors, successors and assigns (collectively referred to as the “ Company ”), all of the affiliates (including parents and subsidiaries) of the Company (collectively referred to as the “ Affiliates ”) and the Company’s and Affiliates’ directors and officers, employees and agents, insurers, employee benefit plans and the fiduciaries and agents of said plans (collectively, with the Company and Affiliates, referred to as the “ Corporate Group ”) from any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates; provided, however, that this Waiver and Release shall not apply to (1) any existing right I have to indemnification, contribution and a defense, (2) any directors and officers and general liability insurance coverage, (3) any rights I may have as a shareholder of the Company, (4) any rights I have to the Benefits, (5) rights to vested benefits under the Company’s benefit plans and (6) any rights which cannot be waived or released as a matter of law.

 

I understand that signing this Waiver and Release is an important legal act. I acknowledge that the Company has advised me in writing to consult an attorney before signing this Waiver and Release and has given me at least twenty-one (21) calendar days from the day I received a copy of this Waiver and Release to sign it.

 

I understand and agree that my employment with Depomed, Inc. will terminate on July 31, 2017 or such earlier date as mutually agreed between me and the Company (such date the “Separation Date”), but that I will remain a full-time employee of Depomed, Inc. until the Separation Date. I agree that on the Separation Date my employment with the Company will cease and I will no longer hold any positions as an employee, officer or director of the Company or any Affiliate.

 

In consideration for (i) executing and not revoking this Agreement, (ii) on the Separation Date, executing and not revoking the Supplemental Release attached hereto as Exhibit A, and (iii) complying with this Agreement and the Supplemental Release, the Company will provide me with the following Benefits:

 

(i)        A lump sum cash payment equal to my current annual base salary, or $372,300 (less applicable taxes and withholdings), payable on the first regular payroll date of the Company in January 2018,

 

(ii)       a lump sum cash payment equal to a pro-rata portion (seven-twelfths (7/12)) of the annual bonus I would have earned for 2017 based on actual performance of the Company (i.e., based on the Company’s achievement of its corporate objectives as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors) over the entire year (less applicable taxes and withholdings), payable in 2018 at the same time annual bonuses are paid to executives generally,

 


 

(iii)      payment by the Company of the full cost of the health insurance benefits provided to me and my spouse and dependents, as applicable, immediately prior to the Separation Date pursuant to the terms of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (“ COBRA ”) or other applicable law through the earlier of the end of the twelve (12) month period following the Separation Date or the date upon which I am no longer eligible for such COBRA or other benefits under applicable law.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Company concludes in its reasonable judgment that the provision of subsidized COBRA benefits to me is likely to cause the Company to become subject to excise tax as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the Company will pay me a monthly amount in cash equal to the amount of the COBRA subsidy during the period the Company is obligated to provide subsidized COBRA benefits to me.

 

In addition, commencing August 2, 2017 and ending on December 31, 2017 (the “Consulting Period”), I will provide consulting services only with respect to business development matters under the direction of Arthur Higgins, at such times and at such location(s) as mutually agreeable to me and the Company. The Company acknowledges that I will be entitled to accept any other employment and/or consulting work and pursue other activities during the Consulting Period, so long as such employment and other work activities do not breach this Agreement or any other agreement between me and the Company.  I will provide these consulting services as an independent contractor and not as an employee of the Company, and the scope of my work will be by mutual agreement. I will make myself reasonably available by phone and electronic mail, to provide consulting services. No in-person meetings are required during the Consulting Period.  My schedule, including specific work hours and sites, attendance at meetings and travel are to be determined by mutual agreement of Arthur Higgins and myself. The parties further agree that the Company will reimburse me for all reasonable, pre-approved business expenses incurred by me in performing consulting services pursuant to this Agreement, including reasonable travel expenses.

 

As remuneration for the consulting services to be provided during the Consulting Period, contingent upon me (i) executing and not revoking this Agreement, (ii) on the Separation Date, executing and not revoking the Supplemental Release attached hereto as Exhibit A, and (iii) complying with this Agreement and the Supplemental Release, the Company will provide me with the following:

 

(1)       within eight (8) calendar days of the start of the Consulting Period, a lump sum cash consulting fee of $100,000;

 

(2)       continued vesting of my currently outstanding restricted stock unit awards through December 1, 2017 (with all other currently unvested restricted stock units not scheduled to vest prior to December 1, 2017 cancelled and terminated as of the Separation Date); and

 

(3)       commencing on the Separation Date and continuing through the end of the Consulting Period, payment of a monthly cash consulting fee of $31,000.00 per 

 


 

month, payable in arrears (for an aggregate consulting fee of $155,000 for the Consulting Period).

 

By signing below, I acknowledge and agree that I am not entitled to any payments or benefits pursuant to my management continuity agreement with Depomed, Inc., effective as of February 12, 2016 (the “ Management Continuity Agreement ”), in connection with the termination of my employment with the Company, and that payment of the Benefits described above shall be the sole severance compensation I will receive in connection with such termination of employment. Except as set forth above regarding certain restricted stock units, I understand that all equity awards I hold will cease vesting and remain exercisable following the Separation Date as contemplated the applicable Company equity incentive plan.

 

In exchange for the payment to me of Benefits, I (1) agree not to sue in any local, state and/or federal court regarding or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates, (2) knowingly and voluntarily waive all claims and release the Corporate Group from any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities, and damages, whether known or unknown, arising out of or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates (including any claim for a bonus in respect of actual performance for the year of termination in the event that such bonus has not yet been paid) and (3) waive any rights that I may have under any of the Company’s involuntary severance benefit plans (including, but not limited to, the Management Continuity Agreement), except to the extent that my rights are vested under the terms of an employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or an Affiliate and except with respect to such rights or claims as may arise after the date this Waiver and Release is executed. This Waiver and Release includes, but is not limited to, claims and causes of action under: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (“ Title VII ”); the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, including the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990 (“ ADEA ”); the Civil Rights Act of 1866, as amended; the Civil Rights Act of 1991; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ ADA ”); the Energy Reorganization Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5851; the Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended; the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; the Fair Labor Standards Act; the Occupational Safety and Health Act; the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, as amended; the California Labor Code; claims in connection with workers’ compensation or “whistle blower” statutes (except to the extent prohibited by law); and/or contract, tort, defamation, slander, wrongful termination or any other state or federal regulatory, statutory or common law. Further, I expressly represent that no promise or agreement which is not expressed herein has been made to me in executing this Waiver and Release, and that I am relying on my own judgment in executing this Waiver and Release, and that I am not relying on any statement or representation of the Company, any of the Affiliates or any other member of the Corporate Group or any of their agents. I agree that this Waiver and Release is valid, fair, adequate and reasonable, is entered into with my full knowledge and consent, was not procured through fraud, duress or mistake and has not had the effect of misleading, misinforming or failing to inform me.

 

In further exchange for the payment to me of Benefits, I agree not to make any disparaging or derogatory statements concerning the Company. The Company hereby agrees to

 


 

instruct its officers and directors not to make any disparaging statements concerning you. These non-disparagement obligations shall not in any way affect my or the Company’s obligation or rights in connection with any legal proceeding. I further acknowledge and agree that I am bound by and will comply with the Employee Confidential Information and Inventions Agreement and any similar agreements that I have entered into with the Company and that I will, within seven (7) calendar days of the date of this Waiver and Release, return all Company property to the Company.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this Waiver and Release is intended to prohibit or restrict me in any way from (1) bringing a lawsuit against the Company to enforce the Company’s obligations under this Agreement; (2) making any disclosure of information required by law; (3) providing information to, or testifying or otherwise assisting in any investigation or proceeding brought by, any federal regulatory or law enforcement agency or legislative body, any self-regulatory organization, or the Company’s legal, compliance or human resources officers; (4) testifying or participating in or otherwise assisting in a proceeding relating to an alleged violation of any federal, state or municipal law relating to fraud or any rule or regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any self-regulatory organization; or (5) filing any claims that are not permitted to be waived or released under applicable law (although my ability to recover damages or other relief is still waived and released to the extent permitted by law).  Nothing contained in this Waiver and Release is intended to waive any rights I may have related to unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation and indemnification claims under Section 2802 of the California Labor Code.

 

I acknowledge that I may discover facts different from or in addition to those which I now know or believe to be true and that this Waiver and Release shall be and remain effective in all respects notwithstanding such different or additional facts or the discovery thereof. I hereby expressly waive any and all rights and benefits conferred upon me by the provisions of Section 1542 of the Civil Code of the State of California, and/or any analogous law of any other state. Section 1542 states:

 

A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.

 

Should any of the provisions set forth in this Waiver and Release be determined to be invalid by a court, agency or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction, it is agreed that such determination shall not affect the enforceability of other provisions of this Waiver and Release. I acknowledge that this Waiver and Release sets forth the entire understanding and agreement between me and the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group concerning the subject matter of this Waiver and Release and supersede any prior or contemporaneous oral and/or written agreements or representations, if any, between me and the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group on the same subject matter.  I understand that for a period of

 


 

seven (7) calendar days following the date that I sign this Waiver and Release, I may revoke my acceptance of the offer, provided that my written statement of revocation is received on or before that seventh day by the Vice President, Human Resources, Depomed, Inc., 7999 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 300, Newark, California 94560, facsimile number: (510) 744-8001, in which case the Waiver and Release will not become effective.  In the event I revoke my acceptance of this offer, the Company shall have no obligation to provide me Benefits. I understand that failure to revoke my acceptance of the offer within seven (7) calendar days from the date I sign this Waiver and Release will result in this Waiver and Release being permanent and irrevocable.

 

I acknowledge that I have read this Waiver and Release, have had an opportunity to ask questions and have it explained to me and that I understand that this Waiver and Release will have the effect of knowingly and voluntarily waiving any action I might pursue, including breach of contract, personal injury, retaliation, discrimination on the basis of race, age, sex, national origin, or disability and any other claims arising prior to the date of this Waiver and Release. By execution of this document, I do not waive or release or otherwise relinquish any legal rights I may have which are attributable to or arise out of acts, omissions, or events of the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group which occur after the date of the execution of this Waiver and Release.

 

In exchange for the releases and other covenants set forth herein, the Company hereby, (A) agrees not to sue me in any local, state and/or federal court regarding or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates, and (2) knowingly and voluntarily waives all claims and releases me from any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities, and damages, whether known or unknown, arising out of or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates.  

 

Thadd Vargas 

 

Sharon D. Larkin

Employee’s Name

 

Company Representative’s Signature

 

 

 

/s/ Thadd Vargas

 

/s/ Sharon D. Larkin

Employee’s Signature

 

Company’s Representative’s Name and Title

 

 

 

July 12, 2017

 

July 12, 2017

Employee’s Signature Date

 

Company’s Execution Date

 

 


 

DEPOMED, INC.

 

SUPPLEMENTAL RELEASE AGREEMENT

 

Depomed, Inc. has offered to pay me the Benefits (as defined in that certain Waiver and Release Agreement, dated July 12, 2017 (the “ Waiver and Release Agreement ”)), which were offered to me in exchange for my agreement, among other things, to waive all of my claims against and release Depomed, Inc. and its predecessors, successors and assigns (collectively referred to as the “ Company ”), all of the affiliates (including parents and subsidiaries) of the Company (collectively referred to as the “ Affiliates ”) and the Company’s and Affiliates’ directors and officers, employees and agents, insurers, employee benefit plans and the fiduciaries and agents of said plans (collectively, with the Company and Affiliates, referred to as the “ Corporate Group ”) from any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates; provided, however, that this Supplemental Release shall not apply to (1) any existing right I have to indemnification, contribution and a defense, (2) any directors and officers and general liability insurance coverage, (3) any rights I may have as a shareholder of the Company, (4) any rights I have to the Benefits, (5) rights to vested benefits under the Company’s benefit plans and (6) any rights which cannot be waived or released as a matter of law.

 

I understand that signing this Supplemental Release is an important legal act. I acknowledge that the Company has advised me in writing to consult an attorney before signing this Supplemental Release and has given me at least twenty-one (21) calendar days from the day I received a copy of this Supplemental Release to sign it.

 

In exchange for the payment to me of Benefits, I (1) agree not to sue in any local, state and/or federal court regarding or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates, (2) knowingly and voluntarily waive all claims and release the Corporate Group from any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities, and damages, whether known or unknown, arising out of or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates (including any claim for a bonus in respect of actual performance for the year of termination in the event that such bonus has not yet been paid) and (3) waive any rights that I may have under any of the Company’s involuntary severance benefit plans (including, but not limited to, the Management Continuity Agreement (as defined in the Waiver and Release Agreement)), except to the extent that my rights are vested under the terms of an employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or an Affiliate and except with respect to such rights or claims as may arise after the date this Supplemental Release is executed. This Supplemental Release includes, but is not limited to, claims and causes of action under:  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (“ Title VII ”); the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, including the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990 (“ ADEA ”); the Civil Rights Act of 1866, as amended; the Civil Rights Act of 1991; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ ADA ”); the Energy Reorganization Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5851; the Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended; the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; the Fair Labor Standards Act; the Occupational Safety and Health Act; the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, as amended; the California Labor Code; claims in connection with workers’ compensation or

 


 

“whistle blower” statutes (except to the extent prohibited by law); and/or contract, tort, defamation, slander, wrongful termination or any other state or federal regulatory, statutory or common law. Further, I expressly represent that no promise or agreement which is not expressed herein has been made to me in executing this Supplemental Release, and that I am relying on my own judgment in executing this Supplemental Release, and that I am not relying on any statement or representation of the Company, any of the Affiliates or any other member of the Corporate Group or any of their agents. I agree that this Supplemental Release is valid, fair, adequate and reasonable, is entered into with my full knowledge and consent, was not procured through fraud, duress or mistake and has not had the effect of misleading, misinforming or failing to inform me.

 

In further exchange for the payment to me of Benefits, I agree not to make any disparaging or derogatory statements concerning the Company. The Company hereby agrees to instruct its officers and directors not to make any disparaging statements concerning you. These non-disparagement obligations shall not in any way affect my or the Company’s obligation or rights in connection with any legal proceeding. I further acknowledge and agree that I am bound by and will comply with the Employee Confidential Information and Inventions Agreement and any similar agreements that I have entered into with the Company and that I will, within seven (7) calendar days of the date of this Supplemental Release, return all Company property to the Company.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this Supplemental Release is intended to prohibit or restrict me in any way from (1) bringing a lawsuit against the Company to enforce the Company’s obligations under the Waiver and Release Agreement; (2) making any disclosure of information required by law; (3) providing information to, or testifying or otherwise assisting in any investigation or proceeding brought by, any federal regulatory or law enforcement agency or legislative body, any self-regulatory organization, or the Company’s legal, compliance or human resources officers; (4) testifying or participating in or otherwise assisting in a proceeding relating to an alleged violation of any federal, state or municipal law relating to fraud or any rule or regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any self-regulatory organization; or (5) filing any claims that are not permitted to be waived or released under applicable law (although my ability to recover damages or other relief is still waived and released to the extent permitted by law). Nothing contained in this Supplemental Release is intended to waive any rights I may have related to unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation and indemnification claims under Section 2802 of the California Labor Code.

 

I acknowledge that I may discover facts different from or in addition to those which I now know or believe to be true and that this Supplemental Release shall be and remain effective in all respects notwithstanding such different or additional facts or the discovery thereof. I hereby expressly waive any and all rights and benefits conferred upon me by the provisions of Section 1542 of the Civil Code of the State of California, and/or any analogous law of any other state.  Section 1542 states:

 

A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY

 


 

AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.

 

Should any of the provisions set forth in this Supplemental Release be determined to be invalid by a court, agency or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction, it is agreed that such determination shall not affect the enforceability of other provisions of this Supplemental Release. I acknowledge that this Supplemental Release sets forth the entire understanding and agreement between me and the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group concerning the subject matter of this Supplemental Release and supersede any prior or contemporaneous oral and/or written agreements or representations, if any, between me and the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group on the same subject matter. I understand that for a period of seven (7) calendar days following the date that I sign this Supplemental Release, I may revoke my acceptance of the offer, provided that my written statement of revocation is received on or before that seventh day by the Vice President, Human Resources, Depomed, Inc., 7999 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 300, Newark, California 94560, facsimile number:  ( 510) 744-8001, in which case the Supplemental Release will not become effective. In the event I revoke my acceptance of this offer, the Company shall have no obligation to provide me Benefits. I understand that failure to revoke my acceptance of the offer within seven (7) calendar days from the date I sign this Supplemental Release will result in this Supplemental Release being permanent and irrevocable.

 

I acknowledge that I have read this Supplemental Release, have had an opportunity to ask questions and have it explained to me and that I understand that this Supplemental Release will have the effect of knowingly and voluntarily waiving any action I might pursue, including breach of contract, personal injury, retaliation, discrimination on the basis of race, age, sex, national origin, or disability and any other claims arising prior to the date of this Supplemental Release. By execution of this document, I do not waive or release or otherwise relinquish any legal rights I may have which are attributable to or arise out of acts, omissions, or events of the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group which occur after the date of the execution of this Supplemental Release.

 

In exchange for the releases and other covenants set forth herein, the Company hereby, (A) agrees not to sue me in any local, state and/or federal court regarding or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates, and (2) knowingly and voluntarily waives all claims and releases me from any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities, and damages, whether known or unknown, arising out of or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates.

 

 

    

 

Employee’s Name

 

Company Representative’s Signature

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employee’s Signature

 

Company’s Representative’s Name and Title

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employee’s Signature Date

 

Company’s Execution Date

 

 

 

 

 


Exhibit 10.2

 

PICTURE 1 EXECUTION VERSION

CERTAIN MATERIAL (INDICATED BY [***])_ HAS BEEN OMITTED FROM THIS DOCUMENT PURSUANT TO A REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT.  THE OMITTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN FILED SEPARATELY WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.

D RUG PRODUCT MANUFACTURING SERVICES AGREEMENT

THIS DRUG PRODUCT MANUFACTURING SERVICES AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”)   is effective as of June 6, 2017 (the “ Effective Date ”) by and between Halo Pharmaceutical, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Halo ”), and Depomed, Inc., a California corporation (“ Client ”).

RECITALS

A. Client develops, markets and sells pharmaceutical products, including the product(s) generally known as NUCYNTA IR (as defined below).

B. Halo provides pharmaceutical product development, manufacturing and packaging services primarily from its facilities in New Jersey and Quebec.

C. Client desires to engage Halo to provide certain commercial manufacturing and related services to Client , and Halo desires to provide such services, on the terms and subject to the conditions set out below.

NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:

ARTICLE 1  

DEFINITIONS

1.1 Glossary .  The following terms shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the respective meanings set out below and grammatical variations of such terms shall have corresponding meanings:

Active Material ” means the active pharmaceutical ingredient tapentadol, which the parties acknowledge is a controlled substances under Applicable Laws.

Halo Pharma • Confidential

Confidential Information indicated by [***] has been omitted from this filing and filed separately with the Securities Exchange Commission.


 

Active Material Cost ” means Client’s cost to purchase and deliver to Halo Active Material, which cost is set forth on Schedule B

Affiliate ” of a party means a business entity that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such party, where “ control ” means the ownership of shares or other ownership interests or rights carrying at least a majority of the votes in respect of the election of the directors of a corporation or the equivalent managers of any other business form.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this definition, Affiliates of Halo shall exclude any shareholders of Halo Pharmaceutical, Inc. and any business entity that would, but for this sentence, be an Affiliate of Halo solely by reason of its Affiliation with such shareholders.

Applicable Laws ” means all laws, statutes, ordinances, regulations, rules, judgments, decrees or orders of any Authority: (i) with respect to each party, in any jurisdiction in which such party actually operates or performs activities hereunder; (ii) with respect to Client, in any jurisdiction in which Active Material or Product are produced, marketed, distributed, used or sold; and (iii) with respect to Halo, in any jurisdiction expressly designated in the Specifications.  The term Applicable Laws includes cGMPs.

Authority ” means any governmental authority, department, body or agency or any court, tribunal, bureau, commission or other similar body, whether international, supranational, federal, state, provincial, county or municipal, including any Regulatory Authority.

Business Day ” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a day that is a statutory holiday in the state of New Jersey, United States, or the province of Quebec, Canada.

cGMPs ” means current good manufacturing practices as described in Parts 210 and 211 of Title 21 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations together with any binding FDA guidance documents pertaining to manufacturing and quality control practice, and any equivalent rules governing the manufacture of pharmaceutical products promulgated by any Regulatory Authority of any jurisdiction expressly designated in the Specifications; in each case, as in effect, updated, amended and revised from time to time during the Term.

Commercially Reasonable Efforts ” means, with respect to the performance of activities under this Agreement, the carrying out of such activities by a party using efforts and resources comparable to the efforts and resources that such party would devote to similar activities if conducted for itself or under another agreement of similar scope, taking into account commercial and other relevant factors.

Components ” means, collectively, all raw materials, ingredients and packaging (including labels, product inserts and containers), required to be used in order to produce the Products in accordance with the Specifications, other than the Active Material and Consumables.  The term Components includes Exclusive Components.

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Confidentiality Agreement ” means the Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement between Halo and Client dated May 29, 2015, and amended on February 6, 2017, relating to the non-disclosure and non-use of confidential information.

Conforming Product ” means Products or Finished Goods, as applicable, delivered by Halo hereunder that meet the warranties set forth in Section ‎9.3(e).

DEA ” means the United States Drug Enforcement Agency or any successor thereto.

FDA ” means the United States government department known as the Food and Drug Administration or any successor thereto.

Finished Goods   means the Product in its final configuration for purposes of this Agreement ( e.g. , tablets in bottles with labels and package insert) as described in the Specifications.

Generic Equivalent ” means any other pharmaceutical product that is an FDA AB-rated (or its foreign equivalent) generic version of a Product in the Territory, or a pharmaceutical product with the same Active Material (or therapeutically equivalent, bioequivalent, biosimilar and legally substitutable or interchangeable Active Material(s) thereto) and labeled indication(s) as a Product. A product produced by or on behalf of or authorized by Client, its Affiliates or licensors or any other authorized generic product will not constitute a Generic Equivalent.

Intellectual Property ” means all of a party’s intellectual property rights and embodiments thereof, including patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, tradenames, know-how, copyrights, Confidential Information, industrial designs, trade secrets and Inventions.

Invention ” means any invention, innovation, improvement, development, discovery, computer program, device, formulation, data, trade secret, method, know-how, process, technique or the like, whether or not written or otherwise fixed in any form or medium, regardless of the media on which it is contained and whether or not patentable or copyrightable, together with all Intellectual Property rights therein.

Inventory ” means all inventories of Components, Consumables, Products, Finished Goods, and work-in-process purchased, produced, held or maintained by Halo as contemplated by Section ‎2.4(e) or Section ‎4.3, including any excess material purchased by reason of vendor’s minimum purchase requirements and long lead time material.  For the avoidance of doubt, Inventory does not include any Active Material.

“Latent Defect” means any defect that results in the Products or Finished Goods being nonconforming with the warranties of Section 9.3(e), which would not have been discoverable at delivery through a commercially reasonable visual inspection and was not known to Client at the time it accepted such Products or Finished Goods, as applicable.

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Confidential Information indicated by [***] has been omitted from this filing and filed separately with the Securities Exchange Commission.

 


 

Manufacturing Services ” means the manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance and stability testing, packaging, labeling and related services, as contemplated in this Agreement, required to produce Products and from Active Material and Components, and Finished Goods from Products.

Manufacturing Site ” means the facility owned and operated by Halo or a Halo Affiliate located at 30 North Jefferson Road, Whippany, New Jersey, 07981, USA.

Maximum Credit Value ” means the maximum value of Active Material that Halo can be required to credit in a Year in which a Shortfall arose pursuant to this Agreement, as set forth on Schedule B .  

NUCYNTA IR ” means NUCYNTA ® immediate release tablets, in strengths of 50 mg, 75 mg, and 100 mg as described in New Drug Application 022304.

Price ” means the per-bottle sale price for Finished Goods payable by Client to Halo and set forth in the Full Service Price column on Schedule A , as the same may be adjusted in accordance with this Agreement.

Product ” means NUCYNTA IR tablets containing the Active Material, as specifically listed on Schedule A , and as more specifically described in the Specifications.

Quality Agreement ” means the agreement between the parties setting out the quality assurance standards applicable to the Manufacturing Services and the parties’ responsibilities in respect thereof; a copy of the current Quality Agreement as of the Effective Date is attached hereto as Schedule F , which the parties agree will be updated as needed during the Term. 

Recall ” means any action (i) by Client to recover title to or possession of quantities of Finished Goods sold or shipped to Third Parties (including any voluntary withdrawal of Finished Goods from the market) or (ii) by any Regulatory Authority to recall, withdraw from the market, order any corrective action, or otherwise detain or destroy any of the Finished Goods.

Regulatory Authority ” means any Authority competent to grant marketing, distribution and related approvals for pharmaceutical products in the Territory and in the jurisdictions in which the Manufacturing Site is located, including the FDA and DEA, as applicable.

Samples ” means samples of reasonable amounts of Active Material retained by Halo during a given Year as follows:  (i) Active Material that must be retained by Halo as samples and for stability, (ii) Active Material contained in Product that must be retained as samples, (iii) Active Material used in connection with testing (if applicable), and (iv) Active Material received or consumed in connection with technical transfer activities or development activities, including any regulatory, stability, validation or test batches manufactured during the Year

Specifications ” means, with respect to a Product and a Finished Good, the following written information, which Client shall provide to Halo (and may subsequently revise) in accordance with Section ‎3.3 :

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(a) specifications for Active Material and those Components comprising excipients ( e.g. ,   if described in a pharmacopoeia, the monograph and any test methods; if not described in a  pharmacopoeia, a list of tests and limits for results for each excipient, including solvents, liquids to adjust pH and coatings, and any test methods; and in either case, microbiological limits for materials of natural origin and storage requirements);

(b) specifications for Components not comprising excipients ( e.g. , as applicable, primary and secondary packaging type and dimensions, artwork, labeling, inserts, etc. and storage requirements);  

(c) Product manufacturing processes and directions;

(d) Finished Goods specifications;

(e) Product storage and shipping requirements; and

(d) all environmental, health and safety information relating to Active Material and Product, including material safety data sheets.

Territory ” means the geographic area specified in Schedule H where the Finished Goods are to be offered for sale by Client or its Affiliates or licensees.

Third Party ” or “ Third Parties ” means any person(s) or entity(ies), as applicable, other than Halo, Client, or their respective Affiliates.

Third Party Rights ” means the rights held by a third party in Intellectual Property.

Year ” means, (i) with respect to the first year of this Agreement, the period from the Effective Date up to and including December 31 of the same calendar year, (ii) with respect to the last year of this Agreement, the period from January 1 of such last calendar year up to and including the date of termination or expiration of this Agreement, and (iii) for all periods in between, a calendar year. 

1.2 Index .  The following terms are defined in the section of this Agreement indicated below:

Term

Section

Actual Annual Yield or AAY

2.3(c)

Agreement

Introductory paragraph

Broader Intellectual Property Rights

12.2(b)

Client

Introductory paragraph

Client Indemnitees

10.3(a)

Client Inventions

12.2(a)

CMC

7.8(c)

Commitment

3.2

Consumables

2.1(b)(iii)

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Deficiency Notice

6.1(a)

Dispute

13.1

Effective Date

Introductory paragraph

Exclusive Components

4.3(b)

Exclusive Components Purchasing Summary

4.3(b)

Facilitator

13.1

Firm Order

4.1(b)

First Production Year

5.1

Force Majeure Event

14.1

Forecast (including Forecasted)

3.2

Halo

Introductory paragraph

Halo Indemnitees

10.3(b)

Initial Term

8.1

Losses

10.3(a)

Materials Credit

2.3(e)

Non-Compliant Services

6.3(a)

Non-Conforming Product

6.1(a)

PPI

5.2

Purchase Order

4.1(a)

Quantity Converted

2.3(a)(iii)

Quantity Dispensed

2.3(a)(ii)

Quantity Received

2.3(a)(i)

Reconciliation Report

2.3(d)

Records

7.3

Renewal Term

8.1

Shortfall

2.3(d)

Supply Shortage

2.4(a)

Target Yield

2.3(b)

Target Yield Determination Batches

2.3(b)

Technical Dispute

13.2

Term

8.1

 

ARTICLE 2  

HALO’s services

2.1 Manufacturing Services

(a) Arrangement .  In consideration of Client’s payment of the fees due under, and the other terms and conditions of, this Agreement, Halo shall perform the Manufacturing Services at the Manufacturing Site in order to supply Finished Goods to Client and its designees for sale in the Territory,  and during the Term, Client shall purchase from Halo, such quantities of Finished Goods as Client and its designees may order in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement .   Except as specifically permitted in this Agreement, Client and its Affiliates and

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Confidential Information indicated by [***] has been omitted from this filing and filed separately with the Securities Exchange Commission.

 


 

licensees shall purchase from Halo [***] of its and their requirements for Finished Goods in the Territory starting on the Effective Date and ending on the [***] anniversary of the date of the first Firm Order under this Agreement . Thereafter, except as specifically permitted in this Agreement , Client and its Affiliates and licensees shall purchase from Halo at least [***] of its and their requirements for Finished Goods in the Territory during the Term.

(b) Conversion of Active Material and Components .  Halo shall convert Active Material and Components into Products in accordance with this Agreement. 

(i) Active Material

(A) Client will deliver all Active Material to Halo in accordance with Section 3.4 .  Halo shall provide Client with a receipt of delivery with respect to each shipment of Active Material supplied by Client or its designee hereunder. Halo shall visually inspect Active Material upon receipt to verify their identity and quantity.  Except to the extent expressly required by the Specifications, Halo shall have no obligation to perform any testing of the Active Material. Halo shall notify Client in writing within [***] days after receipt of Active Material delivered by Client of any complaint regarding obvious qualitative faults or quantitative shortcomings of the Active Material , and Halo shall simultaneously send samples of faulty Active Material to Client or its designee. Halo shall notify Client in writing within [***] days of Halo becoming aware of any defects in the Active Material that may not or would not have been obvious at delivery by visual inspection of such Active Material made with reasonable care. Halo will assist Client, at Client’s expense, in substantiating any defects or shortcomings and otherwise assist Client in order for Client to obtain replacement Active Material or a refund or credit from Client ’s supplier of Active Material.

(B) Halo shall be and remain responsible for the proper care and handling of all quantities of Active Material received from Client or its designee hereunder. Halo shall hold all Active Material supplied by Client separate (individually identifiable storage in rows or racking) from other materials owned or acquired by Halo and other Third Parties and shall identify the Active Material as the property of Client .  Halo shall store, handle, and protect the Active Material with the same level of care that Halo stores, handles, and protects Halo’s own active pharmaceutical ingredients, but in no event less than a commercially reasonable level of care, which shall include taking commercially reasonable precautions to ensure that no such Active Material is subject to contamination, deterioration, destruction, or theft.

(C) Halo shall use such Active Material only to provide the Manufacturing Services. Since the Active Material are controlled substances within the meaning of Applicable Laws, Halo shall request and use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to obtain from the applicable Regulatory Authority, including the DEA, appropriate quota allowances for such Active Material  in sufficient quantities to meet Client’s Forecasts for Products to be manufactured by Halo in accordance with the terms of this Agreement . Halo shall store such Active Material in accordance with the Specifications and Applicable Laws. 

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(D) Client shall provide, at its own cost, the Active Material to Halo for use in any replacement Products or Finished Goods produced in accordance with Article 6 ; provided that, in the event that the failure of the Products or Finished Goods to be Conforming Products   was caused solely or primarily by Halo, Halo shall reimburse Client for the cost of the Active Material used in the replacement Products or Finished Goods . In no event, however, shall Halo’s liability to reimburse Client for the cost of Active Material used in any replacement Products or Finished Goods in any Year exceed [***] . The limit on Halo’s liability for the cost of Active Material in the preceding sentence shall not apply to the cost of Active Material being stored at the Manufacturing Site that is lost or damaged as a result of Halo’s negligence, other than as a result of Halo’s failure to produce Conforming Products, and Halo shall be liable for the full cost of such lost or damaged Active Material less any insurance proceeds received by Client for such Active Material.      

(ii) Components .  Halo shall purchase all Components and audit and approve all vendors for such Components at Halo’s expense as required by the Specifications and as further described in Section 4.3.  Halo shall procure only Components that are warranted by the vendor to have been manufactured in accordance with cGMPs.  Halo shall test all Components after receipt at the Manufacturing Site as required by the Specifications and the Quality Agreement. 

(iii) Consumables .  Halo shall purchase all columns, standards, tooling, and other Client-approved, project-specific items necessary for Halo to perform the Manufacturing Services (“ Consumables ”).  Halo shall charge through to Client all Third Party vendor fees for such purchases at Halo’s actual documented cost.

(iv) Equipment .  Except as the parties may agree in writing from time to time, Halo shall provide at its cost all equipment needed to perform the Manufacturing Services.

(v) Batch Number and Expiration Date .  Halo will assign each batch of Product manufactured by it assigned a unique batch number using Halo’s batch numbering system.  This batch number will appear on all documents relating to the particular batch of Product.  Halo will calculate the expiration date for each batch of Product by adding the expiration period of Active Material supplied by Client to the date of manufacture of such batch.

(c) Packaging .  Halo shall package Product as required by the Specifications.  Halo shall be responsible for imprinting or affixing the batch number and expiration date of each batch of Product onto the Finished Goods and shipping cartons as described in the Specifications and required by the Quality Agreement and cGMPs.  Halo’s name shall not appear on any Product packaging except to the extent (i) required by any Applicable Laws or (ii) Client expressly consents in writing to such use of its name.

(d) Quality Control .  Halo shall perform the Product quality control and quality assurance testing required by the Quality Agreement.  Product batch review and release to Client shall be the responsibility of Halo’s quality assurance group.  Halo shall perform such batch review and release responsibilities in accordance with Halo’s standard operating procedures.  Unless prevented by deviations or failures, or agreed to in writing by Client, Halo will complete its batch

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review within [***] calendar weeks following completion of Product production. Each time Halo delivers a batch of Product to Client, Halo shall provide Client with a certificate of analysis and certificate of compliance for such batch.  At Client’s request, Halo will provide copies of additional batch documentation, including batch manufacturing records, lot packaging records, equipment data printouts, raw material data, and laboratory notebooks, at no additional cost for one copy.

2.2 Generic Competition .     During the Term, neither Halo nor its Affiliates or successors in interest shall, directly or indirectly, manufacture, supply or otherwise facilitate the manufacture and/or supply of a Generic Equivalent to or by a Third Party. 

2.3 Active Material Yield .

(a) Interim Inventory Reports.  Halo shall provide Client with quarterly inventory reports for the Active Material held by Halo at the Manufacturing Site.  Each inventory report shall be in substantially the form set forth on Schedule C , shall be based on data from Halo’s manufacturing resource planning (MRP) system and/or manufacturing batch records, and shall contain the following information with respect to the applicable period:

(i) Quantity Received ”:  The total quantity labeled on drums of Active Material received at the Manufacturing Site that comply with the Specifications, less any incoming samples, retains or quantities used for testing purposes (such as stability samples);

(ii) Quantity Dispensed ”:     The total quantity of Active Material dispensed from inventory at the Manufacturing Site in connection with commercial manufacturing of Product, less any (A) Active Material that must be retained by Halo as samples and stability, (B) Active Material contained in Product that must be retained as samples, (C) Active Material used in connection with testing (if applicable) and (D) Active Material received or consumed in connection with technical transfer activities or development activities, including any regulatory, stability, validation, or test batches manufactured; and

(iii) Quantity Converted ”:     The total amount of Active Material contained in Product produced with the Quantity Dispensed (including any replacement Product produced in accordance with Article 6), which Product was delivered by Halo to Client and not rejected, Recalled or returned in accordance with Article 6 as a result of Non-Compliant Services, excluding normal loss of Active Material typical in the industry resulting from sampling, testing, and compliance with quality control requirements of Applicable Laws, on an average annual basis. 

(b) Target Yield .  As of the Effective Date, the target yield of Active Material used in the Products at the Manufacturing Site shall be at least [***] (the “ Target Yield ”). The Target Yield shall be reviewed after Halo has produced a minimum of ten (10) commercial production batches of Products at the Manufacturing Site pursuant to this Agreement (“ Target Yield Determination Batches ”), after which the parties may agree to adjust the Target Yield for the Active Material used in Products at the Manufacturing Site upon mutual written agreement; provided , that the Target Yield Determination Batches shall not include any batches that were

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produced in production runs involving technical difficulties or involving an extraordinary loss of Active Material, as agreed by both parties. 

(c) Actual Annual Yield and Report .  Within sixty (60) days after the end of each Year, Halo shall prepare for the Active Material used in the Products an annual reconciliation report substantially in the form attached as Schedule D (the “ Reconciliation Report ”), including the calculation of the “ Actual Annual Yield ” or “ AAY ” for such Active Material used in such Products at the Manufacturing Site during the Year, expressed as a percentage of Quantity Dispensed and calculated as follows:

Quantity Converted during the Year + Samples

Quantity Dispensed during the Year

(d) Shortfall Calculation .  If the Actual Annual Yield falls more than [***] below the Target Yield for a given Year, then the shortfall for such Year (the “ Shortfall ”) shall be determined based on the following calculation:    

[(Target Yield- [***] ) – AAY] ÷100 * Active Material Cost * Quantity Dispensed

Any Shortfall shall be disclosed by Halo on the Reconciliation Report and Halo will undertake an investigation of the reasons for the Shortfall.

(e) Materials Credit .  If there is a Shortfall for a given Year, Halo shall credit Client’s account for the amount of such Shortfall within sixty (60) days after the end of such Year, up to a maximum aggregate credit amount equal to the Maximum Credit Value (the amount of such Shortfall as capped by the Maximum Credit Value, the “ Materials Credit ”).  Each Materials Credit shall be summarized on the Reconciliation Report and shall be used to offset amounts owed to Halo under invoices issued to Client in accordance with Section 5.4.  Upon expiration or termination of this Agreement, Halo shall pay Client an amount equal to any remaining Materials Credit ( i.e., that was not used to offset invoices issued to Client) within ninety (90) days following the date of such expiration or termination.

(f) No Material Breach .  It shall not constitute a material breach of this Agreement by Halo, for the purposes of Section 8.2(a), if the Actual Annual Yield is less than the Target Yield; provided that if the Actual Annual Yield falls more than [***] below the Target Yield for a given Year, Client may elect to terminate this Agreement under Section 8.2(a), unless such fall in the Actual Annual Yield is due to the supply of defective Active Material to Halo hereunder in such Year

2.4 Supply Shortages and Safety Supplies .

(a) Supply Shortage .  A “ Supply Shortage ” shall be deemed to have taken place if quantities of Conforming Product supplied by Halo to Client on or before or within ten (10) days after the scheduled delivery date are less than [***] of the quantities specified in Firm Orders issued by Client, over a period of [***] consecutive months, unless such shortage is the result of any one or more of the following reasons: (i) a lack of availability of Active Material due to

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Client’s failure to supply such Active Material on a timely basis or lack of DEA procurement quota, (ii) defects in the Active Material as of the date it is delivered to Halo by Client or its designee, which is not reasonably discoverable by Halo by visual inspection and testing as required under Section 2.1(b)(i)(A), (iii) a significant increase in Client’s Forecast for Product that results in a shortage of any Components, or (iv) any Force Majeure Event.  A Supply Shortage shall be considered a material breach of this Agreement, but such breach shall be deemed cured upon tender of delivery by Halo of Conforming Product within the applicable cure period.    

(b) [***] .  Subject to Halo’s obligations to other existing Halo clients as of the Effective Date, to the extent that any anticipated or actual failure to deliver the full quantity of Finished Goods in a Purchase Order can be remedied or minimized by providing [***] for the Products and/or Finished Goods at the Manufacturing Site, for example by providing [***] to the [***] at the Manufacturing Site, Halo shall provide such [***] for the Products and/or Finished Goods.

(c) Failure to Supply At any time during the Term following the date of the first Firm Order under this Agreement , in the event a Supply Shortage, which, for clarity, cannot result from a failure to supply Active Material on a timely basis to Halo hereunder, occurs [***]  or more times within any [***] consecutive month period, which shall include a failure to supply Conforming Product, Client may, in its sole discretion and by providing written notice to Halo, indicate its election to immediately either (i) terminate this Agreement, or (ii) reduce Client’s and its Affiliates’ and licensees’ exclusivity obligations under Section 2.1(a) to obtain from Halo at least  [***] of their respective requirements of the Finished Goods in the Territory.  Any such written notice to Halo under this Section 2.4(c) must be delivered within ninety (90) days of the event giving rise to such notice in order for such election to be effective. 

(d) Failure to Meet Specifications .  Upon Halo’s discovery that there is a potential for any batch or lot of Products or Finished Goods (in-process, released and/or marketed) to fail to conform to the Specifications, Halo will promptly notify Client of the discovery thereof and of the nature thereof in detail, including supplying Client with all investigatory reports, data and communications, out-of-specification reports and data and the results of all outside laboratory testing and conclusions, if any. Halo shall investigate all such failures promptly as set forth in the Quality Agreement, and at its expense (unless such failure is due to supply of defective Active Materials to Halo hereunder, in which case the expense will be borne by Client), cooperate with Client or its designee in determining the cause for the failure and a corrective action to prevent future failures.

(e) Safety Supplies .  Halo shall maintain an inventory of Active Material (subject to DEA quotas) and Components that would reasonably be expected to suffice for Halo to meet Client’s then-current Forecast.  Halo shall turn over all such safety supplies as new Active Material and Components are received or new lots of Product are delivered, respectively, to optimize the shelf life of such safety supplies.  Halo shall promptly notify Client in writing at any time if it reasonably anticipates that additional amounts of Active Material will be needed for Halo to meet Client’s then-current Forecast.  If Halo reasonably believes that it is or will be unable to obtain a sufficient supply of Components from Third Party vendors for Halo to meet Client’s then-current

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Forecast, Halo shall promptly notify Client in writing and Client shall have the right to negotiate directly with such Third Party vendors to secure an adequate supply of such Components.  If Client fails to take possession of Finished Goods within [***] days following its release, Client shall pay Halo a monthly storage fee of $ [***] per pallet per month thereafter for storing such Finished Goods with partial pallets charged on a full pallet basis.  Upon [***] weeks’ written notice to Client, Halo shall have the option to ship to Client at Client’s expense any Finished Goods, Products, Components and Active Material held by Halo in inventory hereunder longer than [***] months, provided Halo has been properly turning over such safety supplies in accordance with this Section 2.4(e).    

2.5 Manufacturing Site Except as otherwise approved in writing by Client, Halo shall perform the Manufacturing Services exclusively at the Manufacturing Site in order to manufacture and supply Finished Goods to Client for sale in the Territory .  Halo shall at its own cost obtain on a timely basis and maintain all necessary licenses, permits and approvals of Authorities, and make any required filings with Regulatory Authorities as further specified in Section 7.8, in respect of the operation of Halo’s business generally, the Manufacturing Site, and the performance of services of the nature of the Manufacturing Services. 

2.6 Second Manufacturing Site

(a) At any time during the Term, the parties agree that Client may elect, at its sole discretion, to have one of: (i) itself, (ii) its Affiliate, (iii) Halo at a second, separate manufacturing site, or (iv) a Third Party manufacturer selected by Client, qualified with all applicable Regulatory Authorities, to manufacture and supply the balance of Client’s and its Affiliates’ and licensees’ requirements of the Products and Finished Goods in the Territory during the Term, provided that Client agrees that any supply of Finished Goods from such additional site will remain subject to Client’s agreement to purchase certain quantities of Finished Goods from Halo as set forth in this Agreement.

(b) During the Term, when Client is ready to seek a second manufacturing site for the manufacture and supply of the balance of Client’s and its Affiliates’ and licensees’ requirements of the Products and Finished Goods in the Territory during the Term, it will so notify Halo in writing, unless Client decides to have itself or its Affiliate qualified as the second manufacturing site. Within forty-five (45) days of receiving such notice, Halo will confirm by written response to Client whether or not Halo is interested in negotiating with Client to manufacture and supply such balance of Products and Finished Goods at a second, separate manufacturing site other than the Manufacture Site. If Halo does not confirm its interest within such 45-day period, Client will not be required to have any further discussions with Halo regarding such second manufacturing site. If Halo does confirm its interest within such 45-day period, Client will include Halo in its process for negotiating and selecting a second manufacturing site, provided Halo understands that Client may negotiate simultaneously with other Third Party manufacturers for such second manufacturing site. Client and Halo will negotiate in good faith the terms of a definitive supply agreement directed to the manufacture and supply of the balance of Client’s and its Affiliates’ and licensees’ requirements of the Products and Finished Goods in the Territory during the Term at a second, separate manufacturing site, including the financial terms thereof. If the parties are unable to enter

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into a definitive supply agreement directed to such second manufacturing site within one hundred and twenty (120) days after Halo’s confirmation of interest, then Client will be free to enter into a definitive supply agreement with a Third Party manufacturer at any time thereafter, provided the financial terms of such Third Party manufacturer agreement are no less favorable to Client as a whole than the terms last offered by Halo.

ARTICLE 3  

CLIENT OBLIGATIONS

3.1 Payment .   Client shall pay Halo the fees set forth on Schedule A for the provision of Manufacturing Services (including the Price for the Finished Goods, the annual product review fee, the supplier audit fees and commercial stability fees) and all other amounts owing pursuant to this Agreement (including in respect of Components and Consumables), as specified in this Agreement.

3.2 Rolling Forecasts .  Concurrently with the execution of this Agreement, Client shall provide Halo with a written twenty-four ( 24) month forecast of the volume of each Finished Good that Client anticipates it will require Halo to supply during each month   of that 24 -month period (the “ Forecast ”).  Client shall provide Halo with an updated Forecast (i) on or before the tenth (10 th ) day of each calendar month on a rolling 24 -month basis and (ii) promptly following any determination by Client that the volumes set forth in the Forecast most recently provided to Halo have changed [***] or more.  The first three (3) months of each Forecast shall be binding on Client with respect to the quantities of Product specified therein (the “ Commitment ”), and the balance shall be a non-binding, good faith estimate.  Client shall place orders for Manufacturing Services against the Forecast as specified in Article 4.

3.3 Specifications .  Prior to the Effective Date, Client has provided Halo with a preliminary copy of the Specifications pertaining to Products and Finished Goods which are attached to Schedule A .  Prior to Client placing its first Firm Order, Client shall provide Halo with originally executed copies of final Specifications and other Product-related and Finished Good-related information reasonably requested by Halo in connection with the Manufacturing Services.  Client may revise the Specifications from time to time, so long as (i) Client provides Halo with originally executed copies of such revised Specifications, (ii) the parties have complied with Section 5.4, and (iii) the parties have agreed on a timeline for Halo’s implementation of such change.    

3.4 Active Material .  Client shall, at its sole cost and expense, deliver the Active Material to Halo DDP (Incoterms 2010) the Manufacturing Site specified by Halo during the Term in sufficient quantities and at such times as to enable Halo to timely provide the Manufacturing Services.  Title to and risk of loss of the Active Material shall at all times remain with Client, and Client will insure the Active Material at Client’s cost.  Client acknowledges and agrees that the timely delivery of the Active Material is a threshold event to Halo’s ability to supply Product by the scheduled delivery date set forth in a Purchase Order . Any failure of Client or its designee to timely deliver to Halo Active Material shall extend, day-for-day of such delayed delivery by Client or its designee, the scheduled delivery date of the corresponding Products Manufactured by Halo hereunder using such Active Material , and Halo shall have no liability to Client or its Affiliates

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or licensees as a result thereof for such delay in the scheduled delivery date of such Products, provided however that such delay shall not constitute a material breach of this Agreement.    

3.5 Packaging .  Halo will perform the packaging and testing of Product   under the Specifications in the Territory, including quality control, quality assurance, stability testing, packaging, and related services, set forth in this Agreement, required to package and test the Product, and resulting in the Finished Goods. Client shall be solely responsible for the development all artwork and labeling in connection with Product packaging into Finished Goods, including all associated content and intellectual property matters,   and Client will be responsible for submitting any such artwork and labeling to all applicable Authorities responsible for the approval of the Products in the Territory.  Client may, in its sole discretion and at its cost, make changes to Product packaging, including labels, inserts and cartons; provided , that Client shall be responsible for the cost of all obsolete Components held by Halo when any such changes occur to the extent Halo procured such Components consistent with Client’s then-current Forecast and the vendor’s minimum purchase requirements.  Client may also request multi-country packaging as specified in Section 5.5 Any failure of Client or its designee to timely provide to Halo necessary artwork or labeling shall extend, day-for-day of such delay by Client or its designee, the scheduled delivery date of the corresponding Products Manufactured by Halo hereunder using such artwork or labeling , and Halo shall have no liability to Client or its Affiliates or licensees as a result thereof for such delay in the scheduled delivery date of such Products, provided however that such delay shall not constitute a material breach of this Agreement. 

3.6 Quality Control .  Client shall have sole responsibility for the release of Finished Goods to the market and for handling customer matters as contemplated by Section 6.5. 

3.7 Permits .  Client shall at its own cost obtain on a timely basis and maintain all licenses, permits and approvals of Regulatory Authorities, and make any required filings with Regulatory Authorities as further specified in Section 7.8, in respect of the operation of Client’s business generally, the Manufacturing Site, the Finished Goods and the Specifications, including, without limitation, all marketing and post-marketing approvals. Halo shall maintain Manufacturing Site in a state of repair and operating efficiency consistent with the requirements of the Specifications, the Manufacturing Services, cGMP and Applicable Laws. Halo shall maintain in the Manufacturing Site adequate and segregated holding accommodations (segregated as defined as a row or physical storage location designation) for the Finished Goods, Products, and all intermediates thereof, used in Manufacturing Services in accordance with the Specifications, the Manufacturing Services, cGMP and Applicable Laws. If required under Applicable Laws, all Finished Goods shall be held by Halo in a segregated area until delivery to Client.

ARTICLE 4  

ORDERS, authorization to procure, SHIPMENT

4.1 Orders.    

(a) Purchase Orders .  From time to time as provided in this Section 4.1(a) , Client shall submit to Halo a binding, non-cancellable purchase order for Manufacturing Services identifying

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an order number, the Finished Goods to be manufactured, the number of batches, the batch size (to the extent the Specifications permit batches of different sizes), Client’s requested delivery date for each batch, and any other elements necessary to ensure the timely production and delivery of the Finished Goods (each, a “ Purchase Order ”).  Concurrently with the submission of each Forecast, Client shall submit a Purchase Order for all portions of the Commitment not already ordered.  Purchase Orders for quantities of the Finished Goods in excess of the Commitment shall be submitted by Client at least three (3) months in advance of the delivery date requested in the Purchase Order. 

(b) Firm Orders .  Halo will confirm in writing each Purchase Order, including the Product, quantity and scheduled delivery date, within [***] Business Days of receipt, provided that if Client receives no written communication from Halo within [***] Business Days of receipt of the Purchase Order, the Purchase Order will be deemed accepted by Halo .  If Halo is unable to meet the delivery date requested by Client in its Purchase Order, Halo shall so notify Client in Halo’s confirmation of such Purchase Order and provide to Client an alternative scheduled delivery date, which shall not be more than thirty (30) days earlier or later than the initial delivery date requested by Client in its Purchase Order.  Only upon Halo’s confirmation of Client-issued Purchase Orders will such orders become firm (each, a “ Firm Order ”).  In the event Halo provides a written communication rejecting a Purchase Order (e.g., because of insufficient manufacturing lead time based on the scheduled delivery date in such Purchase Order), the communication will state the reason for the rejection, and the Parties will discuss in good faith reasonable modifications to such Purchase Order. Halo may change the scheduled delivery date of any Firm Order within a +/- five (5) day window to a new scheduled delivery date upon written notice to Client (and without Client’s prior approval).  Halo may not change the quantity of Product in any Firm Order except with Client’s prior written approval; provided , that Client shall accept any minor change in quantity delivered due to normal yield variation.  Client may not change the quantity of Product in any Firm Order; provided , that Client may cancel any Firm Order without penalty or other liability if (i) Halo is unable to meet the delivery date requested by Client in its Purchase Order within +/- thirty (30) days or (ii) a Supply Shortage then exists; unless any failure by Halo to meet such delivery date or such Supply Shortage is due to a failure to supply Active Material on a timely basis to Halo hereunder

(c) Rejection; Excess Volume .  Halo may reject any Purchase Order without penalty or liability to Client (i) for any Product quantities that are in excess of the Commitment, (ii) if Halo has an insufficient DEA procurement quota in respect of the applicable Active Material, or (iii) the Purchase Order is not given in accordance with this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Halo shall use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to supply Client with quantities of Product that are up to [***] of Commitment quantities, subject to Halo’s other supply commitments and manufacturing, packaging and equipment capacity.

4.2 [Intentionally Deleted.]

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4.3 Authorization to Procure .

(a) Reliance on Forecast .  Client understands and acknowledges that Halo will rely on the Forecast, Commitment and Firm Orders to procure Components necessary for Halo to fulfill its obligations to supply Product under this Agreement.  In addition, Client understands that to ensure an orderly supply of such Components, it may be desirable for Halo to purchase such Components in sufficient volumes to meet the anticipated requirements for Products set forth in part of the Forecast, or for such longer period as the parties may agree.  Accordingly, Client authorizes Halo to purchase Components sufficient to satisfy Client’s Product requirements set forth in the first [***] months of the Forecast most recently provided by Client to Halo pursuant to Section 3.2, and such longer period as the parties may agree in writing from time to time.  If Components ordered by Halo as permitted by this Section 4.3(a) are not included in Products manufactured for Client within [***] months after the Forecasted month in respect of which such purchases were made (or such longer period as the parties may agree) or if such Components have expired during such period, Client shall reimburse Halo its documented costs for procuring and testing such items.    

(b) Exclusive Components .     Halo shall provide Client with a list substantially in the form set forth on Schedule G (the “ Exclusive Components Purchasing Summary ”) of all Components unique to Client, the Products or the Finished Goods that Halo expects to purchase pursuant to Section 2.1(b)(ii) (“ Exclusive Components ”), in keeping with the volumes of Finished Goods set forth in the then-current Forecast, Commitment and Firm Orders.  Halo shall provide a preliminary Exclusive Components Purchasing Summary following execution of this Agreement, a revised version following receipt of final Specifications, and thereafter an updated version on an annual basis.  The Exclusive Components Purchasing Summary shall indicate which Exclusive Components have a limited shelf life and which are subject to minimum order quantities as specified by the vendor.  Client shall reimburse Halo its documented costs for procuring and testing all Exclusive Components purchased by Halo for use under this Agreement that are not used to perform Manufacturing Services prior to the expiry of the Exclusive Component’s shelf life, provided the Exclusive Components are purchased as permitted under Section 4.3(a).  Client will also be responsible for all costs incurred by Halo in connection with (i) Halo’s qualification of any Exclusive Components vendor that has not been previously qualified by Halo and (ii) any subsequent audit requested by Client of such vendor.

(c) Reimbursement .  Reimbursement from Client under this Section 4.3 shall be due, where applicable, within thirty (30) days after Halo provides written notice to Client that the relevant Component has not been used within the required time period or has expired.  Halo shall deliver to Client documentation reasonably sufficient to support the amount of such reimbursement; provided , that Halo shall not be obligated to provide specific pricing information regarding any Component that is subject to confidentiality obligations between Halo and its vendor.  In respect of any unused, but unexpired, Components reimbursed by Client hereunder, to the extent such Components are incorporated into Product subsequent to such reimbursement, Halo will credit Client for the amount reimbursed to Halo under this Section 4.3.

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(d) Halo shall not be liable for any delay in delivery of Product if (i) Halo is unable to obtain any Component in a timely manner and (ii) Halo placed orders for such Component in keeping with this Section ‎4.3.  In the event that any Component becomes subject to purchase lead time beyond [***] months, the parties will negotiate in good faith an appropriate amendment to Section ‎4.3(a).

4.4 Shipment .    

(a) Risk of Loss and Title .  Halo shall ship the Finished Goods to Client or its designee Ex Works   (Incoterms 2010) the Manufacturing Site.  Risk of loss of the Finished Goods shall remain with Halo until Halo loads the Finished Goods onto the carrier’s vehicle for shipment at the shipping point, at which time risk of loss shall transfer to Client.  To the extent not already held by Client, title to the Finished Goods shall transfer to Client concurrently with risk of loss. 

(b) Packing and Transport .  Halo shall pack and label shipping containers in accordance with Applicable Laws and transport guidelines, the Specifications, and Client’s written instructions (to the extent not inconsistent with any of the foregoing).  At Client’s request, risk and expense, and with the express consent of Client, Halo shall further arrange for shipping that meets any applicable requirements of the Specifications (such as controlled temperature and humidity).  Client shall arrange for insurance and shall select the freight carrier to be used by Halo to ship the Finished Goods.

ARTICLE 5  

PRICING, COSTS, invoicing and payment

5.1 First Year Price .  Each Price set forth on Schedule A is valid through the first full calendar year of commercial production of the Finished Goods under this Agreement (the “ First Production Year ”); provided , that Halo reserves the right to revise the Price if such commercial manufacturing has not commenced within twelve (12) months of the Effective Date.  Halo also reserves the right to revise the Price if this Agreement is substantially amended after the Effective Date, subject to Client’s written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.    

5.2 Subsequent Year Price Adjustments .  Effective on January 1 of each Year following the First Production Year during the Term, the Price shall be adjusted to reflect (i) inflation, which adjustment shall be based on the increase in the United States Producers Price Index for Pharmaceutical Preparations (“PPI”), published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics in September of the then-current Year compared to the same month   of the preceding Year, and (ii) documented changes in Component costs, so as to pass on to Client the actual amount of any increase or decrease in such costs, provided, however, that the actual amount of any increase in such Component costs will only be passed on to Client to the extent such cost increase exceeds any adjustment based on the PPI.  Halo shall provide in writing to Client by November 1 of each Year the updated Price for the subsequent Year, with appropriate supporting documentation; provided , that Halo may redact confidential portions of any supporting documents subject to obligations of confidentiality between Halo and its vendors, provided further that Client

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shall have a right to have a reputable firm of independent accountants audit Halo’s records only to the extent that they are directly related to and form the basis for such documented Price adjustment; provided that such accountants first enter into a confidentiality agreement reasonably acceptable to Halo .  Such revised fee shall be effective with respect to any Finished Goods delivered by Halo after the end of the then -current Year.

5.3 Current Year Price Adjustments .  During any Year of this Agreement, the Price shall be adjusted in accordance with this Section 5.3 to reflect extraordinary increases or decreases in Component costs due to market conditions.  A material change shall be deemed to have occurred if the aggregate cost for all Components of a given Finished Good increases or decreases by [***] or more of the total Component costs for such Finished Good upon which the most recent fee quote was based.  To the extent that a Price has been previously adjusted pursuant to Section 5.2 or this Section 5.3 to reflect an increase or decrease in the cost of one or more Components, the adjustment above shall operate based on the costs attributed to such Components at the time the last such adjustment was made.  Halo shall provide in writing to Client the revised Price, with documentation to support both Halo’s normal forecasted cost and new materially changed cost; provided , that Halo may redact confidential portions of any supporting documents subject to obligations of confidentiality between Halo and its vendors, provided further that Client shall have a right to have a reputable firm of independent accountants audit Halo’s records only to the extent that they are directly related to and form the basis for such documented Price adjustment; provided that such accountants first enter into a confidentiality agreement reasonably acceptable to Halo .  Such revised Price shall be effective with respect to any Finished Goods delivered by Halo on or after the first day of the month following Client’s receipt of Halo’s notice.

5.4 Price Adjustments Due to Technical Changes .  Amendments to a Product’s master batch record, Specifications or the applicable Quality Agreement requested by either party will be implemented only following a technical and cost review by the parties, and are subject to Client and Halo reaching agreement on appropriate revisions to the Price and any other impacted fees under this Agreement.  If the parties agree to proceed with such amendment and Client accepts a proposed fee revision, Halo shall implement the proposed change on the agreed timeframe, and the revised fee shall apply only to Finished Goods that are manufactured under the amended master batch record, Specifications or Quality Agreement, as applicable.  In addition, Client shall purchase from Halo any Inventory rendered obsolete as a result of such amendment based on the procedure described in Section 8.4(c), subject to the last sentence of Section 8.4.

5.5 Multi-Country Packaging Requirements If and when Client decides that it wishes to have Halo provide Manufacturing Services in respect of Product for countries in addition to those countries that then comprise the Territory, Client shall inform Halo of the packaging requirements for each additional country and Halo shall prepare a quotation for consideration by Client of any revised Component costs and changeover fees for Product destined for each additional country.  The agreed additional packaging requirements and related packaging costs and change over fees shall be set out in a written amendment to this Agreement as contemplated by Section ‎14.2.

5.6 Invoicing .  Invoices shall be sent by fax or email to such fax number or email address as Client may provide to Halo in writing from time to time.  Halo shall invoice Client for Finished Goods

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on the date on which Halo notifies Client that the Finished Goods have been released by Halo’s quality assurance department and is ready for shipment.  Each invoice for Finished Goods shall, to the extent applicable, identify Client’s Purchase Order number, Product batch numbers, names and quantities, Price, freight charges and the total amount to be remitted by Client.  Halo shall also submit to Client with each shipment of Finished Goods an invoice covering such shipment.  Halo shall invoice Client for all other fees due under this Agreement (including in connection with Components and Consumables) as and when appropriate.  Any fees assessed on an annual basis will be invoiced as of the first day of each Year during the Term.  Each such invoice shall reference this Agreement and identify in reasonable detail the nature of the charges therein or in a separate agreement.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, each process validation batch of Product will be invoiced upon completion of manufacturing activities for such batch at [***] of the commercial per bottle Price for such batch at an assumed [***] yield. Each packaging validation batch of Product will be invoiced at [***] of the commercial per bottle Price at an assumed [***] yield upon completion of packaging activities for such batch. Validation batch sample analysis will be invoiced upon completion of testing activities.

5.7 Payment Terms .  Client shall pay all invoiced amounts that are not subject to a good faith dispute by Client in full within thirty (30) days following the invoice date.    Client shall make payment in U.S. dollars, and otherwise as directed in the applicable invoice.  If any payment is not received by Halo by its due date, Halo may, in addition to any other remedies available at equity or in law, charge interest on the outstanding sum from the due date (both before and after any judgment) at two percent (2%) per month (or, if less, the maximum amount permitted by Applicable Laws) until paid in full.

5.8 Taxes .  All taxes, duties and other amounts assessed by any Authority (excluding tax based on net income and franchise taxes) on Active Material, Manufacturing Services or Product are the responsibility of Client, and Client shall reimburse Halo for all such taxes, duties and amounts paid by Halo to any Authority (or such sums will be added to invoices directed at Client, where applicable).

ARTICLE 6  

PRODUCT CLAIMS AND RECALLS

6.1 Product Claims .

(a) Product Claims .  Client has the right to reject any portion of any shipment of Finished Goods that is alleged not to be Conforming Product (“ Non-Conforming Product ”) without invalidating any remainder of such shipment.  Client or its designee shall inspect Finished Goods supplied by Halo upon receipt thereof and shall give Halo written notice (a “ Deficiency Notice ”) of all claims that such Finished Goods are Non-Conforming Product within forty-five (45) days after Client’s or its designee’s receipt thereof (or, in the case of Latent Defects, within forty-five (45) days after discovery thereof by Client or its designee, but in no event after the expiration date of the Finished Goods), together with a sample of the Non-Conforming Product.  Should Client fail to provide Halo with the Deficiency Notice within the applicable 45-day period,

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then the Finished Goods shall be deemed to have been accepted by Client as of the 46 th day after delivery or discovery, as applicable, and Halo shall have no liability therefor. 

(b) Evaluation .  Upon receipt of a Deficiency Notice, Halo shall have fifteen (15) days to advise Client in writing whether it agrees or disagrees with the Deficiency Notice.  If Client and Halo fail to agree within fifteen (15) days after Halo's disagreement notice as to whether any Finished Goods identified in the Deficiency Notice are Non-Conforming Product, then the parties shall mutually select an independent laboratory or qualified person, as appropriate, to evaluate whether such Finished Goods are Non-Conforming Product and the cause of any non-conformity.  Such evaluation shall be binding on the parties.  If such evaluation confirms that such Finished Goods are Non-Conforming Products or if Halo does not disagree with the Deficiency Notice, such Finished Goods shall be deemed properly rejected under this Section 6.1, and Halo shall bear the expenses associated with the evaluation, if any.  If such evaluation determines that Finished Goods are Conforming Product, Client shall be deemed to have accepted delivery of such Finished Goods on the date of such determination, and Client shall bear the expenses associated with such evaluation.

(c) Shortage . Claims for shortages in the quantity of Finished Goods shipped by Halo shall be dealt with as may reasonably be agreed to by the parties in the ordinary course of business. 

6.2 Product Recalls .

(a) Records and Notice .  Halo and Client shall each maintain such records as may be necessary to permit a Recall of any Finished Goods delivered to Client, its Affiliates or licensees, or their respective customers.  Each party shall promptly notify the other by telephone (to be confirmed in writing) of any information that might affect the marketability; safety or effectiveness of any Finished Goods and/or that might result in a Recall of any Finished Goods.  The decision to initiate a Recall or to take some other corrective action, if any, shall be made and implemented solely by Client.

(b) Recalls .  In the event (i) any Authority issues a directive, order or, following the issuance of a safety warning or alert with respect to a Finished Good, a written request that any Finished Goods be Recalled, (ii) a court of competent jurisdiction orders such a Recall, or (iii) Client determines that any Finished Goods should be Recalled, Halo will co-operate as reasonably requested by Client, having regard to all Applicable Laws. 

6.3 Halo’s Responsibility for Non-Conforming and Recalled Products.

(a) Non-Conforming Product .  In the event Client rejects Finished Goods in accordance with Section 6.1 and defect in Non-Conforming Product is determined to have arisen solely from Halo’s failure to provide the Manufacturing Services in accordance with the Specifications, the Quality Agreement and/or Applicable Laws (including cGMPs) (“ Non-Compliant Services ”), Halo will credit Client’s account for the invoiced Price for such Non-Conforming Products.  If Client shall have previously paid for such Non-Conforming Products, Halo shall promptly, at Client’s election, either (i) offset the invoiced Price for such Non-Conforming Products against

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other amounts due to Halo hereunder or (ii) replace such Non-Conforming Products with Conforming Products, contingent upon the receipt from Client of Active Material necessary for the manufacture of such replacement Products. Subject to Section 2.1(b)(i)(D), Halo’s responsibility for any loss of Active Material in connection with Non-Conforming Product shall be captured and calculated in the Actual Annual Yield under Section 2.3 and will be subject to the Maximum Credit Value.

(b) Recalled Product .  Halo shall not be responsible for any Recall costs and shall be entitled to full payment for all Finished Goods delivered if a Recall is due to clinical reasons that cannot be solely attributed to Halo’s Non-Compliant Services.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that a Recall results from Halo’s Non-Compliant Services, Halo shall be responsible for Client’s documented [***] of conducting such Recall, including the [***] of the recalled Finished Goods and all other documented [***] incurred in connection with such Recall, and shall use its Commercially Reasonable Efforts to replace the Recalled Products with Conforming Products, contingent upon the receipt from Client of all Active Material necessary for the manufacture of such replacement Products. Subject to Section 2.1(b)(i)(D), Halo’s responsibility for any loss of Active Material in connection with Non-Conforming Product shall be captured and calculated in the Actual Annual Yield under Section 2.3 and will be subject to the Maximum Credit Value.  If Halo is unable to replace the Recalled Products (except where such inability results from a failure to receive the required Active Material), Client may request Halo to reimburse Client for the Price paid by Client for Manufacturing Services in respect of the affected Finished Goods. If there is any dispute concerning whether such Recall of Finished Goods arose from such Finished Goods being Non-Conforming Product , either party may exercise any right or remedy available to it, after following the Dispute procedures set forth in Article 13, below, including litigation, regarding any other dispute concerning which party’s acts or omissions gave rise to such Recall of Finished Goods .  

(c) Limitations .  For avoidance of doubt, Halo shall have no obligation for Non-Conforming Product if any deficiencies in, or other liabilities associated with, such Non-Conforming Product (i) are caused by deficiencies with respect to the Specifications, by the safety, efficacy or marketability of the Finished Goods or by any distribution of the Finished Goods, in each case not resulting from Non-Compliant Services, (ii) result from any defect in Active Material or other materials supplied by Client as of the date such material is delivered to Halo by Client or its designee, which is not reasonably discoverable by Halo by visual inspection and testing as required under Section 2.1(b)(i)(A), (iii) are caused by actions of Third Parties occurring after such Finished Goods are shipped by Halo pursuant to Section 4.4(a), or (iv) are caused by any other breach by Client of its obligations under this Agreement.

6.4 Disposition of Non-Conforming Products .  Client shall not, without Halo’s prior written consent, dispose of any Non-Conforming Products in relation to which it intends to assert a claim against Halo.  Halo shall bear the cost of disposition with respect to Non-Conforming Products in relation to which it bears responsibility under Section 6.3.  In all other circumstances, Client shall bear the cost of such disposition.

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6.5 Customer Questions and Complaints .  Client or its designee shall have the sole responsibility for responding to questions and complaints from Client’s customers and for handling customer returns of the Finished Goods.  Questions or complaints received by Halo from Client’s customers shall be promptly referred to Client in writing.  Halo shall co-operate and provide such information as reasonably required to allow Client to determine the cause of, respond to, and resolve any customer questions and complaints.  Unless it is determined that the cause of any customer complaint is Non-Compliant Services, all costs incurred by Halo under this Section 6.5 shall be borne by Client.

6.6 Sole Remedy .  Except for Halo’s indemnity obligations under Section 10.3(a) and subject to the limitations set forth in this Agreement (including Sections 10.1 and 10.2), the remedies described in this Article 6 shall be Client’s sole remedy for any Non-Conforming Product and/or Non-Compliant Services.

ARTICLE 7  

COOPERATION

7.1 Quarterly Review .  Promptly following execution of this Agreement, each party shall appoint one of its employees to be a relationship manager responsible for liaison between the parties.  The relationship managers shall meet not less than quarterly to review the current status of the business relationship and manage any issues that have arisen.

7.2 Communication with Authorities .  Subject to Section 7.8, Halo may communicate with any Authority, including any Regulatory Authority, regarding Products and Finished Goods if, in the opinion of Halo’s counsel, such communication is necessary to comply with the terms of this Agreement or the requirements of any Applicable Laws; provided , that unless, in the reasonable opinion of Halo’s counsel, there is a legal prohibition against doing so, Halo shall permit Client to accompany and take part in any communications with the Regulatory Authority regarding Products and Finished Goods, and to receive copies of all such communications from the Regulatory Authority regarding Products and Finished Goods.  Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit Client’s ability to communicate with any Authority, including any Regulatory Authority, concerning the Products and Finished Goods; provided , that to the extent such communication pertains to the Manufacturing Services, unless, in the reasonable opinion of Client’s counsel, there is a legal prohibition against doing so, Client can request and shall permit Halo to accompany and take part in communications with the Regulatory Authority regarding Manufacturing Services, and Client will provide Halo with copies of all communications from the Regulatory Authority regarding Manufacturing Services.

7.3 Records and Accounting by Halo .  Halo shall keep materially complete and accurate records of the manufacture, testing, storage, and shipping of Products and Finished Goods, including master batch records, completed batch records, quality control documentation and results for all acceptance tests performed (collectively, “ Records ”) and retain samples of Products and Finished Goods as necessary to comply with Applicable Laws, as well as to assist with resolving any Product and Finished Good complaints and other similar investigations.  Copies of Records and samples shall be retained for a period of one (1) year following the date of Product expiry, or

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longer if required by Applicable Laws, at which time Client will be consulted prior to any decisions concerning the delivery and destruction of such Records, subject to Section 14.3. 

7.4 Audit/Inspection by Client .  

(a) Halo agrees that Client and its agents shall have the right exercisable no more than once per 12 month period (other than “for cause” audits, which may be conducted more frequently), to inspect the Manufacturing Site as well as the manufacturing of Products, Finished Goods, and any intermediates thereof, as applicable, including inspection of (i) the materials used in the manufacture of Products and Finished Goods, (ii) the holding facilities for such materials. including the Active Material, the Products, and the Finished Goods, (iii) the equipment used in the Manufacturing Services, and (iv) all records relating to such Manufacturing Services and the Manufacturing Site. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7.4(a), Client shall have no obligation or be deemed to have an obligation to inspect the Manufacturing Site. Any agents conducting such inspection must first enter into a confidentiality agreement reasonably acceptable to Halo. 

(b) Following such audit, if in Client’s sole discretion, it is appropriate, Client shall discuss its observations and conclusions with Halo and, if any Non-Compliant Services were identified in such audit, Halo shall use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to implement such corrective actions as needed to address such Non-Compliant Services within ninety (90) days after notification thereof by Client, subject to the provisions of Section 5.4, provided, however, that in the event such corrective action is directed to the Manufacturing Site or its equipment and relates to a process or analytical cGMP issue/regulatory risk, such corrective action shall be at Halo’s cost.

(c) Client and its agents may inspect Halo’s Records, samples, and reports relating to this Agreement at a reasonable frequency, but not more than once per Year unless for cause, during normal business hours and with reasonable advance notice, provided a Halo representative is present during any such inspection.  This right to inspect shall extend throughout the Term and for so long as Finished Product manufactured by Halo under this Agreement remains on the market.  Any agents conducting such inspection must first enter into a confidentiality agreement reasonably acceptable to Halo.

7.5 Access .  Halo shall provide Client with reasonable access at mutually agreeable times to Manufacturing Site areas in which Products and/or Finished Goods are manufactured, handled, stored or shipped in order to permit Client's verification of the performance of the Manufacturing Services in accordance with the Specifications and Applicable Laws (including cGMPs). 

7.6 Notification of Regulatory Inspections or Action.   Halo shall notify Client within one (1) Business Day of learning of any inspections by any Regulatory Authority specifically involving any Products or Finished Goods, and Client shall have the right to attend any such inspection.  Halo shall notify Client of receipt of any Form-483’s, warning letters or any other significant regulatory action that (i) could reasonably be expected to impact the regulatory status of any Products, Finished Goods, or Halo’s ability to perform Manufacturing Services, (ii) relate to the

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manufacture or storage of the Products and Finished Goods, or (iii) concern the Manufacturing Site.  Halo shall provide to Client un-redacted copies of the sections of all Form-483’s or comparable regulatory notices that are specific to the manufacturing of the Products and Finished Goods for Client.

7.7 Reports .  On an annual basis, Halo will provide Client with a copy of all Product and Finished Goods data in its control (including release test results, complaint test results, and all investigations in manufacturing, testing and storage) that Client reasonably requires in order to complete any filing required by any Regulatory Authority, including an annual report within the meaning of 21CFR314.81(b)(2).  Each Year at a mutually agreed date, Halo will provide Client with a copy of the annual product review report within the meaning of 21CFR211.180(e).  Any additional reports requested by Client beyond the scope of cGMPs and customary requirements of Regulatory Authorities shall be subject to an additional fee to be agreed upon between Halo and Client. 

7.8 Regulatory Filings.

(a) Regulatory Authority .  Client shall have the sole responsibility for filing all Product-specific and Finished Goods-specific documents with all Regulatory Authorities and taking any other actions that may be required for the receipt and/or maintenance of Regulatory Authority approval for the commercial manufacture of the Products and Finished Goods.  Halo shall assist Client, to the extent consistent with Halo’s obligations under this Agreement, to obtain Regulatory Authority approval for the commercial manufacture of all Products and Finished Goods as quickly as reasonably possible.  Halo shall have the sole responsibility for filing all documents with Regulatory Authorities and taking any other actions that may be required for the receipt and/or maintenance of Regulatory Authority licensure of the Manufacturing Site.

(b) Verification of Data .  At least twenty one (21) days prior to filing in connection with obtaining regulatory approval of the Products any documents with any Regulatory Authority that incorporate data generated by Halo, Client shall provide Halo with a copy of the documents incorporating such data so as to give Halo the opportunity to verify the accuracy of such documents as they relate to the Halo generated data.

(c) Verification of CMC .  At least twenty one (21) days prior to filing with any Regulatory Authority any documentation which is or is equivalent to the FDA’s Chemistry and Manufacturing Controls (“ CMC ”) related to any marketing authorization, such as a New Drug Application or Abbreviated New Drug Application, for a Product, Client shall provide Halo with a copy of the CMC documents which have relied upon Halo data for preparation.  Such disclosure shall permit Halo to verify that the CMC accurately describes the work that Halo has performed and the manufacturing processes that Halo will perform pursuant to this Agreement.  Client shall provide Halo with copies of those sections of FDA filings at the time of submission that contain chemistry, manufacturing and controls information derived from Halo data regarding such Product.

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(d) Deficiencies .  If, acting reasonably, Halo determines that any of the information provided by Client in accordance with clause (b) or (c) above is inaccurate or deficient, Halo shall notify Client in writing of such matter within ten (10) Business Days of receipt of documents from Client. The parties shall work together to have such matters resolved prior to Client’s submission to the Regulatory Authority.

ARTICLE 8  

TERM AND TERMINATION

8.1 Term .  Unless terminated earlier by one of the parties in accordance with Section 8.2, this Agreement shall become effective as of the Effective Date and shall continue until December 31, 2025 (the “ Initial Term ”), and thereafter, this Agreement shall automatically renew for successive terms of two (2) Years (each, a “ Renewal Term ”), unless either party gives written notice to the other party of its intention to terminate this Agreement at least twenty-four (24) months prior to the end of the then-current Initial Term or Renewal Term.  The Initial Term together with all Renewal Terms or parts thereof shall be referred to in this Agreement as the “ Term ”.

8.2 Early Termination .

(a) Either party may terminate this Agreement upon written notice to the other party if other party has failed to remedy a material breach of this Agreement within ninety (90) days following receipt of a written notice that describes the breach in reasonable detail and expressly states that it is a notice under this Section 8.2(a).    

(b) Either party may terminate this Agreement immediately without further action (including without any written notice to the other party) in the event that (i) the other party is declared insolvent or bankrupt by a court of competent jurisdiction, and such declaration or order remains in effect for a period of sixty (60) days, (ii) a voluntary petition of bankruptcy is filed in any court of competent jurisdiction by such other party, or (iii) this Agreement is assigned by such other party for the benefit of creditors.

(c) Client may terminate this Agreement as to any Product and applicable portion of the Territory upon thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to Halo in the event that (i) any Authority takes any action or raises any objection that prevents Client from importing, exporting, purchasing or selling such Product in all or part of the Territory, or (ii) subject to Section 8.3, Client elects to discontinue selling or otherwise withdraws from the market such Product in all or part of the Territory.

(d) Client may immediately terminate this Agreement as to any Product and applicable portion of the Territory , pursuant to the terms of Section 2.4(c);

(e) Either party may terminate this Agreement upon written notice as permitted by Section 14.1 (Force Majeure).

8.3 Product Discontinuation .  Client shall use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to provide at least twelve (12) months’ advance notice to Halo if it intends to no longer order Manufacturing

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Services for a Product during the Term due to its election to discontinue or otherwise withdraw from the market any Product in all or part of the Territory.

8.4 Obligations on Termination .  If this Agreement expires or is terminated in whole or in part for any reason, then, in addition to the applicable terms of Section 8.5:

(a) At Client’s election, Halo shall either (i) complete any Products or Finished Goods that are a work in process, which Products and Finished Goods shall be subject to Section 8.4(b), or (ii) cease such work and transfer such work in process into storage containers, which work in process shall be subject to Section 8.4(c); it being understood that if Client fails to timely make such an election or if termination is by Halo under Section  8.2(a) or 8.2(b), clause (ii) above shall automatically apply;

(b) Client shall take delivery of and pay for, at the Price in effect at the time, all completed, undelivered Product that Halo has produced pursuant to a Firm Order;

(c) That Halo may redact confidential portions of any supporting documents subject to obligations of confidentiality between Halo and its vendors. Client shall purchase, at Halo’s cost, all Inventory then in stock or that is later delivered by a Third Party vendor pursuant to non-cancellable orders, and shall reimburse Halo for any cancellation fees assessed by Third Party vendors for Inventory orders that are cancellable;

(d) Halo shall return to Client all unused Active Material and deliver to Client all Inventory paid for by Client pursuant to clause (c) above;

(e) Each party shall, at the request of the other party, return all data, files, records and other materials in such party’s possession or control containing or comprising the other party’s Confidential Information, except one copy which may be retained for legal purposes only;

(f) Halo shall maintain reserve samples and batch production records in accordance with Applicable Laws;

(g) At Client’s election, Halo shall either (i) continue to perform any ongoing stability testing or (ii) ship the stability samples to Client; it being understood that if Client fails to timely make such an election or if termination is by Halo under Section  8.2(a) or 8.2(b), clause (ii) above shall automatically apply;

(h) At Client’s request and so long as Client is not in breach of Article 11, Halo shall permit Third Parties to access to the Manufacturing Site for purposes of effecting a technology transfer of Client’s Products, Finished Goods and Specifications, subject to Halo’s prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld;

with any costs incurred by Halo’s to comply with the foregoing obligations, including shipping and related expenses, to be borne by Client, except in the event of termination of this Agreement for Halo’s uncured material breach under Section  8.2(a), in which case Halo shall bear all such expenses.  In lieu of taking possession of any of the materials described in clause (b), (c), (d), or

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(e) above, Client may direct Halo to destroy such items, which Halo shall cause to be done at Client’s cost.

8.5 Survival .  Any termination or expiration of this Agreement shall not affect any obligations or payments due hereunder and outstanding as of the date of such termination or expiration, nor shall it prejudice any other rights or remedies that a party may have under this Agreement.  Notwithstanding any termination or expiration of this Agreement for any reason, the parties rights and obligations under the following provisions shall survive and continue in effect in accordance with their respective terms: Sections 2.3(c), 2.3(d) and 2.3(e) (in each case, solely with respect to calculation and payment of any Materials Credit accruing prior to termination or expiration), Section 2.4(d) (for so long as Finished Product manufactured by Halo under this Agreement remains on the market), Section 2.4(e) (solely with respect to storage payments and shipment of Finished Goods, Products, Components and Active Materials held by Halo in inventory longer than six (6) months), Sections 3.1, 4.3(c), 5.7, 5.8, and 7.2, Section 7.3 (for the time period set forth therein), Section 7.4(c) (for the time period set forth therein),  Sections 8.4 and 8.5, and Article 6, Article 9 (provided that Sections 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3 shall survive solely for purposes of determining indemnification obligations for breach of representations that occurred prior to expiration or termination of this Agreement), Article 10 (provided that Section 10.4 shall survive only for so long as Finished Product manufactured by Halo under this Agreement remains on the market), Article 11 (for the time period set forth therein), Articles 12 and 13, and Article 14 (other than Section 14.2).

ARTICLE 9  

REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS

9.1 Authority .  Each party represents and warrants to the other that (a) it has the full right and authority to enter into this Agreement, (b) it is in good standing in its jurisdiction of organization and all jurisdictions in which it operates, (c) the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the performance of such its obligations hereunder do not conflict with, or constitute a default or require any consent under, any contractual obligation of such party, and (d) it will comply with all Applicable Laws in performing its obligations under this Agreement.

9.2 Client Warranties .  Client covenants, represents and warrants to Halo that:

(a) the preliminary copy of the Specifications provided by Client to Halo further to Section 3.3 is true and accurate in all material respects, and, to the best of Client’s knowledge, there will be no material change to such Specifications after the Effective Date;

(b) Client owns or has a valid right and license to use all Specifications for each Product and Client may lawfully disclose all Specifications to Halo for Halo’s use in connection with providing Manufacturing Services;

(c) to Client’s knowledge as of the Effective Date, all Intellectual Property (other than Halo’s Intellectual Property) provided by Client to Halo for use in connection with providing Manufacturing Services (i) may lawfully be used by Halo in connection with providing

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Manufacturing Services and (ii) so long as Halo uses such Intellectual Property solely as contemplated by this Agreement, such use does not and will not infringe, violate or misuse any Third Party Rights;

(d) to Client’s knowledge as of the Effective Date, there are no Third Party Rights related to Client’s Intellectual Property that would be infringed, violated or misused by Client’s performance of the Agreement;

(e) it has no knowledge of any claims, actions or other actual or threatened legal proceedings, the subject of which is the infringement, violation or misuse of Third Party Rights related to any Specifications, Active Material or Product, including the manufacture, use, distribution, sale or other disposition of any Active Material or Product;

(f) to Client’s knowledge as of the Effective Date, all artwork, the content of all labelling and packaging, and all other Specifications comply with Applicable Laws;

(g) to Client’s knowledge, all Active Material Client will provide to Halo hereunder will be manufactured in accordance with Applicable Laws, including cGMPs, and shall at the time of delivery under Section 3.4 meet all Specifications and not be adulterated, misbranded or mislabeled within the meaning of Applicable Laws;

(h) the Active Material Cost fairly and accurately reflects Client’s actual, out-of-pocket cost to procure the Active Material from Third Part y vendors and provide it to Halo; and

(i) all Product delivered to Client by Halo hereunder shall be held, used, distributed, sold and otherwise disposed of by or on behalf of Client in accordance with all Applicable Laws.

9.3 Halo Warranties .  Halo covenants, represents and warrants to Client that:

(a) to Halo’s knowledge as of the Effective Date, there are no Third Party Rights related to Halo’s Intellectual Property that would be infringed, violated or misused by Halo’s performance of the Agreement ;

(b) it has no knowledge of any claims, actions or other actual or threatened legal proceedings or investigations by any Regulatory Authority, the subject of which is (i) the infringement, violation or misuse of Third Party Rights related to any Halo’s Intellectual Property or (ii) the violation of Applicable Laws by Halo or the Manufacturing Site;

(c) it does not and will not use in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement the services of any person debarred or suspended under 21 U.S.C. §335(a) or (b);

(d) it does not have and will not hire as an officer or employee any person who has been convicted of a felony under the laws of the United States for conduct relating to the regulation of any drug product under the Federal   Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ;  

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(e) all Products and Finished Goods provided to Client hereunder (i) have been manufactured in accordance with Applicable Laws, including cGMPs, and the Quality Agreement; (ii) shall at the time of delivery under Section 4.4(a) meet all Specifications, and will conform with the certificate of analysis and certificate of compliance provided therewith; (iii) will not be adulterated, misbranded or mislabeled within the meaning of Applicable Laws; (iv) have been manufactured at the Manufacturing Site, which is in compliance with Applicable Laws at the time of such manufacture; (v) will be manufactured, packaged, and labeled in accordance with cGMP and ICH guidelines and in accordance with the requirements of the applicable Regulatory Authorities; (vi) shall be free from defects in material and workmanship; (vii) will have a shelf life expiring no earlier than 18 months after the date of delivery by Halo under Section 4.4; and (viii) shall conform to the applicable batch number and expiration date; provided ,   however , the foregoing representations and warranties made by Halo will not be applicable to the Products and Finished Goods provided to Client hereunder to the extent of (and Halo shall not be liable for any defect in Product attributable to) any defect in Active Material as of the date such Active Material is delivered to Halo by Client or its designee hereunder, which is not reasonably discoverable by Halo by visual inspection and testing as required under Section 2.1(b)(i), or incorrect or unlawful Specifications (including artwork and labeling); and

(f) unencumbered title to all Products and Finished Goods will be conveyed to Client upon delivery.

9.4 Limited Warranty EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THIS AGREEMENT, NEITHER PARTY MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY FACT OR LAW.  HALO EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCTS.

ARTICLE 10  

REMEDIES, INDEMNITIES and INSURANCE

10.1 No Consequential Damages Except for liabilities expressly assumed under each party’s indemnification obligations hereunder, or for any breach of Article 11 (Confidentiality), under no circumstances whatsoever shall either party be liable to the other in contract, tort, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise for (a) any (direct or indirect) loss of profits, revenues, production, anticipated savings, data, business or goodwill or (b) any other liability, damage, cost or expense of any kind incurred by the other party of an indirect, consequential, punitive or special nature, regardless of any notice of the possibility of such damages.

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10.2 Limitation of Liability .

(a) Active Material . Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement , under no circumstances whatsoever shall Halo be responsible for any loss or damage to the Active Material. Subject to Section 2.1(b)(i)(D), Halo’s maximum liability for loss or damage to all Active Material shall not exceed the Maximum Credit Value in any given Year.  

(b) Maximum Liability . Halo’s maximum liability under this Agreement for any reason whatsoever resulting from a breach of its representations, warranties or other obligations under this Agreement shall not exceed [***].  The foregoing shall not apply to (i) Halo’s wilful misconduct, (ii) any amounts due to Third Parties by Halo as a result of Halo’s indemnification obligations under Section 10.3, or (iii) or Halo’s breach of Article 11 (Confidentiality). 

10.3 Indemnification .  

(a) By Halo .  Halo agrees to defend, indemnify and hold Client, its Affiliates, and their respective officers, employees and agents (“ Client Indemnitees ”) harmless against any and all losses, damages, costs, claims, demands, judgments and liability to, from and in favor of Third Parties (“ Losses ”) resulting from or relating to (i) a breach by Halo of its obligations, warranties, or representations under this Agreement, including any failure by Halo to perform the Manufacturing Services in accordance with the Specifications, the Quality Agreement, and/or Applicable Laws (including cGMPs), (ii) the negligence, recklessness or wilful misconduct of any Halo Indemnitee, or (iii) any actual or alleged infringement, violation or misuse of any Third Party Rights solely in respect of any aspect of Halo’s Intellectual Property used in the Manufacturing Services; in each case except to the extent that such Losses arise or result from the negligence, recklessness, wilful misconduct or breach of this Agreement by any Client Indemnitee.

(b) By Client .  Client agrees to defend, indemnify and hold Halo, its Affiliates, and their respective officers, employees and agents (“ Halo Indemnitees ”) harmless against any and all Losses resulting from or relating to (i) a breach by Client of its obligations, warranties, or representations under this Agreement, (ii) the negligence, recklessness or wilful misconduct of any Client Indemnitee, (iii) any actual or alleged infringement, violation or misuse of any Third Party Rights in respect of any aspect of any Product (other than solely by reason of Halo’s Intellectual Property), or (iv) any distribution, sale or use of or exposure to any Active Material or Product or Finished Goods; in each case except to the extent that such Losses arise or result from the negligence, recklessness, wilful misconduct or breach of this Agreement by any Halo Indemnitee. 

(c) Procedure .  In the event of a claim, the party seeking indemnity shall: (a) promptly notify the indemnifying party of any such claim; (b) use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to mitigate the effects of such claim; (c) reasonably cooperate with the indemnifying party in the defense of such claim; and (d) permit the indemnifying party to control the defense and settlement of such claim using counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, all at the indemnifying party’s cost and expense.  The indemnified party may be represented by its own counsel in connection with such claim, and such representation shall be at the indemnified party’s own expense unless the indemnifying party fails to assume the defense of such claim as required

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hereunder. The indemnifying party shall have the right, after consultation with the indemnified party, to resolve and settle any such demand, action or lawsuit; provided that, in no event may the indemnifying party compromise or settle any such demand, action or lawsuit in a manner which admits fault or negligence on the part of the indemnified party or includes injunctive relieve or includes the payment of money or other property by the indemnified party without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

10.4 Insurance

(a) Coverage .  Each party shall purchase and maintain insurance, at its own expense, as required to protect Client and Halo as follows:

(i) Commercial General Liability Insurance (Primary) with limits of not less than five million dollars ($5,000,000) per occurrence and in the aggregate for bodily injury, personal injury and property damage, with coverage for blanket contractual liability, products and completed operations, independent contractors and severability of interest;

(ii) Automobile Liability with a limit of liability not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence combined single limit for bodily injury (including death) and property damage liability, with coverage for owned, non-owned and hired vehicles;

(iii) Excess or Umbrella Coverage of not less than twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000); and

(iv) Professional Liability (errors and omissions) insurance with limits of not less than five million dollars ($5,000,000) per occurrence and in the aggregate, and including coverage for gross negligence.  

(b) Additional Requirements .  The foregoing insurance, excluding auto, shall be on a claims made basis, shall remain in force throughout the Term and for three (3) years following expiration or termination of this Agreement, and shall be maintained with companies having an A.M. Best’s rating of A- VII or better.   Each party shall provide the other party with certificates of insurance evidencing the required insurance within three (3) days of the Effective Date of this Agreement and thereafter on written request.  In no event shall work be performed until such evidence of the required insurance has been furnished.  Each party shall give the other party at least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice in the event of cancellation or non-renewal of any such required insurance.  Each party shall name the other party, its agents and employees, as additional insureds on all policies of required insurance.

10.5 Reasonable Allocation of Risk .     The provisions of this Agreement (including this Article) are reasonable and create a reasonable allocation of risk having regard to the relative profits the parties respectively expect to derive from the Products; and that Halo, in its fees for the provision of the Manufacturing Services, has not accepted a greater degree of the risks arising from the manufacture, distribution, sale and use of the Products, based on the fact that Client has developed the Products and requires Halo to manufacture and label the Products strictly in accordance with

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the Specifications; and that Client and not Halo is in a position to inform and advise potential users of the Products as to the circumstances and manner of use of the Products. 

ARTICLE 11  

CONFIDENTIALITY

11.1 Confidentiality .  The provisions of the Confidentiality Agreement shall apply to all confidential information (within the meaning of the Confidentiality Agreement) exchanged between the parties in connection with this Agreement.  The scope of the Confidentiality Agreement shall be deemed automatically expanded as necessary to cover the activities contemplated by this Agreement, and in the event the Confidentiality Agreement expires or is terminated prior to the expiration or termination of this Agreement, the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement shall continue to govern the parties’ obligations of confidentiality with respect to any confidential information hereunder for the Term and for ten (10) years following expiration or termination of this Agreement , as though such Confidentiality Agreement remained in full force and effect.

11.2 Publicity .  Neither party will make any press release or other public disclosure regarding this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, including identifying the other party as a business partner or in connection with any scholarly or industry publications or presentations, without the other party’s express prior written consent.  The foregoing shall not apply to the extent disclosure is required under Applicable Laws, by any Authority or by the rules of any stock exchange on which the securities of the disclosing party are listed, in which case the disclosing party shall use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to obtain the approval of the other party as to the form, nature and extent of the press release or public disclosure prior to issuing or making the disclosure.  This Section ‎11.2 is intended to supplement, and not to supersede, the parties’ obligations under the Confidentiality Agreement.

ARTICLE 12  

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

12.1 Intellectual Property .    

(a) Existing Intellectual Property .  Subject to the other provisions of this Article 12:  (a) each party shall retain exclusive ownership rights to all Intellectual Property owned or controlled by ( whether through license, sublicense or contract, or through control over an Affiliate with such right ) such party (i) prior to the Effective Date, or (ii) independent of this Agreement and without the use of any Confidential Information of the other party; (b) neither party has, nor shall it acquire, any interest in any of the other party’s Intellectual Property except to the extent expressly set forth in this Agreement, and (c) each party agrees not to use any Intellectual Property of the other party except as specifically authorized by the other party or as required for the performance of its obligations under this Agreement.

(b) License to Halo Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, during the Term, Client hereby grants to Halo a non-exclusive, paid-up, royalty-free, non-transferable,

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limited license to use Client’s Intellectual Property solely in connection with the Manufacturing Services provided by Halo under this Agreement. Halo acknowledges and agrees that the license granted in this Section 12.1(b) is for the sole purpose of enabling Halo to use the Intellectual Property of Client to perform the Manufacturing Services for or on behalf of Client and its Affiliates and licensees pursuant to this Agreement.  Halo acknowledges and agrees that Client reserves and retains whatever right, title and interest Client has in and to the Client’s Intellectual Property, subject to the license granted herein.

(c) License to Client Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Halo hereby grants to Client, an exclusive (even as to Halo), transferable, royalty-free, fully paid-up license, including the right to sublicense   to Client’s Affiliates and licensees, to use Halo’s Intellectual Property solely to use, import, export, market, sell, offer for sale and/or otherwise commercialize the Products and Finished Goods supplied hereunder by Halo in the Territory.

12.2 Inventions .

(a) Client Inventions .  All right, title and interest in and to any Inventions generated, created, developed, discovered or derived by or on behalf of Halo or any of its employees, contractors or agents in the course of performing the Manufacturing Services, to the extent specific to, or dependent upon, the development, manufacture, use and/or sale of Client’s Products or Finished Goods, and all Intellectual Property pertaining to such Inventions (“ Client Inventions ”), shall be the exclusive property of Client or its designee.  Such Client Inventions are included in the Intellectual Property licensed to Halo under Section 12.1(b).   Halo agrees to assign and does hereby assign, and shall cause its employees, contractors or agents to so assign, to Client or its designee any and all of its right, title or interest Halo may have in or to the Client Inventions.

(b) Halo Inventions .  All Inventions generated or derived by or on behalf of Halo or any of its employees, contractors or agents in the course of performing the Manufacturing Services to the extent they are not Client Invention, and which have application to manufacturing processes or formulation development of drug products or drug delivery systems generally, and all Intellectual Property pertaining to such Inventions, shall be the exclusive property of Halo (the “ Broader Intellectual Property Rights ”).  Halo hereby grants to Client a perpetual, non-exclusive, paid-up, royalty-free, sublicensable license to use Halo’s Broader Intellectual Property Rights to manufacture or have manufactured Client’s Products and Finished Goods.

(c) Disclosure .  Halo shall promptly submit to Client a written description of all Inventions generated or derived by or on behalf of Halo or any of its employees, contractors or agents in the course of performing the Manufacturing Services, including any Client Inventions and Broader Intellectual Property Rights.  Client may disclose Broader Intellectual Property Rights in any patent application claiming Client Inventions, as Client may reasonably require to support the claimed subject matter of such patent application, subject to Halo’s prior written approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

(d) Each party shall be solely responsible for the costs of filing, prosecution and maintenance of patents and patent applications on its own Intellectual Property.

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ARTICLE 13  

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

13.1 Escalation .  The parties shall try to resolve any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Agreement other than a dispute determined in accordance with Section 6.1(b) (a “ Dispute ”) amicably between themselves before resorting to any formal dispute resolution proceeding.  To this end, either party may send a notice of Dispute to the other, whereupon each party shall appoint, within ten (10) Business Days, a single, senior representative having full power and authority to resolve the Dispute (a “ Facilitator ”).  The Facilitators shall meet and discuss as necessary to try to resolve the Dispute as quickly as practicable.

13.2 Technical Disputes .  Where a Dispute relates exclusively to technical aspects of the Manufacturing Services or related activities under this Agreement (a “ Technical Dispute ”), the Facilitators shall be competent to address the technical nature of the issues in question.  If, despite their reasonable efforts, the Facilitators have not resolved the Technical Dispute within a reasonable period of time given the nature of the issue, but in any event within thirty (30) Business Days of the date of the Dispute notice, the Technical Dispute shall, at the request of either party, be referred for determination to an expert in accordance with Schedule E .  If the parties cannot agree whether a dispute is a Technical Dispute, Section 13.3 shall govern.  For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement (including Schedule E ) is intended to or shall remove or limit the authority of the relevant qualified person (as specified by the Quality Agreement) to determine whether any Finished Goods are to be released for sale or distribution.

13.3 Commercial Disputes .  If a party fails to timely appoint a Facilitator or if, despite their reasonable efforts, the Facilitators have not resolved a Dispute (other than a Technical Dispute) within one (1) month from the date of the Dispute notice, the Dispute shall immediately be referred to the President of each party (or such other officer as he/she may designate), who will meet and discuss as necessary to try to resolve the Dispute.  Should such officers fail to resolve the Dispute, either party may resort to a court of competent jurisdiction or any other method of binding dispute resolution on which the parties may agree.    

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ARTICLE 14  

MISCELLANEOUS

14.1 Force Majeure .  Neither party shall be liable for the failure to perform its obligations under this Agreement if such failure is occasioned by a cause or contingency beyond such party's reasonable control, including strikes or other labor disturbances, lockouts, riots, quarantines, communicable disease outbreaks, wars, acts of terrorism, fires, floods, storms, interruption of or delay in transportation, lack of or inability to obtain fuel, power or components or compliance with any order or regulation of any Authority acting within color of right (a “ Force Majeure Event ”).  A party claiming a right to excused performance under this Section  14.1 shall immediately notify the other party in writing of the extent of its inability to perform, which notice shall specify the Force Majeure Event.  If the performance of any obligation under this Agreement is delayed owing to a Force Majeure Event for any continuous period of more than ninety (90) days, the other party may terminate this Agreement without penalty upon written notice to the party unable to perform.  Neither party shall be entitled to rely on a Force Majeure Event to relieve it from an obligation to pay money (including any interest for delayed payment) that would otherwise be due and payable under this Agreement.

14.2 Additional Products and Expanded Territory .  Additional products and countries may be added to this Agreement upon the parties written agreement, and such additional products and countries shall be governed by the general conditions hereof.  The parties shall amend or supplement this Agreement (including the Schedules) as necessary to reflect their agreement with respect to product-specific or country-specific terms, including Price and Territory.

14.3 Right to Dispose and Settle .  If Halo requests in writing Client’s direction with respect to disposal of any Inventory, Active Material, equipment, Records, samples or other items belonging to Client and is unable to obtain a response from Client within a reasonable time period after making reasonable efforts to do so, Halo shall have the right to dispose of such items at Client’s expense (which may be by set off against any credit on Client’s account).

14.4 Notices .  Any notice, approval, instruction or other written communication required or permitted hereunder shall be sufficient if made or given to the other party by personal delivery, by facsimile communication, by delivery via nationally recognized overnight courier service, by first class mail postage prepaid, or by PDF attachment to an email or similar electronic transmission to the mailing address, facsimile number or email address set forth below:

If to Client:

Depomed, Inc.

7999 Gateway Blvd., Suite 300

Newark, California  94560 USA

Attention:  Legal Department

Facsimile No.: (510) 744-8001

If to Halo:

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Halo Pharmaceutical, Inc.
30 North Jefferson Road

Whippany NJ 07981 USA

Attention: Chief Executive Officer

Facsimile No.: (973) 428 4254

or to such other contact information provided to the other party in accordance with the terms of this Section ‎14.4 .  Notices or written communications made or given by personal delivery, overnight courier service, facsimile or email shall be deemed to have been sufficiently made or given when sent (receipt acknowledged), or if mailed, five (5) days after being deposited in the United States or Canadian mail, postage prepaid or upon receipt, whichever is sooner.

14.5 Assignment This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors and permitted assigns.  Neither party may assign any of its rights or delegate any of its obligations under this Agreement , in whole or in part, except with the other party’s prior written consent.  If a party desires to assign this Agreement, it shall give written notice to the other party with sufficient detail to enable the other party to properly consider the matter, and any assignee reasonably acceptable to the other party shall be required to covenant in writing with such party to be bound by the terms of this Agreement.  In the event a party consents to the delegation of any of the other party’s obligations under this Agreement, the delegating party shall remain responsible for any breach of this Agreement by any such delegee.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may assign this Agreement in its entirety without the other party’s consent, but subject to prior written notice, to any of its Affiliates or to a successor to or purchaser of all or substantially all of the business or assets of the assigning party or the assigning party’s business unit responsible for performance under this Agreement .   Any purported assignment in violation of this Section 14.5 shall be null and void and of no effect.

14.6 Construction .  

(a) Independent Contractors .  The parties are independent contractors to one another and this Agreement shall not be construed to create between Halo and Client any other relationship such as, by way of example only, that of employer-employee, principal-agent, joint-venturers, partners or any similar relationship, the existence of which is expressly denied by the parties. Neither party will have the authority to make any statements, representations or commitments of any kind, or to take any action, which will be binding (or purport to be binding) on the other party.

(b) No Third Party Benefit or Right .  Nothing in this Agreement shall confer or be construed as conferring on any Third Party any benefit or the right to enforce any express or implied term of this Agreement.

(c) Entire Agreement .  This Agreement, together with the Quality Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement, constitutes the full, complete, final and integrated agreement between the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all previous written or oral negotiations, commitments, agreements, transactions or understandings with respect to the subject matter hereof. 

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(d) Other Terms .  In case of a conflict amongst agreements referenced herein not specifically addressed elsewhere in this Agreement, the prevailing order of documents shall be this Agreement, the Quality Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement ,   provided, however , that in the event of a conflict between the terms of the Quality Agreement and the terms of this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail, except with respect to quality issues, which shall be governed by the Quality Agreement.  No terms, provisions or conditions of any purchase order, quote, proposal, invoice, or other business form or written authorization used by Client or Halo will have any effect on the rights, duties or obligations of the parties under, or otherwise modify, this Agreement, regardless of any failure of Client or Halo to object to such terms, provisions, or conditions, except to the extent such document specifically refers to this Agreement, sets forth an express intent to override it, and is signed by both parties.

(e) Amendments .  Any modification, amendment or supplement to this Agreement must be in writing and signed by authorized representatives of both parties to be effective, except to the extent otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement.

(f) Waivers . Either party’s failure to require the other party to comply with any provision of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of such provision or any other provision of this Agreement.  

(g) Severability .  If any provision of this Agreement is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such determination shall not impair or affect the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof, and each provision is hereby declared to be separate, severable and distinct.

(h) Drafting Party .  The language in this Agreement is to be construed in all cases according to its fair meaning. Halo and Client acknowledge that each party and its counsel have reviewed and revised this Agreement and that any rule of construction, to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party, are not to be employed in the interpretation of this Agreement.

(i) Divisions .  The division of this Agreement into Articles, sections, subsections and Schedules and the insertion of headings are for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement.  Unless otherwise indicated, any reference in this Agreement to a Section or Schedule refers to the specified Section or Schedule to this Agreement.  In this Agreement, the terms “this Agreement”, “hereof”, “herein”, “hereunder” and similar expressions refer to this Agreement as a whole (including any Schedules hereto) and not to any particular part, Section, Schedule or the provision hereof.

(j) Certain Terms .  Whenever used in this Agreement, unless otherwise specified:  (i) all monetary amounts are expressed in, and all references to “$” or “Dollars” mean, the lawful currency of the United States of America; (ii) the word “include” (with its grammatical variations) mean “include, without limitation,” “include but are not limited to”, or words of similar import; (iii) the words “agree” or “written agreement” will not impose any obligation on either party to agree to any terms or to engage in discussions relating to such terms, except as such party may

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elect in such party’s sole discretion; (iv) the word “Client” includes its Affiliates whenever the context requires or to the extent applicable; (v) the word “days” means calendar days; (vi) the words “copy” and “copies” include, to the extent available, electronic copies, files or databases containing the information, files, items, documents or materials to which such words apply; (vii) the words “shall” and “will” have the same meaning and are used interchangeably ; and (viii) all references to the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.

(k) Schedules .  The following Schedules are attached to, incorporated in and form part of this Agreement:

Schedule A - Finished Goods List , Price & Manufacturing Services Fees

Attachment :  Preliminary Product Specifications

Schedule B - Active Material, Active Material Cost & Maximum Credit Value

Schedule C - Form of Active Material Inventory Report

Schedule D - Form of Annual Reconciliation Report

Schedule E - Technical Dispute Resolution

Schedule F - Quality Agreement

Schedule G - Form of Exclusive Components Purchasing Summary

Schedule H List of Territories

14.7 Governing Law .  This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and the laws of the United States applicable therein.  The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods shall not apply to this Agreement.  

14.8 Further Assurances .  The parties agree to execute, acknowledge and deliver such further instruments and to take all such other incidental acts as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate to carry out the purpose and intent of this Agreement.

14.9 Execution in Counterparts .  This Agreement may be executed in two counterparts, by original or facsimile signature, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

Signature page follows

 

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PICTURE 6

IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the duly authorized representatives of the parties have executed this Agreement as of the Effective Date.

HALO PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

by  /s/ L. Lee Karras___________________________________________________________________________

Name: L. Lee Karras___________________________________________________________________________

Title: Chief Executive Officer_________________________________________________________________  

 

DEPOMED, INC.

by /s/ Arthur Higgins___________________________________________________________________________

Name: Arthur Higgins_________________________________________________________________________

Title: CEO___________________________________________________________________________________  

 

 

Signature Page to Drug Product Manufacturing Services Agreement

 


 

PICTURE 6

SCHEDULE A

Finished goods LisT, Price & manufacturing services FEES

Nucynta IR Tablets, Commercial Unit Pricing 1

Unit Description

Batch Size

(Kg)

Theoretical Qty

Per Batch (Tablets)

Theoretical Qty

Per Batch (Bottles)

Material Cost (excluding Active Materials)

per bottle

(USD)

Conversion Price

per bottle

(USD)

Full Service Price

(excluding Active Materials)

per bottle

(USD)

Nucynta IR Tablets,

50 mg strength,

100’s bottles,

250

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

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*Nucynta IR Tablets,

50 mg strength,

100’s bottles

125

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

Nucynta IR Tablets,

75 mg strength,

100’s bottles,

250

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

*Nucynta IR Tablets,

75 mg strength,

100’s bottles

125

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

Nucynta IR Tablets,

100 mg strength,

100’s bottles,

250

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

2

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*Nucynta IR Tablets,

100 mg strength,

100’s bottles

125

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

[***]

 

*Batches split into two strengths at the granulation stage will incur an additional [***] surcharge on each split sublot unit price.  A batch may only be split once.

1   Finished Good   Price includes :  As per Agreement ( e.g. , costs of manufacturing, testing, QA release, excipients and packaging materials, packaging of Products as Finished Goods, etc.) 

  Finished Good Price excludes :  As per Agreement ( e.g., costs of Active Materials, Consumables, post marketing stability testing, artwork development and other costs, obsolescence of materials, new vendor audit, etc.)

 

Additional Fees

Description

Price (USD)

Annual product review (APR)

[***]

Audit fees for Canada/US materials suppliers

[***]

On-going commercial stability fees, price per pull point

[***]

 

** Travel, accommodations and meal expense are in addition to the Audit fees listed.

 

(see attached preliminary Product Specifications)

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PICTURE 5

SCHEDULE B

ACTIVE MATERIAL, ACTIVE MATERIAL COST
& MAXIMUM CREDIT VALUE

Product

Active Material

Controlled Substance?

Vendor

Active Material Cost

Maximum Credit Value 1

Nucynta IR Tablets (product family)

Tapentadol HCl

Yes

Noramco

[***]

[***]

Additional Products may be added per Section ‎14.2 of the Agreement

--

--

--

--

--

 

1 Halo's liability for Active Material in a given Year shall not exceed this amount in the aggregate for all Active Material indicated.

 

 

 

Halo Pharma • Confidential

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PICTURE 5

SCHEDULE C

FORM OF ACTIVE MATERIAL INVENTORY REPORT

TO: DEPOMED, INC.

 

FROM: HALO PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

 

RE: Active Material Inventory Report

 

This report is provided pursuant to Section ‎2.3(a) of the Drug Product Manufacturing Services Agreement dated as of June 6, 2017 (the “ Agreement ”).  Capitalized terms used in this report have the meanings given to such terms in the Agreement. 

 

Active Material:

Tapentadol HCl

 

 

Reporting period (month or quarter):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Active Material on hand at beginning of period:

 

kg

(A)

Active Material on hand at end of period:

 

kg

(B)

Quantity Received during period:

 

kg

(C)

Quantity used in sample: 1

 

kg

(D)

Quantity Dispensed during period:

 

kg

(A + C – B – D)

Quantity Converted during period 2

 

kg

 

 

1 Includes any (i) Active Material that must be retained by Halo as samples and stability, (ii) Active Material contained in Product that must be retained as samples, (iii) Active Material used in connection with testing (if applicable) and (iv) Active Material received or consumed in connection with technical transfer activities or development activities, including any regulatory, stability, validation or test batches manufactured during the reporting period.

 

2 Reflects total Active Material in Products produced and not rejected, Recalled or returned.

 

 

DATE:

 

 

 

Signed:

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Name:

Title:

 

 

2

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PICTURE 5

SCHEDULE D

FORM OF ANNUAL RECONCILIATION REPORT

TO: DEPOMED, INC.

 

FROM: HALO PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

 

RE: Active Material Annual Reconciliation Report

 

This report is provided pursuant to Section ‎2.3(c) of the Drug Product Manufacturing Services Agreement dated as of June 6, 2017 (the “ Agreement ”).  Capitalized terms used in this report have the meanings given to such terms in the Agreement. 

 

Active Material:

Tapentadol HCl

 

 

Reporting Year:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quantity Dispensed during Year:

 

kg

(A)

Quantity Converted during Year:

 

kg

(B)

Active Material Cost:

 

$/kg

(C)

Target Yield:

 

%

(D)

Actual Annual Yield:                    (( B ∕ A) * 100)

 

%

(E)

Shortfall:             ((((D – [***] ) - E) ∕ 100) * C * A)

                               (if a negative number, insert zero)

 

$

(F)

Maximum Credit Value

 

$

(G)

 

Based on the foregoing calculation Halo will reimburse Client the LESSER OF
(F): $___________________ or (G): $_________________.

 

 

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DATE:

 

 

Signed:

Name:

Title:

 

Confidential Information indicated by [***] has been omitted from this filing and filed separately with the Securities Exchange Commission.

 


 

PICTURE 4

SCHEDULE E

technical dispute resolution

Any Technical Dispute that cannot be resolved by negotiation as provided in Sections ‎13.1 and ‎13.2 shall be resolved in the following manner:

1. Appointment of Expert .  Within ten (10) Business Days after a party requests pursuant to Section 13.2 that an expert be appointed to resolve a Technical Dispute, the parties shall jointly appoint a mutually acceptable expert with experience and expertise in the subject matter of the Technical Dispute.  If the parties are unable to so agree within such ten (10) Business Day period, or in the event of disclosure of a conflict by an expert pursuant to paragraph 2 below which results in the parties not confirming the appointment of such expert, then an expert (willing to act in that capacity hereunder) shall be appointed by an experienced arbitrator on the roster of the American Arbitration Association.

2. Conflicts of Interest .  Any person appointed as an expert shall be entitled to act and continue to act as such notwithstanding that at the time of such appointment or at any time before giving a determination, the expert has or may have some interest or duty that conflicts or may conflict with the appointment; provided , that before accepting such appointment (or as soon as practicable after becoming aware of the conflict or potential conflict) the individual fully discloses any such interest or duty and the parties after such disclosure shall have nevertheless confirmed or re-confirmed the appointment.

3. Not Arbitrator .  No expert shall be deemed to be an arbitrator and the provisions of the American Arbitration Act and no Applicable Laws (including the American Arbitration Act) shall apply to any such expert or the expert’s determination or the procedure by which the expert reaches a determination to be made pursuant to this Schedule.

4. Procedure .  Where an expert is a ppointed:

(a) Timing .  The expert shall be so appointed on condition that (i) the expert promptly fixes a reasonable time and place for receiving representations, submissions or information from the parties and issues such authorizations to the parties and any relevant Third Party for the proper conduct of a determination and any hearing and (ii) the expert renders a decision (with full reasons) within fifteen (15) Business Days (or such other date as the parties and the expert may agree) after receipt of all information requested by the expert pursuant to paragraph 4(b) hereof.

(b) Disclosure of Evidence .  The parties undertake to provide to the expert all such evidence and information within their respective possession or control as the expert may

Confidential Information indicated by [***] has been omitted from this filing and filed separately with the Securities Exchange Commission.

 

 


 

reasonably consider necessary for determining the Technical Dispute, which they shall disclose promptly and in any event within five (5) Business Days of a written request from the expert.

(c) Advisors .  Each party may appoint such counsel, consultants and advisors as it feels appropriate to assist the expert in making a determination and so as to present their respective cases so that at all times the parties shall co-operate and seek to narrow and limit the issues to be determined.

(d) Appointment of New Expert .  If within the time specified in paragraph 4(a) above the expert shall not have rendered a decision in accordance with the appointment, a new expert may (at the request of either party) be appointed and the appointment of the existing expert shall thereupon cease for the purposes of determining the Technical Dispute, save that if the existing expert renders a decision with full reasons prior to the appointment of the new expert, then such a decision shall have effect and the proposed appointment of the new expert shall be withdrawn.

(e) Final and Binding .  The determination of the expert shall, save in the event of fraud or manifest error, be final and binding upon the parties.

(f) Costs .  Each party shall bear its own costs in connection with any Technical Dispute to an expert hereunder and, in the absence of express provision in the Agreement to the contrary, the costs and expenses of the expert shall be shared equally by the parties.

 

For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Schedule is intended to or shall remove or limit
the authority of the relevant qualified person (as specified by the Quality Agreement)
to determine whether any Finished Good is to be released for sale or distribution.

 

 

 

Confidential Information indicated by [***] has been omitted from this filing and filed separately with the Securities Exchange Commission.

 


 

 

SCHEDULE F

quality agreement

(See Attached)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confidential Information indicated by [***] has been omitted from this filing and filed separately with the Securities Exchange Commission.

 

 


 

 

QUALITY AGREEMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BY AND BETWEEN

 

DEPOMED, INC

Contract Giver

 

7999 Gateway Blvd., Suite 300

Newark, CA 94560

 

AND

HALO PHARMACEUTICAL, INC

Contract Receiver

 

30 North Jefferson Road

Whippany, NJ 07981

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

1.

PURPOSE and SCOPE …………………………….…………….…………. 1

2.

Article 1 - DEFINITIONS and ACRONYMS …………..….…….……….… 3

3.

Article 2 -  QUALITY REQUIREMENTS …………………………………  5

4.

Article 3 -  MANUFACTURE ……………………….………………………6            

5.

Article 4 -  AGENCY REGULATIONS …….…………………………….…8

6.

Article 5 -  QUALITY ASSURANCE…….…….……………………………8

7.

Article 6 - STORAGE and SHIPPING…….…….…………..……………….12

8.

Article 7 - TERMINATION…….…….………………………..…………….13

9.

Article 8 - COMPLIANCE RESPONSIBILITIES…….…..……...………….13

10.

Article 9 -  MISCELLANEOUS…….…….………………………………….18

11.

APPROVALS …….…….…………………...……………………………….20

12.

APPENDICES

       Appendix A - Halo and Depomed Contacts and Responsible Persons………..21

       Appendix B - Product List…………………………………………………....22

       Appendix C - Halo Approved Contract Laboratories………………………....23

       Appendix D - Vendors – API and Excipients………………………………....24

 

           

 


 

PURPOSE and SCOPE

 

This Quality Agreement ("Agreement"), is effective as of the date of the last signature below, ("Effective Date"), by and between Halo Pharmaceutical, Inc., having its principal place of business at 30 North Jefferson Road, Whippany, NJ 07981, the Contract Receiver, hereinafter referred to as Halo and Depomed Inc., having its principal place of business at 7999 Gateway Blvd., Suite 300, Newark, CA 94560, the Contract Giver, hereinafter referred to as Depomed. 

 

WHEREAS, the parties desire to allocate between themselves the responsibility for procedures impacting the identity, strength, quality and purity of the Product, a schedule II controlled substance product to be manufactured at Halo.

 

The purpose of this agreement (“Quality Agreement”) is to ensure a mutual understanding and documentation of key responsibilities between Halo and Depomed relating to the following:

-

Production, testing, packaging, storage, product release and shipping of Depomed Products listed in Appendix B according to agreed manufacturing and release specifications (combination regulatory and internal).

-

Compliance with all relevant agency regulations, Company policies and procedures, and Marketing Authorizations.

 

This agreement applies to the manufacture and release testing of Nucynta ® IR (Immediate Release) Tablets 50mg, 75mg and 100mg. In addition, this agreement only applies to the packaging of Nucynta ® ER (Extended Release) Tablets for 50mg, 100mg, 150mg, 200mg and 250mg. The Contact list for both Halo and Depomed is listed in Appendix A.

 

NOW, therefore, the parties intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:

 

 

ARTICLE 1 – DEFINITIONS and ACRONYMS  

 

1.1

Affiliate   or Affiliates – shall mean, with respect to any party, any entity, directly or indirectly, controlling, controlled by or under common control with such party, for only so long as such control exists.

 

1.2

ANDA – shall mean an Abbreviated New Drug Application (“ANDA”) for a United States generic drug approval for an existing licensed medication or approved drug.

 

1.3

cGMP – means the current Good Manufacturing Practices of all applicable health authorities (including Regulatory Authorities), including all applicable rules, regulations, guides, and guidance, including 21 CFR parts 11, 210, and 211 and International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidance documents.  

 

 


 

1.4

Field Alert   shall mean any incident that causes the Product or its labeling to be mistaken for or applied to another article, bacterial contamination, a significant chemical, physical, or other change, deterioration in the distributed Product, and failure of one or more distributed batches of the Product to meet the specifications established in its application.  The Field Alert report is filed with the United States FDA by pharmaceutical companies.    

 

1.5

Marketing Authorization (“MA”) – shall mean an official document issued by the competent drug regulatory authority for the purpose of marketing or free distribution of a Product after evaluation for safety, efficacy and quality.  Marketing Authorization may occasionally also be referred to as a license or Product license.

 

1.6

NDA – shall mean a New Drug Application (“NDA”) submitted by the manufacturer of a drug to the United States FDA, after clinical trials have been completed for a license to market the drug for a specified indication.

 

1.7

OOS – shall mean an Out of Specification test result that, after an initial investigation to determine whether there has been a clear obvious error due to external circumstances does not comply with the predetermined acceptance criteria or has fallen outside of established acceptance criteria which have been established in official compendia and/or by company documentation.

 

1.8

Product – shall mean the Product or Products described in Appendix B of this Agreement.  

 

1.9

Quality Complaint Classifications – Critical and Major Quality Defects (for example, but not limited to):

 

Critical – These are quality defects which are potentially life threatening or could cause serious risk to health.  For example, but not limited to: Wrong Product (label and contents are different Products); Correct Product but wrong strength, with serious medical consequences; Microbial, physical or chemical contamination, with serious medical consequences; Mix up of Products (‘rogues’) within a pack (for example, two different blister strips within one carton or two different tablets within the one blister strip); Wrong active pharmaceutical ingredient in a multi-component Product with serious medical consequences; or Non-compliance with specifications (for example,  assay, stability, fill/weight).

 

Major – These are quality defects, which could cause illness or mistreatment but not a life threatening extent. For example, but not limited to:  Mislabeling – wrong or missing text or figures; Missing or incorrect information – leaflets or inserts; Microbial, physical or chemical contamination, with medical consequences; Mix up of Products (‘rogues’), (for example, a case of Product A contains one or more of Product B); or Insecure closure

 


 

with serious medical consequences (for example, child-resistant containers, potent Product, sterile Product).

 

1.10

Recall – shall apply to all Field Actions such as Product recall, market withdrawal, stock recovery, corrections, safety alert and press release.

 

1.11

Regulatory Authority – shall mean a public authority or government agency responsible for exercising autonomous authority over some area of human activity in a regulatory or supervisory capacity.

 

1.12

Reprocessing – shall mean subjecting all or part of a batch or lot of finished dosage form (at any stage) of Manufacturing to a previous step or repeat of same step as per the validated process due to a failure to meet predetermined specifications.  This does not include resorting for visual defects and repackaging.

 

1.13

Reworking – shall mean subjecting an in-process drug, a bulk process intermediate or final Product of a single batch/lot to an alternate manufacturing process due to a failure to meet predetermined specifications. This does not include resorting for visual defects and repackaging.

 

1.14

Significant change – shall mean a change that could potentially cause the Product to fail to meet its specification or acceptance criteria.

 

1.15

Specifications – shall mean specifications for tests, procedures and acceptance criteria set forth in the applicable ANDA/NDA, dossier or Marketing Authorization.

 

1.16

Subcontractor – shall mean a person or business, which has a contract with Halo to provide some portion of the work or services related to the manufacture of a Product, which Halo is obliged to perform under this Agreement.

 

1.17

Third Party – shall mean any party other than Halo or Depomed or their respective Affiliates.

 

1.18

DEA – shall mean an abbreviation for Drug Enforcement Administration.

 

1.19

Schedule II – shall mean any compound controlled by DEA and referenced in Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1308.12, Schedule II.

 

1.20

Significant Deviation – shall mean a change that could potentially cause the Product to fail to meet product registration and GMP requirements. This would also be categorized as a critical or major deviation.

 

1.21

API – shall mean active pharmaceutical ingredient, Tapentadol HCL, which is a schedule II compound requiring unique controls as specified by DEA. 

 

 

 


 

ARTICLE 2 - QUALITY REQUIREMENTS  

 

2.1

  A list of contact information for both parties is set forth in Appendix A attached hereto.

 

2.2

  This Agreement defines the operating procedures to be followed when Products are manufactured, packaged, tested, released or held by Halo for Depomed   in order   to ensure compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices ("GMP") and other applicable regulatory requirements. This document must be executed prior to any GMP processing of product by Halo for Depomed.

 

2.3

  The obligations set forth in this Agreement shall apply to Halo with respect to Products manufactured, packaged, tested, released or held by Halo or by an Affiliate of Halo.

 

2.4

  The Marketing Authorization Holder or Product License holder for the Product is Depomed and is responsible for maintaining the Marketing Authorization/license in a state of compliance. Review of the Marketing Authorization or Product License variations, per the Product Quality Review, will be the responsibility of Depomed.

 

2.5

  Raw materials supplied by qualified vendors and those supplied by Depomed may be subject to reduced testing, as per Halo’s Vendor Management Program. Halo will

inform and acquire Depomed’s approval before performing reduced testing on API.

 

2.6

  Halo to notify Depomed of any changes in qualified supply or manufacturing locations for excipients and/or packaging components. 

 

2.7

  Halo must have adequate facilities and equipment, knowledge and experience, and competent personnel to carry out satisfactorily the work required by the Depomed set forth in this Agreement.

 

2.8

  Depomed will provide Halo with all the information necessary to carry out the contracted operations correctly in accordance with the NDA, ANDA, dossier and/or MA and any other legal requirements.

 

2.9

  Halo’s personnel shall receive initial and continuing training relevant to their tasks, based on written standard operating procedures (SOPs) and in accordance with a written training program.

 

2.10

Halo shall keep a record of all training, and the practical effectiveness of training shall be periodically assessed and documented.

 

ARTICLE 3 – MANUFACTURE

 

3.1 Premises

 

3.1.1 Halo will not use an alternate site for, or transfer at a later date any of the manufacturing, packaging, processing, or holding operations for any of the

 


 

Products it supplies to Depomed without the prior written approval by Depomed. Such approval of any new manufacturing, packaging, processing, or holding operations shall not be unreasonably withheld. Approved contract testing laboratories are shown in Appendix C.

 

3.1.2 The premises and equipment that Halo uses for manufacturing, packaging, processing, testing, or holding must be in compliance with current GMPs and applicable regulatory requirements.

 

3.1.3 Halo warrants that it does not handle specified risk materials, hazardous or potentially hazardous materials such as certain cytotoxics, certain antibiotics (i.e. penicillins, cephalosporins and other beta-lactams), certain hormones (i.e. estrogens, androgens), certain highly active drugs, certain teratogen or genotoxic compounds, non-medicinal products (i.e. herbicides, pesticides) in the same building or buildings where the manufacturing of the Products takes place.

           Further, Depomed must continue to keep Halo notified of any updated information that may change the toxicological categorization of the API(s) for the Product and will provide revised Safety Data Sheets (SDS).  

 

3.1.4 Depomed personnel shall have the right to be present on the premises, with prior approval, during the manufacturing, packaging, processing, testing and/or holding/ release of the Product at Halo.

 

3.1.5   Halo shall ensure there are adequate controls and routine monitoring to prevent microbiological and particulate contamination for compressed air, and other gases piped into the facilities which may have contact to the equipment and product itself.

 

3.1.6  Halo shall ensure prevention of cross-contamination in the sampling areas, dispensing and Product manufacturing areas.

 

3.1.7    Halo shall ensure that there is adequate pest control and monitoring program.

 

3.2 Equipment

 

              3.2.1 Halo shall only use appropriately designed and qualified facilities, utilities and equipment, computer systems, calibration and maintenance systems, water systems, and adequate environmental controls for the manufacture and testing of the product.

 

  3.2.2     If agreed to, Halo shall ensure product related qualification/validation activities are executed through a Validation Master Plan (VMP).  Halo will provide validation status reviews and complete qualification/validation as necessary.

 

3.3 Qualification and Validation

 

 


 

               3.3.1     Halo shall ensure that product related manufacturing/process equipment, analytical equipment, computer systems with quality impact, and other testing, measuring, calibrating equipment are qualified before use, and results are documented.

 

3.2.2     Halo shall qualify and routinely monitor systems with quality impact such as air handling, water system, compressed air and gas supply.

 

3.3.3    Halo shall ensure that all product related instruments are identified and calibrated on a frequent basis using recognized National or International standards. If external calibration agencies/contractors are employed, Halo shall ensure that personnel involved are trained prior to performing the task.

 

3.3.4     Halo shall qualify and routinely monitor product manufacturing area and packaging environment for particulate matter, microbial counts. Product related cleaning processes shall be validated/verified for common equipment, but may be verified for product contact surfaces of equipment dedicated to Tapentadol manufacturing, based on Halo’s procedures.

 

ARTICLE 4 – AGENCY REGULATIONS

 

4.1 Regulations

 

4.1.1 The GMP regulations to be applied are as follows:

 

The United States Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) GMPs listed in Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations ("C.F.R.") Parts 210 and 211 and associated Compliance Guidance’s.

 

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration – Title 21 United States Code Controlled Substance Act.

4.1.2 International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (“ICH”) guidelines shall be used for stability programs unless otherwise provided by Depomed.

 

 

ARTICLE 5 - QUALITY ASSURANCE

 

5.1 Product(s) Refusal

 

5.1.1 Product that fails to meet the Specifications and registration criteria for Product release will be rejected after appropriate investigation.  Written notification will be supplied by Depomed to Halo detailing the reason(s) for the refusal of the Product.

 

5.1.2 Disputes with Respect to Rejection . After notification to Halo by Depomed of receipt of a nonconforming shipment,

 


 

 

            5.1.2.1   Halo shall be permitted to analyze any Product rejected for nonconformity to the Specifications and to present its findings to Depomed. If Halo disputes Depomed’s rejections of all or part of any shipment of the Product, and any dispute is not resolved by mutual agreement between the parties within sixty (60) days of Depomed’s mailing of or sending by e-mail the written notice of rejection to the appropriated responsible person or persons set forth in Appendix A, then

 

            5.1.2.2      Such dispute shall be resolved by an independent testing organization approved and licensed by the appropriate regulator or consultant of recognized repute that is mutually agreed by both parties in writing before expiry of sixty (60) days. 

 

            5.1.2.3     The determination of such testing entity with respect to all or part of any shipment of Product shall be final and binding upon the parties.  The fees and expenses of the third party making the determination shall be paid by the party against which the determination is made.  If such determination is not made, the parties shall discuss allocation of fees in good faith. 

 

5.2 Regulatory   Inspection

 

5.2.1 Halo will inform Depomed within one (1) business day of any Regulatory Inspection that relates to the manufacturing, packaging, processing, testing, and/or holding of the Product manufactured by Halo and supplied to Depomed.  If the regulatory inspection is specific to Nucynta, Depomed representatives can be on-site at Halo. They will not participate directly in the inspection.

 

5.2.1.1   A copy of any reports, summary or notices issued by a Regulatory Authority that relate to the Product only, shall be provided to Depomed.

 

5.2.1.2   Halo shall be responsible for responding to the inspection and shall provide Depomed with a copy of submitted responses.

 

5.2.1.3   Halo will consult with Depomed regarding any proposed corrective and preventative actions ("CAPA") that may affect the Products and reach a mutual agreement regarding regulatory responses prior to Halo’s submission of the responses to the Regulatory Authority, if time permits.

 

5.2.1.4   Halo will have final say over any responses submitted to any regulatory observation given to Halo by any regulatory agency.   

 

5.2.2 Halo will inform Depomed within one (1) business day when an incident occurs which may require notification to the applicable Regulatory Authorities.

 


 

 

5.2.3 Subcontracting shall not release Halo from its responsibility for its obligations under this Agreement.

 

5.3 Market actions such as:     Recalls and Field Alerts

 

5.3.1 Whenever a field action, such as a Field Alert and/or Recall of a Product is being contemplated by either party for any reason, the party contemplating such action shall, without prejudice to its obligations under the law and prior to any notification to the Regulatory Authorities, and, except as may be otherwise provided herein, prior to any unilateral action and/or communication, consult with the other party to enable it to participate in deciding the appropriate actions to be taken during the implementation of such field action, provided that;

 

            5.3.1.1   Depomed shall have the final decision-making authority as to the field action.  However, nothing stated herein shall prevent, constrain or delay any unilateral action which either party, in its sole discretion, reasonably deems to be necessary to protect the public, comply with the law or to protect its business interests or reputation, provided that;

 

           5.3.1.2  No such action will be taken without reasonable prior written notice by mail or e-mail to the applicable responsible person or persons at Depomed as set forth in Appendix A. 

 

5.3.2   Depomed shall manage and control the return of all recalled finished drug Products, including routine communications with Regulatory Authorities for Recalls stemming from an issue within Halo’s control.

 

5.3.3   Halo shall use all reasonable efforts to assist with the Recall regarding Nucynta ®   IR, as requested and agreed upon. 

 

5.3.4    Halo shall only be responsible to assist with the Recall, as requested and agreed upon regarding Nucynta ®   ER for   packaging and labeling only. 

 

5.4 Reworking & Reprocessing

 

5.4.1 Reworking or reprocessing must not be undertaken by Halo.

 

5.4.2   Re-inspection, resorting and repackaging activities shall require Depomed approval and will require a protocol prior to proceeding with the activity.  

 

5.5 Sample and Waste Disposal

 

5.5.1 Halo will ensure samples and Product related waste and rejected Products are disposed of in a safe and controlled manner, in accordance with applicable GMP guidelines and laws.

 


 

 

5.6 Anti – Counterfeit

 

5.6.1 If Depomed or Halo becomes aware of suspicion of counterfeit, counterfeit incidents or illegal handling with respect to Product(s), Depomed will inform Halo immediately within one (1) business day, and Halo will inform Depomed immediately within one (1) business day.

 

5.7 Change Control

 

5.7.1 Halo shall have a documented and effective change control system in place. Halo shall receive prior approval by Depomed of any changes to the manufacturing process, specifications (except for compendial excipients and compendial changes with respect to excipients) and analytical methods, labeling and primary packaging, and equipment, which may have an impact on the quality of the Product(s), and/or on any regulatory applications / submissions related to the Product(s).

 

5.7.2 Depomed shall assess any change request received from Halo in a timely manner, i.e., within five (5) business days. Unless there are justified reasons to reject the change request, or regulatory implications why Depomed may not want to pursue the proposed change, Depomed will not unreasonably withhold its approval of the request.

 

5.8 Deviation

 

5.8.1 Halo shall inform Depomed of significant deviation/non-conformance related to product manufacturing, in-process testing, inspection, raw material (API) within three (3) business days from discovery. 

 

5.8.2 Halo shall inform Depomed regarding Out of Specification (OOS) related to product testing or manufacturing within three (3) business days. Halo will notify Depomed within three (3) business days from discovery of investigations which are not critical and lab investigations (including incident/obvious lab error). These types of lab investigations do not require Depomed approval.

 

5.8.3  Halo shall investigate, document and share the investigation report with Depomed.

 

5.8.4  Depomed shall review and approve only the manufacturing/process final investigation report but may request a copy of the corresponding laboratory  report.

 

5.8.5 Any investigations which require customer approval will be completed at Halo within 30 calendar days (unless an extension is required). After receipt of the investigation report, Depomed will review and approve the investigation. If Halo

 


 

has not received feedback within fifteen (15) calendar days, the investigation will be considered closed.

 

5.9 Annual Product Review

 

5.9.1 Halo shall provide Depomed an Annual Product Review (APR) Report regarding the quality profile review of the products listed in Appendix A. The Report shall include the corrective action/s to be initiated based on the major quality concerns reported.

 

5.9.2    Halo shall provide the APR Report to Depomed ninety (90) calendar days after the anniversary date of U.S. approval of the application. . This report will summarize the yearly Operations activities based on the anniversary date of the US application approval (20 November).

 

5.10 GMP Audit

 

           5.10.1    Halo and Depomed shall agree to a facility site compliance audit with prior written notification given to assess manufacturing, packaging, testing, validation, control systems or any other system or department that may impact the Product(s).

 

           5.10.2    Halo agrees that an audit may be conducted annually or more frequently if an event occurs that may affect the ability to supply the Product, such as regulatory warnings, Product recall or significant critical Product defects.

 

           5.10.3    Depomed agrees that the audit be limited to two auditors or less, for two days or less, unless otherwise agreed and provide specific findings in writing to Halo.

 

           5.10.4   Halo is to develop a corrective action plan within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of the audit findings and send this response to Depomed. 

 

5.11 Product Complaint

 

           5.11.1   Depomed shall handle all US markets and will coordinate all customer related activities per Depomed procedures. ADE reporting is the sole responsibility of Depomed.

 

           5.11.2    Depomed will submit an electronic request to Halo to investigate manufacturing or packaging related complaints.

 

           5.11.3     Halo shall provide a final investigation report to Depomed 30 business days from date of the date of request.

 

5.12     Product Release

 

 


 

           5.12.1   Halo shall review all relevant batch records and provide finished product CoC and CoA to Depomed. Batch records will be retained at Halo.

 

           5.12.2    Halo shall ensure all deviations, change controls and non-conformances related to a product lot are closed prior to release.

 

           5.12.3    Depomed shall review and approve significant (critical/major) deviations.

 

           5.12.4   Halo shall provide Depomed finished product lot CoC and CoA and copies of significant deviations related to the lot.

 

           5.12.5   Halo shall ship the product to the designated Depomed distributor only upon receipt of the Finished Drug Product Disposition Certificate from Depomed QA. Depomed releases product to the market.

 

5.12.6  Halo shall be responsible for Nucynta ®   IR (Immediate Release) manufacture,    packaging, labeling and release to Depomed.

 

5.12.7   Halo shall not be responsible for Nucynta ®   ER (Extended Release) bulk product manufacture but will be responsible for packaging, labeling and release for shipment to Depomed’s distribution site.

 

 

ARTICLE 6 - STORAGE AND SHIPPING

 

6.1 Halo must ensure that during manufacturing, packaging, processing, and storage of the Product there is little possibility of deterioration, contamination or mixing with any other materials and must comply with all applicable GMP requirements in relation to required temperatures and conditions for storage.

 

6.2 Halo will also ensure Products are stored in appropriately safe and secure areas, that adequate precautions are taken against spillage, breakage or theft and that Products are not subjected to unacceptable levels of heat, cold, light, moisture.

 

6.3 Products must be stored and transported in accordance with GMPs, all of the registered particulars and the Specifications, as specified by the Depomed.

 

6.4 Product will only be shipped to facilities designated by Depomed.  Depomed arranges shipment of product.

 

6.5 Specific shipping and storage instructions may also be included in the approved Proposal or similar document.

 

ARTICLE 7 - TERMINATION

 

 


 

7 .1 This Agreement is valid for a period beginning on the Effective Date and ending on the earlier of the termination or expiration of the Supply Agreement. If a Supply Agreement does not exist, this Agreement will remain effective for an unspecified period.  Either party may terminate this Agreement by giving ninety-calendar days (90) written notice to the other party.

 

ARTICLE 8 - compliance RESPONSIBILITIES

Both parties agree to the following listed responsibilities for all the operations that are marked with "X" in the respective column that bears its name.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Depomed

Ha lo

10.1

 GENERAL

 

8.1.1

 

 

Manufacture, package, test, release and hold Product in accordance with the applicable approved NDA and/or ANDA, MA or equivalent by reviewing all relevant manufacturing and control information.

X

X

8.1.2

 

Maintain all licenses and authorizations as are required by applicable laws to operate a GMP pharmaceutical facility. 

 

X

8.1.3

 

Provide information that Depomed is required by applicable laws to maintain or to submit to regulatory agencies.

 

X

8.1.4

 

Do not subcontract any work or testing to a Third Party without prior written approval of Depomed (which excludes calibration of instruments and maintenance activity; and approved contract laboratories stated in Appendix C).

 

X

8.1.5

 

Develop cleaning validation program; perform cleaning validation/verification as scheduled for Products.

 

X

8.1.6

Ensure that the heat treated wooden pallets used for storage and transport, comply with ISPM 15. 

   

X  

8.1.7

 

Perform self-inspection and approval of facilities and quality systems as per cGMP’s.

 

X

8.1.8

Keep GMP records of equipment usage, raw material batch numbers, in process results, and previous product used in equipment if non-dedicated equipment is used as per the specific regulatory requirements for the Products.

 

X

8.1.9

Obtain written approval from Depomed prior to implementation of any Significant changes, which may affect the Product registration or GMP requirements.

   

8.1.11

 

Initiate, manage and control Field Alerts, market withdrawals, and Product Recalls.

X

 

8.1.12

Maintain original manufacturing, testing and/or packaging documentation and make such documentations accessible to Depomed based on Halo’s procedures. Specific Product documentation will be provided to Depomed upon request.

   

 


 

8.1.13

Use batch-numbering system based on Halo’s codes as per procedure.

 

X

8.1.14

 

Assign a date of manufacture for each batch of Product; i.e. when API is first used in processing.

 

X

8.1.15

 

Assign an expiration date to final market packages according to the applicable regulatory Product approval.

X

X

8.1.16

Provide data/information for the Annual Product Review (APR) for applicable activities.

 

X

8.2.1

8.1.17

8.2.2

Assure compliance with regulatory filings (NDA and/or ANDA, MA or equivalent) and compile any full report that will be submitted to those filings.

8.2.3

X

 

8.2.4

8.1.18

8.2.5

In charge of Product registration and regulatory change submission. Provide registration details annually, or as changes are approved.

8.2.6

X  

 

8.2   MATERIALS

 

8.2.1

 

Use only materials which are within their shelf life / retest period.

 

X

8.2.2

 

Maintain a program to ensure supplied materials (excipients and primary packaging material) meet Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy ("TSE") requirements per EMEA/410/01.

 

X

 

API

 

8.2.3

 

Provide the registered API and Specifications.

   

8.2.4

 

Provide registered test methods for API.

   

8.2.5

 

Develop and validate test methods for API, if not available. Non-pharmacopeia methods should have analytical method transfers from Depomed.

X

X  

8.2.6

 

Identify the API and manufacturers. Provide TSE documentation for the API.

X

 

8.2.7

 

Qualify and approve   API and manufacturers. See Appendix D.

X  

   

8.2.8

 

Responsible for an API and manufacturer qualification/assessment program and for supply chain traceability. Provide specific supplier and manufacturer information to Halo including manufacturer, manufacturing site, and status of manufacturer’s regulatory compliance. API C of A must state the manufacturer and manufacturer’s site address.

X

 

8.2.9

 

Analyze and release API.

 

X

8.2.10

 

Document and investigate any failures during API release testing.

 

X

8.2.11

 

Retain API reference sample (minimum quantity equal to two (2) times required amount for full testing) for one year past Product expiration.

 

X

 

EXCIPIENTS

 

8.2.12

 

Responsible for excipients manufacturer qualification/assessment program, as per Halo procedures. Vendors are specified in Appendix D. 

 

X

 


 

8.2.13

 

Changes to excipient vendors would require evaluation by both Halo and Depomed. Halo will not audit new excipient suppliers as a result of this Quality Agreement.

X

X

8.2.14

 

Provide specifications and test methods for excipient ingredients.

X

8.2.15

 

Develop and validate test methods for excipient ingredients if not available.

   

X  

8.2.16

 

Provide validation protocols and reports, on request.

   

X  

8.2.17

 

Approval of all compendial changes to excipients

  

X

8.2.18

 

Procure excipient ingredients.

   

X  

8.2.19

 

Analyze and release excipient ingredients.

 

X

 

PACKAGING MATERIALS FOR FINISHED PRODUCT

 

8.2.20

 

Provide artwork and text specifications for all labeling materials.

X

 

8.2.21

 

Provide approved master for printed packaging materials.

X

 

8.2.22

 

Approve label masters and/or printing proofs prior to first use.

X

 

8.2.23

 

Develop incoming inspection criteria for label receipts.

 

X

8.2.24

 

Inspect and release label receipts.

 

X

8.2.25

 

Assess component manufacturers.

X

X

8.2.26

 

Provide specifications for all packaging materials.

X

 

8.2.27

 

Develop methods and inspection criteria for incoming packaging materials.

 

X

8.2.28

 

Procure packaging materials.

 

X

8.2.29

 

Analyze / measure and release packaging materials.

 

X

8.3    BULK MANUFACTURING (only for Nucynta® IR)

8.3.1

 

Validate the manufacturing process, which includes demonstrating the robustness of the process.

   

X

8.3.2

 

Provide validation protocols and reports, on request.

 

X

8.3.3

 

Approve validation protocols and reports

X

X

8.3.4

 

Create master batch record.

 

X

8.3.5

 

Approve master batch record.

X

X

8.3.6

 

Control, issue, and execute master batch record.

   

X  

8.3.7

 

Document, evaluate/ investigate and resolve deviations (planned and unplanned) from approved manufacturing instructions or specifications.

 

X

8.3.8

 

Review and approve Significant (critical/major) deviations.

X

 

8.3.9

 

Conduct bulk-holding time study and provide hold time upon request.

X

X

8.3.10

 

Notify Depomed and get approval prior to implementation of any resorting or reinspection.

 

X

8.3.11

 

Provide Master Manufacturing Documents to Depomed.

 

X

11.4

 PACKAGING AND LABELING (for Nucynta® IR and ER)

 

8.4.1

 

Qualification of packaging and labeling operations.

 

X

8.4.2

 

Create master bulk packaging and labeling master batch records.

 

X

8.4.3

 

Approve master packaging batch record.

X

X

 


 

8.4.4

 

Control, issue, and execute packaging and labeling batch record.

   

X  

8.4.5

 

Perform all required in-process testing.

 

X

8.4.6

 

Document, investigate, and resolve any deviation from approved bulk packaging instructions or specifications.

 

X

8.4.7

 

Review and approve Significant (critical/major) deviations.

X

 

8.4.8

 

Retain reference samples of Product (minimum quantity equal to two (2) times required amount for full release testing), as per Halo’s SOPs.

 

X

8.4.9

 

Perform annual visual inspection of retention samples for evidence of degradation for commercial products

   

8.4.10

 

Provide master packaging documents to Depomed upon request.

 

X

8.5   TESTING OF FINISHED PACKED PRODUCT (for Nucynta® IR and ER)

8.5.1

 

Provide registered finished packed Product specifications.

X

 

8.5.2

 

Provide analytical methods for registered finished packed Product testing.

X

X

8.5.3

 

Transfer analytical methods for Finished Product testing.

X

X

8.5.4

 

Test finished packed Product.

 

X

8.5.5

 

Document and investigate out-of specification (OOS) results.  Notify Depomed within three (3) business days of discovery of any OOS results. 

 

X

8.6   STABILITY TESTING (for Nucynta® IR and ER)

 

8.6.1

 

Take samples for stability study and ship to the appropriate stability testing laboratory.

 

X

8.6.2

 

Coordinate shipment of stability samples to the appropriate testing laboratory.

X                  

 

8.7   COMPLAINTS

 

8.7.1

 

Investigate manufacturing / packaging related complaints, including customer complaints and/or Depomed complaints.

 

X

8.7.2

 

Provide a final written report for any critical complaints within fifteen (15) business days. Provide a final written report for all other complaints within thirty (30) business days. 

 

X

8.8   AUDITS

 

 

8.8.1

 

Agree to a facility site compliance audit with prior written notification given to assess manufacturing, packaging, testing, validation, control systems or any other system or department that may impact the Product(s). 

 

X

 


 

8.8.2

 

May inspect any of the documents that are obliged to be maintained under this Agreement, and any of the facilities or subcontractors used in the manufacturing, packaging, testing, processing, or holding of the Product(s) or raw materials and package materials for the Products.

X

 

8.8.3

 

Provide specific audit findings in writing.

X

 

8.8.4

 

Develop a corrective action plan within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of the audit findings and send this response to Depomed. 

   

X  

4.9

PRODUCT RELEASE

 

8.9.1

 

Review production and analytical records and make available on request by Depomed for any batch.

 

X

8.9.2

 

Identify deviations, planned and unplanned, from approved instructions.  Notify Depomed of deviations.

 

X

8.9.3

 

Shall have the right to request and receive additional information and written copies of any deviations.

X

 

8.9.4

 

Full documentation – provided for a minimum of the first three (3) production lots of each Product strength and package configuration, if required, and upon request thereafter.

 

X

8.9.5

 

May inspect each Product delivery. Depomed will disposition the Product for distribution based on the documents provided and the results of any inspection performed by Depomed.

X

 

8.9.6

 

Provide CoC/CoA and Bulk Drug Product Disposition Certificate for incoming Nucynta® ER bulk product (coated and printed tablets in drums). Certificate will state that bulk product was manufactured under GMPs.

X

 

8.9.7

 

Perform ID testing for in-coming Nucynta® ER bulk product and release bulk lot for further processing (packaging/labeling)

 

X

8.9.8

 

Release labelled and packaged Nucynta® ER and send documents to Depomed.

 

X

8.9.9

 

Provide Finished Drug Product Disposition Certificate of the labelled and packaged Nucynta® ER for shipment to the Distributor.

NOTE: Halo should not ship without Certificate from Depomed

X

 

8.9.10

 

Coordinate shipment of the labelled and packaged Nucynta® ER to Depomed’s Distributor.

X

X

8.9.11

 

Issue Certificate of Analysis ("COA") and Certificate of Compliance ("COC") or equivalent upon release of Nucynta® IR finished product. COA and COC may be combined in a single document. 

 

X

 


 

8.9.12

 

Release Nucynta® IR finished product lot and send release documentation (CoC and CoA) to Depomed

 

X

8.9.13

 

Provide Finished Drug Product Disposition Certificate of the labelled and packaged Nucynta® IR for shipment to the Distributor.

NOTE: Halo should not ship without Certificate from Depomed

X

 

 

ARTICLE 9 - MISCELLANEOUS

 

9.1 Amendment.  This Agreement may only be amended or modified by a written instrument executed by both parties hereto. 

 

9.2 Successors and Assigns.  This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of Depomed and Halo and their successors and assigns of all or substantially all of either party's business or assets.  Any change of control of either party shall not affect either party's rights or obligations under this Agreement.  Halo shall not assign or transfer any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of Depomed.  Depomed shall be entitled to assign all or any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement to an Affiliate or to a successor entity by way of merger or acquisition upon notice to Halo. 

9.3 Severability.  In the event that any one or more of the agreements, provisions or terms contained herein shall be declared invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity of the remaining agreements, provisions or terms contained herein shall in no way be affected, prejudiced or invalidated thereby.

 

9.4 Entire Agreement.  This Agreement, together with the Exhibits and Appendices hereto, contains the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes any agreements between them with respect to the subject matter hereof.  In case of discrepancies between separate commercial agreement(s) and this Quality Agreement regarding the quality obligations, the quality provisions included in this Quality Agreement shall prevail.

 

9.5 Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in any number of separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.  Facsimile signatures and electronic images of signatures shall be binding upon the parties.

 

9.6 Debarment .  Each party represents that, to the best of its knowledge, it has not and will not use the services of any persons debarred under 21 U.S.C. §335 (a) or (b).  Each party further represents that neither it nor any of its officers, employees or affiliates have been (i) debarred; (ii) subject to or threatened to be debarred; or (iii) convicted of a felony for which a person can be debarred under 21 U.S.C. §335 (a) or (b). 

 


 

  Each party represents that it has never been and, to the best of its knowledge, none of its employees, affiliates, or agents has ever been (a) threatened to be debarred or (b) indicted for a crime or otherwise engaged in conduct for which a person can be debarred, under 21 U.S.C. §335 (a) or (b).  Each party will each immediately notify the other party in the event of any such debarment, conviction, threat, or indictment.

9.7 Notices.  Any notices given under this Agreement shall be sent in writing by overnight courier delivery by a reputable service (e.g. FedEx) with an additional copy by facsimile or email, and shall be deemed effective on the date of mailing.  Unless otherwise changed by notice in writing, notices may be served at the following addresses:

 

To Depomed :

To Halo:

Depomed Inc.

7999 Gateway Blvd., Suite 300

Newark, CA 94560

USA

Attn: Gail Stewart

Email: gstewart@depomed.com

Halo Pharmaceutical Inc.

30 North Jefferson Road

Whippany, NJ 07981

USA

Attn: Susan Saffar

Email: ssaffar@halopharma.com

With a copy to :

Depomed Inc.

7999 Gateway Blvd., Suite 300

Newark, CA 94560

USA

Attn: Gerd Kochendoerfer

Email: gkochendoerfer@depomed.com

With a copy to :  

Halo Pharmaceutical Inc.

30 North Jefferson Road

Whippany, NJ 07981

USA

Attn: Lee Karras

Email: lkarras@halopharma.com

 

9.8 English Language.  This Agreement shall be written and executed in the English language.  Any translation into any other language shall not be an official version thereof, and in the event of any conflict in interpretation between the English version and such translation, the English version shall control.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Agreement has been reviewed and approved as of the date of the last party’s signature below:

 


 

 

DEPOMED INC.

 

HALO PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

 

By:_________________________________

 

By:_________________________________

 

Print Name:__________________________

 

Print Name:__________________________

 

Title:_______________________________

 

Title:_______________________________

 

Date:_______________________________

 

Date:_______________________________

 

 

 

 


 

APPENDIX A

HALO CONTACTS AND RESPONSIBLE PERSONS

TITLE

INFORMATION

Sr. Director, Audits, Inspections & Supplier Compliance

Name: Susan Saffar

Email: ssaffar@halopharma.com

Telephone No.: 1-973-428-4676

Sr. Director, Quality Assurance

Name: Margaret Quinn

Email: mquinn@halopharma.com

Telephone No.: 1-973-428-4026

Director, Quality Control/GMP Labs

Name:   Preeti Singh

Email:   psingh@halopharma.com

Telephone No.:   1-973-428-4136

 

DEPOMED CONTACTS AND RESPONSIBLE PERSONS

TITLE

INFORMATION

Sr. Director, Quality Assurance

 

 

 

Sr. Manager, Quality Assurance

 

Name: Gail Stewart

Email: gstewart@depomed.com

Telephone No.: 1-510-744-8528

 

Name: Nina Pizarro-Simpson

Email: nsimpson@depomed.com

Telephone No.: 1-510-744-8618

Director, Contract Manufacturing

 

 

Associate Director, Contract Manufacturing

Name: Yolanda Puga

Email: ypuga@depomed.com

Telephone No.: 1-510-744-8547

 

Name: Larry Banda

Email: lbanda@depomed.com

Telephone No.: 1-510-744-8588

 


 

Sr. Director, Quality Control and Analytical Development

 

 

Associate Director, Analytical Development

 

 

Manager, Quality Control

 

 

Name: Paul McGoff

Email: pmcgoff@depomed.com

Telephone No.: 1-510-744-8694

 

Name: Angela Liu

Email: aliu@depomed.com

Telephone No.: 1-510-744-8537

 

Name: Sam Ngo

Email: sngo@depomed.com

Telephone No.: 1-510-744-8544

 

 

 


 

APPENDIX B

 

 

PRODUCTS for Manufacture and Packaging/Labeling

 

Product Description                                                           

Code

For Manufacturing and Labeling/Packaging

 

Nucynta® IR Tablets, 50mg, 100s, 24 Count

TBD

Nucynta® IR Tablets, 75 mg, 100s, 24 Count

TBD

Nucynta® IR Tablets, 100mg, 100s, 24 Count

TBD

Nucynta® IR Tablets, 50mg, HUD (2x5) x 10

TBD

Nucynta® IR Tablets, 75mg, HUD (2x5) x 10

TBD

Nucynta® IR Tablets, 100mg, HUD (2x5) x 10

TBD

 

For Labeling and Packaging only

 

Nucynta® ER Tablets, 50mg, 60s x 24 Count

TBD

Nucynta® ER Tablets, 100mg, 60s x 24 Count

TBD

Nucynta® ER Tablets, 150mg, 60s x 24 Count

TBD

Nucynta® ER Tablets, 200mg, 60s x 24 Count

TBD

Nucynta® ER Tablets, 250mg, 60s x 24 Count

TBD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

APPENDIX C

 

 

HALO APPROVED CONTRACT LABS

 

CONTRACT LABORATORY

LOCATION

SERVICES

ALCAMI (AAI ANALYTICAL SERVICES)

165 Fieldcrest Avenue

Edison, New Jersey 08837

Analytical Services

CONSUMER PRODUCT TESTING COMPANY (CPTC)

70 New Dutch Lane 

Fairfield, New Jersey 07004

Analytical Services

MARYPAUL LABORATORIES INC.

12 Wilson Drive            

Sparta, New Jersey 07871

Microbiological Testing

EUROFIN LANCASTER LABORATORIES

2425 New Holland Pike

Lancaster, PA 17601

Analytical Services and Microbiological Testing

 

 


 

APPENDIX D

 

VENDORS – API and EXCIPIENTS

 

 

Raw Material Description

Reference

Quality Standard

Function

Grade

Approved / Qualified Suppliers

Tapentadol HCL

Non-compendial

API

NA

Noramco

Microcrystalline Cellulose

NF / Ph.Eur.

Diluent

PH-102

FMC

Lactose Monohydrate

NF

Diluent

Impalpable

Foremost Farms

Croscarmellose Sodium

NF / Ph.Eur. / JP

Disintegrant

Ac-Di-Sol

FMC

Povidone

USP / Ph.Eur. / JP

Binder

K29 – K32

ISP / Ashland

Magnesium Stearate           (non-bovine)

NF / Ph.Eur.

Lubricant

HyQual 2257

Mallinckrodt, Inc.

Opadry II, Yellow

Non-compendial

Film coating

85F12381

Colorcon, Inc.

Opadry II, Yellow

Non-compendial

Film coating

85F12375

Colorcon, Inc.

Opadry II, Orange

Non-compendial

Film coating

85F13908

Colorcon, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

SCHEDULE G

FORM OF exclusive components purchasing summary

TO: DEPOMED, INC.

 

FROM: HALO PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

 

RE: Exclusive Components Purchasing Summary

 

This summary is provided pursuant to Section ‎4.3(b) of the Drug Product Manufacturing Services Agreement dated as of June 6, 2017 (the “ Agreement ”).  Capitalized terms used in this report have the meanings given to such terms in the Agreement. 

 

PRODUCT :   Nucynta IR

Component #

Description

Unit of Measure

Qty /
Annual

Minimum Order Qty

Vendor

Order Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

SCHEDULE H

List of Territories

·

United States of America and its territories, districts, commonwealths and possessions, including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia

·

Canada and its territories, districts, commonwealths and possessions

Additional countries may be added per Section ‎14.2 of the Agreemen t

 


Exhibit 10.3

PICTURE 2

 

September 29, 2017

(revised October 4, 2017)

 

Santosh Vetticaden

______________

______________

 

Dear Santosh,

 

Depomed, Inc. (the “Company”) is pleased to offer you employment on the following terms:

 

Position:  Your initial title will be Chief Medical & Scientific Officer, Senior Vice President, reporting to Arthur Higgins, President and CEO. This is a full-time position.  While you render services to the Company, you will not engage in any other employment, consulting or other business activity (whether full-time or part-time) that would create a conflict of interest with the Company. By signing this Agreement you confirm that you have provided the Company with all post-employment restrictive covenants between you and Insys, and that you and Depomed have determined based on independent legal advice that these contractual commitments do not prohibit you from performing your duties for Depomed provided you follow the protocol outlined in Paragraph 19 of the Indemnification Agreement. You confirm that you have no other agreements or legal obligations that would prohibit you from performing your duties for the Company.

Cash Compensation :  The Company will pay you a starting salary at the rate of $19,792.00  per pay period (24 annually), less standard deductions and payable in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll schedule.  This salary will be subject to adjustment pursuant to the Company’s employee compensation policies in effect from time to time.  You will also be eligible to participate in the Company’s Bonus Plan, pro-rated from the first full month of your employment for calendar year 2017, which is targeted to be at 50%.

 

Sign-On Bonus: You will be entitled to receive a one-time sign-on bonus of $100,000  less applicable taxes and withholdings, (the “ Sign-On Bonus ”) of which 50% will be paid to you by November 30, 2017 and the remainder 50% by January 31, 2019.  If you voluntarily terminate your employment with the Company prior to the first anniversary of each bonus payout, you will be required to repay the amount of the Sign-On Bonus to the Company within 10 days after your termination date.

 

Employee Benefits :  As a regular employee of the Company, you will be eligible to participate in a number of Company-sponsored benefits, currently including such benefits as healthcare insurance, 20   days of paid vacation, prorated from start date, 11 paid holidays and, should you choose to participate, a 401(k) retirement plan. You may view the details of our current benefit plans at the following website: www.depomed.gethrinfo.net

username: depomed

Depomed, Inc.    7999 Gateway Blvd, Suite 300    Newark, CA  94560    510-744-8000


 

Exhibit 10.3

password: XXXXXX

 

Stock Options and Restricted Stock Units .  You will be granted an option to purchase 109,343 shares of the Company’s Common Stock.  The per-share exercise price will be the fair market value of the Company’s Common Stock on the grant date determined in accordance with the 2014 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).  The option will vest as to one-quarter of the shares subject to the option on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date and the remaining shares shall vest in equal monthly installments over the subsequent 36 months.  The option will be subject to the terms and conditions applicable to options granted under the Plan, as described in the Plan and the applicable stock option documentation and the Management Continuity Agreement entered into by you and Depomed (the Management Continuity Agreement).

     In addition, you will be granted a restricted stock unit award of 53,325 shares (“RSUs”) of the Company’s Common Stock.  This award of RSUs is subject to you being an active employee with Depomed at the time of the grant.  The RSUs will vest as to one-quarter of the RSUs on the first anniversary of your Employment Commencement Date and thereafter in equal, annual installments on the second, third and fourth anniversaries of your Employment Commencement Date.  The RSUs will be subject to the terms and conditions applicable to RSUs granted under the Plan, as described in the Plan and the applicable documentation.    

In accordance with its standard procedures, the Compensation Committee of the Depomed Board of Directors has approved the above mentioned grants subject to execution of this offer letter.  As such, the grant date will be your first date of employment with the Company.

Confidential Information, Secrecy and Invention Agreement :  Like all Company employees, you will be required, as a condition of your employment with the Company, to sign the Company’s standard Confidential Information, Secrecy and Invention Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit A .

Employment Relationship :  Employment with the Company is for no specific period of time.  Your employment with the Company will be “at will,” meaning that either you or the Company may terminate your employment at any time and for any reason, with or without cause.  Any contrary representations that may have been made to you are superseded by this letter agreement.  This is the full and complete agreement between you and the Company on this term.  Although your job duties, title, reporting relationship, compensation and benefits, as well as the Company’s personnel policies and procedures, may change from time to time, the “at will” nature of your employment may only be changed in an express written agreement signed by you and the President & CEO of Depomed.

Taxes :  All forms of compensation referred to in this letter agreement are subject to reduction to reflect applicable withholding and payroll taxes and other deductions required by law.  You agree that the Company does not have a duty to design its compensation policies in a manner that minimizes your tax liabilities, and you will not make any claim against the Company or its Board of Directors related to tax liabilities arising from your compensation.

Interpretation, Amendment and Enforcement :  This letter agreement and Exhibit A constitute the complete agreement between you and the Company, contain all of the terms of your

Depomed, Inc.    7999 Gateway Blvd, Suite 300    Newark, CA  94560    510-744-8000


 

Exhibit 10.3

employment with the Company and supersede any prior agreements, representations or understandings (whether written, oral or implied) between you and the Company.  This letter agreement may not be amended or modified, except by an express written agreement signed by both you and a duly authorized officer of the Company.  The terms of this letter agreement and the resolution of any disputes as to the meaning, effect, performance or validity of this letter agreement or arising out of, related to, or in any way connected with, this letter agreement, your employment with the Company or any other relationship between you and the Company will be governed by California law, excluding laws relating to conflicts or choice of law.

* * * * *

As discussed with you during meetings regarding potential employment with Depomed, your employment is contingent upon completion of the Company’s background and screening process which has been successfully completed as of this date.  Additionally, as required by law, your employment is also contingent upon your providing legal proof of your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Finally, your employment is contingent upon your starting work with the Company with the agreed upon start date of October 16, 2017.

Santosh, I am very pleased to extend this offer to you, and, on behalf of all the Depomed employees, I look forward to having you join us.  Depomed’s activities focus on developing products to improve patient lives, and your skills and experience will make you an important member of our Company.  If you elect to accept this offer, please sign, date and return one copy of this letter to Vickie Panko, Associate Director, Talent Acquisition. 

This offer, if not accepted, will expire at the close of business on Thursday, October 5, 2017.  If you have any questions, please call Marni Luchsinger at (510) 744-8579, Director, Human Resources or me at (510) 744-8592.

Very truly yours,

Depomed, Inc.

/s/ Sharon D. Larkin

                                                                                                        Sharon D. Larkin

Sr. Vice President, Human Resources & Administration

I have read and accept this employment offer:

/s/ Santhosh Vetticaden

Santosh Vetticaden Date

 

Attachment

Exhibit A:  Confidential Information, Secrecy and Invention Agreement

 

Depomed, Inc.    7999 Gateway Blvd, Suite 300    Newark, CA  94560    510-744-8000


Exhibit 31.1

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, Arthur J. Higgins, certify that:

 

1.

I have reviewed this Quarterly Report of Depomed, Inc.;

 

2.

Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.

Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4.

The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

(a)

designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

(b)

designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

(c)

evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

(d)

disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.

The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

(a)

all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

(b)

any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

 

 

November 8, 2017

    

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Arthur J.  Higgins

 

 

Arthur J.  Higgins

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 


Exhibit 31.2

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, August J. Moretti, certify that:

 

1.

I have reviewed this Quarterly Report of Depomed, Inc.;

 

2.

Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.

Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4.

The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

(a)

designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

(b)

designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

(c)

evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

(d)

disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.

The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

(a)

all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

(b)

any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

 

 

November 8, 2017

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ August J. Moretti

 

 

August J. Moretti

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 


Exhibit 32.1

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Depomed, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2017 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Arthur J.  Higgins, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

(1)  The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

(2)  The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

 

 

 

 

    

Date: November 8, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Arthur J. Higgins

 

 

Arthur J.  Higgins

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 


Exhibit 32.2

 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Depomed, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2017 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, August J. Moretti, Principal Accounting and Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

(1)  The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

(2)  The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

 

 

 

 

    

Date: November 8, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ August J. Moretti

 

 

August J. Moretti

 

 

Chief Financial Officer