UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

x

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended: December 31, 2014

¨

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 001-36150

 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

Delaware

 

33-0344842

(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

6042 Cornerstone Ct. West, Suite B
San Diego, California

 

92121

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(Zip Code)

(858) 210-3700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:  None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     ¨   Yes     x   No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.     ¨   Yes     x   No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 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 the filing requirements for at least the past 90 days.     x   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 (Section 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).     x   Yes     ¨   No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.     x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer

 

¨

  

Accelerated filer

 

x

 

 

 

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

¨   (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

  

Smaller reporting company

 

¨

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

The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant is calculated based upon the closing sale price of the common stock on June 30, 2014 (the last trading day of the registrant’s second fiscal quarter of 2014), was approximately $163.05 million.

At March 10, 2015, the registrant had 36,205,517 shares of common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of our Proxy Statement for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed within 120 days of December 31, 2014, are incorporated by reference in Part III. Such Proxy Statement, except for the parts therein which have been specifically incorporated by reference, shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

 

 


SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

  

 

  

Page No.

PART I

  

1

Item 1.

  

Business

  

1

Item 1A.

  

Risk Factors

  

22

Item 1B.

  

Unresolved Staff Comments

  

49

Item 2.

  

Properties

  

49

Item 3.

  

Legal Proceedings

  

49

Item 4.

  

Mine Safety Disclosures

  

49

 

PART II

  

49

Item 5.

  

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

  

49

Item 6.

  

Selected Financial Data

  

51

Item 7.

  

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

  

52

Item 7A.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

  

60

Item 8.

  

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

  

60

Item 9.

  

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

  

60

Item 9A.

  

Controls and Procedures

  

60

Item 9B.

  

Other Information

  

61

 

PART III

  

61

Item 10.

  

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

  

61

Item 11.

  

Executive Compensation

  

62

Item 12.

  

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

  

62

Item 13.

  

Certain Relationships, Related Transactions and Director Independence

  

62

Item 14.

  

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

  

62

Item 15.

  

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

  

62

 

 

 

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, or Form 10-K, contains “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in Item 1—“Business,” Item 1.A—“Risk Factors” and Item 7—“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” but appear throughout the Form 10-K. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to our expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding our potential product offerings, business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects and other matters that do not relate strictly to historical facts or statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “potential,” “predicts,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” or “would,” and similar expressions and variations or negatives of these words. These forward-looking statements are based on the expectations, estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions of our management based on information currently available to management, all of which are subject to change. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results and the timing of certain events to differ materially and adversely from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below, and those discussed under Item 1.A—“Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements for any reason, except as otherwise required by law.

PART I

It em 1.

Business.

Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, acquisition, development and commercialization of proprietary drug therapeutics for addressing significant unmet medical needs in the U.S., Europe as well as international markets. Our primary therapeutic focus is oncology, including the treatment of chronic cancer pain, but we are also developing therapeutic products for other indications, including immunology and infectious diseases. We currently have two clinical development programs underway: (i) Cynviloq™, our lead oncology drug product candidate, a polymeric, albumin-free nanoparticle paclitaxel formulation, and (ii) resiniferatoxin, or RTX, a non-opiate, ultra-potent and selective agonist of the TRPV-1 receptor for intractable pain in end-stage disease.

Our pipeline also includes preclinical fully human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including our fully human anti- PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors derived from our proprietary G-MAB ® library platform, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), as well as Chimeric Antigen Receptor Tumor-attacking Neukoplast® (CAR.TNK™, pronounced “CARTANK”) for adoptive cellular immunotherapies (ACI). Our objective is to develop our antibody drug products and adoptive cellular immunotherapies as: (i) First in Class (FIC), and/or (ii) Best in Class (BIC), which may offer greater efficacy and/or fewer adverse events or side effects as compared to existing drugs.

SORRENTO PIPELINE:

 

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In October 2014, we entered into a product licensing agreement with China Oncology Focus Limited, an Affiliate of Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, or Lee’s Pharma, a public biopharmaceutical company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for exclusive rights to develop and commercialize our fully human immune-oncology anti-PD-L1 mAb STI-A1014 for the greater Chinese market, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Under the terms of the agreement, we received an up-front payment of $1.0 million recorded as deferred revenue at December 31, 2014, and will receive potential future milestone payments and royalties on future net sales. In total, we have the potential to receive more than $46 million upon the successful attainment of key milestones, excluding royalties, and retain all the rights to use data generated by Lee’s Pharma for territories outside of the greater Chinese market. Additionally, Lee’s Pharma purchased 400,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $9.00 per share, or an aggregate of $3.6 million, before commissions.   We view this transaction as strategic in advancing our immunomodulatory program from pre-clinical to clinical stage. Lee’s Pharma will be responsible for most of the pre-clinical and CMC work, including the development of master cell bank for STI-A1014 and cGMP antibody manufacturing in preparation for regulatory filing in China. We may be able to utilize some aspects of the work performed under Lee’s Pharma auspices to supplement and accelerate our US IND filing of STI-A1014 in the first half of 2016, potentially saving significant resources and time for us.

In December 2014, we entered into an agreement with NantBioCell, LLC, or NantBioCell, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nantworks, a private company owned by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.  Under the terms of the agreement, we and NantBioCell intend to establish a new joint venture called “The Immunotherapy Antibody JV”, or JV, as an independent biotechnology company with $20.0 million initial joint funding expected mid-2015, $12.0 million from NantBioCell and $8.0 from us representing a 60:40 ownership between NantBioCell and us, respectively.  NantBioCell will bring a late clinical stage monoclonal antibody as the lead program in the JV while we will contribute several immunomodulatory antibodies, antibody drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies. The JV will be responsible for accelerating the development of our multiple immuno-oncology mAbs for the treatment of cancer, including but not limited to anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA4 mAbs, and other immune-checkpoint antibodies as well as antibody drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies. Through the JV, we believe we can advance several of our core programs into the clinic as expeditiously as possible. In conjunction with the JV, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with Cambridge Equities, LP, or Cambridge, a limited partnership owned by Dr. Soon-Shiong, pursuant to which we issued and sold to Cambridge a 19.9% equity stake or an aggregate of 7,188,062 shares of our common stock at a price of $5.80 per share, which represented the closing share price of the day prior to the transaction, for an aggregate purchase price of $41.7 million. In connection with the purchase agreement, Cambridge also received a warrant to purchase 1,724,138 shares of our common stock. The warrant is exercisable for a period of three years from the date of issuance at an initial exercise price of $5.80 per share and is subject to customary adjustment provisions for stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations.

In December 2014, we also entered into a collaboration agreement with Conkwest Incorporated, or Conkwest, a privately-held life sciences company developing and commercializing the proprietary cancer-killing cell line Neukoplast (also known as NK-92) for the treatment of cancers and viral infections. Jointly, we and Conkwest will generate and develop products for adoptive immunocellular therapy utilizing Neukoplast cells and chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs, derived from our G-MAB antibody library. The product candidates, coined chimeric antigen receptor tumor-attacking Neukoplast (CAR.TNK), will be developed for the treatment of hematological malignancies as well as solid tumors. Under the terms of the agreement, Conkwest and us will establish an exclusive global strategic collaboration focused on accelerating the development of CAR.TNKs, including CD19-CAR.TNK™, PD-L1-CAR.TNK™, PSMA-CAR.TNK™, CD123-CAR.TNK™, and other CAR.TNKs for the treatment of hematological malignancies as well as solid tumors. Both companies will jointly own and share development costs and revenues from any developed CAR.TNK products. In connection with this agreement we entered into a subscription and investment agreement with Conkwest, as amended, pursuant to which Conkwest issued and sold to us an aggregate of 3,034,473 shares of Conkwest Class A common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $10.0 million representing an equity stake in Conkwest of approximately 9%.

Although we intend to retain ownership and control of product candidates by advancing their development, we regularly also consider partnerships with pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical companies in order to balance the risks and costs associated with drug discovery and development and maximize our stockholders’ returns. Our partnering objectives include generating revenue through license fees, milestone-related development fees and royalties by licensing rights to our product candidates. Moreover, we are looking at strategic collaborations whereby the partner will be responsible for certain product and clinical development costs in exchange for co-promotion rights in the US or outside of the US. Through various joint ventures, we will also be able to advance our pipeline into the clinic without significantly draining our resources and focus since these entities will be operating and funded independently.

Our Strategy

Our mission is to improve the lives of patients and assist their caretakers by delivering novel therapies that improve outcomes while reducing the undesirable side effects of many current therapies. We intend to pursue this initially through the further

 

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development and potential approval, launch and marketing of Cynviloq and resiniferatoxin, either directly or with a partner. We believe we have assembled a strong team with in-depth domain knowledge in targeted therapeutics development and commercialization. We are fostering an integrated, multidisciplinary model for drug discovery, clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization. Our strategy is to discover, acquire, develop, and commercialize proprietary drugs for significant unmet medical needs, with a focus on cancer therapeutics. The key elements to our long-term oncology business strategy are described below:

·

Cynviloq is our next-generation oncolytic nanoparticle paclitaxel formulation : Oncolytic agents are the predominant therapeutics for treating cancer patients, and paclitaxel is one of the most effective and widely used chemotherapeutic agents for multiple solid tumor indications. The first generation paclitaxel formulation, Taxol ® , utilizes Cremophor, derived from castor oil, to solubilize paclitaxel. The second generation paclitaxel formulation, albumin-bound paclitaxel (brand name Abraxane ® ) , utilizes human serum albumin, or HSA, to solubilize the paclitaxel in an injectable solution. We are developing a next generation injectable nanoparticle paclitaxel, Cynviloq, which is both Cremophor-free and HSA-free, and is approved and marketed for a variety of cancers in South Korea, India, Vietnam and the Philippines. We recently announced completion of patient enrollment in the Cynviloq™ registrational TRIBECA™ Study. (TRIal establishing bioequivalence (BE) between Cynviloq™ and Albumin-bound paclitaxel). We expect to file the NDA before the end of 2015.

·

Resiniferatoxin, or RTX, may permanently eliminate intractable cancer pain and may be applicable to other therapeutic indications in both humans and animals. RTX is a novel, small molecule with a non-opiate mechanism of action that may eliminate targeted intractable cancer pain experienced by end-stage cancer patients. When injected intraspinally or paraspinally, RTX directly interacts with nerve cells expressing TRPV-1 receptors without affecting normal sensation (touch and vibration sense) or muscle function. RTX has been tested in animals and is currently being tested in an investigator-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial at the National Institute of Health, or NIH under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. To date, 10 patients with terminal cancer pain have been treated at NIH. We intend to launch additional trials to rapidly advance clinical development of the drug in patients with intractable cancer pain under our own IND.

·

G-MAB ® , our proprietary platform, provides us with specific therapeutic antibodies for specific cancer cell targeting and killing. Our proprietary G-MAB human antibody library has provided us with fully human therapeutic mAbs against many cancer targets. The individual mAbs discovered from our G-MAB library potentially give us a multitude of therapeutic options to target and attack cancer cells. This could be either directly, such as: (i) recruitment of immune effector functions, including, but not limited to, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, or ADCC, or (ii) antagonistic suppression of cellular signaling processes required for cancer proliferation and metastasis; or indirectly, via modulation of host biology, such as: (a) enhancement of immune activity in the tumor, or (b) normalization of the tumor microenvironment, including anti-angiogenesis for cutting off blood supplies to the tumor. Our lead antibody programs include anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 immunomodulatory antibodies. Based on clinical data from competitor programs, such as anti-PD-1 antibodies Opvido® (BMS) and Keytruda® (Merck) and anti-PD-L1 mAbs MPDL3280A (Genentech) and MEDI4736 (AstraZeneca), such immunomodulatory antibodies have demonstrated significant clinical efficacy across a number of different oncology indications

·

Antibody drug conjugates (ADC) and Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) for targeted tumor killing . By leveraging the extensive G-MAB Library with our proprietary conjugation and bispecific antibody chemistries, we are positioned to generate proprietary ADCs and BsAbs with significant clinical activity. As both of our technologies are solely based on chemical modifications of the antibody rather than relying on genetic modifications, fusion proteins, or incorporation of unnatural amino acids, they can be utilized with “off-the-shelf” antibodies. This will further empower our G-MAB-derived antibodies and potentially lower development costs. Our lead BsAb programs currently focus on combinations of our anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibodies paired with another immunomodulatory antibody component or an anti-cancer antigen antibody.

·

Adoptive Cellular Immunotherapy with CAR . TNKs : The adoptive immunotherapy field has emerged as the one of most promising and innovative anti-cancer strategies. To date, T-cell based therapies like CAR-T have shown the most promise in hematologic cancers, especially B-cell malignancies like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). They have also demonstrated outstanding therapeutic impact, including a high percentage of complete responses (CRs) in Hodgkin lymphoma patients using CD19-CAR T cells. While the clinical results seen have been promising, CAR-T therapies have also caused some concerning side effects, especially cytokine-release syndrome due to the injection of cytokine-releasing T cells. Currently, patient-derived T cells are isolated, propagated, and modified with the CAR in the laboratory and then administered back into the patient. The process, however, solely relies on the ability to obtain sufficient numbers of patient immune cells and to successfully bestow upon them the ability to express the CAR

 

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The CAR.TNK approach will utilize an immortalized NK cell line from Conkwest called Neukoplast (NK-92) as the source for the immune cells. These NK-92 cells will be genetically modified to express surface receptors using our G-MAB library that would allow these cells to recognize antigens on tumor cells. This “off-the-shelf” approach is independent of patient-derived cells as it utilizes CAR.TNKs stably expressing the tumor-targeting receptor. They can be generated and produced in large quantities, thus, circumventing one of the major drawbacks of current CAR-T cell therapies. Natural killer cells also do not trigger the release of cytokines associated with CAR-T therapies.

In the near term, we expect to focus our resources on:

·

Completing the development and analysis on our potentially pivotal registrational trial for our oncolytic drug candidate Cynviloq, and preparing for FDA submission of an NDA filing (H2, 2015), as well as continuing with Cynviloq partnering process for US and ex-US collaborations

·

Advancing RTX into phase II clinical human development under an IND; and seeking strategic alternatives for potential veterinary indications

·

Prioritizing our preclinical pipeline, and advancing selected drug development candidates (mAbs: PD-1, PD-L1, VEGFR2; BsAbs: PD-L1/c-MET, PD-L1/EGFR; ADCs: VEGFR2-ADC, c-MET-ADC), into clinical trials ourselves or through strategic collaborations with biotech and/or pharmaceutical companies

·

Working with our strategic partners, Conkwest (for CAR.TNKs) and NantBioCell (for the Immunotherapy Antibody Joint Venture), to advance several key programs into the clinics

·

Exploring possible ‘spin-off’ of CAR.TNK and other assets into separate public entities

·

Supporting NantBioCell in preparation for potential IPO of the ‘Immunotherapy Antibody Joint Venture’

·

Continuing to explore potential accretive and/or synergistic products and/or platforms that will enhance our pipeline and technologies

See the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K for a discussion of some of the risks relating to the execution of our business strategy.

Product Candidates

We currently have one late-stage oncology drug candidate, Cynviloq, completing a BE registrational trial for multiple solid tumor indications with plans for topline data availability in April 2015, and an ongoing phase Ib study in progress for intractable cancer pain, RTX. Additionally, we have multiple mAb product candidates in preclinical development including our fully human anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 mAbs and several ADCs against validated cancer targets. We believe these individual mAb or ADC product candidates have the potential to address major unmet medical needs.

Cynviloq™

Cynviloq was licensed through an exclusive distribution agreement, for North America, 27 countries of the EU, and Australia, from Samyang Biopharmaceutical Corporation, or Samyang, a South Korean corporation. Cynviloq is currently approved and marketed by Samyang in South Korea for Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC), Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Ovarian

 

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Cancer (OC), under the trade name Genexol-PM ® 1 , and is also marketed in the Philippines, Vietnam, and India. Cynviloq consists of paclitaxel encapsulated within a polylactide and polyethylene glycol diblock copolymer micelle. A micelle is an aggregate of surfactant molecules, having hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts, in which the hydrophilic ‘heads’ form the outside shell of the sphere with the hydrophobic ‘tails’ at the center of the core. This hydrophobic core is able to effectively encapsulate hydrophobic drugs, such as paclitaxel. Cynviloq, under the trade name Genexol-PM, is approved ex-U.S. for MBC without premedication and for NSCLC and ovarian cancers with premedication in combination with platinum.

Cynviloq has been clinically tested in over 1,260 patients in the U.S., Russia, and South Korea in Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III clinical trials, and post-marketing surveillance studies in MBC, NSCLC, ovarian, pancreatic and bladder cancer. Cynviloq has demonstrated comparable clinical efficacy and tolerability compared to historical albumin-bound paclitaxel ( nab -paclitaxel; Abraxane ® 2 ) clinical data. Samyang has completed an ongoing open-label Phase III MBC study in South Korea, randomizing patients with recurrent or advanced MBC to Cynviloq using a dosing regimen of 260 mg/m 2 every 3 weeks (q3w), as compared to Taxol® 3 (Cremophor-paclitaxel) given at a standard 175 mg/m 2 q3w dose. Final results have shown statistically significant improvement in the objective response rate (ORR) with Cynviloq when compared to Taxol, with results comparable to data generated from the pivotal registrational studies submitted for Abraxane that were the basis for its approval in the U.S. and in China for the MBC indication.  

On July 29, 2013, we received official meeting minutes from an End-of-Phase II meeting held on July 23, 2013 for Cynviloq (or IG-001) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Cynviloq is initially under development for the treatment of MBC and NSCLC in the U.S. The FDA Division of Oncology Products 1 agreed that the data available from: (i) the post-marketing surveillance studies conducted in ex-U.S. territories for MBC and NSCLC, (ii) Phase I-III studies for MBC, and (iii) Phase I-II studies in NSCLC, Ovarian, Bladder, and Pancreatic cancers are sufficient to support a 505(b)(2) bioequivalence (BE) regulatory submission pathway approach using Abraxane and Taxol as the Reference Listed Drugs. Abraxane is an albumin-bound paclitaxel ( nab -paclitaxel) product approved for MBC, NSCLC and pancreatic cancer indications. Taxol is a Cremophor-based paclitaxel product approved for these indications as well as other cancer indications. We filed our BE protocol in 2013, commenced our BE study in March 2014 (first patient in), and completed recruitment to the phase 3 registrational TRIBECA (TRIal establishing bioequivalence (BE) between Cynviloq™ and Albumin-bound paclitaxel) study in January 2015. Previously, we also announced positive pharmacokinetic (PK) data from the first eight (8) patients enrolled in the TRIBECA study suggesting that Cynviloq was bioequivalent to albumin-bound paclitaxel when both drugs are dosed at 260 mg/m 2 and infused over 30 minutes in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Cynviloq—Differentiation versus Cremophor Taxol ® and nab-paclitaxel Abraxane ® formulations of paclitaxel

Paclitaxel is a water insoluble drug that requires a solvent formulation. The first generation paclitaxel formulation, Taxol; developed by Bristol-Myers-Squibb (BMS), utilizes a Cremophor solvent, a castor oil-based emulsion. Known dose-limiting toxicities of Cremophor restrict the overall dose of Taxol that can be safely administered to patients. Cremophor also causes the entrapment of paclitaxel in the bloodstream, thereby allowing less freely-available paclitaxel to reach the tumor sites. Furthermore, patients receiving Taxol require pre-medication with steroids and antihistamines to allay the toxic side effects associated with Cremophor.

Nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane®) is a second generation paclitaxel formulation that utilizes the biological polymer, donor-derived human serum albumin (HSA) to encapsulate paclitaxel.

Cynviloq is a next-generation paclitaxel formulation comprised of paclitaxel encapsulated in a non-biological polymeric micelle composed of a polylactide and polyethylene glycol diblock copolymers resulting in an injectable suspension of paclitaxel. Cynviloq is free from human serum albumin (HSA), which poses a hypothetical risk of viral/prion transmission from donor-derived blood. The absence of albumin in the Cynviloq formulation can potentially lead to easier preparation, handling and storage- an important logistical consideration especially for busy practices and pharmacies.

Basis for bioequivalence

Particle dissociation in vitro studies comparing nab-paclitaxel and Cynviloq have shown that both formulations rapidly disintegrate under physiologically-relevant conditions, suggesting that both formulations release their paclitaxel payloads shortly after intravenous administration. Pilot PK data from the first 8 patients recruited in the TRIBECA trial suggest that Cynviloq is bio-equivalent to albumin-bound paclitaxel in total paclitaxel when both drugs are given at equivalent dose (260 mg/m2) and administered intravenously over 30 minutes in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Based on our reported positive data, sample size estimates suggest that only 53 patients are needed to establish bioequivalence (BE) based on 90% confidence interval (CI) specified in the End of Phase 2 meeting minutes from the FDA in July of 2013.

 

1  

Genexol-PM® is a trademark of Samyang Biopharmaceutical Corporation.

2  

Abraxane® is a trademark of Celgene Corporation

3  

Taxol® is a trademark of Bristol Myers Squibb Corporation.

 

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PILOT PK DATA ANALYSIS FROM TRIBECA STUDY:

Clinical Strategy: Differentiation versus albumin-bound paclitaxel

Roche has recently announced three phase 3 trials (GO29436, GO29537, GO29437) combining their anti-PDL1 (in patients with advanced squamous NSCLC comparing the combination of Roche’s anti-PD-L1 MPDL3280A with paclitaxel or albumin-bound paclitaxel in various combinations with carboplatin (with or without bevacizumab). Close to 3,000 patients will be recruited in these studies (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT02367781, NCT02367794 and NCT02366143).

BMS and Merck also have phase 1 and phase 2 studies exploring combination of anti-PD-1 with taxane-based therapies in melanoma (CheckMate037; NCT01721746 and NCT01840579), NSCLC (NCT01840579 and NCT01454102), and pancreatic cancer (NCT02309177).

We plan to conduct Cynviloq combination studies with our own anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 mAbs in several tumor indications in both metastatic and adjuvant settings.

Cynviloq Regulatory and Development Strategy

Manufacturers can obtain FDA approval of NDAs for new formulations of approved drugs with the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) using an FDA 505(b)(2) BE application process. The 505(b)(2) application process relies, in part, on the FDA’s findings for a prior approved drug. This avoids costly and time consuming clinical trials. We believe this process might apply to Cynviloq as paclitaxel is the approved API for both nab-paclitaxel and Taxol® formulations. According to the Section 505(b)(2) guidance, an NDA approval can be obtained for a new drug without conducting the full complement of safety and efficacy trials and without a “right of reference” from the original applicant. In cases where different formulations of the same API are found to be bioequivalent, a BE trial comparing the PK parameters (C max and AUC) of both drugs may be sufficient to obtain FDA approval. The Draft Guidance (September 2012) for nab -paclitaxel states that measurements of both total and unbound paclitaxel should be made to establish BE. We believe that this is an appropriate method of comparison for marketing approval.

Based on our reported positive data, sample size estimates suggest that only 53 patients are needed to establish bioequivalence (BE) based on 90% confidence interval (CI) specified in the End of Phase 2 meeting minutes from the FDA in July of 2013. A single BE crossover study, TRIBECA, was planned and we enrolled 111 MBC patients by the end of January 2015 (9 in the pilot PK portion of the trial and 102 in the blinded BE portion) MBC patients to: (i) treat patients with nab-paclitaxel or Cynviloq to measure the PK parameters between the two drug formulations in order to establish BE, and (ii) determine the measurements of both total and unbound paclitaxel in both formulations. We filed an amendment to the protocol to continue to treat all patients enrolled in the

 

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TRIBECA study with additional 4 cycles of Cynviloq after the patients come off the BE portion of the study so we can collect safety data on Cynviloq dosed at 260 mg/m2 and administered over 30 min. We believe that the additional safety data collected in over 100 MBC patients treated with 5 cycles of Cynviloq will strengthen our overall NDA package.

The BE trial enrollment was completed in January 2015, with current plans for NDA submission in the 3 rd quarter 2015 and potential approval in 2016. If Cynviloq and nab-paclitaxel are found to be bioequivalent and FDA approval is granted: (i) Cynviloq will receive the same label indications as nab-paclitaxel, including MBC and NSCLC, in addition to recently approved nab-paclitaxel indications, namely advanced pancreatic cancer once marketing exclusivity expires, and (ii) additional life cycle indications, such as bladder or ovarian cancers, could be pursued with additional studies either as monotherapy or in combination with our PD-L1/PD-1 antibodies.

Cynviloq Manufacturing

Under the terms of our agreement with Samyang, we purchase from Samyang all of our required supplies of the product. Cynviloq (Genexol-PM) is formulated, encapsulated and packaged for us by Samyang in South Korea, in a facility that is in compliance with the regulatory standards of countries in which our product is intended for use. The price we pay Samyang is fixed during the initial term of the agreement, which expires in October 2022. Unless terminated by either party as allowed for in the agreement, the agreement is automatically extended for a period of two (2) years each time thereafter.

Market Opportunity

Cynviloq

Taxanes are the most widely used chemotherapic class in the world and play a significant role in the treatment of various solid tumors, including breast, lung, prostrate and ovarian cancers. Taxanes are often the standard of care as monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapy or biological agents when used in the metastatic setting, although it also being used in the adjuvant/neo-adjuvant settings as well. Recently, with approval of albumin-bound paclitaxel as combination with gemcitabine in advanced pancreatic cancer, albumin-bound paclitaxel is extensively used as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. According to the 2012 IMS NSP, the taxane market in the U.S. is estimated to be one billion dollars in 2012, and is comprised of nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane®), generic paclitaxel (Taxol®) and generic docetaxel (Taxotere®). At the 2015 J.P. Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference, Celgene forecast albumin-bound paclitaxel to achieve sales of US $2.2 billion by 2020.

Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) 1

Breast cancer ranks second as a cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. A total of 231,840 new breast cancer cases (29%) and 40,290 cancer deaths (15%) are projected to occur in the US in 2015 (Cancer Statistics, 2015, RL Siegel et al., CA Cancer J Clin. 2015, 65: 5-29). Taking into account tumor size, extent of spread, and other characteristics, as well as patient preference, treatment usually involves breast-conserving surgery (surgical removal of the tumor and surrounding tissue) or mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast). Treatment may also involve radiation therapy, chemotherapy (before or after surgery), hormone therapy (e.g., selective estrogen response modifiers, aromatase inhibitors, ovarian ablation), and/or targeted therapy. Postmenopausal women, with early stage breast cancer, that test positive for hormone receptors may benefit from treatment with an aromatase inhibitor (e.g., letrozole, anastrozole, or exemestane) or tamoxifen.

In 2012, approximately 330,000 patients diagnosed with breast cancer were treated with drugs in the U.S. and the top five (5) EU countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom). Half of these patients live in the U.S., and approximately 100,000 of these patients were treated in the advanced or metastatic settings in first, second or third-line therapy. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) treatment guidelines list of preferred single agent drugs include paclitaxel and nab-paclitaxel, among other drugs, for the treatment of patients with Stage IV advanced breast cancer. Preferred combination chemotherapy agents include among others paclitaxel plus Herceptin, paclitaxel plus gemcitabine, Herceptin ® plus paclitaxel and carboplatin and Perjeta plus Herceptin ®  and paclitaxel. It is estimated that about 25-30% of all patients treated in MBC received a paclitaxel-based regimen. In addition, paclitaxel in combination with other targeted therapies are recommended in neo-/adjuvant breast cancer treatment as well.

Lung cancer 1

In 2012, an estimated 1.8 million people were diagnosed with lung cancer resulting in 1.6 million deaths (GLOBOCAN 2012: Estimated Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide in 2012, World Health Organization). Lung cancer is the leading malignant cause of death in 93 countries accounting for a fifth of the total global burden of disability-adjusted life years from cancer.  A total of 105,590 new lung cancer cases (13%) and 71,660 cancer deaths (26%) are projected to occur in the US in 2015 (Cancer Statistics, 2015, RL Siegel et al., CA Cancer J Clin. 2015, 65: 5-29).

 

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In the U.S., lung cancers are expected to represent approximately 14% of new cancer diagnoses, or an estimated 223,000 new cases (2013). Lung cancer accounts for more deaths than any other cancer in both men and women. Lung cancer is classified as small cell (15%) or non-small cell (84%) for the purposes of treatment. Based on type and stage of cancer, treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies such as bevacizumab (Avastin ®/ ), erlotinib (Tarceva ® ), and crizotinib (Xalkori ® ). Advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients are usually treated with chemotherapy, targeted drugs, or some combination of the two. Approximately 134,000 patients with locally advanced or metastatic Stage IIIB/IV NSCLC were diagnosed in the U.S. last year. Approximately 70% of these patients were treatment eligible. The NCCN’s list of systemic therapy for advanced or metastatic NSCLC includes paclitaxel and nab-paclitaxel, among other recommendations. Paclitaxel is often used in combination with a platinum agent (carboplatin or cisplatin). It is estimated that about a third of patients treated in the first-line and second-line settings received a paclitaxel-based therapy. The FDA approved Opdivo (nivolumab) for the treatment of patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy on March 4, 2015, five days after BMS filed the supplemental NDA. Opdivo is the first and only PD-1 therapy to demonstrate overall survival in previously treated metastatic squamous NSCLC. Opdivo demonstrated significantly superior overall survival (OS) vs. docetaxel, with a 41% reduction in the risk of death (hazard ratio: 0.59 [95% CI: 0.44, 0.79; p=0.00025]), in a prespecified interim analysis of a Phase III clinical trial. The median OS was 9.2 months in the Opdivo arm (95% CI: 7.3, 13.3) and 6 months in the docetaxel arm (95% CI: 5.1, 7.3).

Ovarian cancer 1

In 2014, approximately 48,500 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. and the top 5 EU countries. A total of 21,290 new ovarian cancer cases (26%) and 14,180 cancer deaths (5%) are projected to occur in the US in 2015 (Cancer Statistics, 2015, RL Siegel et al., CA Cancer J Clin. 2015, 65: 5-29).  More than 70% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will have an advanced disease, and up to 80% of them will experience disease recurrence and eventually die from this disease. Treatment includes surgery and usually chemotherapy. Among patients with early ovarian cancer, complete surgical staging has been associated with better outcomes. For women with advanced disease, surgically removing all abdominal metastases larger than one centimeter (debulking) enhances the effect of chemotherapy and helps improve survival. For women with stage III ovarian cancer that has been optimally debulked, studies have shown that chemotherapy administered both intravenously and directly into the abdomen (intraperitoneally) improves overall survival, or OS.

In 2012 in the U.S. and the top 5 EU countries, approximately 36,000 patients were treated with front-line chemotherapy, and approximately 17,000 patients were treated with second-line chemotherapy. Paclitaxel in combination with a platinum compound plays a significant role in the treatment of ovarian cancer with the NCCN recommending taxanes plus platinum to be used in both the adjuvant and metastatic settings. It is estimated that 75% of the patients treated in the U.S., in 2013, were treated with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy as front-line therapy.

Pancreatic cancer 1

Even though pancreatic cancer is a relatively uncommon form of cancer – making up only 2.1% cancer cases – it is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths, killing around 38,000 people in the U.S. each year. It is one of the most difficult forms of cancer to treat, especially as it is usually detected at very late stages. It is estimated that around 65,000 patients were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (mainly adenocarcinoma) in the U.S. and the top 5 EU countries. In 2013, an estimated 45,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 7% of all cancer deaths and ranks fourth as a cause of cancer death among both men and women in the U.S. A total of 24,120 new pancreatic cancer cases (36%) and 19,850 cancer deaths (7%) are projected to occur in the US in 2015 (Cancer Statistics, 2015, RL Siegel et al., CA Cancer J Clin. 2015, 65: 5-29). The treatment choice is largely determined by whether the tumor can be surgically removed. Surgery remains the only treatment that offers a chance of cure for pancreatic cancer patients. Approximately 20% of all pancreatic cancer patients are candidates for surgery.

Gemcitabine-and fluoro-pyrimidine based therapies are the standard of care both in the adjuvant and metastatic settings. The NCCN recommendation for patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas includes Abraxane plus gemcitabine, gemcitabine (Gemzar ® /Lilly) monotherapy, or in combination with erlotinib (Tarceva ® /Astellas), folfirinox, capecitabine (Xeloda ® / Roche-Genentech) or fluorouracil (Efudex/Valeant) as a continuous infusion.

 

Competition

 

Cynviloq will be competing against other taxane formulations in the market. These include generic docetaxel and Cremophor-paclitaxel and albumin-bound paclitaxel, marketed by Celgene as Abraxane®.  

 

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RTX

According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.5 million people are diagnosed annually with cancer. Each year in the U.S., almost 600,000 people die from cancer, of which approximately 80 percent of those patients experience moderate to severe pain lasting over 90 days. The cost of keeping these patients comfortable adds significantly to the overall cost of treatment. Patient’s primary options are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or opiates that have a wide variety of administration routes. NSAID s have marginal efficacy, and while opioids can be efficacious, the doses required to achieve efficacy often are accompanied by considerable side effects that severely impact patients’ quality of life such that patients require significant supportive care. In 2005, over 345 million doses of morphine were sold in the U.S. for breakthrough pain alone. High dose opiates are given as a baseline treatment and then patients with breakthrough pain receive additional medication. The cost for treating breakthrough cancer pain using rapidly acting fentanyl preparations (e.g. Actiq ® or Fentora ® ) can reach over $5,000 per patient over a 90 day period. Implantable intrathecal morphine pumps (for 24-hour morphine delivery) can cost over $60,000 to implant, excluding the cost of the medicine and related maintenance. Furthermore, opiates are highly addictive and when misused can result in death from respiratory depression. Risk Evaluation and Mitigation programs are regulatory requirements put in place in an effort to assure safe use of these DEA-scheduled compounds, and are costly not only to the manufacturers but also to the healthcare system. Patients develop tolerance to opioids, requiring higher doses to treat the same amount of pain, which can lead to greater or more frequent side effects and the potential for addiction.

RTX is a small molecule with a non-opiate mechanism of action that may permanently eliminate intractable cancer pain experienced by end-stage cancer patients. When injected intraspinally or paraspinally, RTX directly interacts with nerve cells expressing TRPV-1 receptors without affecting normal sensation (touch and vibration sense) or muscle function. RTX has been extensively tested in animals and is currently being tested in an investigator-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial at the National Institute of Health or NIH under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. To date, 10 patients with terminal cancer pain have been treated at NIH. We intend to launch additional trials to rapidly advance clinical development of the drug in patients with intractable cancer pain.

The mechanism of action for RTX is well understood and has been validated by extensive data in both animals and humans. In chronic pain states, TRPV-1 is upregulated and expressed to a greater degree resulting in central hypersensitivity and pathological pain states. When the drug is delivered via intrathecal injection, through a catheter placed in the cerebrospinal fluid space, it targets and binds to TRPV-1 receptors expressed by specific neurons in the dorsal root ganglion and superficial layers of the dorsal horn of the spinal column. RTX binding to TRPV-1 results in calcium influx, which initiates programmed cell death (“apoptosis”) of only the targeted neurons and, therefore, results in the permanent reduction of pain transmitted by these TRPV-1 positive neurons. The drug is highly specific and does not bind to the large myelinated nerves that transmit normal pain sensations (touch and vibration or position sense), control muscle function or impact cognition. The RTX injection is performed by an anesthesia pain specialist, neurologist, spine surgeon or interventional radiologist trained in such procedures under fluoroscopic guidance as an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia to prevent patient awareness of the pain related to the procedure or injection. RTX has the potential of reducing pain without the side effects associated with opiates, including impairment of physical and/or mental facilities. Treatment is expected to address significant unmet medical needs by producing long lasting, analgesic coverage of intractable chronic pain syndromes. Other potential indications include intractable phantom limb pain, pain related to spinal cord injury, and intractable interstitial cystitis.

An intrathecal injection approach is designed to target more generalized pain syndromes. For more focal and unilateral pain conditions, we are testing targeted injections into or near specific ganglia (e.g., dorsal root ganglia, trigeminal ganglia or sympathetic ganglia). This approach can place RTX in a precise location and avoids the diffuse spread that is possible with RTX injected intrathecally. We are evaluating other severe pain indications that may be approached by local administration of our existing formulations. We believe that these applications of RTX have high unmet needs that can be addressed with relatively low-cost and short-duration development plans.

We have opened an INAD for osteosarcoma-associated pain in dogs with the Center for Veterinary Medicine (“CVM”) division of the FDA.  We are requesting recognition of the program under the minor use/minor species (MUMS) act, legislation which is similar to an Orphan Product Designation for human medicines. Under a MUMS designation, drugs with a reasonable expectation of efficacy in a minor use, such as osteosarcomas, may be marketed in parallel with the pivotal efficacy trial. The sponsor company then has four years, while it is marketing the product, to complete the registration trial and any additional work required by CVM for full approval. We are also testing other veterinary indications whose pathology is driven by afferent nerves and delivery of RTX may be beneficial.  The veterinary market for RTX presents additional low risk opportunities to generate value for our enterprise and to support the human development programs a low cost. We have formed a wholly owned subsidiary, ARK Animal Health, and are accumulating other products to add to ARK’s pipeline.  

 

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RTX Development Strategy

The initial signals of safety and efficacy observed by the NIH investigators in the Phase I/II trial and the published data in dogs with osteosarcoma and metastatic bone cancers from the University of Pennsylvania are quite promising. We are recruiting additional patients for the NIH intrathecal trial in order to identify the MTD (maximum tolerated dose) for RTX and to characterize any dose limiting toxicities. We plan to file an IND and begin enrolling patients in corporate sponsored study (s) in 2015. Assuming the Phase I/II studies are successfully completed, and assuming confirmation of the activity observed to date, we intend to pursue future development on an accelerated basis. Other potential indications we may consider include the treatment of pain related to spinal cord injury, intractable phantom pain, intractable neuropathic or visceral pain, and other similar conditions.

G-MAB ® Fully Human Antibody Library Platform

We believe our proprietary G-MAB library is one of the industry’s most diverse fully human antibody libraries. Our library achieves its vast diversity from a large collection of high-quality antibodies. The theoretical diversity of our library has been calculated to be more than one quadrillion unique antibodies, making it, to our knowledge, one of the largest fully human antibody libraries available to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for drug discovery and development partnerships. Our objective is to leverage our library to develop both FIC and/or BIC antibody drug candidates that we expect will possess greater efficacy and fewer side effects as compared to existing drugs. In addition, the success we have achieved finding strong fully human antibodies that bind to a diverse array of targets provides an ample menu of antibodies for conjugating various small molecule drugs with our antibodies used as the targeting moieties of ADCs or components of BsAbs.

We have experienced a high success rate when screening our diverse library to identify monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, that have the potential to be used as drugs. Recently, we have selected several lead drug development candidates to advance into clinical trials in 2016, including anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-1, and anti-VEGFR2 mAbs.

The following is a chart of fully human mAbs we have derived from our G-MAB library. It includes antibodies that bind to a wide range of targets, from small molecular weight antigens to large protein complexes antigens, such as G-Protein Coupled Receptors, or GPCRs, a difficult class of antigens to raise therapeutic antibodies against.

In addition to employing our G-MAB library to identify novel therapeutic antibodies, we also plan to: (i) develop potent antibody drug conjugates, or ADCs, for the treatment of certain auto-immune diseases as well as immunodeficiencies.

 

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G-MAB ® Fully Human Product Candidates

We have multiple wholly-owned product candidates in preclinical development and a discovery effort advancing additional therapeutic mAb drug candidates, all derived from our G-MAB library. We believe these product candidates, individually or as components of ADCs, have the potential to address major unmet medical needs.

Fully human anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies

Overview

In recent early clinical studies performed by competitor pharmaceutical companies, immune-oncology anti-cancer antibody therapeutics, including mAbs against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), have demonstrated great promise for the treatment of tumors. PD-1 is a T-cell surface protein while PD-L1 is a tumor-associated surface protein. By blocking immunosuppressive signals originating on cancer cells directed against infiltrating T cells, the patients’ own anti-tumor immune response may be rejuvenated.

Preclinical Anti-PD-1 and Anti-PD-L1 Data and Development Plan

Each of our mAbs is novel, proprietary, and fully human. Our most advanced preclinical mAb related to our anti-PD-1 antibody is STI-A1110, and our most advanced preclinical mAbs related to anti-PD-L1 antibodies are STI-A1014 (lead candidate), and STI-A1015. In preclinical studies, our mAbs were at least as potent and effective as the anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 mAbs from competitor companies. We have concluded cell line development for our anti-PD-L1 antibody, STI-A1014, which will lay the foundation for Investigational New Drug, or IND, -enabling studies in the U.S. in 2015. We anticipate that a Phase I clinical trial for the lead candidate anti-PD-L1 antibody could be initiated in 2016. Last year, we entered into a licensing agreement with Lee’s Pharma granting them exclusive rights to STI-A1014 for the greater Chinese market, where STI-A1014 is progressing in IND-enabling studies. Lee’s Pharma will be responsible for most of the pre-clinical and CMC work, including the development of master cell bank for STI-A1014 and cGMP antibody manufacturing in preparation for regulatory filing in China. We may be able to utilize some aspects of the work performed under Lee’s Pharma auspices to supplement and accelerate our US IND filing of STI-A1014 in the first half of 2016, potentially saving significant resources and time for us.  

Our anti-PD-1 mAb STI-A1110, the anti-VEGFR2 mAb STI-A0168, and anti-PD-L1 mAb STI-A1015s will enter into IND-enabling studies in 2016. We are currently seeking strategic collaborations to advance these programs as quickly as possible into the clinic.

While our checkpoint inhibitors maybe late into the market as compared to other big pharma players like BMS, Roche, Merck and Merck Serrono, we believe that the future with the immunomodulatory antibodies lie with combination therapy. We note that several large clinical trials are currently recruiting combining antibodies with taxanes and other chemotherapy/small molecules such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors in various solid tumor types. We believe we are well positioned to exploit our internal pipeline comprising of small molecules, ACI and immunomodulatory antibodies to become a leader in the oncology space.

Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC) Technologies

Our ADCs, have cytotoxic payloads as well as C-Lock and K-Lock conjugation technologies that allow for site-specific toxin conjugation to the antibody. The ADC technology complements our existing development programs, particularly our G-MAB-derived monoclonal antibodies.

Our two most advanced ADC projects utilize G-MAB-derived VEGFR2 and c-MET antibodies.

The G-MAB Library was initially invented by Henry Ji, Ph.D., STI’s co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and President. A U.S. patent covering the initial incarnation of the G-MAB Library was issued in July 2008 (US Patent 7,405,062) and additional patent application families for the generation, display and screening of antibody libraries are pending. We also recently filed a group of patent applications covering improvements to the initial G-MAB Library, with the key improvements relating to what we believe is our ability to achieve greater library diversity.

Our mAb Technology Advantages

We believe the G-MAB Library may offer the following advantages over competing antibody libraries:

·

The G-MAB Library has been designed to provide a full spectrum of human immunoglobulin gene recombination in fully-human mAb libraries. Unlike chimeric and humanization technologies, the G-MAB Library has allowed the generation of

 

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antibodies with fully-human protein sequences without the challenges and limitations of animal-to-human gene transfer procedures; and

·

Because the G-MAB Library represents an in vitro human mAb library technology, it enables faster and cost-effective in vitro screening of a large number of antigens. The G-MAB Library is designed so that any antigen of interest can be investigated, without dependence on the successful induction of a host immune response against the antigen. As compared to a human-mouse technology, the G-MAB Library does not require the costly establishment and maintenance of large animal facilities. In addition, a given human antigen may not induce an immune response in mice.  

In addition, since we are an independent, development-stage biotechnology company, we are not a party to agreements that restrict our right to enter into collaborative arrangements with third parties.

Our Adoptive Cellular Immunotherapy Approach

The adoptive immunotherapy field has emerged as the one of most promising and innovative anti-cancer strategies. To date, T-cell based therapies like CAR-T have shown the most promise in hematologic cancers, especially B-cell malignancies like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). They have also demonstrated outstanding therapeutic impact, including a high percentage of complete responses (CRs) in Hodgkin lymphoma patients using CD19-CAR T cells. While the clinical results seen have been promising, CAR-T therapies have also caused some concerning side effects, especially cytokine-release syndrome due to the injection of cytokine-releasing T cells. Currently, patient-derived T cells are isolated, propagated, and modified with the CAR in the laboratory and then administered back into the patient. The process, however, solely relies on the ability to obtain sufficient numbers of patient immune cells and to successfully bestow upon them the ability to express the CAR

The CAR.TNK approach will utilize an immortalized NK cell line from Conkwest called Neukoplast (NK-92) as the source for the immune cells. These NK-92 cells will be genetically modified to express surface receptors using our G-MAB library that would allow these cells to recognize antigens on tumor cells. This “off-the-shelf” approach is independent of patient-derived cell as it utilizes CAR.TNKs stably expressing the tumor-targeting receptor. They can be generated and produced in large quantities, thus, circumventing one of the major drawbacks of current CAR-T cell therapies. Natural killer cells also do not trigger the release of cytokines associated with CAR-T therapies.

 

Our Joint Venture and Collaborations:

The Immunotherapy Antibody Joint Venture:

We entered into an agreement with NantBioCell, to establish a new joint venture called “The Immunotherapy Antibody JV.   NantBioCell will bring a late clinical stage monoclonal antibody as the lead program in the JV while we will contribute several immunomodulatory antibodies, antibody drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies. The JV will be responsible for accelerating the development of our multiple immuno-oncology mAbs for the treatment of cancer, including but not limited to anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA4 mAbs, and other immune-checkpoint antibodies as well as antibody drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies. Through the JV, we believe we can advance several of our core programs into the clinic as expeditiously as possible.

Mutually Exclusive Collaboration with Conkwest on CAR.TNK:

We also entered into a collaboration agreement with Conkwest. Jointly, we will generate and develop products for adoptive immunocellular therapy utilizing Neukoplast cells and chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs, derived from our G-MAB antibody library. The product candidates, coined chimeric antigen receptor tumor-attacking Neukoplast (CAR.TNK), will be developed for the treatment of hematological malignancies as well as solid tumors. Under the terms of the agreement, Conkwest and us will establish an exclusive global strategic collaboration focused on accelerating the development of CAR.TNKs. Together with Conkwest, we have identified an initial prospective list of CAR.TNKs for development. The selected candidates will be evenly divided between both companies with each company being the ‘lead’ for certain product candidates. The lead company for an individual CAR.TNK will be responsible for all pre-clinical and clinical development, regulatory filings, and commercialization of that CAR.TNK. Profit sharing on any CAR.TNK revenues, from any business development or commercial activities, will be proportional to contribution made by each company.

PROSPECTIVE CAR.TNKs FOR DEVELOPMENT:

 

Target

Potential Indication(s)

 

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EGFRviii.TNK

Glioma

EphA3.TNK

Glioma, AML

L1CAM.TNK

Gastric, pancreatic, NSCLC

CSPG4.TNK

H&N, breast, mesothelioma

BCMA.TNK

Myeloma

ROR1.TNK

CLL, ALL, MCL, breast, lung, pancreas

PSMA or PSCA.TNK

Prostate

PDL1.TNK

Myeloma, RCC, NSCLC, TNBC

CS1.TNK

Myeloma

CD123.TNK

AML

CD19.TNK

CLL, ALL

CD22.TNK

CLL, ALL

 

mAb, CAR.TNK, ADC and RTX Competition

We compete in an industry characterized by intense competition and rapid technological change. We face, and will continue to face, competition in both the discovery and development of any of our G-MAB library derived, CAR.TNKs, ADC and RTX product opportunities. New discoveries and developments occur and are expected to continue to occur at a rapid pace. There are many companies, including major pharmaceutical and specialized biotechnology companies, engaged in activities similar to ours. Universities, governmental agencies and other public and private research organizations also conduct research and may market commercial products on their own or through joint ventures.

Many of these entities are significantly larger and have greater financial resources, technical staff, manufacturing, research and development resources, including personnel and technology, expertise in prosecution and enforcement of intellectual property rights and marketing capabilities than us, and many have significant experience in preclinical testing, human clinical trials, product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution and other regulatory approval and commercial procedures. They may also have a greater number of patents and greater legal resources to seek remedies for cases of alleged infringement of their patents, which may have the effect of blocking, delaying or compromising our own drug development process.

A number of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are developing new products for the treatment of the same diseases being targeted by us; in some instances, these products have already entered clinical trials or are already being marketed. Discoveries or commercial developments by our competitors may render some or all of our technologies or potential products obsolete or non-competitive.

Patents and Proprietary Rights

We are able to protect our technology from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that it is covered by valid and enforceable patents or is effectively maintained as a trade secret or is protected by confidentiality agreements. Accordingly, patents or other proprietary rights are an essential element of our business.

We have one issued United States patent relating to G-MAB and one issued US patent for an antibody family obtained from our G-MAB library.

 

 

(1)

The Cynviloq patent portfolio consists of 1 issued patent and 5 US patent applications, three filed and prosecuted by the Cynviloq manufacturer, Samyang and two filed by us. The patent protection provided by the Samyang family of patents expires in 2028 and the two patent applications filed by us expire in 2034 and 2035.

 

 

(2)

The RTX product is protected by a small family of patents, one of which has issued in the US that provides product protection until 2021.

 

 

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(3)

G-MAB has one issued U.S. patent (7,405,062) which expires in 2022 and two additional patent families relating to the G-MAB library technology. The third patent family is being maintained as a trade secret as it was filed only in the U.S.

without publication. Given the difficult ability to enforce such patent rights, we will decide at a later date whether to issue this invention as a U.S. patent with publication. In addition, there are ten (10) separate filed patent application families relating to therapeutic products with lead candidates that include the PD-L1, PD-1, CCR2, VEGFR2, c-Met, WISP1, CTLA4, CCR2, DLL4, ErbB3, CXCR3, CXCR5, CD147, Oprf, CD47, CD137, TIM3, Jagged-1, and CTLA4 projects.

 

 

(4)

Quorum Quenching is a platform including a patent family exclusively licensed from the TSRI and includes the MRSA project. In addition, there is a separately filed patent application family for a lead anti-MRSA product derived from our G-MAB library. One patent application from this family has issued as a US patent.

 

 

(5)

There are two families of ADC patents that describe and claim the conjugation chemistries that we call C-Lock and K-Lock, initially developed by Concortis. These patent application have a term of protection until 2033. Concortis has also developed three families of different toxin derivatives, coupled to the Concortis proprietary conjugation chemistry for proprietary ADCs. The patent applications (three) supporting this effort expire in 2035.

 

 

(6)

MYC Inhibitors are genus of structurally-related compounds having activity as significant oncology agents to inhibit myc. The initial genus of compounds is the subject of a patent application family exclusively licensed from TSRI (The Scripps Research Institute).

 

(7)

TRAIL Inducers are a genus of structurally-related compounds having activity as significant oncology agents that act as TRAIL inducers and have potential oncology activities. There is a method of treatment patent from Penn State directed to treatment use with a different structure compound that is currently in clinical trials for glioblastoma where it is likely that our patent application for the novel compound structure will dominate any making, using or selling of the Penn State subject matter that has been called “TIC10.” Our claimed lead structure is not TIC10, as described in the Penn State patent. The initial genus of compounds is the subject of a patent application family exclusively licensed from TSRI (The Scripps Research Institute).

Patents extend for varying periods according to the date of patent filing or grant and the legal term of patents in the various countries where patent protection is obtained. The actual protection afforded by a patent, which can vary from country to country, depends on the type of patent, the scope of its coverage and the availability of legal remedies in the country.

While trade secret protection is an essential element of our business and we have taken security measures to protect our proprietary information and trade secrets, we cannot give assurance that our unpatented proprietary technology will afford us significant commercial protection. We seek to protect our trade secrets by entering into confidentiality agreements with third parties, employees and consultants. Our employees and consultants also sign agreements requiring that they assign to us their interests in intellectual property arising from their work for us. All employees sign an agreement not to engage in any conflicting employment or activity during their employment with us and not to disclose or misuse our confidential information. However, it is possible that these agreements may be breached or invalidated, and if so, there may not be an adequate corrective remedy available. Accordingly, we cannot ensure that employees, consultants or third parties will not breach the confidentiality provisions in our contracts, infringe or misappropriate our trade secrets and other proprietary rights or that measures we are taking to protect our proprietary rights will be adequate.

In the future, third parties may file claims asserting that our technologies or products infringe on their intellectual property. We cannot predict whether third parties will assert such claims against us or against the licensors of technology licensed to us, or whether those claims will harm our business. If we are forced to defend ourselves against such claims, whether they are with or without merit and whether they are resolved in favor of, or against, our licensors or us, we may face costly litigation and the diversion of management’s attention and resources. As a result of such disputes, we may have to develop costly non-infringing technology or enter into licensing agreements. These agreements, if necessary, may be unavailable on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

Government Regulation

Government authorities in the U.S. (including federal, state and local authorities) and in other countries, extensively regulate, among other things, the manufacturing, research and clinical development, marketing, labeling and packaging, storage, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, advertising and promotion, pricing and export and import of pharmaceutical products, such as those we are developing. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Moreover, failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements may result in, among other things, warning letters, clinical holds, civil or criminal penalties, recall or seizure of products, injunction, disbarment, partial or total suspension of production or withdrawal of the product from the market. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on us.

 

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U.S. Government Regulations

In the U.S., the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and its implementing regulations. Drugs are also subject to other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. The process required by the FDA before product candidates may be marketed in the U.S. generally involves the following:

·

submission to the FDA of an IND which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin and must be updated annually;

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completion of extensive preclinical laboratory tests and preclinical animal studies, all performed in accordance with the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice, or GLP, regulations. Preclinical testing generally includes evaluation of our products in the laboratory or in animals to characterize the product and determine safety and efficacy;

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performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the product candidate for each proposed indication;

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submission to the FDA of a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) or an NDA after completion of all pivotal clinical trials;

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a determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of a BLA or an NDA to file the NDA for review;

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satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facilities at which the active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, and finished drug product are produced and tested to assess compliance with cGMP regulations; and

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FDA review and approval of a BLA or an NDA prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the drug in the U.S.

In addition, we are subject to regulation under state, federal, and international laws and regulations regarding occupational safety, laboratory practices, environmental protection and the use and handling of hazardous substance control, and other regulations. Our clinical trial and research and development activities involve the controlled use of hazardous materials and chemicals compounds. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of such materials comply with the standards prescribed by state and federal regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be completely eliminated. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for any damages that result and any such liability could exceed our financial resources. In addition, disposal of radioactive materials used in our clinical trials and research efforts may only be made at approved facilities. We believe that we are in material compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including those relating to the handling and disposal of hazardous and toxic waste.

An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational drug product to humans. The central focus of an IND submission is on the general investigational plan and the protocol(s) for human studies. The IND also includes results of animal studies or other human studies, as appropriate, as well as manufacturing information, analytical data and any available clinical data or literature to support the use of the investigational new drug. An IND must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. An IND will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions related to the proposed clinical trials. In such a case, the IND may be placed on clinical hold and the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns or questions before clinical trials can begin. Accordingly, submission of an IND may or may not result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to commence.

Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational drug to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with Good Clinical Practices, or GCPs, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, and the efficacy criteria to be evaluated. A protocol for each clinical trial and any subsequent protocol amendments must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Additionally, approval must also be obtained from each clinical trial site’s IRB before the trials may be initiated, and the IRB must monitor the study until completed. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and clinical trial results to public registries.

The clinical investigation of a drug is generally divided into three phases. Although the phases are usually conducted sequentially, they may overlap or be combined. The three phases of an investigation are as follows:

·

Phase I. Phase I includes the initial introduction of an investigational new drug into humans. Phase I clinical trials are typically closely monitored and may be conducted in patients with the target disease or condition or in healthy volunteers. These studies are designed to evaluate the safety, dosage tolerance, metabolism and pharmacologic actions of the investigational drug in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness. During Phase I clinical trials, sufficient information about the investigational drug’s pharmacokinetics and

 

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pharmacological effects may be obtained to permit the design of well-controlled and scientifically valid Phase II clinical trials. The total number of participants included in Phase I clinical trials varies, but is generally in the range of 20 to 80.

·

Phase II. Phase II includes controlled clinical trials conducted to preliminarily or further evaluate the effectiveness of the investigational drug for a particular indication(s) in patients with the disease or condition under study, to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage, and to identify possible adverse side effects and safety risks associated with the drug. Phase II clinical trials are typically well-controlled, closely monitored, and conducted in a limited patient population, usually involving no more than several hundred participants.

·

Phase III. Phase III clinical trials are generally controlled clinical trials conducted in an expanded patient population generally at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. They are performed after preliminary evidence suggesting effectiveness of the drug has been obtained, and are intended to further evaluate dosage, clinical effectiveness and safety, to establish the overall benefit-risk relationship of the investigational drug product, and to provide an adequate basis for product approval. Phase III clinical trials usually involve several hundred to several thousand participants.

A pivotal study is a clinical study which adequately meets regulatory agency requirements for the evaluation of a drug candidate’s efficacy and safety such that it can be used to justify the approval of the product. Generally, pivotal studies are also Phase III studies but may be Phase II studies if the trial design provides a well-controlled and reliable assessment of clinical benefit, particularly in situations where there is an unmet medical need.

The FDA, the IRB or the clinical trial sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee. This group provides authorization for whether or not a trial may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the study. We may also suspend or terminate a clinical trial based on evolving business objectives and/or competitive climate.

Assuming successful completion of all required testing in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements, detailed investigational drug product information is submitted to the FDA in the form of an NDA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications.

The application includes all relevant data available from pertinent preclinical and clinical trials, including negative or ambiguous results as well as positive findings, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacturing, controls and proposed labeling, among other things. Data can come from company-sponsored clinical trials intended to test the safety and effectiveness of a use of a product, or from a number of alternative sources, including studies initiated by investigators. To support marketing approval, the data submitted must be sufficient in quality and quantity to establish the safety and effectiveness of the investigational drug product to the satisfaction of the FDA.

Once the NDA submission has been accepted for filing, the FDA’s goal is to review applications within ten months of submission or, if the application relates to an unmet medical need in a serious or life-threatening indication, six months from submission. The review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA may refer the application to an advisory committee for review, evaluation and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it typically follows such recommendations.

After the FDA evaluates the NDA and conducts inspections of manufacturing facilities where the drug product and/or its API will be produced, it may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response Letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A Complete Response Letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete and the application is not ready for approval. A Complete Response Letter may require additional clinical data and/or an additional pivotal Phase III clinical trial(s), and/or other significant, expensive and time-consuming requirements related to clinical trials, preclinical studies or manufacturing. Even if such additional information is submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. The FDA could also approve the NDA with a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies, or REMS, plan to mitigate risks, which could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. The FDA also may condition approval on, among other things, changes to proposed labeling, development of adequate controls and specifications, or a commitment to conduct one or more post-market studies or clinical trials. Such post-market testing may include Phase IV clinical trials and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization. Regulatory approval of oncology products often requires that patients in clinical trials be followed for long periods to determine the overall survival benefit of the drug.

 

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After regulatory approval of a drug product is obtained, we are required to comply with a number of post-approval requirements. As a holder of an approved NDA, we would be required to report, among other things, certain adverse reactions and production problems to the FDA, to provide updated safety and efficacy information, and to comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotional labeling for any of our products. Also, quality control and manufacturing procedures must continue to conform to cGMP after approval to ensure and preserve the long term stability of the drug product. The FDA periodically inspects manufacturing facilities to assess compliance with cGMP, which imposes extensive procedural, substantive and record keeping requirements. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated, and, depending on the significance of the change, may require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMP and impose reporting and documentation requirements upon us and any third-party manufacturers that we may decide to use. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain compliance with cGMP and other aspects of regulatory compliance.

We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of our product candidates. Future FDA and state inspections may identify compliance issues at our facilities or at the facilities of our contract manufacturers that may disrupt production or distribution, or require substantial resources to correct. In addition, discovery of previously unknown problems with a product or the failure to comply with applicable requirements may result in restrictions on a product, manufacturer or holder of an approved NDA, including withdrawal or recall of the product from the market or other voluntary, FDA-initiated or judicial action that could delay or prohibit further marketing. Newly discovered or developed safety or effectiveness data may require changes to a product’s approved labeling, including the addition of new warnings and contraindications, and also may require the implementation of other risk management measures. Also, new government requirements, including those resulting from new legislation, may be established, or the FDA’s policies may change, which could delay or prevent regulatory approval of our products under development.

Europe/Rest of World Government Regulations

In addition to regulations in the U.S., we will be subject to a variety of regulations in other jurisdictions governing, among other things, clinical trials and any commercial sales and distribution of our products.

Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we must obtain the requisite approvals from regulatory authorities in foreign countries prior to the commencement of clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries. Certain countries outside of the U.S. have a similar process that requires the submission of a clinical trial application much like the IND prior to the commencement of human clinical trials. In Europe, for example, a clinical trial application, or CTA, must be submitted to each country’s national health authority and an independent ethics committee, much like the FDA and IRB, respectively. Once the CTA is approved in accordance with a country’s requirements, clinical trial development may proceed.

The requirements and process governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary from country to country. In all cases, the clinical trials are conducted in accordance with GCP and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.

To obtain regulatory approval of an investigational drug under European Union regulatory systems, we must submit a marketing authorization application. The application used to file the NDA in the U.S. is similar to that required in Europe, with the exception of, among other things, country-specific document requirements. For other countries outside of the European Union, such as countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America or Asia, the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary from country to country. In all cases, again, the clinical trials are conducted in accordance with GCP and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.

If we fail to comply with applicable foreign regulatory requirements, we may be subject to, among other things, fines, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product recalls, seizure of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecution.

Available Special Regulatory Procedures

Formal Meetings

We are encouraged to engage and seek guidance from health authorities relating to the development and review of investigational drugs, as well as marketing applications. In the U.S., there are different types of official meetings that may occur between us and the FDA. Each meeting type is subject to different procedures. Conclusions and agreements from each of these meetings are captured in the official final meeting minutes issued by the FDA.

 

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The EMA also provides the opportunity for dialogue with us. This is usually done in the form of Scientific Advice, which is given by the Scientific Advice Working Party of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP. A fee is incurred with each Scientific Advice meeting.

Advice from either the FDA or EMA is typically provided based on questions concerning, for example, quality (chemistry, manufacturing and controls testing), nonclinical testing and clinical studies, and pharmaco vigilance plans and risk-management programs. Such advice is not legally binding on the sponsor. To obtain binding commitments from health authorities in the U.S. and the European Union, SPA or Protocol Assistance procedures are available. An SPA is an evaluation by the FDA of a protocol with the goal of reaching an agreement with the sponsor that the protocol design, clinical endpoints and statistical analyses are acceptable to support regulatory approval of the product candidate with respect to effectiveness in the indication studied. The FDA’s agreement to an SPA is binding upon the FDA except in limited circumstances, such as if the FDA identifies a substantial scientific issue essential to determining the safety or effectiveness of the product after clinical studies begin, or if the study sponsor fails to follow the protocol that was agreed upon with the FDA. There is no guarantee that a study will ultimately be adequate to support an approval even if the study is subject to an SPA.

Orphan Drug Designation

The FDA may grant orphan drug designation to drugs intended to treat a rare disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the U.S., or if it affects more than 200,000 individuals in the U.S., there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making the drug for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the U.S. In the European Union, the EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products, or COMP, grants orphan drug designation to promote the development of products that are intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting not more than 5 in 10,000 persons in the European Union Community. Additionally, designation is granted for products intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening, seriously debilitating or serious and chronic condition and when, without incentives, it is unlikely that sales of the drug in the European Union would be sufficient to justify the necessary investment in developing the drug or biological product.

In the U.S., orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages and user-fee waivers. In addition, if a product receives the first FDA approval for the indication for which it has orphan designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve any other application to market the same drug for the same indication for a period of 7 years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority over the product with orphan exclusivity.

In the European Union, orphan drug designation also entitles a party to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers and 10 years of market exclusivity is granted following drug or biological product approval. This period may be reduced to 6 years if the orphan drug designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity.

Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting an application for marketing approval. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.

Authorization Procedures in the European Union

Medicines can be authorized in the European Union by using either the centralized authorization procedure or national authorization procedures.

·

Centralized procedure . The EMA implemented the centralized procedure for the approval of human medicines to facilitate marketing authorizations that are valid throughout the European Union. This procedure results in a single marketing authorization issued by the EMA that is valid across the European Union, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The centralized procedure is compulsory for human medicines that are: derived from biotechnology processes, such as genetic engineering, contain a new active substance indicated for the treatment of certain diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders or autoimmune diseases and other immune dysfunctions, and officially designated orphan medicines.

·

For medicines that do not fall within these categories, an applicant has the option of submitting an application for a centralized marketing authorization to the EMA, as long as the medicine concerned is a significant therapeutic, scientific or technical innovation, or if its authorization would be in the interest of public health.

 

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·

National authorization procedures. There are also two other possible routes to authorize medicinal products in several countries, which are available for investigational drug products that fall outside the scope of the centralized procedure:

·

Decentralized procedure. Using the decentralized procedure, an applicant may apply for simultaneous authorization in more than one European Union country of medicinal products that have not yet been authorized in any European Union country and that do not fall within the mandatory scope of the centralized procedure.

·

Mutual recognition procedure. In the mutual recognition procedure, a medicine is first authorized in one European Union Member State, in accordance with the national procedures of that country. Following this, further marketing authorizations can be sought from other European Union countries in a procedure whereby the countries concerned agree to recognize the validity of the original, national marketing authorization.

Priority Review/Standard Review (U.S.) and Accelerated Review (European Union)

Based on results of the Phase III clinical trial(s) submitted in an NDA, upon the request of an applicant, the FDA may grant the NDA a priority review designation, which sets the target date for FDA action on the application at six months. Priority review is granted where preliminary estimates indicate that a product, if approved, has the potential to provide a safe and effective therapy where no satisfactory alternative therapy exists, or a significant improvement compared to marketed products is possible. If criteria are not met for priority review, the NDA is subject to the standard FDA review period of 10 months. Priority review designation does not change the scientific/medical standard for approval or the quality of evidence necessary to support approval.

Under the Centralized Procedure in the European Union, the maximum timeframe for the evaluation of a marketing authorization application is 210 days (excluding clock stops, when additional written or oral information is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions asked by the CHMP. Accelerated evaluation might be granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases, when a medicinal product is expected to be of a major public health interest, defined by three cumulative criteria: the seriousness of the disease (e.g. heavy disabling or life-threatening diseases) to be treated; the absence or insufficiency of an appropriate alternative therapeutic approach; and anticipation of high therapeutic benefit. In this circumstance, EMA ensures that the opinion of the CHMP is given within 150 days, excluding clock stops.

There can be no assurance that we or any of our partners would be able to satisfy one or more of these requirements to conduct preclinical or clinical trials or receive any regulatory approvals.

Pharmaceutical Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement

Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any drug products for which we obtain regulatory approval. In the U.S. and markets in other countries, sales of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale will depend in part on the availability of reimbursement from third-party payors. Third-party payors include government health administrative authorities, managed care providers, private health insurers and other organizations. The process for determining whether a payor will provide coverage for a drug product may be separate from the process for setting the price or reimbursement rate that the payor will pay for the drug product. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific drug products on an approved list, or formulary, which might not include all of the FDA-approved drugs for a particular indication. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of medical products and services, in addition to their safety and efficacy. We may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our products, in addition to the costs required to obtain FDA approvals. Our product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective. A payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development.

In 2003, the U.S. government enacted legislation providing a partial prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, which became effective at the beginning of 2006. Government payment for some of the costs of prescription drugs may increase demand for any products for which we receive marketing approval. However, to obtain payments under this program, we would be required to sell products to Medicare recipients through prescription drug plans operating pursuant to this legislation. These plans will likely negotiate discounted prices for our products. Further, the Healthcare Reform Law substantially changes the way healthcare is financed in the U.S. by both government and private insurers. Among other cost containment measures, the Healthcare Reform Law establishes:

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An annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports certain branded prescription drugs and biologic agents;

 

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·

A new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which pharmaceutical manufacturers who wish to have their drugs covered under Part D must offer discounts to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period (the “donut hole”); and

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A new formula that increases the rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.

We expect that federal, state and local governments in the U.S. will continue to consider legislation to limit the growth of healthcare costs, including the cost of prescription drugs. Future legislation could limit payments for pharmaceuticals such as the drug candidates that we are developing.

Different pricing and reimbursement schemes exist in other countries. In the European Community, governments influence the price of pharmaceutical products through their pricing and reimbursement rules and control of national health care systems that fund a large part of the cost of those products to consumers. Some jurisdictions operate positive and negative list systems under which products may only be marketed once a reimbursement price has been agreed. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval, some of these countries may require the completion of clinical trials that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular product candidate to currently available therapies. Other member states allow companies to fix their own prices for medicines, but monitor and control company profits. The downward pressure on health care costs in general, particularly prescription drugs, has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. In addition, in some countries, cross-border imports from low-priced markets exert a commercial pressure on pricing within a country.

The marketability of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if the government and third-party payors fail to provide adequate coverage and reimbursement. In addition, an increasing emphasis on managed care in the U.S. has increased and we expect will continue to increase the pressure on pharmaceutical pricing. Coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more products for which we receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.

Other Healthcare Laws and Compliance Requirements

If we obtain regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, we may be subject to various federal and state laws targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry. For example, in the U.S., there are federal and state anti-kickback laws that prohibit the payment or receipt of kickbacks, bribes or other remuneration intended to induce the purchase or recommendation of healthcare products and services or reward past purchases or recommendations. Violations of these laws can lead to civil and criminal penalties, including fines, imprisonment and exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs.

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing, recommending, or arranging for a good or service, for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The reach of the Anti-Kickback Statute was broadened by the Healthcare Reform Law, which, among other things, amends the intent requirement of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the applicable criminal healthcare fraud statutes contained within 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b, effective March 23, 2010. Pursuant to the statutory amendment, a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. In addition, the Healthcare Reform Law provides that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the civil False Claims Act (discussed below) or the civil monetary penalties statute. Many states have adopted laws similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, some of which apply to the referral of patients for healthcare items or services reimbursed by any source, not only the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The federal False Claims Act imposes liability on any person who, among other things, knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment by a federal healthcare program. The “qui tam” provisions of the False Claims Act allow a private individual to bring civil actions on behalf of the federal government alleging that the defendant has submitted a false claim to the federal government, and to share in any monetary recovery. In addition, various states have enacted false claims laws analogous to the False Claims Act. Many of these state laws apply where a claim is submitted to any third-party payer and not merely a federal healthcare program. When an entity is determined to have violated the False Claims Act, it may be required to pay up to three times the actual damages sustained by the government, plus civil penalties of $5,500 to $11,000 for each separate false claim.

Also, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, created several new federal crimes, including healthcare fraud, and false statements relating to healthcare matters. The health care fraud statute prohibits knowingly and willfully executing a scheme to defraud any health care benefit program, including private third-party payers. The false statements statute

 

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prohibits knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for health care benefits, items or services.

In addition, we may be subject to, or our marketing activities may be limited by, HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations, which established uniform standards for certain “covered entities” (healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses) and their business associates governing the conduct of certain electronic healthcare transactions and protecting the security and privacy of protected health information.

In order to raise sufficient financial resources to continue to advance our product candidates, we will need to address pricing pressures and potential third-party reimbursement coverage for our product candidates. In the U.S. and elsewhere, sales of pharmaceutical products depend in significant part on the availability of reimbursement to the consumer from third-party payors, such as government and private insurance plans. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and services. It is and will continue to be time-consuming and expensive for us or our strategic collaborators to go through the process of seeking reimbursement from Medicare and private payors. Our products may not be considered cost effective, and coverage and reimbursement may not be available or sufficient to allow us to sell our products on a competitive and profitable basis.

In many foreign markets, including the countries in the European Union, pricing of pharmaceutical products is subject to governmental control. In the U.S., there have been, and we expect that there will continue to be, a number of federal and state proposals to implement similar governmental pricing control.

Antibody Clinical Development

We currently focus our research efforts primarily in the identification and isolation of human antibody drug candidates and further characterize these antibody candidates in in vitro and in vivo functional testing. Due to our limited financial resources, we intend to actively seek product development and commercialization partners from the biopharmaceuticals industry to help us advance the clinical development of select product candidates.

Marketing and Sales

We currently do not have any clinical or commercial manufacturing or sales capabilities. We may or may not manufacture the products we develop, if any. We intend to license to, or enter into strategic alliances with, larger companies in the biopharmaceutical businesses, which are equipped to manufacture, market and/or sell our products, if any, through their well-developed manufacturing capabilities and distribution networks. We intend to license some or all of our worldwide patent rights to more than one third party to achieve the fullest development, marketing and distribution of any products we develop.

Manufacturing and Raw Materials

We currently use, and expect to continue the use of, contract manufacturers for the manufacture of our product candidates. Our contract manufacturers are subject to extensive governmental regulation. Regulatory authorities in our markets require that pharmaceutical products be manufactured, packaged and labeled in conformity with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs). We intend to establish a quality control and quality assurance program, which will include a set of standard operating procedures and specifications designed to ensure that our products are manufactured in accordance with cGMPs, and other applicable domestic and foreign regulations.

We currently do not have any clinical or commercial antibody-based therapeutic manufacturing capabilities. We may or may not manufacture the products we develop, if any. We intend to use contract manufacturers for the manufacture of our product candidates.

Employees

As of December 31, 2014, we had 66 employees and 18 consultants and advisors. A significant number of our management and our other employees and consultants have worked or consulted with pharmaceutical, biotechnology or medical product companies. While we have been successful in attracting skilled and experienced scientific personnel, there can be no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain the necessary qualified employees and/or consultants in the future. None of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements and we consider relations with our employees to be good.

 

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Research and Development

Our research and development expenses totaled $24.0 million and $9.0 million in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Corporate Information

On September 21, 2009, QuikByte Software, Inc., a Colorado corporation and shell company, or QuikByte, consummated its acquisition of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation and private concern, or STI, in a reverse merger, or the Merger. Pursuant to the Merger, all of the issued and outstanding shares of STI common stock were converted into an aggregate of 6,775,032 shares of QuikByte common stock and STI became a wholly owned subsidiary of QuikByte. The holders of QuikByte’s common stock immediately prior to the Merger held an aggregate of 2,228,333 shares of QuikByte’s common stock immediately following the Merger.

We were originally incorporated as San Diego Antibody Company in California in 2006 and were renamed “Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.” and reincorporated in Delaware in 2009, prior to the Merger. QuikByte was originally incorporated in Colorado in 1989. Following the Merger, on December 4, 2009, QuikByte reincorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware, or the Reincorporation. Immediately following the Reincorporation, on December 4, 2009, we merged with and into QuikByte, the separate corporate existence of STI ceased and QuikByte continued as the surviving corporation, or the Roll-Up Merger. Pursuant to the certificate of merger filed in connection with the Roll-Up Merger, QuikByte’s name was changed from “QuikByte Software, Inc.” to “Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.” We formed Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. Hong Kong Limited effective December 4, 2012. Sorrento Hong Kong had no operations from formation through December 31, 2014. This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains additional trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies.

Address

Our principal executive offices are located at 6042 Cornerstone Ct. West, Suite B, San Diego, CA 92121, and our telephone number at that address is (858) 210-3700. Our website is www.sorrentotherapeutics.com. The contents of our website are not part of this Form 10-K.

Available Information

We file electronically with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We make available on our website at www.sorrentotherapeutics.com, free of charge, copies of these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Copies of our annual report will also be made available, free of charge, upon written request.

The public may read and copy any materials filed by us with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. The contents of these websites are not incorporated into this filing. Further, our references to the URLs for these websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

 

 

It em 1A.

Risk Factors.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Capital Requirements

We are a development-stage company subject to all of the risks and uncertainties of a new business, including the risk that we or our partners may never develop, complete development or market any of our product candidates or generate product related revenues.

We are a development-stage biopharmaceutical company that began operating and commenced research and development activities in 2009. Biopharmaceutical product development is a highly speculative undertaking and involves a substantial degree of risk. There is no assurance that our libraries of fully-human mAbs will be suitable for diagnostic or therapeutic use, or that we will be able to identify and isolate therapeutics product candidates, or develop, market and commercialize these candidates. We do not expect any of our fully-human mAb, ADC, RTX, Cynviloq or related companion diagnostic product candidates to be commercially available for a few years, if at all. Even if we are able to commercialize our product candidates, there is no assurance that these candidates would generate revenues or that any revenues generated would be sufficient for us to become profitable or thereafter maintain profitability.

 

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We do not have any products that are approved for commercial sale and therefore do not expect to generate any revenues from product sales in the foreseeable future, if ever.

We have not generated any product related revenues to date, and do not expect to generate any such revenues for at least the next several years, if at all. To obtain revenues from sales of our product candidates, we must succeed, either alone or with third parties, in developing, obtaining regulatory approval for, manufacturing and marketing products with commercial potential. We may never succeed in these activities, and we may not generate sufficient revenues to continue our business operations or achieve profitability.

We have incurred significant losses since inception and anticipate that we will incur continued losses for the foreseeable future.

As of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, we had an accumulated deficit of $67.5 million, $32.9 million and $11.0 million, respectively. We continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related to our ongoing and acquired operations. We have incurred operating losses since our inception, expect to continue to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect these losses to increase as we: (i) conduct our BE registration trial related to Cynviloq and prepare for our New Drug Application filing anticipated in 2015, (ii) advance RTX into clinical trials and potentially pursue other human or veterinary indications, (iii) continue to identify and advance a number of potential mAb and ADC drug candidates into preclinical and clinical development activities, (iv) continue our development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates, and begin to commercialize any approved products, and (v) expand our corporate infrastructure, including the costs associated with being a NASDAQ public company. As such, we are subject to all risks incidental to the development of new biopharmaceutical products and related companion diagnostics, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. Our prior losses, combined with expected future losses, have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital.

We will require substantial additional funding which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we fail to raise the necessary additional capital, we may be unable to complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates, or continue our development programs.

Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception. We expect to significantly increase our spending to advance the preclinical and clinical development of our product candidates and launch and commercialize any product candidates for which we receive regulatory approval, including building our own commercial organizations to address certain markets. We will require additional capital for the further development and commercialization of our product candidates, as well as to fund our other operating expenses and capital expenditures.

We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. We may also seek collaborators for one or more of our current or future product candidates at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable or on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available. Any of these events could significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects.

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

·

the progress of the development of our fully-human mAb, ADC, RTX, and Cynviloq or related companion diagnostic product candidates;

·

the number of product candidates we pursue;

·

the time and costs involved in obtaining regulatory approvals;

·

the costs involved in filing and prosecuting patent applications and enforcing or defending patent claims;

·

our plans to establish sales, marketing and/or manufacturing capabilities;

·

the effect of competing technological and market developments;

·

the terms and timing of any collaborative, licensing and other arrangements that we may establish;

·

general market conditions for offerings from biopharmaceutical companies;

·

our ability to establish, enforce and maintain selected strategic alliances and activities required for product commercialization; and

·

our revenues, if any, from successful development and commercialization of our product candidates.

 

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In order to carry out our business plan and implement our strategy, we anticipate that we will need to obtain additional financing from time to time and may choose to raise additional funds through strategic collaborations, licensing arrangements, public or private equity or debt financing, bank lines of credit, asset sales, government grants, or other arrangements. We cannot be sure that any additional funding, if needed, will be available on terms favorable to us or at all. Furthermore, any additional equity or equity-related financing may be dilutive to our stockholders, and debt or equity financing, if available, may subject us to restrictive covenants and significant interest costs. If we obtain funding through a strategic collaboration or licensing arrangement, we may be required to relinquish our rights to certain of our product candidates or marketing territories.

Further, there is uncertainty related to future NIH grant funding, and the NIH plans for new grants or cooperative agreements may be re-scoped, delayed, or canceled depending on the nature of the work and the availability of resources. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will receive any additional funding under our existing NIH grants, and we may not be successful in securing additional grants from the NIH in the future.

Our inability to raise capital when needed would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations, and could cause our stock price to decline or require that we wind down our operations altogether.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We are heavily dependent on the success of our technologies and product candidates, and we cannot give any assurance that any of our product candidates will receive regulatory approval, which is necessary before they can be commercialized.

To date, we have invested a significant portion of our efforts and financial resources in the acquisition and development of our product candidates. We have not demonstrated our ability to perform the functions necessary for the successful acquisition, development or commercialization of the technologies we are seeking to develop. As an early stage company, we have limited experience and have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully overcome many of the risks and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in new and rapidly evolving fields, particularly in the biopharmaceutical area. Our future success is substantially dependent on our ability to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and then successfully commercialize such product candidates. Our product candidates are currently in preclinical development or in clinical trials. Our business depends entirely on the successful development and commercialization of our product candidates, which may never occur. We currently generate no revenues from sales of any drugs, and we may never be able to develop or commercialize a marketable drug.

The successful development, and any commercialization, of our technologies and any product candidates would require us to successfully perform a variety of functions, including:

·

developing our technology platform;

·

identifying, developing, manufacturing and commercializing product candidates;

·

entering into successful licensing and other arrangements with product development partners;

·

participating in regulatory approval processes;

·

formulating and manufacturing products; and

·

conducting sales and marketing activities.

Our operations have been limited to organizing our company, acquiring, developing and securing our proprietary technology and identifying and obtaining early preclinical data or clinical data for various product candidates. These operations provide a limited basis for you to assess our ability to continue to develop our technology, identify product candidates, develop and commercialize any product candidates we are able to identify and enter into successful collaborative arrangements with other companies, as well as for you to assess the advisability of investing in our securities. Each of these requirements will require substantial time, effort and financial resources.

Each of our product candidates will require additional preclinical or clinical development, management of preclinical, clinical and manufacturing activities, regulatory approval in multiple jurisdictions, obtaining manufacturing supply, building of a commercial organization, and significant marketing efforts before we generate any revenues from product sales. We are not permitted to market or promote any of our product candidates before we receive regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, and we may never receive such regulatory approval for any of our product candidates. In addition, our product development programs contemplate the development of companion diagnostics by our third-party collaborators. Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation as medical devices and must themselves be approved for marketing by the FDA or certain other foreign regulatory agencies before we may commercialize our product candidates.

 

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Our most rapid and cost effective access to market approval for Cynviloq depends on meeting the conditions for approval under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, or FFDCA.

We are seeking approval for Cynviloq under Section 505(b)(2) of the FFDCA, enacted as part of the Drug Price Competition and Patent Restoration Act of 1984, otherwise known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, which permits applicants to rely in part on preclinical and clinical data generated by third parties.

Specifically, with respect to Cynviloq, we are relying in part on third party data on paclitaxel, which is the active ingredient in Cynviloq and the previously approved products Abraxane ®  and Taxol. There can be no assurance that the FDA will not require us to conduct additional preclinical or clinical studies or otherwise obtain new supplementary data with respect to some or all of the data upon which we may rely prior to approving a Cynviloq NDA. For instance, if bioequivalence, or BE, is not established between Abraxane and Cynviloq, then clinical trials to assess the safety and/or efficacy of our formulation may be needed.

Our NDA also relies on prior FDA findings of safety and effectiveness of previously approved products, and we will make certifications in our NDA under Section 505(b)(2) requirements based on the listed patents in the FDA publication “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutics Equivalence Evaluations,” or the Orange Book, for certain of these referenced products. In the event that one or more patents is listed in the Orange Book for the referenced product after our submission of additional information in support of our NDA for Cynviloq, we may also be required to evaluate the applicability of these patents to Cynviloq and submit additional certifications. A paragraph III certification, stating that a listed patent has not expired, but will expire on a particular date, may delay the approval of Cynviloq until the expiration of the patent. A paragraph IV certification, stating that a listed patent is invalid, unenforceable, or not infringed by Cynviloq may require us to notify the patent owner and the holder of the NDA for the referenced product of the existence of the Cynviloq NDA, and may result in patent litigation against us and the entry of a 30-month stay of FDA ability to issue final approval of the 505(b)(2) NDA for Cynviloq.

Our success also relies, in part, on obtaining Hatch-Waxman marketing exclusivity in connection with any approval of our NDA for Cynviloq. Such exclusivity protection would preclude the FDA from approving a marketing application for a duplicate of Cynviloq, a product candidate that the FDA views as having the same conditions of approval as Cynviloq (for example, the same indication, the same route of delivery and/or other conditions of use), or a 505(b)(2) NDA submitted to the FDA with Cynviloq as the reference product, for a period of three years from the date of Cynviloq approval, although the FDA may accept and commence review of such applications. This form of exclusivity may not prevent FDA approval of an NDA that relies only on its own data to support the change or innovation. Similarly, if, prior to approval of the Cynviloq NDA, another company obtains approval for a product candidate under, in the view of the FDA, the same conditions of approval that we are seeking for Cynviloq, Cynviloq could be blocked until the other company’s three-year Hatch-Waxman marketing exclusivity expires

Clinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results.

Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. It is not uncommon for companies in the biopharmaceutical industry to suffer significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Our future clinical trial results may not be successful.

This drug candidate development risk is heightened by any changes in the planned clinical trials compared to the completed clinical trials. As product candidates are developed through preclinical to early and late stage clinical trials towards approval and commercialization, it is customary that various aspects of the development program, such as manufacturing and methods of administration, are altered along the way in an effort to optimize processes and results. While these types of changes are common and are intended to optimize the product candidates for late stage clinical trials, approval and commercialization, such changes do carry the risk that they will not achieve these intended objectives.

We have not previously initiated or completed a corporate-sponsored clinical trial. Consequently, we may not have the necessary capabilities, including adequate staffing, to successfully manage the execution and completion of any clinical trials we initiate, including our planned clinical trials of Cynviloq and RTX, in a way that leads to our obtaining marketing approval for our product candidates in a timely manner, or at all.

In the event we are able to conduct a pivotal clinical trial of a product candidate, the results of such trial may not be adequate to support marketing approval. Because our product candidates are intended for use in life-threatening diseases, in some cases we ultimately intend to seek marketing approval for each product candidate based on the results of a single pivotal clinical trial. As a

 

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result, these trials may receive enhanced scrutiny from the FDA. For any such pivotal trial, if the FDA disagrees with our choice of primary endpoint or the results for the primary endpoint are not robust or significant relative to control, are subject to confounding factors, or are not adequately supported by other study endpoints, including possibly overall survival or complete response rate, the FDA may refuse to approve a BLA based on such pivotal trial. The FDA may require additional clinical trials as a condition for approving our product candidates.

In some of our future trials, we may combine Cynviloq with other therapies such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy. We have not yet tested these combinations.

Delays in clinical testing could result in increased costs to us and delay our ability to generate revenue.

Although we are planning for certain clinical trials relating to Cynviloq and RTX, there can be no assurance that the FDA will accept our proposed trial designs. We may experience delays in our clinical trials and we do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll patients on time or be completed on schedule, if at all. Clinical trials can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays related to:

·

obtaining regulatory approval to commence a trial;

·

reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations, or CROs, and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;

·

obtaining institutional review board, or IRB, approval at each site;

·

recruiting suitable patients to participate in a trial;

·

clinical sites deviating from trial protocol or dropping out of a trial;

·

having patients complete a trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;

·

developing and validating companion diagnostics on a timely basis, if required;

·

adding new clinical trial sites; or

·

manufacturing sufficient quantities of product candidate for use in clinical trials.

Patient enrollment, a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials, is affected by many factors including the size and nature of the patient population, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the eligibility criteria for the trial, the design of the clinical trial, competing clinical trials and clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages of the drug being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs that may be approved for the indications we are investigating. Furthermore, we intend to rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure the proper and timely conduct of our clinical trials and we intend to have agreements governing their committed activities, we will have limited influence over their actual performance.

We could encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, by the IRBs of the institutions in which such trials are being conducted, by the Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, for such trial or by the FDA or other regulatory authorities. Such authorities may impose such a suspension or termination due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using a drug, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial.

If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of, any clinical trial of our product candidates, the commercial prospects of our product candidates will be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these product candidates will be delayed. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenues. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly. In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.

 

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Competition for patients in conducting clinical trials may prevent or delay product development and strain our limited financial resources.

Many pharmaceutical companies are conducting clinical trials in patients with the disease indications that our potential drug products target. As a result, we must compete with them for clinical sites, physicians and the limited number of patients who fulfill the stringent requirements for participation in clinical trials. Also, due to the confidential nature of clinical trials, we do not know how many of the eligible patients may be enrolled in competing studies and who are consequently not available to us for our clinical trials. Our clinical trials may be delayed or terminated due to the inability to enroll enough patients. Patient enrollment depends on many factors, including the size of the patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical sites and the eligibility criteria for the study. The delay or inability to meet planned patient enrollment may result in increased costs and delays or termination of the trial, which could have a harmful effect on our ability to develop products.

The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and comparable foreign authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.

The time required to obtain approval by the FDA and comparable foreign authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, regulations, or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. We have not obtained regulatory approval for any product candidate and it is possible that none of our existing product candidates or any product candidates we may seek to develop in the future will ever obtain regulatory approval.

Our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons, including the following:

·

the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials;

·

we may be unable to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities that a product candidate is safe and effective for its proposed indication;

·

the results of clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for approval;

·

the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;

·

the data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates may not be sufficient to support the submission of an NDA or other submission or to obtain regulatory approval in the U.S. or elsewhere;

·

the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may fail to approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract for clinical and commercial supplies;

·

the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may fail to approve the companion diagnostics we contemplate developing with partners; and

·

the approval policies or regulations of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval.

This lengthy approval process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market our product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

In addition, even if we were to obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve any of our product candidates for fewer or more limited indications than we request, may not approve the price we intend to charge for our products, may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing clinical trials, or may approve a product candidate with a label that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of that product candidate. Any of the foregoing scenarios could materially harm the commercial prospects for our product candidates.

We have not previously submitted a biologics license application, or BLA, or a New Drug Application, or NDA, to the FDA, or similar drug approval filings to comparable foreign authorities, for any product candidate, and we cannot be certain that any of our product candidates will be successful in clinical trials or receive regulatory approval. Further, our product candidates may not receive

 

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regulatory approval even if they are successful in clinical trials. If we do not receive regulatory approvals for our product candidates, we may not be able to continue our operations. Even if we successfully obtain regulatory approvals to market one or more of our product candidates, our revenues will be dependent, in part, upon our collaborators’ ability to obtain regulatory approval of the companion diagnostics to be used with our product candidates, as well as the size of the markets in the territories for which we gain regulatory approval and have commercial rights. If the markets for patients that we are targeting for our product candidates are not as significant as we estimate, we may not generate significant revenues from sales of such products, if approved.

We plan to seek regulatory approval to commercialize our product candidates both in the U.S., the European Union and in additional foreign countries. While the scope of regulatory approval is similar in other countries, to obtain separate regulatory approval in many other countries we must comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of such countries regarding safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials and commercial sales, pricing and distribution of our product candidates, and we cannot predict success in these jurisdictions.

 

Our approach to the discovery and development of product candidates that target ADCs is unproven, and we do not know whether we will be able to develop any products of commercial value.

ADCs are emerging technologies and, consequently, it is conceivable that such technologies may ultimately fail to identify commercially viable drugs to treat human patients with cancer or other diseases.

Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial profile of an approved label, or result in significant negative consequences following marketing approval, if any.

Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other comparable foreign authorities. To date, patients treated with Cynviloq have experienced drug-related side effects such as neutropenia, leukopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, peripheral neuropathy, myalgia nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, alopecia, rash, pruritus and hypersensitivity reactions. The clinical evaluation of Cynviloq is still in the early stages, but as is the case with all oncology drugs, it is likely that there may be side effects associated with its use. Results of our trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of these or other side effects. In such an event, our trials could be suspended or terminated and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development of or deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. The drug-related side effects could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.

Additionally if one or more of our product candidates receives marketing approval, and we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by such products, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

·

regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals of such products;

·

regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label;

·

we may be required to create a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients;

·

we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and

·

our reputation may suffer.

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product candidate or for particular indications of a product candidate, if approved, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

We rely on third parties to conduct our preclinical and clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully perform their contractual legal and regulatory duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our product candidates and our business could be substantially harmed.

We have relied upon and plan to continue to rely upon third-party CROs to monitor and manage data for our ongoing preclinical and clinical programs. We rely on these parties for execution of our preclinical and clinical trials, and control only certain aspects of their activities. Nevertheless, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. We and our CROs are required to comply with current good clinical practices, or cGCP, which are regulations and guidelines enforced

 

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by the FDA, the Competent Authorities of the Member States of the European Economic Area, or EEA, and comparable foreign regulatory authorities for all of our products in clinical development.

 

Regulatory authorities enforce these cGCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. If we or any of our CROs fail to comply with applicable cGCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that upon inspection by a given regulatory authority, such regulatory authority will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with cGCP regulations. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP, regulations. Our failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

If any of our relationships with these third-party CROs terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or to do so on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, our CROs are not our employees, and except for remedies available to us under our agreements with such CROs, we cannot control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our on-going clinical, nonclinical and preclinical programs. If CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, if they need to be replaced or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols, regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our product candidates. As a result, our results of operations and the commercial prospects for our product candidates would be harmed, our costs could increase and our ability to generate revenues could be delayed.

Switching or adding additional CROs involves additional cost and requires management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work. As a result, delays occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Though we carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

We expect to rely on third parties to manufacture our clinical drug supplies and we intend to rely on third parties to produce commercial supplies of any approved product candidate, and our commercialization of any of our product candidates could be stopped, delayed or made less profitable if those third parties fail to obtain approval of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of drug product or fail to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices.

We do not currently have nor do we plan to acquire the infrastructure or capability internally to manufacture our clinical drug supplies for use in the conduct of our clinical trials, and we lack the resources and the capability to manufacture any of our product candidates on a clinical or commercial scale. We do not control the manufacturing process of, and are completely dependent on, our contract manufacturing partners for compliance with the cGMP regulatory requirements for manufacture of both active drug substances and finished drug products. If our contract manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or others, they will not be able to secure and/or maintain regulatory approval for their manufacturing facilities. In addition, we have no control over the ability of our contract manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates or if it withdraws any such approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for or market our product candidates, if approved.

 

With respect to Cynviloq (Genexol-PM), we are solely dependent on and are required to purchase from Samyang all of our required supplies of the product, and there can be no assurance that the product we receive is manufactured in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or that Samyang will provide us with all of the product that we require.  Our reliance on Samyang may result in a failure to supply, which would impact our ability to further develop and obtain approval for Cynviloq, or to successfully commercialize the product, even if approved.  Any failure of Samyang in supplying Cynviloq to meet our requirements, including cGMP standards, would risk significant delay and potential non-approvability of Cynviloq, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations .

Material necessary to manufacture our product candidates may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, which may delay the development and commercialization of our product candidates.

We rely on our manufacturers to produce or purchase from third-party suppliers the materials necessary to produce our product candidates for our clinical trials. There are a limited number of suppliers for raw materials that we use to manufacture our drugs and

 

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there may be a need to assess alternate suppliers to prevent a possible disruption of the manufacture of the materials necessary to produce our product candidates for our clinical trials, and if approved, ultimately for commercial sale. We do not have any control over the process or timing of the acquisition of these raw materials by our manufacturers. Except for the manufacture and supply of Cynviloq, we currently do not have any agreements for the commercial production of these raw materials. Any significant delay in the supply of a product candidate, or the raw material components thereof, for an ongoing clinical trial due to the need to replace a third-party manufacturer could considerably delay completion of our clinical trials, product testing and potential regulatory approval of our product candidates. If our manufacturers or we are unable to purchase these raw materials after regulatory approval has been obtained for our product candidates, the commercial launch of our product candidates would be delayed or there would be a shortage in supply, which would impair our ability to generate revenues from the sale of our product candidates.

We expect to continue to depend on third-party contract manufacturers for the foreseeable future. We have not entered into long-term agreements with all of our current contract manufacturers or with any alternate fill/finish suppliers, and though we intend to do so prior to commercial launch in order to ensure that we maintain adequate supplies of finished drug product, we may be unable to enter into such an agreement or do so on commercially reasonable terms, which could have a material adverse impact upon our business. We currently obtain our supplies of finished drug product through individual purchase orders.

We may not be able to manufacture our product candidates in commercial quantities, which would prevent us from commercializing our product candidates.

We are dependent on our third party manufacturers to conduct process development and scale-up work necessary to support greater clinical development and commercialization requirements for our product candidates. Carrying out these activities in a timely manner, and on commercially reasonable terms, is critical to the successful development and commercialization of our product candidates. We expect our third-party manufacturers are capable of providing sufficient quantities of our product candidates to meet anticipated clinical and full-scale commercial demands, however if third parties with whom we currently work are unable to meet our supply requirements, we will need to secure alternate suppliers. While we believe that there are other contract manufacturers having the technical capabilities to manufacture our product candidates, we cannot be certain that identifying and establishing relationships with such sources would not result in significant delay or material additional costs.

We currently have no sales and marketing organization. If we are unable to establish a direct sales force in the U.S. to promote our products, the commercial opportunity for our products may be diminished.

We currently have no sales and marketing organization. If any of our product candidates are approved by the FDA, we intend to market that product through our own sales force. We will incur significant additional expenses and commit significant additional management resources to establish our sales force. We may not be able to establish these capabilities despite these additional expenditures. We will also have to compete with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to recruit, hire and train sales and marketing personnel. If we elect to rely on third parties to sell our product candidates in the U.S., we may receive less revenue than if we sold our products directly. In addition, although we would intend to use due diligence in monitoring their activities, we may have little or no control over the sales efforts of those third parties. In the event we are unable to develop our own sales force or collaborate with a third party to sell our product candidates, we may not be able to commercialize our product candidates which would negatively impact our ability to generate revenue.

We may need others to market and commercialize our product candidates in international markets.

In the future, if appropriate regulatory approvals are obtained, we may commercialize our product candidates in international markets. However, we have not decided how to commercialize our product candidates in those markets. We may decide to build our own sales force or sell our products through third parties. If we decide to sell our product candidates in international markets through a third party, we may not be able to enter into any marketing arrangements on favorable terms or at all. In addition, these arrangements could result in lower levels of income to us than if we marketed our product candidates entirely on our own. If we are unable to enter into a marketing arrangement for our product candidates in international markets, we may not be able to develop an effective international sales force to successfully commercialize those products in international markets. If we fail to enter into marketing arrangements for our products and are unable to develop an effective international sales force, our ability to generate revenue would be limited.

Even if we receive regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense. Additionally, our product candidates, if approved, could be subject to labeling and other restrictions and market withdrawal and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our products.

Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates may also be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly

 

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post-marketing testing, including Phase IV clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate. In addition, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves any of our product candidates, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for the product will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMPs and cGCPs for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. The future discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:

·

restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, withdrawal of the product from the market, or voluntary or mandatory product recalls;

·

fines, warning letters or holds on clinical trials;

·

refusal by the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us, or suspension or revocation of product license approvals;

·

product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products; and

·

injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

The FDA’s policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained, which would adversely affect our business, prospects and ability to achieve or sustain profitability.

We will need to obtain FDA approval of any proposed product brand names, and any failure or delay associated with such approval may adversely impact our business.

A pharmaceutical product cannot be marketed in the U.S. or other countries until we have completed rigorous and extensive regulatory review processes, including approval of a brand name. Any brand names we intend to use for our product candidates will require approval from the FDA regardless of whether we have secured a formal trademark registration from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the PTO. The FDA typically conducts a review of proposed product brand names, including an evaluation of potential for confusion with other product names. The FDA may also object to a product brand name if we believe the name inappropriately implies medical claims. If the FDA objects to any of our proposed product brand names, we may be required to adopt an alternative brand name for our product candidates. If we adopt an alternative brand name, we would lose the benefit of our existing trademark applications for such product candidate and may be required to expend significant additional resources in an effort to identify a suitable product brand name that would qualify under applicable trademark laws, not infringe the existing rights of third parties and be acceptable to the FDA. We may be unable to build a successful brand identity for a new trademark in a timely manner or at all, which would limit our ability to commercialize our product candidates.

Our failure to successfully discover, acquire, develop and market additional product candidates or approved products would impair our ability to grow.

As part of our growth strategy, we intend to develop and market additional products and product candidates. We are pursuing various therapeutic opportunities through our pipeline. We may spend several years completing our development of any particular current or future internal product candidate, and failure can occur at any stage. The product candidates to which we allocate our resources may not end up being successful. In addition, because our internal research capabilities are limited, we may be dependent upon pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic scientists and other researchers to sell or license products or technology to us. The success of this strategy depends partly upon our ability to identify, select, discover and acquire promising pharmaceutical product candidates and products. Failure of this strategy would impair our ability to grow.

The process of proposing, negotiating and implementing a license or acquisition of a product candidate or approved product is lengthy and complex. Other companies, including some with substantially greater financial, marketing and sales resources, may compete with us for the license or acquisition of product candidates and approved products. We have limited resources to identify and execute the acquisition or in-licensing of third-party products, businesses and technologies and integrate them into our current infrastructure. Moreover, we may devote resources to potential acquisitions or in-licensing opportunities that are never completed, or we may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of such efforts. We may not be able to acquire the rights to additional product candidates on terms that we find acceptable, or at all.

 

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In addition, future acquisitions may entail numerous operational and financial risks, including:

·

disruption of our business and diversion of our management’s time and attention to develop acquired products or technologies;

·

incurrence of substantial debt, dilutive issuances of securities or depletion of cash to pay for acquisitions;

·

higher than expected acquisition and integration costs;

·

difficulty in combining the operations and personnel of any acquired businesses with our operations and personnel;

·

increased amortization expenses;

·

impairment of relationships with key suppliers or customers of any acquired businesses due to changes in management and ownership;

·

inability to motivate key employees of any acquired businesses; and

·

assumption of known and unknown liabilities.

Further, any product candidate that we acquire may require additional development efforts prior to commercial sale, including extensive clinical testing and approval by the FDA and applicable foreign regulatory authorities. All product candidates are prone to risks of failure typical of pharmaceutical product development, including the possibility that a product candidate will not be shown to be sufficiently safe and effective for approval by regulatory authorities.

Our commercial success depends upon us attaining significant market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved for sale, among physicians, patients, healthcare payors and major operators of cancer and other clinics.

Even if we obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, the product may not gain market acceptance among physicians, health care payors, patients and the medical community, which are critical to commercial success. Market acceptance of any product candidate for which we receive approval depends on a number of factors, including:

·

the efficacy and safety as demonstrated in clinical trials;

·

the timing of market introduction of such product candidate as well as competitive products;

·

the clinical indications for which the drug is approved;

·

acceptance by physicians, major operators of cancer clinics and patients of the drug as a safe and effective treatment;

·

the safety of such product candidate seen in a broader patient group, including its use outside the approved indications;

·

the availability, cost and potential advantages of alternative treatments, including less expensive generic drugs;

·

the availability of adequate reimbursement and pricing by third-party payors and government authorities;

·

the relative convenience and ease of administration of Cynviloq for clinical practices;

·

the product labeling or product insert required by the FDA or regulatory authority in other countries;

·

the approval, availability, market acceptance and reimbursement for a companion diagnostic, if any;

·

the prevalence and severity of adverse side effects; and

·

the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts.

If any product candidate that we develop does not provide a treatment regimen that is as beneficial as, or is perceived as being as beneficial as, the current standard of care or otherwise does not provide patient benefit, that product candidate, if approved for commercial sale by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, likely will not achieve market acceptance. Our ability to effectively promote and sell any approved products will also depend on pricing and cost-effectiveness, including our ability to produce a product at a competitive price and our ability to obtain sufficient third-party coverage or reimbursement. If any product candidate is approved but does not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians, patients and third-party payors, our ability to generate revenues from that product would be substantially reduced. In addition, our efforts to educate the medical community and third-party payors on the benefits of our product candidates may require significant resources, may be constrained by FDA rules and policies on product promotion, and may never be successful.

 

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If we fail to develop Cynviloq TM for additional indications, our commercial opportunity will be limited.

To date, our initial focus has been on the development of Cynviloq for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, or MBC, and non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC. A key element of our strategy is to pursue clinical development of Cynviloq for bladder cancer and ovarian cancer, and potentially for other indications. Although we believe there is large commercial opportunity for the treatment of MBC and NSCLC alone, our ability to generate and grow revenues will be highly dependent on our ability to successfully develop and commercialize Cynviloq for the treatment of additional indications. The development of Cynviloq for additional indications is prone to the risks of failure inherent in drug development and we cannot provide you any assurance that we will be able to successfully advance any of these programs through the development process. Even if we receive FDA approval to market Cynviloq for the treatment of any additional indications, we cannot assure you that any such indications will be successfully commercialized, widely accepted in the marketplace or more effective than other commercially available alternatives. If we are unable to successfully develop and commercialize Cynviloq for additional indications, our commercial opportunity will be limited and our business prospects will suffer.

If we cannot compete successfully against other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, we may not be successful in developing and commercializing our technology and our business will suffer.

The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are characterized by intense competition and rapid technological advances, both in the U.S. and internationally. In addition, the competition in the oncology market is intense. For example, our late-stage product candidate, Cynviloq, may compete directly with a marketed product, Abraxane, for certain cancer indications. Abraxane is already approved for MBC, NSCLC and pancreatic cancer, and approval is being pursued for and melanoma cancer. Even if we are able to develop our proprietary platform technology and additional antibody libraries, each will compete with a number of existing and future technologies and product candidates developed, manufactured and marketed by others. Specifically, we will compete against fully integrated pharmaceutical companies and smaller companies that are collaborating with larger pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations. Many of these competitors have validated technologies with products already FDA-approved or in various stages of development. In addition, many of these competitors, either alone or together with their collaborative partners, operate larger research and development programs and have substantially greater financial resources than we do, as well as significantly greater experience in:

·

developing product candidates and technologies generally;

·

undertaking preclinical testing and clinical trials;

·

obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals of product candidates;

·

formulating and manufacturing product candidates; and

·

launching, marketing and selling product candidates.

Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and other resources, such as larger research and development staff and experienced marketing and manufacturing organizations. Additional mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated in our competitors. As a result, these companies may obtain regulatory approval more rapidly than we are able and may be more effective in selling and marketing their products as well. Smaller or early-stage companies or generic pharmaceutical manufacturers may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large, established companies. Competition may increase further as a result of advances in the commercial applicability of technologies and greater availability of capital for investment in these industries. Our competitors may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing on an exclusive basis drug products that are more effective or less costly than any drug candidate that we are currently developing or that we may develop. If approved, our product candidates will face competition from commercially available drugs as well as drugs that are in the development pipelines of our competitors and later enter the market.

Established pharmaceutical companies may invest heavily to accelerate discovery and development of novel compounds or to in-license novel compounds that could make our product candidates less competitive. In addition, any new product that competes with an approved product must demonstrate compelling advantages in efficacy, convenience, tolerability and safety in order to overcome price competition and to be commercially successful. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining patent protection, receiving FDA, EMA or other regulatory approval or discovering, developing and commercializing medicines before we do, which would have a material adverse impact on our business. If our technologies fail to compete effectively against third party technologies, our business will be adversely impacted.

 

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We expect that our ability to compete effectively will depend upon our ability to:

·

successfully and efficiently complete clinical trials and submit for and obtain all requisite regulatory approvals in a cost-effective manner;

·

maintain a proprietary position for our products and manufacturing processes and other related product technology;

·

attract and retain key personnel;

·

develop relationships with physicians prescribing these products; and

·

build an adequate sales and marketing infrastructure for our product candidates.

Because we will be competing against significantly larger companies with established track records, we will have to demonstrate that, based on experience, clinical data, side-effect profiles and other factors, our products, if approved, are competitive with other products.

If approved, Cynviloq will face competition from less expensive generic products of competitors and, if we are unable to differentiate the benefits of Cynviloq over these less expensive alternatives, we may never generate meaningful product revenues.

Generic paclitaxel therapies are typically sold at lower prices than branded paclitaxel therapies and are generally preferred by hospital formularies and managed care providers of health services. We anticipate that, if approved, Cynviloq will face increasing competition in the form of generic versions of branded products of competitors that have lost or will lose their patent exclusivity. For example, Cynviloq, if approved, will initially face competition from the less expensive generic forms of paclitaxel that are currently available such as Taxol, and, in the future, would face additional competition from a generic form of Abraxane when the patents covering it begin to expire in approximately 2022, or earlier if the patents are successfully challenged. If we are unable to demonstrate to physicians and payers that the key differentiating features of Cynviloq translate to overall clinical benefit or lower cost of care, we may not be able to compete with generic alternatives.

Reimbursement may be limited or unavailable in certain market segments for our product candidates, which could make it difficult for us to sell our products profitably.

There is significant uncertainty related to the third-party coverage and reimbursement of newly approved drugs. We intend to seek approval to market our product candidates in the U.S., Europe and other selected foreign jurisdictions. Market acceptance and sales of our product candidates in both domestic and international markets will depend significantly on the availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for any of our product candidates and may be affected by existing and future health care reform measures. Government and other third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain healthcare costs by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement for new drugs and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our product candidates. These payors may conclude that our product candidates are less safe, less effective or less cost-effective than existing or future introduced products, and third-party payors may not approve our product candidates for coverage and reimbursement or may cease providing coverage and reimbursement for these product candidates.

Obtaining coverage and reimbursement approval for a product from a government or other third-party payor is a time consuming and costly process that could require us to provide to the payor supporting scientific, clinical and cost-effectiveness data for the use of our products. We may not be able to provide data sufficient to gain acceptance with respect to coverage and reimbursement. If reimbursement of our future products is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, we may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability.

In some foreign countries, particularly in the European Union, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after the receipt of marketing approval for a product candidate. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials that compare the cost-effectiveness of our product candidates to other available therapies. If reimbursement of our product candidates is unavailable or limited in scope or amount in a particular country, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, we may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability of our products in such country.

Healthcare reform measures could hinder or prevent our product candidates’ commercial success.

In both the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been and we expect there will continue to be a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the health care system that could impact our ability to sell our products profitably. The U.S. government and other governments have shown significant interest in pursuing healthcare reform. In particular, the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 revised the payment methodology for many products under the Medicare program in the U.S. This has resulted in lower rates of

 

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reimbursement. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, collectively, the Healthcare Reform Law, was enacted. The Healthcare Reform Law substantially changes the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. Such government-adopted reform measures may adversely impact the pricing of healthcare products and services in the United States or internationally and the amount of reimbursement available from governmental agencies or other third-party payors.

There have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the federal and state levels directed at broadening the availability of healthcare and containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare may adversely affect the demand for any drug products for which we may obtain regulatory approval, as well as our ability to set satisfactory prices for our products, to generate revenues, and to achieve and maintain profitability.

Certain of our potential product candidates are in early stages of development and any product candidates that we develop will require extensive preclinical and clinical testing before they are approved by the appropriate regulatory agency, if at all.

The FDA regulates, among other things, the development, testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, record-keeping, labeling, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution of biopharmaceutical products. We are in the early stages of developing potential product candidates, and any candidates that we develop will require extensive preclinical and clinical testing before they will be approved by the FDA or another regulatory authority in a jurisdiction outside the U.S., if at all. We have not yet developed any product candidate; if we were to do so there are a number of requirements that we would be required to satisfy in order to begin conducting preclinical trials and there can be no assurance that we will develop product candidates or complete the steps necessary to allow us to commence these trials. We cannot predict with any certainty the results of preclinical testing or whether such trials would yield sufficient data to permit us, or those with whom we collaborate, to proceed with clinical development and ultimately submit an application for regulatory approval of our product candidates in the U.S. or abroad, or whether such applications would be approved by the appropriate regulatory agency. Further, our product candidates may not receive regulatory approval even if they are successful in clinical trials. If we do not receive regulatory approvals for our product candidates, we may not be able to continue our operations.

Failure to successfully validate, develop and obtain regulatory approval for companion diagnostics could harm our long-term drug development strategy.

As one of the key elements of our clinical development strategy, we seek to identify patients within a disease category or indication who may derive selective and meaningful benefit from the product candidates we are developing. In collaboration with partners, we plan to develop companion diagnostics to help us to more accurately identify patients within a particular category or indication, both during our clinical trials and in connection with the commercialization of certain of our product candidates. Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities as medical devices and require separate regulatory approval prior to commercialization. We do not develop companion diagnostics internally and thus we are dependent on the sustained cooperation and effort of our third-party collaborators in developing and obtaining approval for these companion diagnostics. We and our collaborators may encounter difficulties in developing and obtaining approval for the companion diagnostics, including issues relating to selectivity/specificity, analytical validation, reproducibility, or clinical validation. Any delay or failure by our collaborators to develop or obtain regulatory approval of the companion diagnostics could delay or prevent approval of our product candidates. In addition, our collaborators may encounter production difficulties that could constrain the supply of the companion diagnostics, and both they and we may have difficulties gaining acceptance of the use of the companion diagnostics in the clinical community. If such companion diagnostics fail to gain market acceptance, it would have an adverse effect on our ability to derive revenues from sales of our products. In addition, the diagnostic company with whom we contract may decide to discontinue selling or manufacturing the companion diagnostic that we anticipate using in connection with development and commercialization of our product candidates or our relationship with such diagnostic company may otherwise terminate. We may not be able to enter into arrangements with another diagnostic company to obtain supplies of an alternative diagnostic test for use in connection with the development and commercialization of our product candidates or do so on commercially reasonable terms, which could adversely affect and/or delay the development or commercialization of our product candidates.

Our product development efforts may not be successful.

Our product development efforts for our FIC therapeutic antibodies, ADC, bispecific Abs, CAR.TNK and rIVIG technologies are designed to focus on novel therapeutic approaches and technologies that have not been widely studied. We are applying these approaches and technologies in our attempt to discover new treatments for conditions that are also the subject of research and development efforts of many other companies. These approaches and technologies may never be successful.

 

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Our failure to find third party collaborators to assist or share in the costs of product development could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our strategy for the development and commercialization of our proprietary product candidates may include the formation of collaborative arrangements with third parties. Potential third parties include biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions and other entities. Third-party collaborators may assist us in:

·

funding research, preclinical development, clinical trials and manufacturing;

·

seeking and obtaining regulatory approvals; and

·

successfully commercializing any future product candidates.

If we are not able to establish further collaboration agreements, we may be required to undertake product development and commercialization at our own expense. Such an undertaking may limit the number of product candidates that we will be able to develop, significantly increase our capital requirements and place additional strain on our internal resources. Our failure to enter into additional collaborations could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, our dependence on licensing, collaboration and other agreements with third parties may subject us to a number of risks. These agreements may not be on terms that prove favorable to us and may require us to relinquish certain rights in our product candidates. To the extent we agree to work exclusively with one collaborator in a given area, our opportunities to collaborate with other entities could be curtailed. Lengthy negotiations with potential new collaborators may lead to delays in the research, development or commercialization of product candidates. The decision by our collaborators to pursue alternative technologies or the failure of our collaborators to develop or commercialize successfully any product candidate to which they have obtained rights from us could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Adverse economic conditions may have material adverse consequences on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Unpredictable and unstable changes in economic conditions, including recession, inflation, increased government intervention, or other changes, may adversely affect our general business strategy. We rely upon our ability to generate additional sources of liquidity and we may need to raise additional funds through public or private debt or equity financings in order to fund existing operations or to take advantage of opportunities, including acquisitions of complementary businesses or technologies. Any adverse event would have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Because our development activities are expected to rely heavily on sensitive and personal information, an area which is highly regulated by privacy laws, we may not be able to generate, maintain or access essential patient samples or data to continue our research and development efforts in the future on reasonable terms and conditions, which may adversely affect our business.

We may have access to very sensitive data regarding patients whose tissue samples are used in our studies. This data will contain information that is personal in nature. The maintenance of this data is subject to certain privacy-related laws, which impose upon us administrative and financial burdens, and litigation risks. For instance, the rules promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Services under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, create national standards to protect patients’ medical records and other personal information in the U.S. These rules require that healthcare providers and other covered entities obtain written authorizations from patients prior to disclosing protected health care information of the patient to companies. If the patient fails to execute an authorization or the authorization fails to contain all required provisions, then we will not be allowed access to the patient’s information and our research efforts can be substantially delayed. Furthermore, use of protected health information that is provided to us pursuant to a valid patient authorization is subject to the limits set forth in the authorization (i.e., for use in research and in submissions to regulatory authorities for product approvals). As such, we are required to implement policies, procedures and reasonable and appropriate security measures to protect individually identifiable health information we receive from covered entities, and to ensure such information is used only as authorized by the patient. Any violations of these rules by us could subject us to civil and criminal penalties and adverse publicity, and could harm our ability to initiate and complete clinical studies required to support regulatory applications for our proposed products. In addition, HIPAA does not replace federal, state, or other laws that may grant individuals even greater privacy protections. We can provide no assurance that future legislation will not prevent us from generating or maintaining personal data or that patients will consent to the use of their personal information, either of which may prevent us from undertaking or publishing essential research. These burdens or risks may prove too great for us to reasonably bear, and may adversely affect our ability to achieve profitability or maintain profitably in the future.

 

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Our therapeutic product candidates for which we intend to seek approval as biological products may face competition sooner than expected.

With the enactment of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, as part of the Health Care Reform Law, an abbreviated pathway for the approval of biosimilar and interchangeable biological products was created. The new abbreviated regulatory pathway establishes legal authority for the FDA to review and approve biosimilar biologics, including the possible designation of a biosimilar as “interchangeable.” The FDA defines an interchangeable biosimilar as a product that, in terms of safety or diminished efficacy, presents no greater risk when switching between the biosimilar and its reference product than the risk of using the reference product alone. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product cannot be submitted to the FDA until four years, or approved by the FDA until 12 years, after the original brand product identified as the reference product was approved under a BLA. The new law is complex and is only beginning to be interpreted by the FDA. As a result, its ultimate impact, implementation and meaning are subject to uncertainty. While it is uncertain when any such processes may be fully adopted by the FDA, any such processes could have a material adverse effect on the future commercial prospects for our biological products.

We believe that if any of our product candidates were to be approved as biological products under a BLA, such approved products should qualify for the 12-year period of exclusivity. However, there is a risk that the U.S. Congress could amend the BPCIA to significantly shorten this exclusivity period as proposed by President Obama, potentially creating the opportunity for generic competition sooner than anticipated. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar, once approved, will be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products is not yet clear, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing. In addition, a competitor could decide to forego the biosimilar route and submit a full BLA after completing its own preclinical studies and clinical trials. In such cases, any exclusivity to which we may be eligible under the BPCIA would not prevent the competitor from marketing its product as soon as it is approved.

We may be exposed to liability claims associated with the use of hazardous materials and chemicals.

Our research and development activities may involve the controlled use of hazardous materials and chemicals. Although we believe that our safety procedures for using, storing, handling and disposing of these materials comply with federal, state and local laws and regulations, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental injury or contamination from these materials. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for any resulting damages and any liability could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We do not currently maintain hazardous materials insurance coverage. In addition, the federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of hazardous or radioactive materials and waste products may require us to incur substantial compliance costs that could materially harm our business.

If we are unable to retain and recruit qualified scientists and advisors, or if any of our key executives, key employees or key consultants discontinues his or her employment or consulting relationship with us, it may delay our development efforts or otherwise harm our business.

We may not be able to attract or retain qualified management and scientific and clinical personnel in the future due to the intense competition for qualified personnel among biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other businesses, particularly in the San Diego, California area. Our industry has experienced a high rate of turnover of management personnel in recent years. If we are not able to attract, retain and motivate necessary personnel to accomplish our business objectives, we may experience constraints that will significantly impede the successful development of any product candidates, our ability to raise additional capital and our ability to implement our overall business strategy.

We are highly dependent on key members of our management and scientific staff, especially Henry Ji, Ph.D, Chief Executive Officer and President, Mike Royal, Executive Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, David Miao, Chief Technology Officer and George Uy, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. Our success also depends on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled junior, mid-level, and senior managers as well as junior, mid-level, and senior scientific and medical personnel. The loss of any of our executive officers, key employees or key consultants and our inability to find suitable replacements could impede the achievement of our research and development objectives, potentially harm our business, financial condition and prospects. Furthermore, recruiting and retaining qualified scientific personnel to perform research and development work in the future is critical to our success. We may be unable to attract and retain personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among biotechnology, biopharmaceutical and health care companies, universities and non-profit research institutions for experienced scientists. Certain of our current officers, directors, scientific advisors and/or consultants or certain of the officers, directors, scientific advisors and/or consultants hereafter appointed may from time to time serve as officers, directors, scientific advisors and/or consultants of other biopharmaceutical or biotechnology companies. We do not maintain “key man” insurance policies on any of our officers or employees. All of our employees are employed “at will” and, therefore, each employee may leave our employment at any time.

 

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We may not be able to attract or retain qualified management and scientific personnel in the future due to the intense competition for a limited number of qualified personnel among biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other businesses. Many of the other pharmaceutical companies that we compete against for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a longer history in the industry than we do. They also may provide more diverse opportunities and better chances for career advancement. Some of these characteristics may be more appealing to high quality candidates than what we have to offer. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, the rate and success at which we can develop and commercialize product candidates will be limited.

We plan to grant stock options or other forms of equity awards in the future as a method of attracting and retaining employees, motivating performance and aligning the interests of employees with those of our stockholders. If we are unable to implement and maintain equity compensation arrangements that provide sufficient incentives, we may be unable to retain our existing employees and attract additional qualified candidates. If we are unable to retain our existing employees, including qualified scientific personnel, and attract additional qualified candidates, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our employees may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct. Misconduct by employees could include intentional failures to comply with FDA regulations, provide accurate information to the FDA, comply with manufacturing standards we have established, comply with federal and state health-care fraud and abuse laws and regulations, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Employee misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, but it is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business and results of operations, including the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions.

We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws and health information privacy and security laws. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.

If we obtain FDA approval for any of our product candidates and begin commercializing those products in the U.S., our operations may be directly, or indirectly through our customers, subject to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the federal False Claims Act. These laws may impact, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs. In addition, we may be subject to patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:

·

the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce, or in return for, the purchase or recommendation of an item or service reimbursable under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;

·

federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws, which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid, or other third-party payers that are false or fraudulent;

·

HIPAA, which created new federal criminal statutes that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and making false statements relating to healthcare matters;

·

HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations, which imposes certain requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information; and

·

state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payer, including commercial insurers, and state laws governing the

 

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privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.

If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of our product candidates.

We face an inherent risk of product liability as a result of the clinical testing of our product candidates and will face an even greater risk if we commercialize any products. For example, we may be sued if any product we develop allegedly causes injury or is found to be otherwise unsuitable during product testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability, and a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our product candidates, if approved. Even successful defense would require significant financial and management resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

·

decreased demand for our product candidates or products that we may develop;

·

injury to our reputation;

·

withdrawal of clinical trial participants;

·

initiation of investigations by regulators;

·

costs to defend the related litigation;

·

a diversion of management’s time and our resources;

·

substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;

·

product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;

·

loss of revenues from product sales; and

·

the inability to commercialize our product candidates.

Our inability to obtain and retain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of products we develop.

We will need to increase the size of our company and may not effectively manage our growth.

Our success will depend upon growing our business and our employee base. Over the next 12 months, we plan to add additional employees to assist us with research and development. Our future growth, if any, may cause a significant strain on our management, and our operational, financial and other resources. Our ability to manage our growth effectively will require us to implement and improve our operational, financial and management systems and to expand, train, manage and motivate our employees. These demands may require the hiring of additional management personnel and the development of additional expertise by management. Any increase in resources devoted to research and product development without a corresponding increase in our operational, financial and management systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

   Any disruption in our research and development facilities could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our principal executive offices, which house our research and development programs, are located in San Diego, California. We are moving to new facilities in San Diego in 2015, which may impact the timing and plans if we fail to timely and successfully move our research staff.  Our facilities may be affected by natural or man-made disasters. Earthquakes are of particular significance since our facilities are located in an earthquake-prone area. We are also vulnerable to damage from other types of disasters, including power loss, attacks from extremist organizations, fire, floods and similar events. In the event that our facilities were affected by a natural or man-made disaster, we may be forced to curtail our operations and/or rely on third-parties to perform some or all of our research and development activities. Although we believe we possess adequate insurance for damage to our property and the disruption of our business from casualties, such insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our potential losses and may not continue to be available

 

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to us on acceptable terms, or at all. In the future, we may choose to expand our operations in either our existing facilities or in new facilities. If we expand our worldwide manufacturing locations, there can be no assurance that this expansion will occur without implementation difficulties, or at all.

Our business and operations would suffer in the event of system failures.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our CROs and other contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. While we have not experienced any such system failure, accident or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our drug development programs. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or ongoing or planned clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach was to result in a loss of or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development of our product candidates could be delayed.

If we acquire companies or technologies in the future, they could prove difficult to integrate, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value, and adversely affect our operating results and the value of our common stock.

As part of our business strategy, we may acquire, enter into joint ventures with, or make investments in complementary or synergistic companies, services, and technologies in the future. Acquisitions and investments involve numerous risks, including:

·

difficulties in identifying and acquiring products, technologies, or businesses that will help our business;

·

difficulties in integrating operations, technologies, services, and personnel;

·

diversion of financial and managerial resources from existing operations;

·

the risk of entering new development activities and markets in which we have little to no experience;

·

risks related to the assumption of known and unknown liabilities; and

·

risks related to our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund additional operating activities.

As a result, if we fail to properly evaluate acquisitions or investments, we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any such acquisitions, we may incur costs in excess of what we anticipate, and management resources and attention may be diverted from other necessary or valuable activities.

The terms of our secured debt facility require us to meet certain operating and financial covenants and place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, the terms of any new debt could further restrict our ability to operate our business.

Effective in March 2014, as amended and restated, we entered into a $12.5 million loan and security agreement with Oxford Finance and Silicon Valley Bank that is secured by a lien covering substantially all of our assets, excluding intellectual property. As of December 31, 2014, we had an outstanding principal balance of $12.5 million. The amended and restated loan and security agreement contains customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default. The affirmative covenants include, among others, covenants requiring us to maintain our legal existence and governmental approvals, deliver certain financial reports and maintain insurance coverage. The negative covenants include, among others, restrictions on transferring collateral, changing our business, incurring additional indebtedness, engaging in mergers or acquisitions, paying dividends or making other distributions, making investments and creating other liens on our assets, in each case subject to customary exceptions. If we default under the loan agreement, the lenders may accelerate all of our repayment obligations and take control of our pledged assets, potentially requiring us to renegotiate our agreement on terms less favorable to us or to immediately cease operations. Further, if we are liquidated, the lender’s right to repayment would be senior to the rights of the holders of our common stock to receive any proceeds from the liquidation. The lenders could declare a default upon the occurrence of any event that they interpret as a material adverse change as defined under the loan agreement, thereby requiring us to repay the loan immediately or to attempt to reverse the declaration of default through negotiation or litigation. Any declaration by the lenders of an event of default could significantly harm our business and prospects and could cause the price of our common stock to decline. If we raise any additional debt financing, the terms of such additional debt could further restrict our operating and financial flexibility.

 

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   Risks Related to Acquisitions

We have and plan to continue to acquire businesses and technologies and may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions, and acquisitions can be costly and dilutive.

In the past 18 months, we acquired three companies.  The success of any acquisitions depend on, among other things, our ability to combine our businesses in a manner that does not materially disrupt existing relationships and that allows us to achieve development and operational synergies. If we are unable to achieve these objectives, the anticipated benefits of the acquisition may not be realized fully or at all or may take longer to realize than expected. In particular, the acquisition may not be accretive to our stock value or development pipeline in the near or long term.

It is possible that the integration process could result in the loss of key employees; the disruption of our ongoing business or the ongoing business of the acquired companies; or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures, or policies that could adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with third parties and employees or to achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition. Integration efforts between the two companies will also divert management’s attention from our core business and other opportunities that could have been beneficial to our shareholders. An inability to realize the full extent of, or any of, the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, as well as any delays encountered in the integration process, could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations, which may affect the value of the shares of our common stock after the completion of the acquisition. If we are unable to achieve these objectives, the anticipated benefits of the acquisition may not be realized fully or at all or may take longer to realize than expected. In particular, the acquisition may not be accretive to our stock value or development pipeline in the near or long term.

During 2013, for example, we incurred significant legal and professional fees in connection with such acquisitions. We expect to incur additional costs integrating the companies’ operations, higher development and regulatory costs, and personnel, which cannot be estimated accurately at this time. If the total costs of the integration of our companies and advancement of acquired product candidates and technologies such as Cynviloq, RTX and Concortis assets exceed the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, our financial results could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Our ability to protect our intellectual property rights will be critically important to the success of our business, and we may not be able to protect these rights in the U.S. or abroad.

Our success, competitive position and future revenues will depend in part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection for our product candidates, methods, processes and other technologies, to prevent third parties from infringing on our proprietary rights and to operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of third parties. We will be able to protect our proprietary rights from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that our proprietary rights are covered by valid and enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as trade secrets. We attempt to protect our proprietary position by maintaining trade secrets and by filing U.S. and foreign patent applications related to our proprietary technology, inventions and improvements that are important to the development of our business. We have one issued U.S. patent covering our G-MAB ® which expires in 2022 and the examination of its European equivalent is currently in progress. In 2011, several improvement patent applications were filed for our proprietary antibody library technology. However, due to the difficulties of enforcing such antibody library technology, we filed a key patent application in the U.S. only and requested nonpublication. In 2013 and 2014, we filed 18 antibody family patents. The first of the antibody family patents applications issued on October 14, 2014 as U.S. Patent 8,859,740. In 2013 and 2014, we filed five patent application families for the Concortis conjugation chemistry associated with ADC’s.

We have also filed two patent applications protecting improvements we found for Cynviloq. Those two patent applications, once issued as patents, if ever, will protect the Cynviloq product until 2034 or 2035.

We have commenced generating a patent application portfolio of patents to protect each product candidate in our pipeline. However, the patent position of biopharmaceutical companies involves complex legal and factual questions, and therefore we cannot predict with certainty whether any patent applications that we have filed or that we may file in the future will be approved or any resulting patents will be enforced. In addition, third parties may challenge, seek to invalidate or circumvent any of our patents, once they are issued. Thus, any patents that we own or license from third parties may not provide any protection against competitors. Any patent applications that we have filed or that we may file in the future, or those we may license from third parties, may not result in patents being issued. Also, patent rights may not provide us with adequate proprietary protection or competitive advantages against competitors with similar technologies.

In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries do not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the US. If we fail to apply for intellectual property protection or if we cannot adequately protect our intellectual property rights in these foreign countries, our competitors may be able to compete more effectively against us, which could adversely affect our competitive position, as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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The intellectual property protection for Cynviloq is being managed and controlled by Sanyang, the manufacturer.

We do not manage or control the intellectual property protection for Cynviloq. Therefore we cannot provide any assurance that the 3 patent applications in the U.S. or the AU will ever issue or be granted. Moreover, there cannot be any assurances that the families of patent applications that could provide product protection for Cynviloq will ever issue or be granted, or even provide meaningful protection to prevent generic Cynviloq protection.

If any of our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information is disclosed, the value of our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary rights would be significantly impaired and our business and competitive position would suffer.

Our success also depends upon the skills, knowledge and experience of our scientific and technical personnel and our consultants and advisors, as well as our licensors. To help protect our proprietary know-how and our inventions for which patents may be unobtainable or difficult to obtain, we rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements. Unlike some of our competitors, we maintain our proprietary libraries for ourselves as we believe they have proven to be superior in obtaining strong binder product candidates. To this end, we require all of our employees, consultants, advisors and contractors to enter into agreements which prohibit the disclosure of confidential information and, where applicable, require disclosure and assignment to us of the ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions important to our business. These agreements may not provide adequate protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure or the lawful development by others of such information. If any of our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information is disclosed, the value of our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary rights would be significantly impaired and our business and competitive position would suffer.

Third party competitors may seek to challenge the validity of our patents, thereby rendering them unenforceable or we may seek to challenge third party competitor patents if such third parties seek to interpret or enforce a claim scope going well beyond the actual enabled invention.

Claims that we infringe upon the rights of third parties may give rise to costly and lengthy litigation, and we could be prevented from selling products, forced to pay damages, and defend against litigation.

Third parties may assert patent or other intellectual property infringement claims against us or our strategic partners or licensees with respect to our technologies and potential product candidates. If our products, methods, processes and other technologies infringe upon the proprietary rights of other parties, we could incur substantial costs and we may have to:

·

obtain licenses, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all, and may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same intellectual property licensed to us;

·

redesign our products or processes to avoid infringement;

·

stop using the subject matter validly claimed in the patents held by others;

·

pay damages; and

·

defend litigation or administrative proceedings which may be costly whether we win or lose, and which could result in a substantial diversion of our valuable management resources.

Even if we were to prevail, any litigation could be costly and time-consuming and would divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations. Furthermore, as a result of a patent infringement suit brought against us or our strategic partners or licensees, we or our strategic partners or licensees may be forced to stop or delay developing, manufacturing or selling technologies or potential products that are claimed to infringe a third party’s intellectual property unless that party grants us or our strategic partners’ or licensees’ rights to use its intellectual property. Ultimately, we may be unable to develop some of our technologies or potential products or may have to discontinue development of a product candidate or cease some of our business operations as a result of patent infringement claims, which could severely harm our business.

The potential commercial launch of Cynviloq could be delayed in the event that the manufacturer of Abraxane files a lawsuit against us.

We plan to file an NDA for Cynviloq under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and as a result we will be required to file a subparagraph (iv) certification for the Orange Book-listed patents for Abraxane.  The Orange Book listed patents for Abraxane require a paclitaxel formulation having human serum albumin coating its particles ( Cynviloq does not have human serum albumin in its formulation).  The commercial manufacturer of Abraxane may file a lawsuit against us for which we

 

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believe there is not merit.  In the event a lawsuit is filed against us the potential commercial launch of Cynviloq could be delayed up to a maximum of 30 months which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our plans to file a NDA under Section 505(b)(2) means we will have to file a subparagraph iv certification for the Orange Book-listed patents for Abraxane.

It is our clear opinion that making, using or selling a Cynviloq commercial product will not infringe any of the Orange Book listed patents for Abraxane. However, because the Orange Book listed patents require a paclitaxel formulation having human serum albumin coating its particles (and Cynviloq does not have human serum albumin in its formulation), there can be no assurance that our potential commercial launch of Cynviloq will not be delayed (up to a maximum of 30 months) in case a frivolous lawsuit is filed by the manufacturer of Abraxane.

Our position as a relatively small company may cause us to be at a significant disadvantage in defending our intellectual property rights and in defending against infringement claims by third parties.

Litigation relating to the ownership and use of intellectual property is expensive, and our position as a relatively small company in an industry dominated by very large companies may cause us to be at a significant disadvantage in defending our intellectual property rights and in defending against claims that our technology infringes or misappropriates third party intellectual property rights. However, we may seek to use various post-grant administrative proceedings, including new procedures created under the America Invents Act, to invalidate potentially overly-broad third party rights. Even if we are able to defend our position, the cost of doing so may adversely affect our ability to grow, generate revenue or become profitable. Although we have not yet experienced patent litigation, we may in the future be subject to such litigation and may not be able to protect our intellectual property at a reasonable cost, or at all, if such litigation is initiated. The outcome of litigation is always uncertain, and in some cases could include judgments against us that require us to pay damages, enjoin us from certain activities or otherwise affect our legal or contractual rights, which could have a significant adverse effect on our business.

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our drug discovery and development efforts.

Our commercial success depends in part on our avoiding infringement of the patents and proprietary rights of third parties. There is a substantial amount of litigation involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including Patent Office administrative proceedings, such as inter parties reviews, and reexamination proceedings before the U.S. PTO or oppositions and revocations and other comparable proceedings in foreign jurisdictions. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the fields in which we are developing product candidates. As the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our product candidates may give rise to claims of infringement of the patent rights of others.

Despite safe harbor provisions, third parties may assert that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization. There may be third-party patents, of which we are currently unaware, with claims to materials, formulations, methods of doing research or library screening, methods of manufacture or methods for treatment related to the use or manufacture of our product candidates. Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending patent published applications which may later result in issued patents that our product candidates may infringe. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents. If any third-party patents were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover the manufacturing process of any of our product candidates, any molecules formed during the manufacturing process or any final product itself, the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to commercialize such product candidate unless we obtain a license under the applicable patents, or until such patents expire or they are finally determined to be held invalid or unenforceable. Similarly, if any third-party patent were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover aspects of our formulations, processes for manufacture or methods of use, including combination therapy or patient selection methods, the holders of any such patent may be able to block our ability to develop and commercialize the applicable product candidate unless we obtain a license, limit our uses, or until such patent expires or is finally determined to be held invalid or unenforceable. In either case, such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

Parties making claims against us may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, obtain one or more licenses from third parties, limit our uses, pay royalties or redesign our infringing product candidates, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure. We cannot predict whether any such license would be available at all or whether it would be available on commercially reasonable terms. Furthermore, even in the absence of litigation, we may need to obtain licenses from third parties to advance our research or allow commercialization of our product

 

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candidates. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, if at all. In that event, we would be unable to further develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates, which could harm our business significantly.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on all of our product candidates throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the U.S. These products may compete with our products in jurisdictions where we do not have any issued patents and our patent claims or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from so competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biopharmaceuticals, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business.

Confidentiality agreements with employees and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of our trade secrets and other proprietary information and may not adequately protect our intellectual property, which could limit our ability to compete.

Because we operate in the highly technical field of research and development of small molecule drugs, we rely in part on trade secret protection in order to protect our proprietary trade secrets and unpatented know-how. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect, and we cannot be certain that others will not develop the same or similar technologies on their own. We have taken steps, including entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors, to protect our trade secrets and unpatented know-how. These agreements generally require that the other party keep confidential and not disclose to third parties all confidential information developed by the party or made known to the party by us during the course of the party’s relationship with us. We also typically obtain agreements from these parties which provide that inventions conceived by the party in the course of rendering services to us will be our exclusive property. However, these agreements may not be honored and may not effectively assign intellectual property rights to us. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets or know-how is difficult, expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the U.S. may be less willing to protect trade secrets or know-how. The failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive position.

If we breach any of the agreements under which we license commercialization rights to our product candidates from third parties, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.

We license the use, development and commercialization rights for all of our product candidates, and may enter into similar licenses in the future. Under each of our existing license agreements we are subject to commercialization and development, diligence obligations, milestone payment obligations, royalty payments and other obligations. If we fail to comply with any of these obligations or otherwise breach our license agreements, our licensing partners may have the right to terminate the license in whole or in part.

Generally, the loss of any one of our three current licenses or other licenses in the future could materially harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our competitive advantage.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations, and may not adequately protect our business, or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. The following examples are illustrative:

·

Others may be able to make compounds that are similar to our product candidates but that are not covered by the claims of the patents that we own or have exclusively licensed;

·

We or our licensors or strategic partners might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by the issued patent or pending patent application that we own or have exclusively licensed;

·

We or our licensors or strategic partners might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of our inventions;

 

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·

Others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;

·

It is possible that our pending patent applications will not lead to issued patents;

·

Issued patents that we own or have exclusively licensed may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be held invalid or unenforceable, as a result of legal challenges by our competitors;

·

Our competitors might conduct research and development activities in countries where we do not have patent rights and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive products for sale in our major commercial markets;

·

We may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; and

·

The patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business.

Should any of these events occur, they could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

From time to time we may need to license patents, intellectual property and proprietary technologies from third parties, which may be difficult or expensive to obtain.

We may need to obtain licenses to patents and other proprietary rights held by third parties to successfully develop, manufacture and market our drug products. As an example, it may be necessary to use a third party’s proprietary technology to reformulate one of our drug products in order to improve upon the capabilities of the drug product. If we are unable to timely obtain these licenses on reasonable terms, our ability to commercially exploit our drug products may be inhibited or prevented.

   Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, and investors in our common stock may lose all or a part of their investment.

The market prices for securities of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have historically been highly volatile, and the market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as:

·

actual or anticipated adverse results or delays in our clinical trials;

·

our failure to commercialize our product candidates, if approved;

·

unanticipated serious safety concerns related to the use of any of our product candidates;

·

adverse regulatory decisions;

·

changes in laws or regulations applicable to our product candidates, including but not limited to clinical trial requirements for approvals;

·

legal disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our product candidates, government investigations and the results of any proceedings or lawsuits, including patent or stockholder litigation;

·

our decision to initiate a clinical trial, not initiate a clinical trial or to terminate an existing clinical trial;

·

our dependence on third parties, including CROs;

·

announcements of the introduction of new products by our competitors;

·

market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;

·

announcements concerning product development results or intellectual property rights of others;

·

future issuances of common stock or other securities;

·

the addition or departure of key personnel;

·

failure to meet or exceed any financial guidance or expectations regarding development milestones that we may provide to the public;

 

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·

actual or anticipated variations in quarterly operating results;

·

our failure to meet or exceed the estimates and projections of the investment community;

·

overall performance of the equity markets and other factors that may be unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors, including changes in market valuations of similar companies;

·

conditions or trends in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries;

·

introduction of new products offered by us or our competitors;

·

announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by us or our competitors;

·

issuances of debt or equity securities;

·

sales of our common stock by us or our stockholders in the future;

·

trading volume of our common stock;

·

ineffectiveness of our internal controls;

·

publication of research reports about us or our industry or positive or negative recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage by securities analysts;

·

failure to effectively integrate the acquired companies operations;

·

general political and economic conditions;

·

effects of natural or man-made catastrophic events; and

·

other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control.

Further, the equity markets in general have recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Continued market fluctuations could result in extreme volatility in the price of our common stock, which could cause a decline in the value of our common stock. Price volatility of our common stock might worsen if the trading volume of our common stock is low. The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those described in these “Risk Factors,” could have a dramatic and material adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.

We have not paid cash dividends in the past and do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock.

We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends on our capital stock will depend on our earnings, financial condition and other business and economic factors affecting us at such time as the board of directors may consider relevant. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on your investment will only occur if the common stock price appreciates.

 

Our strategic investments may result in losses.

We periodically make strategic investments in various public and private companies with businesses or technologies that may complement our business. The market values of these strategic investments may fluctuate due to market conditions and other conditions over which we have no control. Other-than-temporary declines in the market price and valuations of the securities that we hold in other companies would require us to record losses related to our investment. This could result in future charges to our earnings. It is uncertain whether or not we will realize any long-term benefits associated with these strategic investments.

A sale of a substantial number of shares of the common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline.

If our stockholders sell, or the market perceives that our stockholders intend to sell for various reasons, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, including shares issued in connection with the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, the market price of our common stock could fall. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate. We may become involved in securities class action litigation that could divert management’s attention and harm our business.

 

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The stock markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market prices for the common stock of biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies. These broad market fluctuations may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of our securities. This risk is especially relevant for us because biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. We may become involved in this type of litigation in the future. Litigation often is expensive and diverts management’s attention and resources, which could adversely affect our business.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly.

We expect our operating results to be subject to quarterly fluctuations. Our net loss and other operating results will be affected by numerous factors, including:

·

variations in the level of expenses related to our development programs;

·

the addition or termination of clinical trials;

·

any intellectual property infringement lawsuit in which we may become involved;

·

regulatory developments affecting our product candidates;

·

our execution of any collaborative, licensing or similar arrangements, and the timing of payments we may make or receive under these arrangements; and

·

if Cynviloq receives regulatory approval, the level of underlying demand for that product and wholesalers’ buying patterns.

If our quarterly operating results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. Furthermore, any quarterly fluctuations in our operating results may, in turn, cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially.

Existing stockholders’ interest in us may be diluted by additional issuances of equity securities and raising funds through acquisitions, lending and licensing arrangements may restrict our operations or require us to relinquish proprietary rights.

We may issue additional equity securities to fund future expansion and pursuant to employee benefit plans. We may also issue additional equity for other purposes. These securities may have the same rights as our common stock or, alternatively, may have dividend, liquidation or other preferences to our common stock. The issuance of additional equity securities will dilute the holdings of existing stockholders and may reduce the share price of our common stock.

If we raise additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish potentially valuable rights to our product candidates, potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If adequate funds are not available, our ability to achieve profitability or to respond to competitive pressures would be significantly limited and we may be required to delay, significantly curtail or eliminate the development of our product candidates.

Directors, executive officers, principal stockholders and affiliated entities own a significant percentage of our capital stock, and they may make decisions that you do not consider to be in your best interests or those of our other stockholders.

As of December 31, 2014, our directors, executive officers and principal stockholders beneficially owned, in the aggregate, over 41.3% of our outstanding voting securities. As a result, if some or all of them acted together, they would have the ability to exert significant influence over the election of our board of directors and the outcome of issues requiring approval by our stockholders. This concentration of ownership may also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company that may be favored by other stockholders. This could prevent transactions in which stockholders might otherwise recover a premium for their shares over current market prices.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards may be subject to limitation.

Generally, a change of more than 50% in the ownership of a company’s stock, by value, over a three-year period constitutes an ownership change for U.S. federal income tax purposes. An ownership change may limit our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards attributable to the period prior to the change. As a result, if we earn net taxable income, our ability to use our pre-change net operating loss carryforwards to offset U.S. federal taxable income may become subject to limitations, which could

 

47


 

potentially result in increased future tax liability for us. At December 31, 2014, we had net operating loss carryforwards aggregating approximately $58.8 million.

Our certificate of incorporation, as amended, and bylaws provide for indemnification of officers and directors at our expense and limits their liability, which may result in a major cost to us and hurt the interests of our stockholders because corporate resources may be expended for the benefit of our officers and/or directors.

Our certificate of incorporation, as amended, bylaws and applicable Delaware law provide for the indemnification of our directors, officers, employees, and agents, under certain circumstances, against attorney’s fees and other expenses incurred by them in any litigation to which they become a party arising from their association with or activities on our behalf. We will also bear the expenses of such litigation for any of our directors, officers, employees, or agents, upon such person’s promise to repay us, therefore if it is ultimately determined that any such person shall not have been entitled to indemnification. This indemnification policy could result in substantial expenditures by us, which we will be unable to recover.

Our corporate documents and Delaware law contain provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, prevent attempts to replace or remove current management and reduce the market price of our common stock.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation, as amended, and bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition involving us that our stockholders may consider favorable. For example, our certificate of incorporation, as amended, authorizes our board of directors to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock. As a result, without further stockholder approval, the board of directors has the authority to attach special rights, including voting and dividend rights, to this preferred stock. With these rights, preferred stockholders could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us.

We are also subject to the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Under these provisions, if anyone becomes an “interested stockholder,” we may not enter into a “business combination” with that person for three years without special approval, which could discourage a third party from making a takeover offer and could delay or prevent a change in control of us. An “interested stockholder” means, generally, someone owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock or an affiliate of ours that owned 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock within the past three years, subject to certain exceptions as described in the Delaware General Corporation Law.

We have adopted a shareholder rights plan, the purpose of which is, among other things, to enhance our Board’s ability to protect shareholder interests and to ensure that shareholders receive fair treatment in the event any coercive takeover attempt of our company is made in the future. The shareholder rights plan could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or could discourage a third party from acquiring, our company or a large block of our common stock.

Compliance with changing regulations concerning corporate governance and public disclosure may result in additional expenses.

There have been changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Sarbanes-Oxley, new regulations promulgated by the SEC and rules promulgated by the national securities exchanges. The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted in July 2010, expands federal regulation of corporate governance matters and imposes requirements on public companies to, among other things, provides stockholders with a periodic advisory vote on executive compensation and also adds compensation committee reforms and enhanced pay-for-performance disclosures. While some provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act are effective upon enactment, others will be implemented upon the SEC’s adoption of related rules and regulations. The scope and timing of the adoption of such rules and regulations is uncertain and, accordingly, the cost of compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act is also uncertain.

These new or changed laws, regulations and standards are, or will be, subject to varying interpretations in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies, which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. As a result, our efforts to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards are likely to continue to result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. Members of our board of directors and our principal executive officer and principal financial officer could face an increased risk of personal liability in connection with the performance of their duties. As a result, we may have difficulty attracting and retaining qualified directors and executive officers, which could harm our business. If the actions we take in our efforts to comply with new or changed laws, regulations and standards differ from the actions intended by regulatory or governing bodies, we could be subject to liability under applicable laws or our reputation may be harmed.

 

48


 

If we fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 related to accounting controls and procedures, or, if we discover material weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult.

Sarbanes-Oxley specifically requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal controls for financial reporting and disclosure of controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley. Our testing, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, if and when required, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. Our compliance with Section 404 will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identifies deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.

 

 

Ite m 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Ite m 2.

Properties.

We currently lease in San Diego, California approximately 18,500 square feet of corporate office and laboratory space, approximately 6,350 square feet of laboratory and office space at a second location and approximately 6,400 square feet of office space at a third location adjacent to our corporate offices.  We also lease 2,400 square feet of office space in Irvine, California and approximately 1,800 square feet of office space in Cary, North Carolina.  Our lease agreements in San Diego, as amended, for our corporate office and laboratory space, our second laboratory and office space and our third office space, expire in March 2016, June 2018 and January 2016, respectively.  Our Irvine lease, as amended, expires in March 2015 and will not be renewed and the lease on office space in North Carolina expires March 2016.  

 

In February 2015, we entered into a new lease for 43,022 square feet of corporate office and laboratory space in San Diego, California.  This lease expires in 2025.  We intend to sublease our existing corporate office and laboratory space until the leases expire.  We believe that this new leased facility will be adequate to meet our needs for the foreseeable future and that, should it be needed, suitable additional space will be available to accommodate expansions of our operations on commercially reasonable terms.

Ite m 3.

Legal Proceedings.

We are not currently a party to any legal proceedings that, individually or in the aggregate, are deemed to be material to our financial condition or results of operations.

Ite m 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures.

None.

PART II

Ite m 5.

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “SRNE” and began quotation on The NASDAQ Capital Market in October 2013. Previously, our common stock was traded on the OTCBB under the symbol “SRNE” and began quotation on the OTCBB on an unpriced basis in December 2006.

 

49


 

The following table sets forth the range of high and low sale prices for our common stock for the periods indicated in 2014 as reported by NASDAQ, and for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2013 as reported by NASDAQ and the high and low bid quotations for our common stock, as reported by the OTCBB on a quarterly basis for the three quarters ended September 30, 2013. Quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions. On July 30, 2013, we completed a 1-for-25 reverse split of our common stock. All common shares and per common share amounts in the table have been adjusted retroactively to reflect the effects of this action.

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

First Quarter

 

$

16.40

 

 

$

7.92

 

 

$

8.75

 

 

$

4.00

 

Second Quarter

 

 

13.30

 

 

 

4.75

 

 

 

12.00

 

 

 

2.50

 

Third Quarter

 

 

6.87

 

 

 

4.20

 

 

 

10.00

 

 

 

5.20

 

Fourth Quarter

 

 

10.80

 

 

 

3.10

 

 

 

10.30

 

 

 

7.80

 

Holders of Record

As of March 10, 2015, there were 221 holders of record of our common stock.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and we do not anticipate paying any dividends or making any other distributions in the foreseeable future. The payment by us of dividends, if any, in the future, rests within the discretion of our board of directors and will depend, among other things, upon our earnings, capital requirements and financial condition.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table sets forth additional information with respect to the shares of common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of options and other rights under our existing equity compensation plans and arrangements in effect as of December 31, 2014. The information includes the number of shares covered by, and the weighted average exercise price of, outstanding options and the number of shares remaining available for future grant, excluding the shares to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options.

 

Plan Category

 

Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights

 

 

Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights

 

 

Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a))

 

 

 

 

(a)

 

 

(b)

 

 

(c)

 

 

Equity compensation plans approved

   by security holders (1)

 

 

2,252,434

 

 

$

6.38

 

 

 

1,417,866

 

(2)

Equity compensation plans

   not approved by security holders (3)

 

 

3,200

 

 

 

1.12

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

2,255,634

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,417,866

 

 

 

 

(1)

Comprised of our 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, or the 2009 Plan.

(2)

Comprised solely of shares subject to awards available for future issuance under the 2009 Plan. In June 2014, our stockholders approved, among other items, the amendment and restatement of the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, or the Stock Plan, to increase the number of common stock authorized to be issued pursuant to the Stock Plan to 3,760,000. Such shares of common stock are reserved for issuance to our employees, non-employee directors and consultants. As of December 31, 2014, 3,760,000 shares were authorized under the 2009 Plan, with 1,417,866 shares remaining available for future issuance under the plan.

(3)

Comprised solely of shares issued to non-employee directors prior to our adoption of the 2009 Plan.

 

50


 

Performance Graph

          The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2014 with the cumulative total return of (i) the NASDAQ Market Index and (ii) the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index. This graph assumes the investment of $100.00 after the market closed on December 31, 2009 in our common stock, and in the NASDAQ Market Index and the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, and it assumes any dividends are reinvested. The stock price performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

 

 

Ite m 6.

Selected Financial Data.

You should read the selected consolidated financial data presented below in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this report and the notes to those statements and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”  The selected consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2014, have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements which appear elsewhere in this report.  The selected consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 and for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements which are not included in this report.  The historical results are not necessarily indicative of the operating results to be expected in the future.  All financial information presented has been prepared in United States dollars and in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

51


 

Year Ended December 31,

(In thousands, except per share data)

Income Statement Data:

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

 

2012

 

 

2011

 

 

2010

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grant

 

$

488

 

 

$

452

 

 

$

584

 

 

$

329

 

 

$

659

 

Sales and services

 

 

3,337

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collaboration and reimbursable

   research and development costs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

200

 

 

 

23

 

Total revenues

 

 

3,825

 

 

 

460

 

 

 

584

 

 

 

529

 

 

 

682

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(34,742

)

 

 

(21,668

)

 

 

(4,852

)

 

 

(3,242

)

 

 

(1,812

)

Net loss

 

$

(34,657

)

 

$

(21,911

)

 

$

(4,845

)

 

$

(3,236

)

 

$

(1,808

)

Net loss per share - basic and diluted

 

$

(1.30

)

 

$

(1.46

)

 

$

(0.42

)

 

$

(0.33

)

 

$

(0.20

)

Weighted average number of shares during

   the period - basic and diluted

 

 

26,679

 

 

 

15,046

 

 

 

11,405

 

 

 

9,922

 

 

 

8,834

 

 

As of December 31,

(In thousands)

Balance Sheet Data:

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

 

2012

 

 

2011

 

 

2010

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

71,902

 

 

$

31,667

 

 

$

5,091

 

 

$

3,467

 

 

$

5,278

 

Intangibles, net

 

 

30,976

 

 

 

33,321

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodwill

 

 

24,041

 

 

 

24,041

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets

 

 

141,541

 

 

 

92,582

 

 

 

6,781

 

 

 

4,569

 

 

 

5,688

 

Total liabilities

 

 

32,828

 

 

 

25,773

 

 

 

584

 

 

 

359

 

 

 

604

 

Stockholders' equity

 

 

108,713

 

 

 

66,809

 

 

 

6,197

 

 

 

4,210

 

 

 

5,084

 

 

 

Ite m 7.

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

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the related notes and other information that are included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those set forth under the cautionary note regarding “Forward-Looking Statements” contained elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Additionally, you should read the “Risk Factors” section of this Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, acquisition, development and commercialization of proprietary drug therapeutics for addressing significant unmet medical needs in the U.S., Europe as well as international markets. Our primary therapeutic focus is oncology, including the treatment of chronic cancer pain, but we are also developing therapeutic products for other indications, including immunology and infectious diseases. We currently have two clinical development programs underway: (i) Cynviloq™, our lead oncology drug product candidate, a polymeric, albumin-free nanoparticle paclitaxel formulation, and (ii) resiniferatoxin, or RTX, a non-opiate, ultra-potent and selective agonist of the TRPV-1 receptor for intractable pain in end-stage disease.

Our pipeline also includes preclinical fully human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including our fully human anti- PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors derived from our proprietary G-MAB ® library platform, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), as well as Chimeric Antigen Receptor Tumor-attacking Neukoplast® (CAR.TNK™, pronounced “CARTANK”) for adoptive cellular immunotherapies (ACI). Our objective is to develop our antibody drug products and adoptive cellular immunotherapies as: (i) First in Class (FIC), and/or (ii) Best in Class (BIC), which may offer greater efficacy and/or fewer adverse events or side effects as compared to existing drugs.

 

52


 

Through December 31, 2014, we identified and further developed a number of potential drug product candidates across various therapeutic areas, and intend to select several lead product candidates to further advance into preclinical development activities in 2015. It is too early to assess which of these candidates, if any, will merit further evaluation in clinical trials. Our libraries were designed to facilitate the rapid identification and isolation of highly specific, antibody therapeutic product candidates that are fully-human and that bind to disease targets appropriate for antibody therapy. We built our initial antibody expression and production capabilities to enable us to make sufficient product material to conduct preclinical safety and efficacy testing in animal models.

Although we intend to retain ownership and control of product candidates by advancing the development, we regularly also consider partnerships with pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical companies in order to balance the risks and costs associated with drug discovery and development and maximize our stockholders’ returns. Our partnering objectives include generating revenue through license fees, milestone-related development fees and royalties by licensing rights to our product candidates.

Significant 2014 Developments

Bank Loan and Security Agreement. In March 2014, we entered into an amended and restated loan and security agreement, increasing the September 2013 facility to $12.5 million from $5.0 million, with the same two banks, which was funded at closing. The interest rate on the amended and restated loan is 7.95% per annum.  In October 2014, we entered into a second amendment to the amended and restated loan and security agreement which extended the interest only period from October 1, 2014 to May 1, 2015, after which equal monthly payments of principal and interest are due until the loan maturity date of September 30, 2017.

Underwritten Public Offering . In May 2014, we closed an underwritten public offering of 4,765,000 shares of common stock, at $5.25 per share, and in June 2014, closed the full exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the representative of the underwriters to purchase an additional 714,750 shares of its common stock, with total gross proceeds of $28.8 million, before underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by us.

Agreement with Morphotek . In June 2014, we entered into a collaboration agreement with Morphotek, Inc., or Morphotek, to generate novel ADCs based on a Morphotek antibody linked to chemotherapeutic agents using proprietary ADC Technology. Under the terms of the agreement, we received $200,000 during 2014 upon the completion and delivery of the agreed upon initial quantity of ADC’s and we will receive future research fees, milestone payments and royalties on future net sales. Additionally, we have the potential to receive up to $50 million upon the successful attainment of key milestones.  

Agreement with Lee’s Pharmaceutical. I n October 2014, we entered into a license agreement with China Oncology Focus Limited, an affiliate of Lee’s Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, or Lee’s Pharma, pursuant to which Lee’s Pharma licensed our fully human immune-oncology anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody STI-A1014. Under the terms of the agreement, Lee’s Pharma received exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the STI-A1014 for the greater Chinese market, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. In turn, we received an up-front payment of $1.0 million recorded as deferred revenue at December 31, 2014, and will receive potential future milestone payments and royalties on future net sales. In total, we have the potential to receive more than $46 million upon the successful attainment of key milestones, excluding royalties, and retain all the rights to use data generated by Lee’s Pharma for territories outside of the greater Chinese market. Additionally, Lee’s Pharma purchased 400,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $9.00 per share, or an aggregate of $3.6 million, before commissions .

Joint Venture Agreement .  I n December, 2014, we entered into an agreement with NantBioCell, LLC, or NantBioCell, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nantworks, a private company owned by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.  Under the terms of the agreement, we and NantBioCell intend to establish a new joint venture called The Immunotherapy Antibody JV, or JV, as an independent biotechnology company with $20.0 million initial joint funding expected mid-2015, $12.0 million from NantBioCell and $8.0 from us representing a at 60:40 ownership between NantBioCell and us, respectively. The JV will focus on accelerating the development of multiple immuno-oncology monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the treatment of cancer, including but not limited to anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA4 mAbs, and other immune-check point antibodies as well as antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies.  In connection with this agreement we entered into a securities purchase agreement with Cambridge Equities, LP, or Cambridge, a limited partnership owned by Dr. Soon-Shiong, pursuant to which we agreed to issue and sell to Cambridge a 19.9% equity stake or an aggregate of 7,188,062 shares of our common stock at a price of $5.80 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $41.7 million. In connection with the purchase agreement, Cambridge received a warrant to purchase 1,724,138 shares of our common stock. The warrant is exercisable for a period of three years from the date of issuance at an initial exercise price of $5.80 per share and is subject to customary adjustments provisions for stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations and the like.

 

Agreement with Conkwest Incorporated.   In December 2014, we also entered into a collaboration agreement with Conkwest Incorporated, or Conkwest, a privately-held life sciences company developing and commercializing the proprietary cancer-killing cell line Neukoplast (also known as NK-92) for the treatment of cancers and viral infections. Jointly, we and Conkwest will generate and

 

53


 

develop products for adoptive immunocellular therapy utilizing Neukoplast cells and chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs, derived from our G-MAB antibody library. The product candidates, coined chimeric antigen receptor tumor-attacking Neukoplast (CAR.TNK), will be developed for the treatment of hematological malignancies as well as solid tumors. Under the terms of the agreement, we and Conkwest will establish an exclusive global strategic collaboration focused on accelerating the development of CAR.TNKs, including CD19-CAR.TNK™, PD-L1-CAR.TNK™, PSMA-CAR.TNK™, CD123-CAR.TNK™, and other CAR.TNKs for the treatment of hematological malignancies as well as solid tumors. Both companies will jointly own and share development costs and revenues from any developed CAR.TNK products. In connection with this agreement we entered into a subscription and investment agreement with Conkwest, as amended, pursuant to which Conkwest issued and sold to us an aggregate of 3,034,473 shares of Conkwest Class A common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $10.0 million representing an equity stake in Conkwest of approximately 9% .

Related Party Agreements with Wholly-Owned Subsidiary Ark Animal Health, Inc.

License and Development Agreement . On June 18, 2014, we entered into a License and Development Agreement (LDA) with our wholly-owned subsidiary Ark Animal Health, Inc. (Ark) whereby we granted Ark a license to develop and commercialize RTX for animal use only, in exchange for the issuance to us 10,000,000 shares of Ark common stock valued at $13.1 million representing 100% of the outstanding shares of Ark common stock. Such intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Transition Services Agreement . On June 18, 2014, we entered into a Transition Services Agreement (TSA) with Ark which became effective retroactively to April 1, 2014. Under the TSA, we have provided and/or have made available to Ark various administrative, financial, legal, insurance, facility, information technology, laboratory, real estate and other services to be provided by, or on our behalf, together with such other services as reasonably requested by Ark. In consideration for such services, Ark will pay fees to us for the services provided, and those fees will generally be in amounts intended to allow us to recover all of our direct and indirect costs incurred in providing such services. The personnel performing services under the TSA are employees and/or independent contractors of ours and are not under the direction or control of Ark. These personnel costs are based upon the actual percentages of time spent by our personnel performing services for Ark under the TSA. In addition, Ark will reimburse us for direct out-of-pocket costs incurred by us for third party services provided to Ark. As of December 31, 2014, we have recorded $991,000 of costs associated with activities contemplated under the TSA. Such intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. In order for us to be reimbursed by Ark for activities provided under the TSA, Ark must be successful in raising financing on a stand-alone basis. There can be no assurance that Ark will be successful in securing third party financing.

Loan and Security Agreement . On June 18, 2014, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (Loan Agreement) with Ark pursuant to which we agreed to lend Ark, as amended in August 2014, up to $1.0 million for working capital purposes. Advances under the Loan Agreement bear interest at six percent (6%) per annum. Outstanding advances mature on the earlier of: (i) following the consummation of any public or private offering of securities in which Ark receives gross proceeds of at least $5.0 million, (ii) an event of default under the Loan Agreement, or (iii) June 18, 2015. In connection with the Loan Agreement, we have a security interest in all of Ark’s assets, including Ark’s intellectual property, until the loan is repaid in full. During the period from Ark’s inception in February 2014 through December 31, 2014, we paid for certain general, administrative and research and development expenses totaling $991,000. The intercompany balances associated with these transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Results of Operations

The following discussion of our operating results explains material changes in our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. The discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

(figures in 000’s unless otherwise specified)

Revenues . Revenues were $3,825 for the year ended December 31, 2014, as compared to $460 for the year ended December 31, 2013. The net increase of $3,365 is primarily due to sales and service revenues of $3,337 generated from the sale of customized reagents and providing contract development services from the Concortis operations that was acquired in December 2013. Activities under our active grants for the year ended December 31, 2014 were higher than in the corresponding period of 2013 due primarily to an increase in active grants in the year ending December 31, 2014 as compared to the active grants in the same period of 2013.

In June 2012, we were awarded a third Advanced Technology Small Business Technology Transfer Research grant, with an initial award of $300,000, to support our program to generate and develop novel human antibody therapeutics to combat Staph infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staph, or the Staph Grant II award. The project period for the phase I grant covers a two-

 

54


 

year period which commenced in June 2012, with a total grant award of $600,000. The Staph Grant II award revenues for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, were $150, $308 and $129, respectively

In June 2014, the NIAID awarded us a Phase II STTR grant to support the advanced preclinical development of human bispecific antibody therapeutics to prevent and treat Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus or Staph) infections, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), or the Staph Grant III award. The project period for this Phase II grant covers a two-year period which commenced in June 2014, with total funds available of approximately $1 million per year for up to 2 years. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded $220 of revenue associated with the Staph Grant III award.

In June 2014, we were awarded a Phase I STTR grant entitled “Anti-Pseudomonas Immunotherapy and Targeted Drug Delivery” from the NIAID. This grant will support the preclinical development of novel anti- Pseudomonas aeruginosa mAb immunotherapy or an antibody-mediated targeted antibiotic delivery vehicle. Each modality may be an effective and safe stand-alone therapy and/or a component of a “cocktail” therapeutic option for prevention and treatment of P. aeruginosa infections. The project period for this Phase I grant covers a two-year period which commenced in July 2014, with total funds available of approximately $300 per year for up to 2 years.  During the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded $28 of revenue associated with the Phase I STTR grant award.

In July 2014, we were awarded a Phase I STTR grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a division of the NIH, entitled “Targeting of Myc-Max Dimerization for the Treatment of Cancer”. This grant will support the preclinical development of the Myc inhibitor, which interferes with the protein-protein interaction (PPI) between Myc and its obligatory dimerization partner, Max, preventing sequence-specific binding to DNA and subsequent initiation of oncogenic transformation. The project period for this Phase I grant covers a one-year period which commenced in August 2014, with total funds available of approximately $225.  During the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded $86 of revenue associated with the Phase I Myc grant award.

In August 2014, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI), a division of the NIH awarded the Company a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR) grant entitled “Human Anti-WISP-1 Antibodies for Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fbrosis”. This grant will advance our immunotherapy targeting WNT-1 Inducible Signaling Protein-1(WISP1) for the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). WISP1 is a protein that has been shown to be upregulated in IPF, linked to key growth factors, cellular proliferation, hyperplasia and is correlated with late stage cancers. IPF is a fatal disease which results in progressive loss of lung function due to fibrosis of the lungs. The project period for this Phase I grant covers a one-year period which commenced in August 2014, with total funds available of approximately $225.  During the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded $5 of revenue associated with the Phase I WISP1 grant award.

We expect that any revenue we generate will fluctuate from quarter to quarter as a result of the unpredictability of the demand for products and services offered as well as the timing and amount of grant awards, research and development reimbursements and other payments received under any strategic collaborations.

Cost of revenues . Cost of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were $2,043 and $4, respectively.  The increase is due primarily to 2014 reflecting a full year of the sale of customized reagents and providing contract development services compared to the costs from our mid December 2013 acquisition of Concortis through the prior year-end. The costs generally include employee salaries and benefits, direct materials and overhead costs including rent, depreciation, utilities, facility maintenance and insurance.  We expect cost of revenues to fluctuate with related revenues.

Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were $23,983 and $9,017, respectively. Research and development expenses include the costs to conduct our BE registration trial related to Cynviloq and prepare for our New Drug Application filing anticipated in 2015, costs to advance our RTX program activities towards entering into future clinical trials, costs to identify, isolate and advance human antibody drug candidates derived from our libraries as well as advancing our ADC preclinical drug candidates, preclinical testing expenses and the expenses associated with fulfilling our development obligations related to the NIH grant awards, collectively the NIH Grants. Such expenses consist primarily of salaries and personnel related expenses, stock-based compensation expense, clinical development expenses, preclinical testing, lab supplies, consulting costs, depreciation and other expenses. The increase of $14,966 is primarily attributable to salaries and compensation related expense, preclinical testing, depreciation, consulting and lab supply costs incurred in connection with our expanded research and development activities and our BE registration trial and activities to advance RTX into clinical trials and potentially pursue other human indications, and to fund Ark activities in advance of Ark securing stand-alone financing. We expect research and development expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we: (i) advance our Cynviloq BE registration trial and pursue other potential indications, including expenses incurred under agreements with CROs and investigative sites that conduct our clinical trials, the cost of acquiring, developing and manufacturing clinical trial materials, and other regulatory operating activities, (ii) incur incremental expenses associated with our efforts to further advance a number of potential drug candidates into preclinical development activities, (iii) continue to identify and advance a number of fully human therapeutic antibody and ADC preclinical drug

 

55


 

candidates, (iv) incur higher salary, lab supply and infrastructure costs incurred in connection with supporting all of our programs, and (v) invest in our JV’s or other third party agreements.  

Acquired In-process Research and Development Expenses . Acquired in-process research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were $209 and $5,986, respectively. Acquired in-process research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2014 include the costs associated with a research agreement. Acquired in-process research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2013 include (i) the costs associated with entering into a termination and release agreement with OPKO whereby we terminated the OPKO License in its entirety, (ii) the purchase price of Tocosol, and (iii) the purchase price of the license rights to RTX.

General and Administrative Expenses . General and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were $9,987 and $6,317, respectively. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and personnel related expenses for executive, finance and administrative personnel, stock-based compensation expense, professional fees, infrastructure expenses, legal and accounting expenses and other general corporate expenses. The increase of $3,670 is primarily attributable to higher salaries and related compensation expenses, stock-based compensation, legal costs related to general corporate and IP matters, consulting and business development expenses and higher compliance costs associated with our public reporting obligations, and to fund Ark activities in anticipation of Ark securing stand-alone financing. We expect general and administrative expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we: (i) incur incremental expenses associated with expanded operations and development efforts, compliance with our public reporting obligations, (ii) and increased infrastructure costs, and (iii) invest in our JV’s or other third party agreements.  

Intangible Amortization . Intangible amortization for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $2,345 and $804, respectively. The increase resulted primarily from the acquisition and amortization of intangible license rights from IgDraSol and from acquired technology and customer relationships from Concortis, all acquired in the latter part of 2013.

Interest Expense . Interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $1,629 and $253, respectively. The increase in interest expense resulted primarily from higher average borrowings under the amended loan and security agreement entered into in March 2014.

Interest Income . Interest income for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $12 and $10, respectively. The increase in interest income resulted from higher average cash balances in 2014 as compared to the same period in 2013. We expect that continued low interest rates will significantly limit our interest income in the near term.

Income tax benefit . Income tax benefit for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $1,702 and $0, respectively. The increase in income tax benefit resulted mainly from the amortization and decrease of deferred tax liabilities, return to provision true-ups.

Net Loss . Net loss for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $34,657 and $21,911, respectively. The increase in net loss is mainly attributable to the expanded research and development, intangible amortization and general and administrative activities.

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2013 and 2012

Revenues . Revenues were $460 for the year ended December 31, 2013, as compared to $584 for the year ended December 31, 2012. The net decrease of $124 is due to decreased activities under two active grants received from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, in the year ended December 31, 2013 as compared to three active grants for the year ended December 31, 2012.

In May 2010, we were awarded an Advanced Technology Small Business Technology Transfer Research grant to support our program to generate and develop novel antibody therapeutics and vaccines to combat Staph infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staph, or the Staph Grant award. The project period for the Phase 1 Staph Grant award covered a two-year period which commenced in June 2010 and ended in May 2012, with a total grant award of $600. We recorded revenue associated with the grant as the related costs and expenses were incurred. During the year ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, we recorded $0 and $119 of revenue associated with the Staph Grant award, respectively.

In July 2011, we were awarded a second Advanced Technology Small Business Technology Transfer Research grant to support our program to generate and develop antibody therapeutics and vaccines to combat C. difficile infections, or the C. difficile Grant award. The project period for the C. difficile Grant award covers a two-year period which commenced in June 2011 and ended in June 2013, with a total grant award of $600. The C. difficile Grant award revenues for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 were $144 and $336, respectively.

 

56


 

In June 2012, we were awarded a third Advanced Technology Small Business Technology Transfer Research grant, with an initial award of $300, to support our program to generate and develop novel human antibody therapeutics to combat Staph infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staph, or the Staph Grant II award. The project period for the phase I grant covers a two-year period which commenced in June 2012, with a total grant award of $600. The Staph Grant II award revenues for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 were $308 and $129, respectively.

   Sales and service revenues of $8 were derived from our Concortis subsidiary that was acquired in December 2013. We had no other revenue during the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 as we have not yet developed any product candidates for commercialization or earned any licensing or royalty payments.

Cost of revenues . Cost of revenues relate to sales and services costs totaling $4. The costs generally include employee-related expenses including salary and benefits, direct materials and overhead costs including rent, depreciation, utilities, facility maintenance and insurance.

Research and Development Expenses . Research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 were $9,017 and $3,830, respectively. Research and development expenses include the costs to identify, isolate and advance human antibody drug candidates derived from our libraries, costs to initiate and/or conduct our bioequivalence, or BE, registration trial related to Cynviloq and prepare for our New Drug Application filing anticipated in 2015, preclinical testing expenses and the expenses associated with fulfilling our development obligations related to the NIH grant awards, collectively the NIH Grants. Such expenses consist primarily of salaries and personnel related expenses, stock-based compensation expense, preclinical testing, clinical development expenses, laboratory supplies, consulting costs, depreciation and other expenses. The increase of $5,187 is primarily attributable to salaries and compensation related expense, preclinical testing, depreciation, consulting and lab supply costs incurred in connection with our expanded research and development activities, our BE registration trial and receipt of the two NIH Grant awards in July 2011 and June 2012, respectively.

Acquired In-process Research and Development Expenses . Acquired in-process research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 were $5,986 and $0, respectively. Acquired in-process research and development expenses include: (i) the costs associated with entering into a termination and release agreement with OPKO whereby we terminated the OPKO License in its entirety, (ii) the purchase price of Tocosol, and (iii) the purchase price of the license rights to RTX.

General and Administrative Expenses . General and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 were $6,317 and $1,606, respectively. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and personnel related expenses for executive, finance and administrative personnel, stock-based compensation expense, professional fees, infrastructure expenses, legal and accounting expenses and other general corporate expenses. The increase of $4,711 is primarily attributable to higher salaries and related compensation expenses, stock-based compensation, legal costs related general corporate and IP matters, consulting and business development expenses and higher compliance costs associated with our public reporting obligations.

Intangible Amortization . Intangible amortization for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $804 and $0, respectively. The increase resulted primarily from the acquisition and amortization of intangible license rights from IgDraSol, from the amortization of our exclusive irrevocable option agreement to acquire IgDraSol, and from acquired technology and customer relationships from Concortis.

Interest Expense . Interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $253 and $0, respectively. The increase in interest expense resulted from borrowings under the equipment loan entered into in February 2013 and from borrowings under the loan and security agreement entered into in September 2013.

Interest Income . Interest income for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $10 and $7, respectively. The increase in interest income resulted from higher average cash balances in 2013 as compared to 2012. We expect that continued low interest rates will significantly limit our interest income in the near term.

Net Loss . Net loss for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $21,911 and $4,845, respectively. The increase in net loss is mainly attributable to the expanded research and development, in-process research and development, and general and administrative activities.

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As of December 31, 2014, we had $71,902 in cash and cash equivalents primarily attributable to: (i) issuance of 7.2 million shares of our common stock for cash to Cambridge Equities in a private equity financing totaling $41,723, (ii) issuance of 400,000 shares of our common stock for cash to Lee’s Pharmaceuticals in a private equity financing totaling $3,420, (iii) the closing of our underwritten public offerings in October 2013 and May 2014 and conversion of outstanding promissory notes into our common stock for aggregate net proceeds of $59,847, and (iv) net borrowings under our $12.5 million amended and restated loan and security agreement in March 2014. Our working capital as of December 31, 2014 was $64.4 million.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities . Net cash used for operating activities was $28,764 for 2014 and is primarily attributable to our net loss of $34,657 and our net reduction in working capital balances of $222, which were offset by $6,115 in non-cash activities relating to stock-based compensation, acquired in-process research and development, depreciation and amortization expense and other non-cash activities. Net cash used for operating activities was $16,489 for 2013 and primarily reflects a net loss of $21,911, which was partially offset by $4,984 in non-cash activities relating primarily to stock-based compensation and depreciation expense.

We expect to continue to incur substantial and increasing losses and have negative net cash flows from operating activities as we seek to expand and support our clinical and preclinical development and research activities.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities . Net cash used for investing activities was $10,591 for 2014 as compared to $503 for 2013. The net cash used related primarily to an investment in Conkwest Incorporated Class A common stock and equipment acquired for research and development activities.

We expect to increase our investment in equipment as we seek to expand and progress our research and development capabilities.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities . Net cash provided by financing activities for 2014 and 2013 was $79,590 and $43,568, respectively, which were primarily derived from the issuance of common stock for cash, the closing of our underwritten public offerings and cash provided by increases in net borrowings under our amended and restated loan and security agreement.

Future Liquidity Needs . From inception through December 31, 2014, we have principally financed our operations through underwritten public offerings of our common stock and private equity financings with aggregate net proceeds of $124,938, as we have not generated any product related revenue from our planned principal operations to date, and do not expect to generate significant revenue for several years, if ever. We will need to raise additional capital before we exhaust our current cash resources in order to continue to fund our research and development, including our plans for clinical and preclinical trials and new product development, as well as to fund our operations and fund our portion of the JV activities. As and if necessary, we will seek to raise additional funds through various potential sources, such as equity and debt financings, or through corporate collaboration and license agreements. We can give no assurances that we will be able to secure such additional sources of funds to support our operations, or, if such funds are available to us, that such additional financing will be sufficient to meet our needs.

We anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses into the foreseeable future as we: (i) complete our BE registration trial related to Cynviloq and prepare for our New Drug Application filing anticipated in 2015, (ii) advance RTX into clinical trials and potentially pursue other human indications, (iii) continue to identify and advance a number of potential mAb and ADC drug candidates into preclinical development activities, (iv) continue our development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates, and begin to commercialize any approved products, (v) expand our corporate infrastructure, including the costs associated with being a NASDAQ listed public company, and (vi) ownership of our share of JV and collaboration costs for our products and technologies. We believe we have the ability to meet all obligations due over the course of the next twelve months.

We plan to continue to fund our operating losses and capital funding needs through public or private equity or debt financings, strategic collaborations, licensing arrangements, asset sales, government grants or other arrangements. We filed a universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which was declared effective by the SEC in July 2013. The Shelf Registration Statement provides us the ability to offer up to $100 million of securities, including equity and other securities as described in the registration statement. After the May 2014 underwritten offering (see Note 9), we have the ability to offer up to $36.6 million of additional securities. In November 2014, we filed an additional universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC, which was declared effective by the SEC in December 2014. This Shelf Registration Statement provides us with the ability to offer up to $250 million of securities, including equity and other securities as described in the registration statement. Included in the November 2014 shelf registration is a sales agreement prospectus covering the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $50.0 million of our common stock that may be issued and sold under a sales agreement with MLV & Co. LLC.   Pursuant to these Shelf Registration Statements, we may offer such securities from time to time and through

 

58


 

one or more methods of distribution, subject to market conditions and our capital needs. Specific terms and prices will be determined at the time of each offering under a separate prospectus supplement, which will be filed with the SEC at the time of any offering. However, we cannot be sure that such additional funds will be available on reasonable terms, or at all. If we are unable to secure adequate additional funding, we may be forced to make reductions in spending, extend payment terms with suppliers, liquidate assets where possible, and/or suspend or curtail planned programs. In addition, if we do not meet our payment obligations to third parties as they come due, we may be subject to litigation claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management. Any of these actions could materially harm our business, results of operations, and future prospects.

If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, substantial dilution to existing stockholders would result. If we raise additional funds by incurring debt financing, the terms of the debt may involve significant cash payment obligations as well as covenants and specific financial ratios that may restrict our ability to operate our business.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.

We believe the following accounting policies and estimates are most critical to aid in understanding and evaluating our reported financial results.

Cash and Cash Equivalents . We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. We minimize our credit risk associated with cash and cash equivalents by periodically evaluating the credit quality of our primary financial institution. The balance at times may exceed federally insured limits. As of December 31, 2014, we have not experienced any losses on such accounts.

Stock-Based Compensation . We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with authoritative guidance for stock-based compensation, which requires us to measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for equity incentive awards, including stock options, based on the grant date fair value of the award. The fair value is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The resulting cost is recognized over the period during which the employee is required to provide services in exchange for the award, which is usually the vesting period. We recognize compensation expense over the vesting period using the straight-line method and classify these amounts in the consolidated statements of operations based on the department to which the related employee reports. To the extent that we issue future stock incentive awards to employees, our stock-based compensation expense will be increased by the additional unearned compensation resulting from such additional issuances.

We account for equity instruments, including restricted stock or stock options, issued to non-employees in accordance with authoritative guidance for equity based payments to non-employees. Stock options issued to non-employees are accounted for at their estimated fair value determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of options granted to non-employees is re-measured as they vest, and the resulting increase in value, if any, is recognized as expense during the period the related services are rendered. Restricted stock issued to non-employees is accounted for at its estimated fair value upon vesting. We evaluate the assumptions used to value stock awards to non-employees on a periodic basis. If factors change and we employ different assumptions, including any significant change in the estimated fair value of common stock, stock-based compensation expense may differ significantly from what we have recorded historically. In addition, to the extent that we issue future stock incentive awards to non-employees, our stock-based compensation expense will be increased by the additional unearned compensation resulting from such additional issuances.

Revenue Recognition. Our revenues are generated from grant awards. The revenue from grant awards is based upon subcontractor costs and internal costs incurred that are specifically covered by each grant, and where applicable, plus a facilities and administrative rate that provides funding for overhead expenses. These revenues are recognized when expenses have been incurred by subcontractors or when we incur internal expenses that are related to the grant. Any amounts received prior to satisfying our revenue recognition criteria are recorded as deferred revenue.

Revenues from sales and services are generated from the sale of customized reagents and providing contract development services. Reagents are used for preparing ADCs, these reagents include industrial standard cytotoxins, linkers, and linker-toxins. The contract development services include providing synthetic expertise to customer’s synthesis by delivering them proprietary cytotoxins, linkers and linker-toxins and ADC service using industry standard toxin and antibodies provided by customers. Revenue is recognized

 

59


 

when (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) the product has been shipped or the services have been rendered, (iii) the price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

From our inception through December 31, 2014, we did not engage in any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation S-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2, “Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Polices,” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.

 

 

Ite 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

Interest Rate Risk. Our exposure to market risk is confined to our cash and cash equivalents. We have cash and cash equivalents and invest primarily in high-quality money market funds, which we believe are subject to limited credit risk. Due to the low risk profile of our investments, an immediate 10% change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market value of our portfolio. Our amended and restated loan and security agreement has a fixed interest rate of 7.95% per annum through the loan maturity. We do not believe that we have any material exposure to interest rate risk arising from our investments.

 

Capital Market Risk . We currently do not have significant revenues from grants or sales and services and we have no product revenues from our planned principal operations and therefore depend on funds raised through other sources. One source of funding is through future debt or equity offerings. Our ability to raise funds in this manner depends upon, among other things, capital market forces affecting our stock price.

Ite 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Our consolidated financial statements and supplementary data required by this item are set forth at the pages indicated in Item 15(a)(1) and (a)(2), respectively, of this Form 10-K.

Ite 9.

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

None.

Ite 9A.

Controls and Procedures.

 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s regulations, rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. As required by Rule 13a-15(b) promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and principal financial and accounting 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 Form 10-K. Based on the foregoing, our chief executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-K.

 

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Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2014 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for our company. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act, as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, a company’s principal executive and principal financial officer and effected by the Company’s board of directors, management and other personnel, 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 and includes those policies and procedures that:

 

(1)          pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;

 

(2)          provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and

 

(3)          provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible enhancements to controls and procedures.

 

We conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer conclude that, at December 31, 2014, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2014 has been audited by Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which appears herein.

 

 

Ite 9B.

Other Information.

None

PART III

Ite 10.

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

Information regarding our directors, including the audit committee and audit committee financial experts, and executive officers and compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act will be included in our 2015 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

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We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for all of our directors, officers and employees as required by NASDAQ governance rules and as defined by applicable SEC rules. Stockholders may locate a copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics on our website at www.sorrentotherapeutics.com or request a copy without charge from:

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

Attention: Investor Relations

6042 Cornerstone Court West, Suite B

San Diego, CA 92121

We will post to our website any amendments to the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and any waivers that are required to be disclosed by the rules of either the SEC or NASDAQ.

Ite 11.

Executive Compensation.

The information required by this item regarding executive compensation will be included in our 2015 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

Ite 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

The information required by this item regarding security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management will be included in the 2015 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

Ite 13.

Certain Relationships, Related Transactions and Director Independence.

The information required by this item regarding certain relationships and related transactions and director independence will be included in the 2015 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

Ite 14.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

The information required by this item regarding principal accounting fees and services will be included in the 2015 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

PART IV

Ite 15.

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a)(1) Financial Statements

Reference is made to the Index to Consolidated Financial Statements of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. appearing on page F-1 of this report.

(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules

The schedules required to be filed by this item have been omitted because of the absence of conditions under which they are required, or because the required information is included in the consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto.

(a)(3) Exhibits

 

Exhibit

No.

 

Description

 

 

 

   2.1*

 

Agreement and Plan of Merger between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and IgDraSol, Inc. dated September 9, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 11, 2013).

 

 

   2.2*

 

Agreement of Merger by and among Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., Catalyst Merger Sub, Inc., Concortis Biosystems, Corp., Zhenwei Miao and Gang Chen dated as of November 11, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1

to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 14, 2013).

 

 

   3.1

 

Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 15, 2013).

 

 

 

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Exhibit

No.

 

Description

 

   3.2

 

Certificate of Amendment of the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 1, 2013).

 

 

   3.3

 

Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 23, 2009).

 

 

   3.4

 

Certificate of Designation of Rights, Preferences and Privileges of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 12, 2013).

 

 

   4.1

 

Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 23, 2009).

 

 

   4.2

 

Form of Convertible Promissory Note (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 21, 2013).

 

 

   4.3

 

Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of December 22, 2014 by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Philadelphia Stock Transfer, Inc.., as rights agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 23, 2014).

 

 

   4.4

 

Common Stock Purchase Warrant issued to Cambridge Equities, LP.

 

 

  10.1+

 

Exclusive License and Development Agreement between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and China Oncology Focus Limited dated October 3, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A filed with the SEC on November 25, 2014).

 

 

  10.2

 

Standard Multi-Tenant Office Lease-Net, dated July 28, 2008, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Suntree Garden, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 21, 2009).

 

 

  10.3

 

First Amendment to Office Lease, dated August 18, 2009, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Suntree Garden, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 21, 2009).

 

 

  10.4

 

Second Amendment to Office Lease, dated October 1, 2009, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Suntree Garden, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2010).

 

 

  10.5

 

Third Amendment to Office Lease, dated November 11, 2010, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Suntree Garden, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 30, 2012).

 

 

  10.6

 

Fourth Amendment to Office Lease, dated January 17, 2011, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Suntree Garden, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 30, 2012).

 

 

  10.7

 

Fifth Amendment to Office Lease, dated February 9, 2012, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Suntree Garden, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 30, 2012).

 

 

  10.8

 

Sixth Amendment to Office Lease, dated June 20 2012, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Suntree Garden, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 14, 2012).

 

 

  10.9+

 

License Agreement, dated January 8, 2010, by and between The Scripps Research Institute and the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 14, 2010).

 

 

  10.10±

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on September 22, 2009).

 

 

  10.11±

 

Form of Indemnification Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 7, 2012).

 

 

 

63


 

Exhibit

No.

 

Description

 

  10.12±

 

2009 Amended and Restated Stock Incentive Plan, and forms of agreements related thereto (incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the definitive proxy statement filed by Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 16, 2013).

 

 

  10.13±

 

2009 Equity Incentive Plan, and forms of agreement related thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2010).

 

 

  10.14±

 

Employment Agreement, dated September 21, 2012, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Henry Ji, Ph.D. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 8, 2012).

 

 

  10.15±

 

First Amendment to Employment Agreement dated October 18, 2012, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Henry Ji, Ph.D. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 8, 2012).

 

 

  10.16±

 

Employment Agreement, dated September 21, 2012, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Richard G. Vincent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 8, 2012).

 

 

  10.17±

 

Independent Director Compensation Policy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2013).

 

 

  10.18

 

Option Agreement between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and B.G, Negev Technologies and Applications Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 13, 2013).

 

 

  10.19*

 

Loan and Security Agreement dated as of September 27, 2013 among Oxford Finance LLC, Silicon Valley Bank, Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and IgDraSol, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 15, 2013).

 

 

  10.20*

 

Registration Rights Agreement by and among Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and the stockholders of Sherrington Pharmaceuticals, Inc. dated as of October 9, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 15, 2013).

 

 

  10.21*

 

Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement dated as of March 31, 2014 among Oxford Finance LLC, Silicon Valley Bank, Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., IgDraSol, Inc., Sherrington Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Concortis Biosystems, Corp. and Ark Animal Therapeutics, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.32 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 1, 2014).

 

 

  10.22

 

Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., Oxford Finance LLC and Silicon Valley Bank dated October 30, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 4, 2014).

 

 

  10.23±

 

Employment Agreement, dated December 19, 2013, by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Zhenwei Miao. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.33 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 1, 2014)

 

 

  10.24

 

Securities Purchase Agreement dated December 14, 2014 by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Cambridge Equities, LP.

 

 

  10.25

 

First Amendment to Securities Purchase Agreement dated December 22, 2014 by and between Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Cambridge Equities, LP.

 

 

  10.26  

 

Form of Subscription and Investment Agreement, dated as of December 18, 2014, by and between Conkwest, Inc. and Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 19, 2014).

 

 

  10.27

 

Form of Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of December 18, 2014, by and between Conkwest, Inc. and Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 19, 2014).

 

 

  10.28

 

Form of First Amendment to Subscription and Investment Agreement, dated as of December 23, 2014, by and between Conkwest, Inc. and Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 29, 2014).

 

64


 

Exhibit

No.

 

Description

 

 

 

  10.29

 

Form of Stockholders’ Agreement, dated as of December 23, 2014, by and among Conkwest, Inc., Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., Cambridge Equities, LP and the persons listed on Schedule A thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 29, 2014).

 

 

  10.30*

 

Lease dated as of February 3, 2015 by and between HCP University Center West LLC and Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

 

 

  21.1

 

List of Subsidiaries

 

 

  23.1

 

Consent of Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C.

 

 

  31.1

 

Certification of Henry Ji, Ph.D., Principal Executive Officer, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended.

 

 

  31.2

 

Certification of Douglas Langston, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended.

 

 

  32.1

 

Certification of Henry Ji, Ph.D., Principal Executive Officer, and Douglas Langston, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended.

 

 

101.INS

 

XBRL Instance Document

 

 

101.SCH

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

 

 

101.CAL

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

 

 

101.DEF

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

 

 

101.LAB

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

 

 

101.PRE

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

*

Non-material schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The Registrant hereby undertakes to furnish supplementally copies of any of the omitted schedules and exhibits upon request by the SEC.

+

The SEC has granted confidential treatment with respect to certain portions of this exhibit. Omitted portions have been filed separately with the SEC.

±

Management contract or compensatory plan.

 

 

 

 

65


 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) 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: March 13, 2015

 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

/s/  H ENRY J I

 

 

 

 

Director, Chief Executive Officer

& President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title(s)

  

Date

 

/s/  H ENRY J I

  

 

Director, Chief Executive Officer

  

 

March 13, 2015

Henry Ji, Ph.D.

  

& President

(Principal Executive Officer)

  

 

 

  /s/ Douglas Langston

  

 

Vice President, Finance

  

 

March 13, 2015

Douglas Langston

  

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  

 

 

/s/  W ILLIAM S. M ARTH  

  

 

Director

  

 

March 13, 2015

William S. Marth, Ph.D.

  

 

  

 

 

/s/ Douglas Ebersole   

  

 

Director

  

 

March 13, 2015

Douglas Ebersole

  

 

  

 

 

/s/  K IM D. J ANDA  

  

 

Director

  

 

March 13, 2015

Kim D. Janda, Ph.D.

  

 

  

 

 

/s/  M ARK D URAND  

  

 

Director

  

 

March 13, 2015

Mark Durand

 

 

 

/s/  J AISIM S HAH

 

 

Director

 

 

March 13, 2015

Jaisim Shah

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

66


 

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

 

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

 

Page

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

F-2

  

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets—As of December 31, 2014 and 2013

 

F-4

  

 

Consolidated Statements of Operations—For the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

 

F-5

  

 

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity—For the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

 

F-6

  

 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows—For the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

 

F-7

  

 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

F-8

  

 

 

 

 

F-1


 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries

San Diego, California

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three year period ended December 31, 2014.  These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three year period ended December 31, 2014, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated March 13, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion.

/s/ Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C.

San Diego, CA

March 13, 2015

 

 

 

F-2


 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries

San Diego, California

 

We have audited Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.  Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk.  Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed 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.  A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements.  Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

In our opinion, Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

 

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the balance sheets and the related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries, and our report dated March 13, 2015, expressed an unqualified opinion.

 

 

/s/ Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C.

 

San Diego, California

March 13, 2015

 

 

 

F-3


 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except for share amounts)

 

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

71,902

 

 

$

31,667

 

Grants and accounts receivables, net

 

 

732

 

 

 

394

 

Prepaid expenses and other, net

 

 

1,281

 

 

 

571

 

Total current assets

 

 

73,915

 

 

 

32,632

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

2,277

 

 

 

2,440

 

Intangibles, net

 

 

30,976

 

 

 

33,321

 

Goodwill

 

 

24,041

 

 

 

24,041

 

Investment in common stock

 

 

10,000

 

 

 

 

Other, net

 

 

332

 

 

 

148

 

Total assets

 

$

141,541

 

 

$

92,582

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

1,656

 

 

$

2,153

 

Accrued payroll and related

 

 

1,825

 

 

 

1,664

 

Current portion of deferred compensation

 

 

1,893

 

 

 

904

 

Accrued expenses

 

 

867

 

 

 

385

 

Current portion of debt

 

 

3,316

 

 

 

374

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

9,557

 

 

 

5,480

 

Long-term debt

 

 

8,830

 

 

 

4,431

 

Deferred compensation

 

 

796

 

 

 

1,497

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

 

12,546

 

 

 

14,248

 

Deferred revenue, rent and other

 

 

1,099

 

 

 

117

 

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders' equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized and no shares

   issued or outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 750,000,000 shares authorized and

   36,184,912 and 23,028,100 shares issued and outstanding at

   December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively

 

 

4

 

 

 

2

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

176,227

 

 

 

99,668

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(67,518

)

 

 

(32,861

)

Total stockholders' equity

 

 

108,713

 

 

 

66,809

 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 

$

141,541

 

 

$

92,582

 

See accompanying notes

 

 

F-4


 

 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

For the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

(In thousands, except for share amounts)

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

 

2012

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grant

 

$

488

 

 

$

452

 

 

$

584

 

Sales and services

 

 

3,337

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

Total revenues

 

 

3,825

 

 

 

460

 

 

 

584

 

Operating costs and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Costs of revenues

 

 

2,043

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

23,983

 

 

 

9,017

 

 

 

3,830

 

Acquired in-process research and development

 

 

209

 

 

 

5,986

 

 

 

 

General and administrative

 

 

9,987

 

 

 

6,317

 

 

 

1,606

 

Intangible amortization

 

 

2,345

 

 

 

804

 

 

 

 

Total costs and operating expenses

 

 

38,567

 

 

 

22,128

 

 

 

5,436

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(34,742

)

 

 

(21,668

)

 

 

(4,852

)

Interest expense

 

 

(1,629

)

 

 

(253

)

 

 

 

Interest income

 

 

12

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

7

 

Loss from operations before income tax

 

 

(36,359

)

 

 

(21,911

)

 

 

(4,845

)

Income tax benefit

 

 

(1,702

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(34,657

)

 

$

(21,911

)

 

$

(4,845

)

Net loss per share - basic and diluted

 

$

(1.30

)

 

$

(1.46

)

 

$

(0.42

)

Weighted average number of shares during the period - basic

   and diluted

 

 

26,679

 

 

 

15,046

 

 

 

11,405

 

See accompanying notes

 

 

 

F-5


 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

(In thousands, except for share amounts)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid-in

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

Deficit

 

 

Total

 

Balance, December 31, 2011

 

 

10,493,887

 

 

$

1

 

 

$

10,313

 

 

$

(6,105

)

 

$

4,209

 

Issuance of common stock in connection with the exercise

   of stock options

 

 

10,800

 

 

 

 

 

 

36

 

 

 

 

 

 

36

 

Issuance of common stock for cash at $4.00 per share, net

   of issuance costs of $66

 

 

1,500,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

5,934

 

 

 

 

 

 

5,934

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

863

 

 

 

 

 

 

863

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,845

)

 

 

(4,845

)

Balance, December 31, 2012

 

 

12,004,687

 

 

$

1

 

 

$

17,146

 

 

$

(10,950

)

 

$

6,197

 

Issuance of common stock in connection with the exercise

   of stock options

 

 

7,300

 

 

 

 

 

 

17

 

 

 

 

 

 

17

 

Issuance of common stock for cash at $4.50 per share, net

   of issuance costs of $64

 

 

1,426,406

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,354

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,354

 

Issuance of common stock with assignment agreement

 

 

10,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

40

 

 

 

 

 

 

40

 

Issuance of common stock in connection with IgDraSol

   merger at $9.25 per share

 

 

3,006,641

 

 

 

 

 

 

27,811

 

 

 

 

 

 

27,811

 

Issuance of common stock in connection with Sherrington

   acquisition at $8.48 per share

 

 

200,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,698

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,698

 

Issuance of common stock warrants in connection loan and

   security agreement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

215

 

 

 

 

 

 

215

 

Issuance of common stock in connection with Concortis

   merger at $8.48 per share

 

 

1,331,978

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,295

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,295

 

Issuance of common stock for convertible note holders

   at $7.25 per share

 

 

256,119

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,857

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,857

 

Issuance of common stock for cash at $7.25 per share, net

   of issuance costs of $3,254

 

 

4,772,500

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

31,346

 

 

 

 

 

 

31,347

 

Issuance of common stock in lieu of cash legal fees

 

 

12,469

 

 

 

 

 

 

100

 

 

 

 

 

 

100

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,789

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,789

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(21,911

)

 

 

(21,911

)

Balance, December 31, 2013

 

 

23,028,100

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

99,668

 

 

 

(32,861

)

 

 

66,809

 

Issuance of common stock for research agreement

 

 

25,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

209

 

 

 

 

 

 

209

 

Issuance of common stock with exercise of options

 

 

64,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

304

 

 

 

 

 

 

304

 

Issuance of common stock warrants in connection with

   amended loan and security agreement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

322

 

 

 

 

 

 

322

 

Issuance of common stock for cash at $5.25 per share,

   net of issuance costs of $2,126

 

 

5,479,750

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

26,642

 

 

 

 

 

 

26,643

 

Issuance of common stock for cash at $9.00 per share,

   net of issuance costs of $180

 

 

400,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,420

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,420

 

Issuance of common stock and warrants for cash at $5.80  per share,

   net of issuance costs of $20

 

 

7,188,062

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

41,722

 

 

 

 

 

 

41,723

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,940

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,940

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(34,657

)

 

 

(34,657

)

Balance, December 31, 2014

 

 

36,184,912

 

 

$

4

 

 

$

176,227

 

 

$

(67,518

)

 

$

108,713

 

See accompanying notes

 

 

 

F-6


 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

For the Years Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

(In thousands, except for share amounts)

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

 

2012

 

Operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(34,657

)

 

$

(21,911

)

 

$

(4,845

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used for operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

3,184

 

 

 

1,290

 

 

 

293

 

Non-cash interest expense

 

 

451

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

3,940

 

 

 

1,789

 

 

 

863

 

Acquired in-process research and development

 

 

209

 

 

 

1,905

 

 

 

 

Provision for doubtful accounts

 

 

33

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax provision

 

 

(1,702

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities; net of acquisitions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grants and other receivables

 

 

(371

)

 

 

117

 

 

 

(18

)

Prepaid expenses and other

 

 

(979

)

 

 

(441

)

 

 

(77

)

Accounts payable

 

 

(497

)

 

 

878

 

 

 

(23

)

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

1,625

 

 

 

(116

)

 

 

10

 

Net cash used for operating activities

 

 

(28,764

)

 

 

(16,489

)

 

 

(3,797

)

Investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(591

)

 

 

(420

)

 

 

(548

)

Purchase of intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

(511

)

 

 

 

Investment in common stock

 

 

(10,000

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash received in connection with mergers

 

 

 

 

 

428

 

 

 

 

Net cash used for investing activities

 

 

(10,591

)

 

 

(503

)

 

 

(548

)

Financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of issuance costs

 

 

71,786

 

 

 

37,701

 

 

 

5,934

 

Net borrowings under debt agreements

 

 

7,500

 

 

 

6,850

 

 

 

 

Net payments of deferred compensation

 

 

 

 

 

(1,000

)

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

 

304

 

 

 

17

 

 

 

36

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

79,590

 

 

 

43,568

 

 

 

5,970

 

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

40,235

 

 

 

26,576

 

 

 

1,625

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

 

31,667

 

 

 

5,091

 

 

 

3,466

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

 

$

71,902

 

 

$

31,667

 

 

$

5,091

 

Supplemental disclosures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid during the period for:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income taxes

 

$

6

 

 

$

1

 

 

$

1

 

Interest paid

 

$

1,544

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

See accompanying notes

 

 

F-7


 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(In thousands, except for share amounts)

1. Nature of Operations and Business Activities

Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRNE), together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, acquisition, development and commercialization of proprietary drug therapeutics for addressing significant unmet medical needs in the U.S., Europe and additional international markets. The Company’s primary therapeutic focus is oncology, including the treatment of chronic cancer pain, but is also developing therapeutic products for other indications, including immunology and infectious diseases. The Company’s pipeline consists of its lead oncology product candidate Cynviloq™, a micellar paclitaxel formulation, resiniferatoxin, or RTX, a non-opiate, ultra potent and selective agonist of the TRPV-1 receptor for intractable pain in end-stage disease, as well as fully human therapeutic antibodies derived from our proprietary G-MAB ® library platform and antibody drug conjugates, or ADCs.

Through December 31, 2014, the Company had devoted substantially all of its efforts to product development, raising capital and building infrastructure, and had not realized revenues from its planned principal operations.  

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, IgDraSol, Inc., or IgDraSol; Sherrington Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Sherrington; Concortis Biosystems, Corp., or Concortis; Ark Animal Health, Inc. or Ark; and Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. Hong Kong Limited, or Sorrento Hong Kong, which was registered effective December 4, 2012. Sherrington and Sorrento Hong Kong had no operating activity since their acquisition and inception through December 31, 2014. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Reverse Stock Split

On July 30, 2013, the Company completed a 1-for-25 reverse split of its common stock. All common shares and per common share amounts in the financial statements and footnotes have been adjusted retroactively to reflect the effects of this action.

Liquidity and Going Concern

The Company anticipates that it will continue to incur net losses into the foreseeable future as it: (i) completes its bioequivalence, or BE, registration trial related to Cynviloq and prepares for its New Drug Application filing anticipated in 2015, (ii) advance RTX into clinical trials and potentially pursue other human indications, (iii) continues to identify a number of potential mAb and ADC drug candidates and further advances various preclinical and development activities, (iv) continues development of, and seeks regulatory approvals for, its product candidates, and begin to commercialize any approved products, (v) expand corporate infrastructure, including the costs associated with being a NASDAQ listed public company, and (vi) ) invest in JV’s or other third party agreements.

In March 2014, the Company entered into an amended and restated loan and security agreement, increasing the September 2013 facility to $12.5 million from $5.0 million, with the same two banks, which was funded at closing. The interest rate on the amended and restated loan is 7.95% per annum. In October 2014, the Company entered into a second amendment to its amended and restated loan and security agreement to extend the interest only payments on the outstanding amount of the loan from October 1, 2014 to May 1, 2015, after which equal monthly payments of principal and interest are due until the loan maturity date of September 30, 2017.

In May 2014, the Company closed an underwritten public offering of 4,765,000 shares of common stock, at $5.25 per share, and in June 2014, closed the full exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the representative of the underwriters to purchase an additional 714,750 shares of its common stock, with total gross proceeds of $28.8 million, before underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by the Company.

In June 2014, the Company entered into a collaboration agreement with Morphotek, Inc., or Morphotek, to generate novel ADCs based on a Morphotek antibody linked to chemotherapeutic agents using proprietary ADC Technology. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company received $200 during 2014 upon the completion and delivery of the agreed upon initial quantity of ADC’s and will receive future research fees, milestone payments and royalties on future net sales. Additionally, the Company will have the potential to receive up to $50 million upon the successful attainment of key milestones.  

 

F-8


 

I n October 2014, the Company entered into a license agreement with China Oncology Focus Limited, an affiliate of Lee’s Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, or Lee’s Pharma, pursuant to which Lee’s Pharma licensed the Company’s fully human immune-oncology anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody STI-A1014. Under the terms of the agreement, Lee’s Pharma received exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the STI-A1014 for the greater Chinese market, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. In turn, the Company received an up-front payment of $1.0 million which was recorded as deferred revenue at December 31, 2014, and will receive potential future milestone payments and royalties on future net sales. In total, the Company has the potential to receive more than $46 million upon the successful attainment of key milestones, excluding royalties, and retains all the rights to use data generated by Lee’s Pharma for territories outside of the greater Chinese market. Additionally, Lee’s Pharma purchased 400,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $9.00 per share, or an aggregate of $3.6 million .

In December 2014, the Company entered into an agreement with NantBioCell, LLC, or NantBioCell, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nantworks, a private company owned by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.  Under the terms of the agreement, NantBioCell and the Company intend to establish a new joint venture called The Immunotherapy Antibody JV, or JV, as an independent biotechnology company with $20 million initial joint funding expected mid-2015, $12.0 million from NantBioCell and $8.0 from the Company representing a 60:40 ownership in the JV between NantBioCell and the Company, respectively. The JV will focus on accelerating the development of multiple immuno-oncology monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the treatment of cancer, including but not limited to anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA4 mAbs, and other immune-check point antibodies as well as antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies.  In connection with this agreement the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with Cambridge Equities, LP, or Cambridge, a limited partnership owned by Dr. Soon-Shiong, pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell to Cambridge a 19.9% equity stake or an aggregate of 7,188,062 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $5.80 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $41.7 million. In connection with the purchase agreement, Cambridge received a warrant to purchase 1,724,138 shares of the Company’s common stock. The warrant is exercisable for a period of three years from the date of issuance at an initial exercise price of $5.80 per share and is subject to customary adjustments provisions for stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations and the like.

In December 2014, the Company also entered into a collaboration agreement with Conkwest Incorporated, or Conkwest, a privately-held life sciences company developing and commercializing the proprietary cancer-killing cell line Neukoplast (also known as NK-92) for the treatment of cancers and viral infections. Jointly, the Company and Conkwest will generate and develop products for adoptive immunocellular therapy utilizing Neukoplast cells and chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs, derived from our G-MAB antibody library. The product candidates, coined chimeric antigen receptor tumor-attacking Neukoplast (CAR.TNK), will be developed for the treatment of hematological malignancies as well as solid tumors. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company and Conkwest will establish an exclusive global strategic collaboration focused on accelerating the development of CAR.TNKs, including CD19-CAR.TNK™, PD-L1-CAR.TNK™, PSMA-CAR.TNK™, CD123-CAR.TNK™, and other CAR.TNKs for the treatment of hematological malignancies as well as solid tumors. Both companies will jointly own and share development costs and revenues from any developed CAR.TNK products. In connection with this agreement the Company entered into a subscription and investment agreement with Conkwest, as amended, pursuant to which Conkwest issued and sold to the Company an aggregate of 3,034,473 shares of Conkwest Class A common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $10.0 million representing an equity stake in Conkwest of approximately 9%.   

Management believes the Company has the ability to meet all obligations due over the course of the next twelve months.

The Company plans to continue to fund its operating losses and capital funding needs through public or private equity or debt financings, strategic collaborations, licensing arrangements, asset sales, government grants or other arrangements. The Company filed a universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which was declared effective by the SEC in July 2013. The Shelf Registration Statement provides the Company the ability to offer up to $100 million of securities, including equity and other securities as described in the registration statement. After the May 2014 underwritten offering (see Note 6), the Company has the ability to offer up to $36.6 million of additional securities. In November 2014, the Company filed a universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC, which was declared effective by the SEC in December 2014. This Shelf Registration Statement provides the Company with the ability to offer up to $250 million of securities, including equity and other securities as described in the registration statement. Included in the 2014, shelf registration is a sales agreement prospectus covering the offering, issuance and sale by the Company of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $50.0 million of the Company’s common stock that may be issued and sold under a sales agreement with MLV & Co. LLC.   Pursuant to these Shelf Registration Statements, the Company may offer such securities from time to time and through one or more methods of distribution, subject to market conditions and the Company’s capital needs. Specific terms and prices will be determined at the time of each offering under a separate prospectus supplement, which will be filed with the SEC at the time of any offering. However, the Company cannot be sure that such additional funds will be available on reasonable terms, or at all. If the Company is unable to secure adequate additional funding, the Company may be forced to make reductions in spending, extend payment terms with suppliers, liquidate assets where possible, and/or suspend or curtail planned programs. In addition, if the Company does not meet its payment obligations to third parties as they come due, it may be subject to litigation claims. Even if the Company is successful in defending against these claims,

 

F-9


 

litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management. Any of these actions could materially harm the Company’s business, results of operations, and future prospects.

 

If the Company raises additional funds by issuing equity securities, substantial dilution to existing stockholders would result. If the Company raises additional funds by incurring debt financing, the terms of the debt may involve significant cash payment obligations as well as covenants and specific financial ratios that may restrict the Company’s ability to operate its business.

 

 

 

2. Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Management believes that these estimates are reasonable; however, actual results may differ from these estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company minimizes its credit risk associated with cash and cash equivalents by periodically evaluating the credit quality of its primary financial institution. The balance at times may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses on such accounts.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, grants and accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses. Fair value estimates of these instruments are made at a specific point in time, based on relevant market information. These estimates may be subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgment and therefore cannot be determined with precision. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, grants and accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other assets, accounts payable and accrued liabilities are generally considered to be representative of their respective fair values because of the short-term nature of those instruments.

Grants and Accounts Receivable

Grants receivable at December 31, 2014 and 2013 represent amounts due under several federal contracts with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, a division of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, collectively, the NIH Grants. The Company considers the grants receivable to be fully collectible; accordingly, no allowance for doubtful amounts has been established. If amounts become uncollectible, they are charged to operations.

Accounts receivable at December 31, 2014 and 2013 consists of trade receivables from sales and services provided to certain customers, which are generally unsecured and due within 30 days. Estimated credit losses related to trade accounts receivable are recorded as general and administrative expenses and as an allowance for doubtful accounts within grants and accounts receivable, net. The Company reviews reserves and makes adjustments based on historical experience and known collectability issues and disputes. When internal collection efforts on accounts have been exhausted, the accounts are written off by reducing the allowance for doubtful accounts. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the allowance for doubtful accounts was $33.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation of property and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which are generally three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the life of the lease or the life of the asset. Repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred.

 

F-10


 

Acquisitions and Intangibles

The Company has engaged in business combination activity. The accounting for business combinations requires management to make judgments and estimates of the fair value of assets acquired, including the identification and valuation of intangible assets, as well as liabilities assumed. Such judgments and estimates directly impact the amount of goodwill recognized in connection with each acquisition, as goodwill presents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired business over the fair value of its net tangible and identifiable intangible assets.

Patent rights are stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, determined to be approximately nineteen years from the date of transfer of the rights to the Company in April 2013. The Company had no patent rights as of December 31, 2012. Amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $5 and $4, respectively, which has been included in intangibles amortization.

License rights are stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, determined to be approximately fifteen years from the date of acquisition of the rights in September 2013. The Company had no licenses rights as of December 31, 2012. Amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $1,900 and $586, respectively, which has been included in intangibles amortization.

Acquired technology is stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, determined to be approximately nineteen years from the date of acquisition of the technology in December 2013. The Company had no acquired technology as of December 31, 2012. Amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $176 and $6, respectively, which has been included in intangibles amortization.

Customer relationships are stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, determined to be approximately five years from the date of acquisition. The Company had no customer relationships as of December 31, 2012. Amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $264 and $9, respectively, which has been included in intangibles amortization.

 

Goodwill and Other Long-Lived Assets

Goodwill, which has an indefinite useful life, represents the excess of cost over fair value of net assets acquired. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least annually during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events occur indicating the potential for impairment. During its goodwill impairment review, the Company may assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of its reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. The qualitative factors include, but are not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, and the overall financial performance of the Company. If, after assessing the totality of these qualitative factors, the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of its reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then no additional assessment is deemed necessary. Otherwise, the Company proceeds to perform the two-step test for goodwill impairment. The first step involves comparing the estimated fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company performs the second step of the goodwill impairment test to determine the amount of loss, which involves comparing the implied fair value of the goodwill to the carrying value of the goodwill. The Company may also elect to bypass the qualitative assessment in a period and elect to proceed to perform the first step of the goodwill impairment test. The Company performed its annual assessment for goodwill impairment in the fourth quarter of 2014, noting no impairment.

The Company evaluates its long-lived assets with definite lives, such as property and equipment, acquired technology, customer relationships, patent and license rights, for impairment by considering competition by products prescribed for the same indication, the likelihood and estimated future entry of non-generic and generic competition with the same or similar indication and other related factors. The factors that drive the estimate of the life are often uncertain and are reviewed on a periodic basis or when events occur that warrant review. Recoverability is measured by comparison of the assets’ book value to future net undiscounted cash flows that the assets are expected to generate. There have not been any impairment losses of long-lived assets through December 31, 2014.

 

Cost-Method Investment

The Company’s cost-method investment in a non-publicly traded company is included in the consolidated balance sheets and is carried at cost, adjusted for any impairment, because the Company does not have a controlling interest and does not have the ability to exercise significant influence over this company.  The Company monitors this investment for impairment on a quarterly basis, and adjusts carrying value for any impairment charges recognized.  Realized gains and losses on this investment are reported in other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations. There have not been any impairment losses of cost-method investments through December 31, 2014.

 

F-11


 

Research and Development Costs

All research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred. Such costs primarily consist of lab supplies, contract services, stock-based compensation expense, salaries and related benefits.

Acquired In-Process Research and Development Expense

The Company has acquired and may continue to acquire the rights to develop and commercialize new drug candidates. The up-front payments to acquire a new drug compound, as well as future milestone payments, are immediately expensed as acquired in-process research and development provided that the drug has not achieved regulatory approval for marketing and, absent obtaining such approval, have no alternative future use.

Income Taxes

The provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 740-10, Uncertainty in Income Taxes, address the determination of whether tax benefits claimed or expected to be claimed on a tax return should be recorded in the financial statements. Under ASC 740-10, the Company may recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The Company has determined that it has no uncertain tax positions.

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method to compute the differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and the related financial amounts, using currently enacted tax rates.

The Company has deferred tax assets, which are subject to periodic recoverability assessments. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that more likely than not will be realized. The Company evaluates the recoverability of the deferred tax assets annually.

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s grant revenues are generated primarily from NIH and U.S. Department of Treasury (or U.S. Treasury) grant awards, and from revenues generated from sales and services from the sale of customized reagents and providing contract development services. Any amounts received prior to satisfying our revenue recognition criteria are recorded as deferred revenue. The revenue from the NIH and U.S. Treasury grant awards are based upon subcontractor and internal costs incurred that are specifically covered by the grant, and where applicable, a facilities and administrative rate that provides funding for overhead expenses. These revenues are recognized when expenses have been incurred by subcontractors or when the Company incurs internal expenses that are related to the grant.

Revenues from sales and services are generated from the sale of customized reagents and providing contract development services. Reagents are used for preparing ADCs, these reagents include industrial standard cytotoxins, linkers, and linker-toxins. The contract development services include providing synthetic expertise to customer’s synthesis by delivering them proprietary cytotoxins, linkers and linker-toxins and ADC service using industry standard toxin and antibodies provided by customers. Revenue is recognized when, (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) the product has been shipped or the services have been rendered, (iii) the price is fixed or determinable, and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.  

The Company is obligated to accept from customers the return of products sold that are damaged or don’t meet certain specifications. The Company may authorize the return of products sold in accordance with the terms of its sales contracts, and estimates allowances for such amounts at the time of sale. The Company has not experienced any sales returns.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, which establishes accounting for equity instruments exchanged for employee services. Under such provisions, stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the calculated fair value of the award, and is recognized as an expense, under the straight-line method, over the employee’s requisite service period (generally the vesting period of the equity grant).

The Company accounts for equity instruments, including restricted stock or stock options, issued to non-employees in accordance with authoritative guidance for equity based payments to non-employees. Stock options issued to non-employees are accounted for at their estimated fair value determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of options granted

 

F-12


 

to non-employees is re-measured as they vest, and the resulting increase in value, if any, is recognized as expense during the period the related services are rendered. Restricted stock issued to non-employees is accounted for at their estimated fair value as they vest.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. The Company is required to record all components of comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated financial statements in the period in which they are recognized. Net income (loss) and other comprehensive income (loss), including foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains and losses on investments, are reported, net of their related tax effect, to arrive at comprehensive income (loss). For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, the comprehensive loss was equal to the net loss.

Net Loss per Share

Net loss per share is presented as both basic and diluted net loss per share. Basic net loss per share excludes any dilutive effects of options, shares subject to repurchase and warrants. Diluted net loss per share includes the impact of potentially dilutive securities. During 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Company had securities outstanding which could potentially dilute basic earnings per share in the future, but were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share, as their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

These outstanding securities consist of the following:

 

 

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

 

2012

 

Unvested Restricted Common stock subject to repurchase

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13,458

 

Outstanding options

 

 

2,235,000

 

 

 

1,047,300

 

 

 

419,600

 

Outstanding warrants

 

 

1,980,630

 

 

 

221,850

 

 

 

8,000

 

Weighted average exercise price of options

 

$

6.34

 

 

$

6.51

 

 

$

3.50

 

 

Segment Information

       The Company is engaged primarily in the discovery and development of innovative drug therapies focused on oncology and the treatment of chronic cancer pain. Accordingly, the Company has determined that it operates in one operating segment.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606),” which supersedes all existing revenue recognition requirements, including most industry-specific guidance. ASU No. 2014-09 requires a company to recognize revenue when it transfers goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the company expects to receive for those goods or services. ASU No. 2014-09 will be effective on January 1, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this accounting standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In August 2014, FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, “Presentation of Financial Statements – Going Concern.” ASU No. 2014-15 provides guidance regarding management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there exists substantial doubt about an organization’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures in certain circumstances. ASU No. 2014-15 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods thereafter. The Company does not expect this standard to have any impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

 

 

 

F-13


 

3. Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consisted of the following as of December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

Furniture and fixtures

 

 

91

 

 

 

39

 

Office equipment

 

 

92

 

 

 

81

 

Lab equipment

 

 

3,695

 

 

 

3,187

 

Leasehold improvements

 

 

86

 

 

 

66

 

 

 

 

3,964

 

 

 

3,373

 

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

 

(1,687

)

 

 

(933

)

 

 

$

2,277

 

 

$

2,440

 

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $754, $454 and $293, respectively.

 

 

4. Cost-Method Investment

As of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 , the aggregate carrying amount of the Company’s cost-method investment in a non-publicly traded company was $10.0 million and $0 , respectively. The Company’s cost-method investment is assessed for impairment quarterly. The Company determines that it is not practicable to estimate the fair value of its cost-method investment on a regular basis and does not reassess the fair value of cost-method investment if there are no identified events or changes in circumstances that may have a significant adverse effect on the fair value of the investment.  No impairment losses were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

 

 

 

5. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

 

As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company had goodwill of $24,041.  The Company performed a qualitative test for goodwill impairment as of December 31, 2014. Based upon the results of the qualitative testing the Company concluded that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair values of the Company’s goodwill were in excess of the carrying values and therefore performing the first step of the two-step impairment test was unnecessary. No goodwill impairment was recognized for the years ended December 31, 2014 or 2013.

 

The Company’s intangible assets, excluding goodwill, include acquired license and patent rights, core technologies and customer relationships. Amortization for the intangible assets that have finite useful lives is generally recorded on a straight-line basis over their useful lives.  A summary of the Company’s identifiable intangible assets as of December 31, is as follows:

 

 

 

 

2014

 

 

 

Gross Carrying Amount

 

 

Accumulated Amortization

 

 

Intangibles, net

 

License rights

 

$

29,105

 

 

$

2,486

 

 

$

26,619

 

Customer relationships

 

 

1,320

 

 

 

272

 

 

 

1,048

 

Acquired technology

 

 

3,410

 

 

 

182

 

 

 

3,228

 

Patent rights

 

 

90

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

81

 

Total intangible assets

 

$

33,925

 

 

$

2,949

 

 

$

30,976

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013

 

 

 

Gross Carrying Amount

 

 

Accumulated Amortization

 

 

Intangibles, net

 

License rights

 

$

29,105

 

 

$

586

 

 

$

28,519

 

Customer relationships

 

 

1,320

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

1,312

 

Acquired technology

 

 

3,410

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

3,404

 

Patent rights

 

 

90

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

86

 

Total intangible assets

 

$

33,925

 

 

$

604

 

 

$

33,321

 

 

As of December 31, 2014, the remaining amortization period for identifiable intangible assets is 5 to 19 years.

 

F-14


 

 

Estimated future amortization expense related to intangible assets at December 31, 2014 is as follows:

 

Years Ending December 31,

 

Amount

 

2015

 

$

2,345

 

2016

 

 

2,345

 

2017

 

 

2,345

 

2018

 

 

2,336

 

2019

 

 

2,081

 

Thereafter

 

 

19,524

 

Total

 

$

30,976

 

 

 

6. Significant Agreements and Contracts

License Agreement with The Scripps Research Institute

In January 2010, the Company entered into a license agreement, or the TSRI License, with The Scripps Research Institute, or TSRI. Under the TSRI License, TSRI granted the Company an exclusive, worldwide license to certain TSRI patent rights and materials based on quorum sensing for the prevention and treatment of Staphylococcus aureus (“Staph”) infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staph. In consideration for the license, the Company: (i) issued TSRI a warrant for the purchase of common stock, (ii) agreed to pay TSRI a certain annual royalty commencing in the first year after certain patent filing milestones are achieved, (iii) agreed to pay a royalty on any sales of licensed products by the Company or its affiliates and a royalty for any revenues generated by the Company through its sublicense of patent rights and materials licensed from TSRI under the TSRI License. The TSRI License requires the Company to indemnify TSRI for certain breaches of the agreement and other matters customary for license agreements. The parties may terminate the TSRI License at any time by mutual agreement. In addition, the Company may terminate the TSRI License by giving 60 days’ notice to TSRI and TSRI may terminate the TSRI License immediately in the event of certain breaches of the agreement by the Company or upon the Company’s failure to undertake certain activities in furtherance of commercial development goals. Unless terminated earlier by either or both parties, the term of the TSRI License will continue until the final expiration of all claims covered by the patent rights licensed under the agreement. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Company recorded $142, $66 and $42 in patent prosecution and maintenance costs associated with the TSRI License, respectively. All such costs have been included in general and administrative expenses.

The fair value of the warrants to purchase Company common stock, issued in connection with the TSRI License, of $18 was determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model with the following weighted-average assumptions: risk-free interest rate of 2.48%, no dividend yield, expected term of 10 years, and volatility of 102%. Such fair value has been included in general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

NIH Grants

In May 2010, the NIAID awarded the Company an Advanced Technology Small Business Technology Transfer Research grant to support the Company’s program to generate and develop novel antibody therapeutics and vaccines to combat Staph infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staph, or the Staph Grant award. The project period for the Phase I Staph Grant award covered a two-year period which commenced in June 2010 and ended in May 2012, with a total grant award of $600,000. The Company recorded revenue associated with the grant as the related costs and expenses were incurred. During the year ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Company recorded $0, $0 and $119 of revenue associated with the Staph Grant award, respectively.

In July 2011, the NIAID awarded the Company a second Advanced Technology Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) grant to support the Company’s program to generate and develop antibody therapeutics and vaccines to combat C. difficile infections, or the C. difficile Grant award. The project period for the Phase I C. difficile Grant award covered a two-year period which commenced in June 2011 and ended in June 2013, with the total grant award of $600. During the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Company recorded $0, $144 and $336 of revenue associated with the C. difficile Grant award, respectively.

In June 2012, the NIAID awarded the Company a third Advanced Technology STTR grant to support the Company’s program to generate and develop novel human antibody therapeutics to combat Staph infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staph, or the Staph Grant II award. The project period for the Phase I grant covers a two-year period which commenced in June 2012, with a total grant award of $600. During the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Company recorded $150, $308 and $129 of revenue associated with the Staph Grant II award, respectively.  

 

F-15


 

In June 2014, the NIAID awarded the Company a Phase II STTR grant to support the advanced preclinical development of human bispecific antibody therapeutics to prevent and treat Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus or Staph) infections, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), or the Staph Grant III award. The project period for this Phase II grant covers a two-year period which commenced in June 2014, with total funds available of approximately $1 million per year for up to 2 years. During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company recorded $220 of revenue associated with the Staph Grant III award.

In June 2014, the NIAID awarded the Company a Phase I STTR grant entitled “Anti-Pseudomonas Immunotherapy and Targeted Drug Delivery”. This grant will support the preclinical development of novel anti- Pseudomonas aeruginosa mAb immunotherapy or an antibody-mediated targeted antibiotic delivery vehicle. Each modality may be an effective and safe stand-alone therapy and/or a component of a “cocktail” therapeutic option for prevention and treatment of P. aeruginosa infections. The project period for this Phase I grant covers a two-year period which commenced in July 2014, with total funds available of approximately $300 per year for up to 2 years. During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company recorded $28 of revenue associated with the Phase I STTR grant award.

In July 2014, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a division of the NIH, awarded the Company a Phase I STTR grant, entitled “Targeting of Myc-Max Dimerization for the Treatment of Cancer”. This grant will support the preclinical development of the Myc inhibitor, which interferes with the protein-protein interaction (PPI) between Myc and its obligatory dimerization partner, Max, preventing sequence-specific binding to DNA and subsequent initiation of oncogenic transformation. The project period for this Phase I grant covers a one-year period which commenced in August 2014, with total funds available of approximately $225. During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company recorded $86 of revenue associated with the Phase I Myc grant award.

In August 2014, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI), a division of the NIH awarded the Company a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR) grant entitled “Human Anti-WISP-1 Antibodies for Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fbrosis”. This grant will advance the Company’s immunotherapy targeting WNT-1 Inducible Signaling Protein-1(WISP1) for the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). WISP1 is a protein that has been shown to be upregulated in IPF, linked to key growth factors, cellular proliferation, hyperplasia and is correlated with late stage cancers. IPF is a fatal disease which results in progressive loss of lung function due to fibrosis of the lungs. The project period for this Phase I grant covers a one-year period which commenced in August 2014, with total funds available of approximately $225.  During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company recorded $5 of revenue associated with the Phase I WISP1 grant award.

 

 

7. Mergers and Acquisitions

On March 7, 2013, the Company entered into various agreements with IgDraSol, a private company focused on the development of Cynviloq, an oncologic agent for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, or MBC, non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, and other cancers, as follows: (i) an exclusive option agreement, (ii) an asset purchase agreement pursuant to which the Company agreed to purchase all documentation, equipment, information and other know-how related to micellar nanoparticle technology encompassing Tocosol ® and related technologies, and (iii) an initial services agreement, pursuant to which, IgDraSol is to provide certain product development and technology services related to the Company’s antibody platform.

On September 9, 2013, the Company exercised its option to acquire IgDraSol whereby IgDraSol became a wholly-owned subsidiary and the Company acquired all rights to Cynviloq. Pursuant to the merger agreement, the Company issued 3,006,641 shares of common stock to IgDraSol stockholders and paid $382 in cash. Upon the later achievement of a specified regulatory milestone, the Company will issue an additional 1,306,272 shares of common stock to former IgDraSol stockholders. The Company’s lead compound is Cynviloq, a micellar paclitaxel formulation drug product. Cynviloq is currently approved and marketed in several countries, including South Korea for MBC and NSCLC under the trade name Genexol-PM ® . The Company licensed exclusive distribution rights for Cynviloq in North America, the 27 countries of the European Union, and Australia, from Samyang Biopharmaceuticals Corporation, a South Korean corporation.

On October 9, 2013, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization and acquired privately-held Sherrington in exchange for 200,000 shares of its common stock, for an aggregate purchase price of $1,698 which was recognized as acquired in-process research and development expense. Sherrington is focused on the development of a treatment for intractable pain in end-stage disease. RTX is a novel, non-opiate, small molecule that permanently eliminates pain experienced by end-stage cancer patients when directly interacting with the nerve cells. RTX is currently being tested in an investigator-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. To date, 10 patients with terminal cancer pain have been treated at the NIH. The Company intends to launch additional trials to rapidly advance clinical development of the drug in patients with terminal cancer pain.

 

F-16


 

On December 19, 2013, the Company acquired and merged with privately-held Concortis, whereby Concortis became a wholly-owned subsidiary. Upon closing, the Company issued an aggregate of 1,331,978 shares of its common stock to the Concortis shareholders. Certain Concortis employees and consultants received $1,000 in compensation for the year ending December 31, 2014, and are to receive annual deferred compensation payments totaling $1,000 on December 31 for each of the years ending 2015 and 2016. The net present value of the deferred compensation payment was calculated using the effective interest method, and is included in the purchase price. The total transaction is valued at $14.7 million. Concortis has proprietary cytotoxic payloads as well as C-lock ® and K-lock ® conjugation technologies that allow for site-specific toxin conjugation to the antibody. These next generation technologies may improve the overall stability and potency of the ADCs. First-generation conjugation technologies lead to inconsistent drug-antibody ratios, which result in a heterogeneous mixture of ADCs. This variability has been a constraining factor in unlocking the full therapeutic potential for current-generation ADCs. The ADC technology complements the Company’s existing development programs, particularly its G-MAB ® antibody library and related monoclonal antibodies. Concortis uses its proprietary technologies to provide various customized reagents as well as drug conjugation services to customers in the pharmaceutical industry.

The IgDraSol, Sherrington and Concortis acquisitions have been accounted for in accordance with the acquisition method of accounting under FASB ASC Topic 805, “ Business Combinations” (“Topic 805”). Topic 805 requires, among other things, that identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed be recognized at their fair values which are based in part on third party appraisals as of the Acquisition Date. Under the acquisition method of accounting, the purchase consideration was allocated to the assets acquired, including tangible assets and other identifiable intangible assets and liabilities assumed, based on their estimated fair market values on the date of acquisition. Any excess purchase price after the initial allocation to identifiable net tangible and identifiable intangible assets was assigned to goodwill. These completed acquisitions have been accounted for as purchases and the results of operations have been included in the consolidated financial statements since their respective dates of acquisition.

Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information

The following unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information summarizes the combined results of operations for the Company as though the IgDraSol, Sherrington and Concortis acquisitions occurred as of January 1, 2013. The unaudited pro forma financial information for all periods presented also includes the business combination accounting effects resulting from these acquisitions including amortization charges from acquired intangible assets. The unaudited pro forma financial information as presented below is for informational purposes only and does not purport to be indicative of the results of operations for future periods or the results what actually would have been realized had the entities been a single entity during these periods.

The unaudited pro forma combined results are presented in thousands, except share and per share information.  

 

 

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

 

2012

 

Total Revenues

 

$

3,825

 

 

$

3,850

 

 

$

584

 

Loss from operations

 

$

(34,742

)

 

$

(23,589

)

 

$

(4,853

)

Net loss

 

$

(34,657

)

 

$

(24,084

)

 

$

(4,845

)

Net loss per share-basic and diluted

 

$

(1.30

)

 

$

(1.60

)

 

$

(0.42

)

 

8. Loan and Security Agreement

In September 2013, the Company entered into a $5.0 million loan and security agreement with two banks pursuant to which: (i) the lenders provided the Company a term loan which was funded at closing, (ii) the Company repaid its then outstanding equipment loan balance of $762, and (iii) the lenders received a warrant to purchase an aggregate 31,250 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $8.00 per share exercisable for seven years from the date of issuance. The value of the warrants, totaling $215, was recorded as debt discount and additional paid-in capital.

In March 2014, the Company entered into an amended and restated loan and security agreement, increasing the September 2013 facility to $12.5 million from $5.0 million, with the same two banks. Such loan was funded at closing and is secured by a lien covering substantially all of the Company’s assets, excluding intellectual property, which is subject to a negative pledge. In October 2014, the Company entered into a second amendment to its amended and restated loan and security agreement to extend the interest only payments on the outstanding amount of the loan from October 1, 2014 to May 1, 2015, after which equal monthly payments of principal and interest are due until the loan maturity date of September 30, 2017. The amended and restated loan: (i) interest rate is 7.95% per annum, and (ii) provided the Lenders additional warrants to purchase an aggregate of 34,642 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $12.99 per share, exercisable for seven years from the date of issuance. The value of the warrants, totaling $322, was recorded as debt discount and additional paid-in capital.

 

F-17


 

At the Company’s option, it may prepay all of the outstanding principal balance, subject to certain pre-payment fees ranging from 1% to 3% of the prepayment amount. In the event of a final payment of the loans under the loan agreement, either in the event of repayment of the loan at maturity or upon any prepayment, the Company is obligated to pay the amortized portion of the final fee of $781.

The Company is also subject to certain affirmative and negative covenants under the loan agreement, including limitations on its ability to: undergo certain change of control events; convey, sell, lease, license, transfer or otherwise dispose of any equipment financed by loans under the loan agreement; create, incur, assume, guarantee or be liable with respect to indebtedness, subject to certain exceptions; grant liens on any equipment financed under the loan agreement; and make or permit any payment on specified subordinated debt. In addition, under the loan agreement, subject to certain exceptions, the Company is required to maintain with the lender its primary operating, other deposit and securities accounts.

Long-term debt and unamortized discount balances are as follows:

 

Face value of amended and restated loan

 

$

12,500

 

Fair value of all warrants

 

 

(536

)

Accretion of debt discount

 

 

182

 

Balance at December 31, 2014

 

$

12,146

 

 

Future minimum payments under the loan and security agreement are as follows:

 

Year Ending December 31,

 

 

 

 

2015

 

$

4,396

 

2016

 

 

5,530

 

2017

 

 

4,147

 

Total future minimum payments

 

 

14,073

 

Unamortized interest

 

 

(1,573

)

Debt discount

 

 

(354

)

Total minimum payment

 

 

12,146

 

Current portion

 

 

(3,316

)

Long-term debt

 

$

8,830

 

 

 

9. Stockholders’ Equity

Common Stock

In January 2014, the Company entered into a research agreement and issued 25,000 shares of common stock valued at $209.

In May 2014, the Company closed an underwritten public offering of 4,765,000 shares of common stock, at $5.25 per share, and in June 2014, closed the full exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the representative of the underwriters to purchase an additional 714,750 shares of its common stock, with total gross proceeds of $28.8 million, before underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses of $2.1 million payable by the Company.

In October 2014, the Company entered into a license agreement with Lee’s Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, or Lee’s Pharma, pursuant to which Lee’s Pharma licensed the Company’s fully human immune-oncology anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody STI-A1014. In connection with this license agreement Lee’s Pharma purchased 400,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $9.00 per share, or an aggregate of $3.6 million before commissions .

In December 2014, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with Cambridge Equities, LP, or Cambridge, pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell to Cambridge an aggregate of 7,188,062 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $5.80 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $41.7 million.

 

F-18


 

Purchase Warrants

Concurrent with the October 30, 2013 offering, the Company agreed to issue and sell to the underwriters a warrant (“Underwriters Warrant”) for the purchase of an aggregate of 182,600 shares of common stock, for a nominal amount. The Underwriters Warrant agreement is exercisable, in whole or in part, commencing on a date which is one (1) year after the effective date of the Registration Statement and expiring on the five-year anniversary of the effective date of the Registration Statement at an initial exercise price per share of common stock of $9.0625, which is equal to 125% of the initial public offering price of $7.25 per share.

In connection with the securities purchase agreement, Cambridge received a warrant to purchase 1,724,138 shares of the Company’s Common Stock. The warrant is exercisable for a period of three years from the date of issuance at an initial exercise price of $5.80 per share. The exercise price of the warrant is subject to customary adjustments provisions for stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations and the like.

Convertible Promissory Notes

In October 2013, the Company issued an aggregate $1.85 million principal amount of Notes that bear interest at 7% per annum. Concurrently with the closing of the public offering, such Notes and related accrued interest totaling $7 automatically converted into 256,119 shares of common stock.

Stock Incentive Plans

2009 Equity Incentive Plan

In February 2009, prior to the Merger, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan, or the EIP, under which 400,000 shares of common stock were reserved for issuance to employees, non-employee directors and consultants of the Company. In March 2009, the Company issued 296,154 restricted common stock awards to certain consultants for aggregate gross proceeds of $291, of which the Company repurchased 44,166 unvested shares of restricted common stock for $43 in January 2011. The restricted shares vest monthly over four years and all remaining shares were fully vested as of December 31, 2014. No further shares are available for grant under the EIP.

2009 Non-Employee Director Grants

In September 2009, prior to the adoption of the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the reservation and issuance of 8,000 nonstatutory stock options to the Company’s non-employee directors. The outstanding options vested on the one year anniversary of the vesting commencement date in October 2010. Such options are exercisable on the two year anniversary of the grant date and are generally exercisable for up to 10 years from the grant date. No further shares may be granted under this plan and, as of December 31, 2014, 3,200 options were outstanding.

The following table summarizes stock option activity as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the changes for the years then ended:

 

 

 

Options Outstanding

 

 

Weighted-

Average

Exercise Price

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2012

 

 

3,200

 

 

$

1.12

 

Options Granted

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options Canceled

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options Exercised

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2013

 

 

3,200

 

 

$

1.12

 

Options Granted

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options Canceled

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options Exercised

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding, Vested and Exercisable at December 31, 2014

 

 

3,200

 

 

$

1.12

 

  

2009 Stock Incentive Plan

In October 2009, the Company’s stockholders approved the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan. In June 2014, the Company’s stockholders approved, among other items, the amendment and restatement of the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, or the Stock Plan, to

 

F-19


 

increase the number of common stock authorized to be issued pursuant to the Stock Plan to 3,760,000. Such shares of the Company’s common stock are reserved for issuance to employees, non-employee directors and consultants of the Company. The Stock Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, non-incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, unrestricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards and performance awards to eligible recipients. Recipients of stock options shall be eligible to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price equal to no less than the estimated fair market value of such stock on the date of grant. The maximum term of options granted under the Stock Plan is ten years. Employee option grants will generally vest 25% on the first anniversary of the original vesting commencement date, with the balance vesting monthly over the remaining three years. The vesting schedules for grants to non-employee directors and consultants will be determined by the Company’s Compensation Committee. Stock options are generally not exercisable prior to the applicable vesting date, unless otherwise accelerated under the terms of the applicable stock plan agreement. Unvested shares of the Company’s common stock issued in connection with an early exercise however, may be repurchased by the Company upon termination of the optionee’s service with the Company.

The following table summarizes stock option activity as of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, and the changes for the years then ended:

 

 

 

Options Outstanding

 

 

Weighted-

Average

Exercise Price

 

 

Aggregate Intrinsic Value

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2011

 

 

113,100

 

 

$

3.00

 

 

 

 

 

Options Granted

 

 

341,400

 

 

$

4.00

 

 

 

 

 

Options Canceled

 

 

(28,900

)

 

$

3.75

 

 

 

 

 

Options Exercised

 

 

(9,200

)

 

$

3.25

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2012

 

 

416,400

 

 

$

3.75

 

 

$

54,750

 

Options Granted

 

 

650,200

 

 

$

8.19

 

 

 

 

 

Options Canceled

 

 

(15,200

)

 

$

3.92

 

 

 

 

 

Options Exercised

 

 

(7,300

)

 

$

2.35

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2013

 

 

1,044,100

 

 

$

6.52

 

 

$

1,859,880

 

Options Granted

 

 

1,577,000

 

 

$

3.38

 

 

 

 

 

Options Canceled

 

 

(325,300

)

 

$

11.38

 

 

 

 

 

Options Exercised

 

 

(64,000

)

 

$

4.76

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2014

 

 

2,231,800

 

 

$

6.34

 

 

$

8,323,131

 

  

The Company uses the Black-Scholes valuation model to calculate the fair value of stock options. The fair value of employee stock options was estimated at the grant date using the following assumptions:

 

 

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

 

2012

 

Weighted-average grant date fair value

 

$

3.38

 

 

$

8.19

 

 

$

7.25

 

Dividend yield

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volatility

 

 

76

%

 

 

87

%

 

 

103

%

Risk-free interest rate

 

 

1.87

%

 

 

1.68

%

 

 

0.88

%

Expected life of options

 

6.1 years

 

 

6.1 years

 

 

5.5 years

 

  

The assumed dividend yield was based on the Company’s expectation of not paying dividends in the foreseeable future. Due to the Company’s limited historical data, the estimated volatility incorporates the historical and implied volatility of comparable companies whose share prices are publicly available. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the U.S. Treasury’s rates for U.S. Treasury zero-coupon bonds with maturities similar to those of the expected term of the award being valued. The weighted average expected life of options was estimated using the average of the contractual term and the weighted average vesting term of the options.

The total employee stock-based compensation recorded as operating expenses was $3,262, $1,545 and $325 for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

The total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock option grants as of December 31, 2014 was $5,869 and the weighted average period over which these grants are expected to vest is 3.1 years.

 

F-20


 

The Company records equity instruments issued to non-employees as expense at their fair value over the related service period as determined in accordance with the authoritative guidance and periodically revalues the equity instruments as they vest. Stock-based compensation expense related to non-employee consultants recorded as operating expenses was $678, $244, and $538 for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Common Stock Reserved for Future Issuance

Common stock reserved for future issuance consists of the following at December 31, 2014:

 

Common stock warrants outstanding under the TSRI License

 

 

8,000

 

Common stock warrants outstanding under the underwriters agreement

 

 

182,600

 

Common stock warrants outstanding under the loan and security agreement

 

 

65,892

 

Common stock warrants outstanding under the Cambridge securities agreement

 

 

1,724,138

 

Common stock options outstanding under the EIP

 

 

3,200

 

Authorized for future grant or issuance under the Stock Plan

 

 

1,417,866

 

Issuable to former IgDraSol stockholders upon achievement of specified regulatory

   milestones

 

 

1,306,272

 

Issuable under assignment agreement based upon achievement of certain milestones

 

 

80,000

 

 

 

 

4,787,968

 

 

10. Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation

In the normal course of business, the Company may be named as a defendant in one or more lawsuits. Management is currently not aware of any pending lawsuits.

Operating Leases

The Company currently leases in San Diego, California approximately 18,500 square feet of corporate office and laboratory space, approximately 6,350 square feet of laboratory and office space at a second location and approximately 6,400 square feet of office space at a third location adjacent to its corporate offices.  The Company also leases 2,400 square feet of office space in Irvine, California and approximately 1,800 square feet of office space in Cary, North Carolina.  The Company’s lease agreements in San Diego, as amended, for its corporate office and laboratory space, its second laboratory and office space and its third office space, expire in March 2016, June 2018 and January 2016, respectively.  The Company’s Irvine lease, as amended, expires in March 2015 and the lease on office space in North Carolina expires March 2016.    

For all leased properties the Company has provided a total security deposit of $53 to secure its obligations under the various leases, which has been included in prepaid and other assets.

Minimum future non-cancelable annual operating lease obligations are as follows for the years ending December 31:

 

2015

 

$

552

 

2016

 

 

252

 

2017

 

 

177

 

2018

 

 

90

 

Thereafter

 

 

 

 

 

$

1,071

 

Rental expense paid for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 under the above leases totaled $513, $198 and $128, respectively.   

In February 2015, the Company entered into a new lease for 43,022 square feet of corporate office and laboratory space in San Diego, California.  This lease expires in 2025.  See Note 14.

 

 

 

F-21


 

11. Income Taxes

The components of the benefit for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

 

2012

 

Current:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

(1,324

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

State

 

 

(378

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totals

 

$

(1,702

)

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes.

Significant components of the Company’s net deferred tax assets are as follows as of December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 

 

 

2014

 

 

2013

 

Deferred tax assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net operating loss carryforwards and credits

 

$

23,927

 

 

$

11,995

 

Stock based compensation

 

 

1,606

 

 

 

506

 

Accrued expenses and other

 

 

(183

)

 

 

(202

)

Total deferred tax assets

 

 

25,350

 

 

 

12,299

 

Less valuation allowance

 

 

(25,350

)

 

 

(12,299

)

Net deferred tax assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amortization of intangibles

 

 

(10,973

)

 

 

(12,617

)

Other

 

 

(1,573

)

 

 

(1,631

)

Net deferred tax liabilities

 

$

(12,546

)

 

$

(14,248

)

 

The Company has evaluated the available evidence supporting the realization of its gross deferred tax assets, including the amount and timing of future taxable income, and has determined that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Due to such uncertainties surrounding the realization of the domestic deferred tax assets, the Company maintains a valuation allowance of $25,350 against its deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2014. Realization of the deferred tax assets will be primarily dependent upon the Company’s ability to generate sufficient taxable income prior to the expiration of its net operating losses.

As of December 31 2014, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $58,816 and $56,450 for federal and state income tax purposes, respectively. These may be used to offset future taxable income and will begin to expire in varying amounts in 2027 to 2034. The Company also has research and development credits of approximately $307 and $234 for federal and state income tax purposes, respectively. The federal credits may be used to offset future taxable income and will begin to expire in varying amounts in 2029 to 2033. The state credits may be used to offset future taxable income, such credits carryforward indefinitely.

The Company is subject to taxation in the U.S. and California jurisdictions. Currently, no historical years are under examination. The Company’s tax years ending December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 are subject to examination by the U.S. and state taxing authorities due to the carryforward of unutilized net operating losses and research and development credits.

Utilization of the Company’s net operating loss carryforwards and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation due to an “ownership change” that may have occurred, or that could occur in the future, as defined and required by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), as well as similar state provisions. These ownership changes may limit the amount of net operating loss carryforwards and research and development credit carryforwards, and other tax attributes that can be utilized annually to offset future taxable income and tax, respectively. Any limitation may result in the expiration of a portion of the net operating loss carryforwards or research and development credit carryforwards before utilization.

 

F-22


 

In general, an “ownership change” results from a transaction or series of transactions over a three-year period resulting in an ownership change of more than 50% of the outstanding stock of a company by certain stockholders or public groups. The Company intends to complete a study in the future to assess whether an ownership change has occurred or whether there have been multiple ownership changes since the Company’s formation, and will complete such study before the use of any of the aforementioned attributes.

 

 

12. Related Party Agreements and Other

License and Development Agreement

On June 18, 2014, the Company and Ark entered into a License and Development Agreement (LDA) whereby the Company granted Ark a license to develop and commercialize RTX for animal use only, in exchange for the issuance to the Company of 10,000,000 shares of Ark common stock valued at $13,100, representing 100% of the outstanding shares of Ark common stock. Such intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Transition Services Agreement

On June 18, 2014, the Company entered into a Transition Services Agreement (TSA) with Ark which became effective retroactively to April 1, 2014. Under the TSA, the Company has provided and/or has made available to Ark various administrative, financial, legal, insurance, facility, information technology, laboratory, real estate and other services to be provided by, or on behalf of, the Company, together with such other services as reasonably requested by Ark. In consideration for such services, Ark will pay fees to the Company for the services provided, and those fees will generally be in amounts intended to allow the Company to recover all of its direct and indirect costs incurred in providing such services. The personnel performing services under the TSA are employees and/or independent contractors of the Company and are not under the direction or control of Ark. These personnel costs are based upon the actual percentages of time spent by Company personnel performing services for Ark under the TSA. In addition, Ark will reimburse the Company for direct out-of-pocket costs incurred by the Company for third party services provided to Ark. Through December 31, 2014, the Company has recorded $991 of costs associated with activities contemplated under the TSA.

In order for the Company to be reimbursed by Ark for activities provided under the TSA, Ark must be successful in raising financing on a stand-alone basis. There can be no assurance that Ark will be successful in securing third party financing.

Loan and Security Agreement

On June 18, 2014, the Company and Ark entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (Loan Agreement) pursuant to which the Company agreed to lend Ark, as amended in August 2014, up to $1.0 million for working capital purposes. Advances under the Loan Agreement bear interest at six percent (6%) per annum. Outstanding advances mature on the earlier of: (i) following the consummation of any public or private offering of securities in which Ark receives gross proceeds of at least $5.0 million, (ii) an event of default under the Loan Agreement, or (iii) June 18, 2015. In connection with the Loan Agreement, the Company has a security interest in all of Ark’s assets, including Ark’s intellectual property, until the loan is repaid in full. During the period from Ark’s inception in February 2014 through December 31, 2014, the Company paid for certain general, administrative and research and development expenses totaling $991. The intercompany balances associated with these transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

2014 Stock Option Plan

In May 2014, Ark adopted the Ark 2014 Stock Option Plan and reserved and awarded 600,000 options to certain directors and consultants under such plan. Stock options granted under such plan typically vest after four years of continuous service from the grant date and will have a contractual term of ten years. No further shares may be granted under this plan and, as of December 31, 2014, 600,000 options were outstanding.

The total employee and consultant stock-based compensation recorded as operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2014 was $466.  Total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock option grants as of December 31, 2014 was $30, and the weighted-average period over which these grants are expected to vest is approximately five months.

The weighted-average assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model used to determine the fair value of stock option grants were as follows: expected dividend yield – 0%, risk-free interest rate – 1.94% to 2.21%, expected volatility – 75% to 78%, and expected term of 6.08 to 10 years.

 

F-23


 

2014 Equity Incentive Plan

In May 2014, Ark adopted the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan. Under this plan Ark may grant equity awards which include stock options, restricted stock units and stock appreciation rights. Ark has reserved for future issuance 1,000,000 shares of common stock issuable pursuant to this plan. The plan’s share reserve, as defined, will automatically increase each year commencing on January 1, 2015, in an amount equal to 3.0% of the total number of shares outstanding on the last day of the preceding calendar year. No equity awards have been issued under the plan as of December 31, 2014.

Related Party Transactions

During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company purchased products totaling $626 from Levena Biopharma Co., LTD or Levena, a Chinese Corporation.  The Company’s Chief Technology Officer is also one of the owners of Levena.

 

 

13. 401(k) Plans

The Company maintains a defined contribution 401(k) plan available to eligible employees. Employee contributions are voluntary and are determined on an individual basis, limited to the maximum amount allowable under federal tax regulations. The Company, at its discretion, may make certain contributions to the 401(k) plan. Through December 31, 2014, no such contributions were made. In addition, Concortis maintained a defined contribution 401(k) plan available to its eligible employees through December 31, 2014.  Employee contributions were voluntary and were determined on an individual basis, limited to the maximum amount allowable under federal tax regulations. Through December 31, 2014, Concortis made matching contributions to the Concortis 401(k) plan totaling $57.  The assets in the Concortis 401(k) plan were transferred into the Company’s 401(k) plan in December 2014.

 

 

14. Subsequent Events

On February 17, 2015, the Company entered into a new lease agreement for its San Diego, California headquarters. The ten year and seven month office building lease between the Company and HCP University Center West LLC is for approximately 43,022 square feet of office and lab space in the UTC area of San Diego.  The initial term of the lease is estimated to commence on May 1, 2015.  The Company will be obligated to pay an average of approximately $1.35 million in annual rent over the term of the lease. The Company intends to sublease its existing corporate office and laboratory space until those leases expire.  

Pursuant to the lease agreement, not more than 9 months prior to the expiration of the initial term, the Company has the option to extend the lease for an additional five-year term at then current market rates. The Company may terminate the lease agreement effective as of the last day of the 91st month of the lease, upon the payment of certain termination costs .

  

 

F-24

 

Exhibit 4.4

NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THIS SECURITY IS EXERCISABLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AS EVIDENCED BY A LEGAL OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE TRANSFEROR TO SUCH EFFECT, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH SHALL BE REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY.

COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

Warrant Shares: 1,724,138

 

Initial Exercise Date: December 22, 2014

THIS COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT (the “ Warrant ”) certifies that, for value received, Cambridge Equities, LP or its assigns (the “ Holder ”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time and from time to time on or after December 22, 2014 (the “ Initial Exercise Date ”) and on or prior to the close of business on the three year anniversary of the Initial Exercise Date (the “ Termination Date ”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), up to 1,724,138 shares (as subject to adjustment hereunder, the “ Warrant Shares ”) of Common Stock. The purchase price of one share of Common Stock under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b).

Section 1 Definitions . Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in that certain Securities Purchase Agreement (the “ Purchase Agreement ”), dated December 14, 2014, among the Company and the Holder.

Section 2. Exercise.

a) Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery to the Company (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice in writing to the registered Holder at the address of the Holder appearing on the books of the Company) of a duly executed facsimile copy of the Notice of Exercise Form annexed hereto. Unless being exercised on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 2(c) below, within three (3) Trading Days following the date of exercise as aforesaid, the Holder shall deliver the aggregate Exercise Price for the shares specified in the applicable Notice of Exercise by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days of the date the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases. The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise Form within one (1) Business Day of receipt of such notice. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant Shares hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof.

b)  Exercise Price . The exercise price per share of the Common Stock under this Warrant shall be $5.80 , subject to adjustment hereunder (the “ Exercise Price ”).

1


 

c)  Cashless Exercise . The Holder, at its option, may exercise this Warrant , in whole or in part, by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive a certificate for the number of Warrant Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:

(A) = the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which Holder elects to exercise this Warrant by means of a “cashless exercise,” as set forth in the applicable Notice of Exercise;

(B) = the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and

(X) = the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise.

VWAP ” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported in the “Pink Sheets” published by Pink OTC Markets, Inc. (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported, or (c) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Holder and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.

d) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, on the Termination Date, this Warrant shall be automatically exercised via cashless exercise pursuant to this Section 2(c).

e)  Mechanics of Exercise .

i.  Delivery of Certificates Upon Exercise . Certificates for shares purchased hereunder shall be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s prime broker with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“ DWAC ”) if the Company is then a participant in such system and there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to or resale of the Warrant Shares by Holder, and otherwise by physical delivery to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise by the date that is three (3) Trading Days after the latest of (A) the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise, (B) surrender of this Warrant (if required) and (C) payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as set forth above, including by means of a “cashless exercise” (such date, the “ Warrant Share Delivery Date ”). The Warrant Shares shall be deemed to have been issued, and Holder or any other person so designated to be named therein shall be deemed to have become a holder of record of such shares for all purposes, as of the date the Warrant has been exercised, with payment to the Company of the Exercise Price and all taxes required to be paid by the Holder, if any, pursuant to Section 2(c)(v) prior to the issuance of such shares, having been paid.

ii.  Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise . If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant certificate, at the time of delivery of the certificate or certificates representing Warrant Shares, deliver to the Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of the Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.

iii.  Rescission Rights . If the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder a certificate or the certificates representing the Warrant Shares pursuant to Section 2(c)(i) by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise.

iv.  No Fractional Shares or Scrip . No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which the Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.

v.  Charges, Taxes and Expenses . Issuance of certificates for Warrant Shares shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such certificate, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such certificates shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided , however , that in the event certificates for Warrant Shares

2


 

are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by the Assignment Form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto.

vi.  Closing of Books . The Company will not close its stockholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.

f)  Holder’s Exercise Limitations . The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and a Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below). For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of shares of Common Stock which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, nonexercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or nonconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other Common Stock Equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(f), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(f) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination. In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For purposes of this Section 2(f), in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. Upon the written or oral request of a Holder, the Company shall within two Trading Days confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. The “ Beneficial Ownership Limitation ” shall be 19.9% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 2(f) to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation herein contained or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant. The Beneficial Ownership Limitation shall not apply in the event of a Combination (as defined below) in which each Holder shall have the right to receive upon exercise of the Warrant the kind and amount of shares of capital stock or other securities or property which such Holder would have been entitled to receive upon or as a result of such Combination had such Warrant been exercised immediately prior to such event (subject to further adjustment in accordance with the terms hereof).

Section 3. Certain Adjustments.

a)  Stock Dividends and Splits . If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions on shares of its Common Stock or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in shares of Common Stock (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides outstanding shares of Common Stock into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split) outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues by reclassification of shares of the Common Stock any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number

3


 

of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.

b)  Pro Rata Distributions . If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, shall distribute to all holders of Common Stock (and not to the Holder) evidences of its indebtedness or assets (including cash and cash dividends) or rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any security, then in each such case the Exercise Price shall be adjusted by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the record date fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to receive such distribution by a fraction of which the denominator shall be the VWAP determined as of the record date mentioned above, and of which the numerator shall be such VWAP on such record date less the then per share fair market value at such record date of the portion of such assets or evidence of indebtedness so distributed applicable to one outstanding share of the Common Stock as determined by the Board of Directors in good faith. In either case the adjustments shall be described in a statement provided to the Holder of the portion of assets or evidences of indebtedness so distributed or such subscription rights applicable to one share of Common Stock. Such adjustment shall be made whenever any such distribution is made and shall become effective immediately after the record date mentioned above.

c)  Combination: Liquidation . While this Warrant is outstanding, (i) in the event of a Combination (as defined below), each Holder shall have the right to receive upon exercise of the Warrant the kind and amount of shares of capital stock or other securities or property which such Holder would have been entitled to receive upon or as a result of such Combination had such Warrant been exercised immediately prior to such event (subject to further adjustment in accordance with the terms hereof). Unless paragraph (ii) is applicable to a Combination, the Company shall provide that the surviving or acquiring Person (the “ Successor Company ”) in such Combination will assume by written instrument the obligations under this Section 3 and the obligations to deliver to the Holder such shares of stock, securities or assets as, in accordance with the foregoing provisions, the Holder may be entitled to acquire. “ Combination ” means an event in which the Company consolidates with, mergers with or into, or sells all or substantially all of its assets to another Person, where “ Person ” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity; (ii) In the event of (x) a Combination where consideration to the holders of Common Stock in exchange for their shares is payable solely in cash or (y) the dissolution, liquidation or winding-up of the Company, the Holders shall be entitled to receive, upon surrender of their Warrant, distributions on an equal basis with the holders of Common Stock or other securities issuable upon exercise of the Warrant, as if the Warrant had been exercised immediately prior to such event, less the Exercise Price. In case of any Combination described in this Section 3 , the surviving or acquiring Person and, in the event of any dissolution, liquidation or winding-up of the Company, the Company, shall deposit promptly with an agent or trustee for the benefit of the Holders of the funds, if any, necessary to pay to the Holders the amounts to which they are entitled as described above. After such funds and the surrendered Warrant are received, the Company is required to deliver a check in such amount as is appropriate (or, in the case or consideration other than cash, such other consideration as is appropriate) to such Person or Persons as it may be directed in writing by the Holders surrendering such Warrant.

d)  Calculations . All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.

e) Notice to Holder .

i. Adjustment to Exercise Price . Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly mail to the Holder a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and any resulting adjustment to the number of Warrant Shares and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.

ii. Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder . If (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Stock, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Stock, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Stock, any consolidation or merger to which the Company is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Stock is converted into other securities, cash or

4


 

property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be mailed to the Holder at its last address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Stock of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Stock of record shall be entitled to exchange their shares of the Common Stock for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to mail such notice or any defect therein or in the mailing thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. To the extent that any notice provided hereunder constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K. The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.

Section 4. Transfer of Warrant.

a)  Transferability . This Warrant and all rights hereunder (including, without limitation, any registration rights) are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. The Warrant, if properly assigned in accordance herewith, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued.

b)  New Warrants . This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the initial issuance date of this Warrant and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.

c)  Warrant Register . The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company for that purpose (the “ Warrant Register ”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.

Section 5. Miscellaneous.

a)  No Rights as Stockholder Until Exercise . This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, dividends or other rights as a stockholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof as set forth in Section 2(c)(i).

b)  Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant . The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any stock certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it (which, in the case of the Warrant, shall not include the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate.

c)  Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc . If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then, such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day.

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d)  Authorized Shares .

The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Stock a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of executing stock certificates to execute and issue the necessary certificates for the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Common Stock may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).

Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the Holder, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its certificate of incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.

Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.

e)  Jurisdiction . All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Purchase Agreement.

f)  Restrictions . The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.

g)  Nonwaiver and Expenses . No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice the Holder’s rights, powers or remedies. Without limiting any other provision of this Warrant or the Purchase Agreement, if the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to the Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by the Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder.

h)  Notices . Any notice, request or other document required or permitted to be given or delivered to the Holder by the Company shall be delivered in accordance with the notice provisions of the Purchase Agreement.

i)  Limitation of Liability . No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by the Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of the Holder, shall give rise to any liability of the Holder for the purchase price of any Common Stock or as a stockholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.

j)  Remedies . The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Warrant. The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of a breach by it of the provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.

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k)  Successors and Assigns . Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares.

l)  Amendment . This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company and the Holder.

m)  Severability . Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.

n)  Headings . The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.

********************

(Signature Page Follows)

 

 

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.

 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

By:

 

 

 

Name:

Henry Ji, Ph.D.

 

Title:

CEO

 

 

 

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NOTICE OF EXERCISE

To: SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, inc.

(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase              Warrant Shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the attached Warrant, and tenders herewith payment of the applicable exercise price, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.

(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):

[  ] in lawful money of the United States; or

[  ] the cancellation of such number of Warrant Shares as is necessary, in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection 2(c), to exercise this Warrant with respect to the maximum number of Warrant Shares purchasable pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure set forth in subsection 2(c).

(3) Please issue a certificate or certificates representing said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:

 

 

The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number or by physical delivery of a certificate to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]

 

Name of Investing Entity:

 

 

Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity :

 

 

Name of Authorized Signatory:

 

 

Title of Authorized Signatory:

 

 

Date:

 

 

 

 

 


 

ASSIGNMENT FORM

(To assign the foregoing warrant, execute
this form and supply required information.
Do not use this form to exercise the warrant.)

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, [              ] all of or [              ] shares of the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to

 

 

 whose address is

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dated: 

 

 

 

,

 

 

 

 

 

Holder’s Signature:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holder’s Address:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signature Guaranteed:

 

 

 

NOTE:  The signature to this Assignment Form must correspond with the name as it appears on the face of the Warrant, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank or trust company. Officers of corporations and those acting in a fiduciary or other representative capacity should file proper evidence of authority to assign the foregoing Warrant.

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.24

SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

THIS SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is dated this 14th day of December, 2014, by and between SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and CAMBRIDGE EQUITIES, LP (the “Purchaser”).

WHEREAS, the Purchaser desires to purchase an aggregate 7,188,061 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value (the “Common Stock”) of the Company (the “Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $41,690,753.80 (the “Purchase Price”) and the Company desires to sell the Securities to the Purchaser (the “Sale”), all on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; In addition, the Company is issuing a three year common stock purchase warrant to the Purchaser to purchase 1,724,138 shares of Common Stock of the Company (the “Warrant Shares”) at an exercise price of $5.80 per share (the “Warrant” and together with the Shares, the “Securities”); and

WHEREAS, the reliance upon the representations made by each of the Purchaser and the Company in this Agreement, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are such that the offer and sale of securities by the Company under this Agreement will be exempt from registration under applicable United States securities laws as a result of this Sale being undertaken pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the terms and conditions contained herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Purchaser hereby agree as follows:

Section 1. Sale . Subject to and upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Purchaser agrees to purchase the Securities and the Company agrees to sell the Securities to the Purchaser.

1.1 Closing . On the Closing Date (as defined below), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, substantially concurrent with the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the parties hereto, the Company agrees to sell, and the Purchaser agrees to purchase the Securities at the Purchase Price. The closing of the Sale shall occur on December 22, 2014, or as soon thereafter as the parties may mutually agree in writing (the “Closing Date”), subject to the provisions of Section 4 and Section 5 herein. The Securities issuable upon closing shall bear a restrictive legend as follows:

THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND MAY BE OFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, PLEDGED, HYPOTHECATED, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF (EACH, A “TRANSFER”) ONLY IF SUCH SECURITIES ARE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR IF SUCH TRANSFER IS MADE PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND SUCH STATE SECURITIES LAWS AFTER PROVIDING AN OPINION OF COUNSEL TO SUCH EFFECT.

1.2  Section 4(a)(2) . Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of each of the Company and the Purchaser set forth in Sections 2 and 3 of this Agreement, the parties acknowledge and agree that the purpose of such representations and warranties is, among other things, to ensure that the Sale qualifies as a sale of securities under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

1.3  Deliveries.

(a) On or prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Purchaser the following:

(i) this Agreement duly executed by the Company;

(ii) the Shares, registered in the name of such Purchaser;

(iii) the Warrant registered in the name of such Purchaser; and

(iv) at the Closing, the Company will deliver to the Purchaser a certificate executed by the President and the chief financial or accounting officer of the Company (solely in their capacities as such), dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Purchaser, to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company set

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forth in Section 2 are true and correct as of the Closing Date, and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions herein on its part to be performed or satisfied on or prior to the Closing Date.

(b) On or prior to the Closing Date, the Purchaser shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Company the following:

(i) this Agreement duly executed by such Purchaser; and

(ii) the Purchase Price by wire transfer to the account specified by the Company.

1.4 Allocation of Purchase Price. The Company and the Purchaser, as a result of arm’s length bargaining, agree that (a) neither the Purchaser nor any of its Affiliates (as defined below) have rendered services to the Company in connection with this Agreement, and (b) except as otherwise required by a final “determination” within the meaning of Section 1313(a)(1) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, as amended, all tax returns and other information returns of each party relative to this Agreement, the Securities issued pursuant hereto shall consistently reflect the matters agreed to in clause (a) of this Section.

Section 2. Representations and Warranties of the Company . The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Purchaser, as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date, that:

2.1 Organization and Qualification . The Company and each of the subsidiaries of the Company (the “Subsidiaries”) is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company, nor any Subsidiary is in violation or default of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any documents executed in connection herewith (the “Transaction Documents”), (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”) and no proceeding has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.

2.2 Authorization; Enforcement . The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Board of Directors or the Company’s stockholders in connection herewith or therewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals. This Agreement and each other Transaction Document to which it is a party has been (or upon delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.

2.3 Issuance of Securities . The issuance of the Securities is duly authorized and, upon issuance in accordance with the terms hereof, the Securities shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of the common stock of the Company. Assuming the truth and accuracy of each of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser contained in Section 3 of this Agreement, the issuance by the Company of the Securities is exempt from registration under the Securities Act and will be free of any Liens (as defined below). The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 750,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value and 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value. As of the date hereof, 28,932,850 shares of the Common Stock and no shares of Preferred Stock were issued and outstanding. Except for the transactions contemplated hereby and except as set forth in the SEC Reports, the Company has not granted any option (except for stock options granted under the Company’s stock option plans), warrants, rights (including conversion or preemptive rights, except for stock purchase under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan), or similar rights to any person or entity to purchase or acquire any rights with respect to any shares of capital stock of the Company. The Common Stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and

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the Company knows of no reason or set of facts which is likely to result in the termination of listing of the Common Stock on Nasdaq or the inability of such stock to continue to be listed on Nasdaq.

2.4 No Conflicts . The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, the issuance of the Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not: (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any options, contracts, agreements, liens, security interests, or other encumbrances (“Liens”) upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

2.5 Acknowledgment Regarding the Sale . The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Purchaser is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length third party with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company further acknowledges the Purchaser is not acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, and any advice given by the Purchaser or any of their representatives or agents in connection with this Agreement is merely incidental to the Sale. Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates or any person acting on its or their behalf has conducted any general solicitation (as that term is used in Rule 502(c) of Regulation D) or general advertising with respect to any of the Shares, or made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security under any circumstances that would require registration of the Shares under the Securities Act.

2.6 SEC Reports; Financial Statements . The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, for the two years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) on a timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments. As of the date hereof, there are no outstanding or unresolved comments received from the SEC staff with respect to the SEC Reports, and to the Company’s knowledge, none of the SEC Reports is the subject of any ongoing SEC review or investigation.

2.7 Subsidiaries . All of the direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company are set forth in the SEC Reports. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any Liens, and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. If the Company has no subsidiaries, all other references to the Subsidiaries or any of them in the Transaction Documents shall be disregarded.

2.8 Filings, Consents and Approvals. Other than as set forth on Schedule 3.1(e), the Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than the notice and/or application(s) to each applicable Trading Market for the

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issuance and the listing of the Shares for trading thereon in the time and manner required thereby (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).

2.9 Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments . Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, except as specifically disclosed in a subsequent SEC Report filed prior to the date hereof: (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant to existing Company stock option plans. The Company does not have pending before the Commission any request for confidential treatment of information. Except for the issuance of the Securities contemplated by this Agreement, no event, liability, fact, circumstance, occurrence or development has occurred or exists or is reasonably expected to occur or exist with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, properties, operations, assets or financial condition, that would be required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is made or deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least 1 Trading Day prior to the date that this representation is made.

2.10 Litigation . There is no action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) (collectively, an “Action”) which (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or the Securities or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act.

2.11 Compliance . Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental authority or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters (collectively, “Laws”), except in each case as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Company holds all material licenses, franchises, permits, certificates, approvals and authorizations from each governmental body, or required by any governmental body to be obtained, in each case necessary for the lawful conduct of its business and operations as currently conducted (collectively, “Permits”). The Company is in compliance in all material respects with the terms of all Permits. To the Company’s knowledge, it has not received written notice since June 2013 to the effect that a governmental body (a) claimed or alleged that the Company was not in compliance with all Laws applicable to the Company, any of its properties or other assets or any of its business or operations other than as previously disclosed to Purchaser in writing or (b) was considering the amendment, termination, revocation or cancellation of any Permit. The consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, in and of itself, will not cause the revocation or cancellation of any Permit.

2.12 Certain Fees . No brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any Subsidiaries to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.

2.13 Investment Company . The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately after receipt of payment for the Securities, will not be or be an Affiliate of, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become an “investment company” subject to registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

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2.14 Disclosure. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, the Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided the Purchaser or its agents or counsel with any information that it believes constitutes or might constitute material, non-public information. The Company understands and confirms that the Purchaser will rely on the foregoing representation in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All of the disclosure furnished by or on behalf of the Company to the Purchaser regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries, their respective businesses and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Disclosure Schedules to this Agreement, is true and correct and does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The press releases disseminated by the Company during the twelve months preceding the date of this Agreement taken as a whole do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made and when made, not misleading. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Purchaser makes no nor has made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in Section 3 hereof.

2.15 No Integrated Offering . Assuming the accuracy of the Purchaser’s representations and warranties set forth in Section 3, neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause the Sale to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of (i) the Securities Act which would require the registration of any such securities under the Securities Act, or (ii) any applicable shareholder approval provisions of any Trading Market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated.

2.16 Regulation M Compliance . The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the issuance or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company.

2.17 Taxes. The Company and the Subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns which have been required to be filed and paid all taxes shown thereon through the date hereof, to the extent that such taxes have become due and are not being contested in good faith, except where the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any Subsidiary which has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has no knowledge of any federal, state or other governmental tax deficiency, penalty or assessment which has been or might be asserted or threatened against it which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

2.18 Intellectual Property. The Company and the Subsidiaries own or possess adequate enforceable rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks (both registered and unregistered), service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) (collectively, the “ Intellectual Property ”) , necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as conducted as of the date hereof, except to the extent that the failure to own or possess adequate rights to use such Intellectual Property would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; the Company and the Subsidiaries have not received any written notice of any claim of infringement or conflict which asserted Intellectual Property rights of others, which infringement or conflict, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; there are no pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, threatened judicial proceedings or interference proceedings against the Company or its Subsidiaries challenging the Company’s or any of its Subsidiary’s rights in or to or the validity of the scope of any of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s patents, patent applications or proprietary information, except for such right or claim that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; to the Company’s knowledge no other entity or individual has any right or claim in any of the Company’s or any of its Subsidiary’s patents, patent applications or any patent to be issued therefrom by virtue of any contract, license or other agreement entered into between such entity or individual and the Company or any Subsidiary or by any non-contractual obligation, other than by written licenses granted by the Company or any Subsidiary, except for such right or claim that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; the Company and the Subsidiaries have not received any written notice of any claim challenging the rights of the Company or its Subsidiaries in or to any Intellectual Property owned, licensed or optioned by the Company or any Subsidiary which claim, if the subject of an unfavorable decision would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

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2.19 Disclosure Controls. The Company maintains systems of internal accounting controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements of the Company included in the Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company has established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15) for the Company and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the Company and the Subsidiaries is made known to the certifying officers by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as the case may be, is being prepared. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of the Form 10-K for the fiscal year most recently ended (such date, the “ Evaluation Date ”). The Company presented in its Form 10-K for the fiscal year most recently ended the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the most recent Evaluation Date. Since the most recent Evaluation Date, there have been no significant changes in the Company’s internal controls (as such term is defined in Item 307(b) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act) or, to the Company’s knowledge, in other factors that could significantly adversely affect the Company’s internal controls. To the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s “internal controls over financial reporting” and “disclosure controls and procedures” are effective.

Section 3. Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser . The Purchaser represents and warrants to the Company that:

3.1 No Public Sale or Distribution . The Purchaser is acquiring the Securities in the ordinary course of business for its own account and not with a view toward, or for resale in connection with, the public sale or distribution thereof. The Purchaser does not presently have any agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute, or transfer any interest or grant participation rights in the Securities.

3.2 Accredited Investor and Affiliate Status . The Purchaser is an “accredited investor” as that term is defined in Rule 501 of Regulation D under the Securities Act. The Purchaser is not, and has not been, for a period of at least three months prior to the date of this Agreement (a) an officer or director of the Company, (b) an “affiliate” of the Company (as defined in Rule 144) (an “Affiliate”) or (c) a “beneficial owner” of more than 10% of the common stock of the Company (as defined for purposes of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act).

3.3 Reliance on Exemptions. The Purchaser understands that the Sale is being made in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying in part upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Purchaser’s compliance with, the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Purchaser set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Purchaser to complete the Sale and to acquire the Securities.

3.4 Information . The Purchaser has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the Sale which have been requested by the Purchaser. The Purchaser has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the Company. Neither such inquiries nor any other due diligence investigations conducted by the Purchaser or its representatives shall modify, amend or affect the Purchaser’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained herein. The Purchaser acknowledges that all of the documents filed by the Company with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 14(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that have been posted on the SEC’s EDGAR site are available to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser has not relied on any statement of the Company not contained in such documents in connection with the Purchaser’s decision to enter into this Agreement and the Sale.

3.5 Risk . The Purchaser understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk. The Purchaser is able to bear the risk of an investment in the Securities including, without limitation, the risk of total loss of its investment. The Purchaser has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the Sale. There is no assurance that the Securities will continue to be quoted, traded or listed for trading or quotation on the Nasdaq Capital Market or on any other organized market or quotation system.

3.6 No Governmental Review . The Purchaser understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement in connection with the Sale or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities.

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3.7 Organization; Authorization . The Purchaser is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its state of formation and has the requisite organizational power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement.

3.8 Validity; Enforcement . This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered on behalf of the Purchaser and shall constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Purchaser enforceable against the Purchaser in accordance with its terms. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser and the consummation by the Purchaser of the transactions contemplated hereby will not result in a violation of the organizational documents of the Purchaser.

3.9 Prior Investment Experience . The Purchaser acknowledges that it has prior investment experience, including investment in securities of the type being sold, including the Securities, and has read all of the documents furnished or made available by the Company to it and is able to evaluate the merits and risks of such an investment on its behalf, and that it recognizes the highly speculative nature of this investment.

3.10 Tax Consequences . The Purchaser acknowledges that the Company has made no representation regarding the potential or actual tax consequences for the Purchaser which will result from entering into the Agreement and from consummation of the Sale. The Purchaser acknowledges that it bears complete responsibility for obtaining adequate tax advice regarding the Agreement and the Sale.

3.11 No Registration, Review or Approval . The Purchaser acknowledges, understands and agrees that the Securities are being sold hereunder pursuant to an offer exemption under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

Section 4. Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Company . The obligation of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement is subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions, provided that these conditions are for the Company’s sole benefit and may be waived by the Company at any time in its sole discretion by providing the Purchaser with prior written notice thereof:

4.1 Delivery . The delivery by the Purchaser of the items set forth in Section 1.3(b).

4.2 No Prohibition . No order of any court, arbitrator, or governmental or regulatory authority shall be in effect which purports to enjoin or restrain any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and

4.3 Representations . The accuracy in all material respects when made and on the applicable Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser contained herein (unless as of a specific date therein).

Section 5. Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Purchaser . The obligation of the Purchaser to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement is subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions, provided that these conditions are for the Purchaser’s sole benefit and may be waived by the Purchaser at any time in its sole discretion by providing the Company with prior written notice thereof:

5.1 Delivery . The delivery by the Company of the items set forth in Section 1.3(a).

5.2 No Prohibition . No order of any court, arbitrator, or governmental or regulatory authority shall be in effect which purports to enjoin or restrain any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

5.3 Representations . The accuracy when made and on the applicable Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein (unless as of a specific date therein); and

5.4 Trading . From the date hereof to the relevant Closing Date, trading in the Company’s Common Stock shall not have been suspended by the SEC or any trading market and, at any time prior to the Closing Date, trading in securities generally as reported by Bloomberg L.P. shall not have been suspended or limited, or minimum prices shall not have been established on securities whose trades are reported by such service, or on any trading market, nor shall a banking moratorium have been declared either by the United States or California authorities nor shall there have occurred any material outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other national or international calamity of such magnitude in its effect on, or any material adverse change in, any financial market which, in each case, in the reasonable judgment of the Purchaser makes it impracticable or inadvisable to purchase the Securities at the closing.

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5.5 Nasdaq . The Shares and the Warrant Shares shall be designated for listing or quotation (as the case may be) on the Company’s principal Trading Market. “Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE MKT, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange or the OTC Bulletin Board (or any successors to any of the foregoing).

Section 6. Standstill . Prior to the earlier to occur of (a) six months following the Closing Date and (b) the date of the Company’s 2015 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Restricted Period”), neither the Purchaser nor any of its Affiliates or representatives (collectively, the “Nant Group”) will:

a. acquire or offer to acquire, seek, propose or agree to acquire, or make a proposal to acquire, by means of a purchase, tender or exchange offer, merger, business combination or in any other manner, beneficial ownership of the Company (or any of its securities) or of any assets or property thereof, including, in each case, any rights or options to acquire such ownership (including from any third person);

b. make or in any way participate in any “solicitation” of “proxies” (as such terms are used in the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission) to vote, or seek to advise or influence any person or entity with respect to the voting of, or grant of consents with respect to, any voting securities of the Company;

c. make any public announcement with respect to, or solicit or submit a proposal for, or offer of (with or without conditions), any merger, business combination, recapitalization, reorganization, purchase of a material portion of the assets and properties of or other similar extraordinary transaction involving the Company or any of its respective securities;

d. form, join or in any way participate in a “group” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) with respect to any securities of Sorrento or otherwise in connection with any of the foregoing;

e. otherwise act, alone or in concert with others, to seek to control or influence the management, board of directors or policies of the Company;

f. disclose any intention, plan or arrangement inconsistent with any of the foregoing;

g. advise, assist or encourage, or join with, any other persons in connection with any of the actions or matters referred to in clauses (a) through (f); or

h. agree to take any of the actions or matters referred to in clauses (a) through (g).

The Nant Group also agrees that, during the Restricted Period, the Nant Group will not (and the Nant Group will cause its representatives who are acting on its behalf or on behalf of other persons acting in concert with the Nant Group not to), directly or indirectly, request that the Company or any of its representatives, directly or indirectly, amend, waive or terminate any provision of this “Standstill” section (including this sentence).

Section 7. Shareholder Rights Plan. No claim will be made or enforced by the Company or, with the consent of the Company, any other Person, that the Purchaser is an “Acquiring Person” under any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or similar anti-takeover plan or arrangement in effect or hereafter adopted by the Company, or that the Purchaser could be deemed to trigger the provisions of any such plan or arrangement, by virtue of receiving the Securities under this Agreement or under any other agreement between the Company and the Purchaser.

Section 8. Listing of Common Stock . The Company hereby agrees to use best efforts to maintain the listing or quotation (as the case may be) of the Common Stock on the Trading Market on which it is currently listed or designated for quotation (as the case may be), and concurrently with or prior to the Closing, the Company shall apply to list or quote all of the Shares and the Warrant Shares on such Trading Market and promptly, but in no event later than the Closing Date, secure the listing or designation for quotation (as the case may be) of all of the Shares and the Warrant Shares on such Trading Market. The Company further agrees, if the Company applies to have the Common Stock traded on any other Trading Market, it will then include in such application all of the Shares and the Warrant Shares, and will take such other action as is necessary to cause all of the Shares and the Warrant Shares to be listed or quoted on such other Trading Market as promptly as possible. The Company will then take all action necessary to continue the listing and trading of its Common Stock on a Trading Market and will comply in all respects with the Company’s reporting, filing and other obligations under the bylaws or rules of the Trading Market. The Company shall pay all fees and expenses in connection with satisfying its obligations under this Section 8.

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Section 9. Resale Registration Rights .

9.1 The Purchaser may give a notice anytime on or after one hundred twenty (120) days after the Closing Date (the “ Registration Notice ”) stating that the Purchaser is exercising the right granted in Section 9.2 of this Agreement and stating the number of Registrable Securities to be registered.

9.2 As soon as practicable, but in no event more than sixty (60) days (“Filing Deadline”) after the date of the Registration Notice, the Company shall (a) file with the SEC, or (b) have filed with the SEC a Resale Registration Statement (the “Resale Registration Statement”) pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act pursuant to which all of the Shares and Warrant Shares (the “Registrable Securities”) to be registered shall be included (on the initial filing or by supplement thereto) to enable the public resale on a delayed or continuous basis of such Registrable Securities by the Purchaser. The Company shall file the Resale Registration Statement on such form as the Company may then utilize under the rules of the SEC and use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the Resale Registration Statement declared effective under the Securities Act as soon as practicable. The Company agrees to use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the effectiveness of the Resale Registration Statement, including by filing any necessary post-effective amendments and prospectus supplements, or, alternatively, by filing new registration statements relating to the Registrable Securities as required by Rule 415 under the Securities Act, continuously until the date (the “Resale Registration Expiration Date”) that is the earlier of (i) one (1) year following the date of effectiveness of the Resale Registration Statement or (ii) the date on which the Purchaser no longer holds any Registrable Securities covered by such Resale Registration Statement.

9.3 Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall cause (a) the Resale Registration Statement (as of the effective date of Resale Registration Statement), any amendment thereof (as of the effective date thereof) or supplement thereto (as of its date), (i) to comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC and (ii) not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, and (b) any related prospectus, preliminary prospectus and any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, as of its date, (i) to comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC and (ii) not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however , the Company shall have no such obligations or liabilities with respect to any written information pertaining to Purchaser and furnished to the Company by or on behalf of Purchaser specifically for inclusion therein.

9.4 The Company shall notify the Purchaser: (a) when the Resale Registration Statement or any amendment thereto has been filed with the SEC and when the Resale Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has become effective; (b) of any request by the SEC for amendments or supplements to the Resale Registration Statement or the prospectus included therein or for additional information; (c) of the issuance by the SEC of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Resale Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose and of any other action, event or failure to act that would cause the Resale Registration Statement not to remain effective; and (d) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation of any proceeding for such purpose.

9.5 As promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such event, the Company shall notify the Purchaser of the happening of any event (a “Suspension Event”), of which the Company has knowledge, as a result of which the prospectus included in any Resale Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and use its best efforts promptly to prepare a supplement or amendment to any Registration Statement to correct such untrue statement or omission, and deliver such number of copies of such supplement or amendment to the Purchaser as such Purchaser may reasonably request; provided, however, that, for not more than fifteen (15) consecutive trading days (or a total of not more than thirty (30) trading days in any twelve (12) month period), the Company may delay the disclosure of material non-public information concerning the Company (as well as prospectus or Resale Registration Statement updating) the disclosure of which at the time is not, in the good faith opinion of the Company, in the best interests of the Company; provided, further, that, if the Resale Registration Statement was not filed on Form S-3, such number of days shall not include the fifteen (15) calendar days following the filing of any Form 8-K, Form 10-Q or Form 10-K, or other comparable form, for purposes of filing a post-effective amendment to the Resale Registration Statement.

9.6 Upon a Suspension Event, the Company shall give written notice (a “Suspension Notice”) to the Purchaser to suspend sales of the Registrable Securities, and such notice shall state that such suspension shall continue only for so long as the Suspension Event or its effect is continuing and the Company is pursuing with reasonable diligence the completion of the matter giving rise to the Suspension Event or otherwise taking all reasonable steps to terminate suspension of the effectiveness or use

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of the Registration Statement. In no event shall the Company, without the prior written consent of the Purchaser, disclose to the Purchaser any of the facts or circumstances giving rise to the Suspension Event. The Purchaser shall not effect any sales of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement (or such filings) at any time after it has received a Suspension Notice and prior to receipt of an End of Suspension Notice. The Purchaser may resume effecting sales of the Registrable Securities under the Registration Statement (or such filings) following further notice to such effect (an “End of Suspension Notice”) from the Company. This End of Suspension Notice shall be given by the Company to the Purchaser in the manner described above promptly following the conclusion of any Suspension Event and its effect.

9.7 Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, if the Company gives a Suspension Notice pursuant to this Section 9 with respect to the Resale Registration Statement, the Company shall extend the period during which such Resale Registration Statement shall be maintained effective under this Agreement by the number of days during the period from the date of the giving of the Suspension Notice to and including the date when Purchaser shall have received the End of Suspension Notice and copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus necessary to resume sales; provided, however, such period of time shall not be extended beyond the date that the Registrable Securities can be sold under Rule 144 without restriction. The Company shall bear all Registration Expenses incurred in connection with the registration of the Registrable Securities pursuant to this Agreement. “Registration Expenses” shall mean any and all expenses incident to the performance of or compliance with this Agreement, including without limitation: (a) all registration and filing fees; (b) all fees and expenses associated with a required listing of the Registrable Securities on any securities exchange; (c) fees and expenses with respect to filings required to be made with an exchange or any securities industry self-regulatory body; (d) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or “blue sky” laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the underwriters or holders of securities in connection with blue sky qualifications of the securities and determination of their eligibility for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions); (e) printing, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses of the Company; (f) fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and customary fees and expenses for independent certified public accountants retained by the Company (including the expenses of any comfort letters, or costs associated with the delivery by independent certified public accountants of a comfort letter or comfort letters, if such comfort letter or comfort letters is required by the managing underwriter); (g) securities acts liability insurance, if the Company so desires; (h) all internal expenses of the Company (including, without limitation, all salaries and expenses of its officers and employees performing legal or accounting duties); (i) the expense of any annual audit; (j) the fees and expenses of any Person, including special experts, retained by the Company; (k) any underwriting fees, discounts or commissions attributable to the sale of such Registrable Securities, and (l) any legal fees and expenses of counsel to the Purchaser.

9.8 Indemnification.

(a) In the event of the offer and sale of the Registrable Securities held by the Purchaser under the Securities Act, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Purchaser and its directors, officers, employees, Affiliates and agents and each person who controls Purchaser within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (collectively, the “Purchaser Indemnified Parties”) from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, or any actions in respect thereof to which each Purchaser Indemnified Party may become subject under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or actions arise out of or are based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Resale Registration Statement or in any amendment thereof, in each case at the time such became effective under the Securities Act, or in any the preliminary prospectus or other information that is deemed, under Rule 159 promulgated under the Securities Act to have been conveyed to purchasers of securities at the time of sale of such securities (“Disclosure Package”), prospectus or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of a Disclosure Package or any prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, and shall reimburse, as incurred, the Purchaser Indemnified Parties for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action in respect thereof; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or omission made in the Resale Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, any prospectus or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto in reliance upon and in conformity with written information pertaining to Purchaser and furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Purchaser Indemnified Party specifically for inclusion therein; provided further, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Disclosure Package, where (i) such statement or omission had been eliminated or remedied in any subsequently filed amended prospectus or prospectus supplement (the Disclosure Package, together with such updated documents, the “Updated Disclosure Package”), the filing of which the Purchaser had been notified in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, (ii) such Updated Disclosure Package was available at the time the Purchaser sold Registrable Securities under the Resale Registration Statement, (iii) such Updated Disclosure Package was not furnished by the Purchaser to the person or entity asserting the loss, liability, claim, damage or liability at or prior to the time such furnishing is required by the

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Securities Act and (iv) the Updated Disclosure Package would have cured the defect giving rise to such loss, liability, claim, damage or action; and provided further, however, that this indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have to such Resale Indemnified Party. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Purchaser Indemnified Parties and shall survive the transfer of the Shares by any Purchaser.

(b) As a condition to including any Registrable Securities to be offered by the Purchaser in any registration statement filed pursuant to this Agreement, Purchaser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Resale Registration Statement, as well as any officers, employees, Affiliates and agents of the Company, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (a “Company Indemnified Party”) from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities or any actions in respect thereof, to which a Company Indemnified Party may become subject under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or actions arise out of or are based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Resale Registration Statement or in any amendment thereof, in each case at the time such became effective under the Securities Act, or in any Disclosure Package, prospectus or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of the Disclosure Package or any prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, but in each case only to the extent that the untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information pertaining to Purchaser and furnished to the Company by or on behalf of Purchaser specifically for inclusion therein; and, subject to the limitation set forth immediately preceding this clause, shall reimburse, as incurred, the Company Indemnified Parties for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any loss, claim, damage, liability or action in respect thereof. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Purchaser, or any such director, officer, employees, Affiliates and agents and shall survive the transfer of such Registrable Securities by the Purchaser, and such Purchaser shall reimburse the Company, and each such director, officer, employees, Affiliates and agents for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating, defending, or settling and such loss, claim, damage, liability, action, or proceeding; provided, however , that such indemnity agreement found in this Section 9.8(b) shall in no event exceed the gross proceeds from the offering received by such Purchaser. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company or any such director, officer, employees, Affiliates and agents and shall survive the transfer by the Purchaser of such Registrable Securities.

(c) Promptly after receipt by a Purchaser Indemnified Party or a Company Indemnified Party (each, an “Indemnified Party”) of notice of the commencement of any action or proceeding (including a governmental investigation), such Indemnified Party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section , notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof; but the omission to so notify the indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and the indemnifying party has been materially prejudiced by such failure. In case any such action is brought against any Indemnified Party, and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Party (who shall not, except with the consent of the Indemnified Party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and after notice from the indemnifying party to such Indemnified Party of its election so to assume the defense thereof the indemnifying party will not be liable to such Indemnified Party under this Section for any legal or other expenses, other than reasonable costs of investigation, subsequently incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with the defense thereof; provided , however , if such Indemnified Party shall have been advised by counsel that there are one or more defenses available to it that are in conflict with those available to the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party shall not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the Indemnified Party), the reasonable fees and expenses of such Indemnified Party’s counsel shall be borne by the indemnifying party. In no event shall the indemnifying party be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (together with appropriate local counsel) at any time for any Indemnified Party in connection with any one action or separate but substantially similar or related actions arising in the same jurisdiction out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party (not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), effect any settlement of any pending or threatened action in respect of which any Indemnified Party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Party unless such settlement (i) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability on any claims that are the subject matter of such action and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Party. If the indemnification provided for in this Section is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an Indemnified Party under subsections (a) or (b) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the Indemnified

- 11 -


 

Party on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the parties shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Purchaser or Purchaser Indemnified Party, as the case may be, on the other, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The amount paid by an Indemnified Party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (c) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim that is the subject of this subsection (c). The parties agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Purchaser was treated as one entity for such purpose) or any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection (c), Purchaser shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the net proceeds received by the Purchaser from the sale of the Registrable Securities pursuant to the Resale Registration Statement exceeds the amount of damages that Purchaser has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

(d) The agreements contained in this Section shall survive the sale of the Registrable Securities pursuant to the Resale Registration Statement and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination or cancellation of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of any Indemnified Party.

Section 10. Furnishing of Information . As long as Purchaser owns the Securities, the Company covenants to timely file (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company. after the date hereof pursuant to the Exchange Act. As long as Purchaser owns Securities, if the Company is not required to file reports pursuant to such laws, the Company will (i) prepare and furnish to Purchaser and make publicly available in accordance with Rule 144(c) such information as is required for Purchaser to sell the Securities under Rule 144, and (ii) provide audited annual financial statements to Purchaser. The Company Inc. further covenants that it will take such further action as Purchaser may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable Purchaser to sell the Securities without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144.

Section 11. Indemnification . In addition to any other indemnity provided in the Transaction Documents, the Company will indemnify and hold Purchaser and its directors, officers, shareholders, partners, employees, advisers, affiliates and agents (each, a “ Purchaser Party ”) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations, claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments, amounts paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of investigation (collectively, “ Losses ”) that any such Purchaser Party may suffer or incur as a result of or relating to (i) any misrepresentation, breach or inaccuracy of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement made by the Company in any Transaction Document and (ii) any action instituted against a Purchaser Party in any capacity, or any of them or their respective affiliates, by any stockholder of the Company who is not an affiliate of such Purchaser Party, with respect to any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. In addition to the indemnity contained herein, the Company will reimburse each Purchaser Party for its reasonable legal and other expenses (including the cost of any investigation, preparation and travel in connection therewith) incurred in connection therewith, as such expenses are incurred.

Section 12. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial . This Agreement shall be construed under the laws of the state of California, without regard to principles of conflicts of law or choice of law that would permit or require the application of the laws of another jurisdiction. The Company and the Purchaser each hereby agrees that all actions or proceedings arising directly or indirectly from or in connection with this Agreement shall be litigated only in the Superior Court of the State of California or the United States District Court for the Central District of California located in Los Angeles County, California. The Company and the Purchaser each consents to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the foregoing courts and consents that any process or notice of motion or other application to either of said courts or a judge thereof may be served inside or outside the State of California or the Central District of California by generally recognized overnight courier or certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, directed to such party at its or his address set forth below (and service so made shall be deemed “personal service”) or by personal service or in such other manner as may be permissible under the rules of said courts. THE COMPANY AND THE PURCHASER EACH HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN CONNECTION WITH ANY LITIGATION PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT.

Section 13. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party; provided that a facsimile signature shall be considered due execution and shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect as if the signature were an original, not a facsimile signature.

- 12 -


 

Section 14. Headings . The headings of this Agreement are for convenience of reference and shall not form part of, or affect the interpretation of, this Agreement.

Section 15. Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction.

Section 16. Entire Agreement; Amendments . This Agreement supersedes all other prior oral or written agreements between the Purchaser, the Company, their Affiliates and persons acting on their behalf with respect to the matters discussed herein, and this Agreement and the instruments referenced herein contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the matters covered herein and therein and, except as specifically set forth herein or therein, neither the Company nor the Purchaser makes any representation, warranty, covenant or undertaking with respect to such matters. No provision of this Agreement may be amended other than by an instrument in writing signed by the Company and the Purchaser. No provision hereof may be waived other than by an instrument in writing signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought.

Section 17. Notices . Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been delivered: (a) upon receipt, when delivered personally; (b) upon receipt, when sent by facsimile (provided confirmation of transmission is mechanically or electronically generated and kept on file by the sending party); or (c) one calendar day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and national banking holidays) after deposit with an overnight courier service, in each case properly addressed to the party to receive the same.

The addresses and facsimile numbers for such communications shall be:

If to the Company:

Sorrento Therapeutics Inc.

6042 Cornerstone Court West

San Diego, California 92121

Attn: Henry Ji, Ph.D.

Fax: +858 210 3759

Email: hji@sorrentotherapeutics.com

With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

Sichenzia Ross Friedman Ference LLP

61 Broadway, 32nd Floor

New York, New York 10006

Attn: Jeffrey Fessler, Esq.

If to the Purchaser:

Cambridge Equities, LP

9922 Jefferson Boulevard

Culver City, California 90232

Attn: Chief Executive Officer

With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

Cambridge Equities, LP

9922 Jefferson Boulevard

Culver City, California 90232

Attn: General Counsel

or to such other address and/or facsimile number and/or to the attention of such other person as the recipient party has specified by written notice given to each other party five (5) days prior to the effectiveness of such change.

- 13 -


 

Section 18. Successors and Assigns . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns, including any purchasers of the Securities. The Purchaser may assign some or all of their rights hereunder without the consent of the Company, in which event such assignee shall be deemed to be the Purchaser hereunder with respect to such assigned rights.

Section 19. No Third Party Beneficiaries . This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns, and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other person.

Section 20. Survival of Representations . The representations, warranties and covenants of the Company and the Purchaser contained in this Agreement will survive the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and shall in no way be affected by any investigation of the subject matter thereof made by or on behalf of the Purchaser or the Company. The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Purchaser hereto for any and all losses suffered by the Purchaser as a result of, in connection with, or relating to, any breach by the Company of any representation, warranty and/or covenant of the Company in this Agreement or in any certificate, document or other writing delivered by the Company to the Purchaser pursuant to this Agreement.

Section 21. Further Assurances . Each party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as any other party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

 

- 14 -


 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

 

 

By:

  

/s/ Henry Ji

Name:

 

Henry Ji

Title:

  

President & CEO

 

CAMBRIDGE EQUITIES, LP

 

By: MP 13 Ventures, LLC, its General Partner

 

 

 

By:

  

/s/ C. Kenworthy

Name:

 

C. Kenworthy

Title:

  

Manager

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.25

FIRST AMENDMENT TO SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

This Amendment (the “ Amendment ”), made and entered into this 22nd day of December, 2014, by and between by Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Company ”) and Cambridge Equities LP (the “ Purchaser ”), amends that certain securities purchase agreement, dated December 14, 2014, by and between the Company and the Purchaser (“ Purchase Agreement ”).

W I T N E S S E T H:

WHEREAS, the parties have entered into the Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell to the Purchaser (i) an aggregate of 7,188,061 shares (the “ Shares ”) of the Company’s common stock (the “ Common Stock ”) at a price of $5.80 per share, and (ii) a three-year warrant to purchase 1,724,138 shares of the Company’s Common Stock at an initial exercise price of $5.80 per share (the “ Warrant ” and together with the Shares, the “ Securities ”), for an aggregate purchase price of $41,690,754.

WHEREAS, Section 16 of the Agreement provides that the Agreement may be amended by subsequent written instrument duly executed by the parties hereto; and

WHEREAS, the parties desire to amend the Agreement as set forth below.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual benefits accruing to the Purchaser and the Company and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto do hereby agree as follows:

1.  DEFINITIONS .

Defined terms not herein defined shall have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement.

2.  AMENDMENTS .

(a) The first recital of the Purchase Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to be and read as follows:

“WHEREAS, the Purchaser desires to purchase (i) an aggregate 7,188,061 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value (the “Common Stock”) of the Company (the “Shares”) for a purchase price of $41,690,753.80 and (ii) a three year common stock purchase warrant to purchase 1,724,138 shares of Common Stock of the Company (the “Warrant Shares”) at an exercise price of $5.80 per share (the “Warrant” and together with the Shares, the “Securities”) for a purchase price of $51,724.14, collectively for an aggregate purchase price of $41,742,477.94 (the “Purchase Price”), and the Company desires to sell the Securities to the Purchaser (the “Sale”), all on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; and”

(b)  Effective Date of Amendments . This Agreement will not be binding unless and until it has been executed by Purchaser and the Company (the “ Effective Date ”).

(c)  Effect on the Purchase Agreement . Subject to the consents and amendments provided herein, all of the terms and conditions of the Purchase Agreement shall continue in full force and effect after the execution of this Agreement and shall not be in any way changed, modified or superseded by the terms set forth herein. Except as amended hereby, the terms and provisions of the Purchase Agreement shall remain in full force and effect, and the Purchase Agreement is in all respects ratified and confirmed. On and after the date of this Agreement, each reference in the Purchase Agreement to the “Purchase Agreement:”, “hereinafter,” “herein,” “hereinafter,”, “hereunder,” “hereof,” or words of like import shall mean and be a reference to the Purchase Agreement as amended by this Agreement.

3.  MISCELLANEOUS .

3.1  Successors and Assigns . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns, including any purchasers of the Shares or the Warrants.

3.2  Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial . This Agreement shall be construed under the laws of the state of California, without regard to principles of conflicts of law or choice of law that would permit or require the application of the laws of another jurisdiction. The Company and the Purchaser each hereby agrees that all actions or proceedings arising directly or indirectly

1


 

from or in connection with this Agreement shall be litigated only in the Superior Court of the State of California or the United States District Court for the Central District of California located in Los Angeles County, California. The Company and the Purchaser each consents to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the foregoing courts and consents that any process or notice of motion or other application to either of said courts or a judge thereof may be served inside or outside the State of California or the Central District of California by generally recognized overnight courier or certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, directed to such party at its or his address set forth below (and service so made shall be deemed “personal service”) or by personal service or in such other manner as may be permissible under the rules of said courts. THE COMPANY AND THE PURCHASER EACH HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN CONNECTION WITH ANY LITIGATION PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT.

3.3  Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction.

3.4  Counterparts/Execution . This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by an e-mail which contains an electronic file of an executed signature page, such signature page shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or electronic file signature page (as the case may be) were an original thereof.

3.5  Further Assurances . Each party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as any other party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

3.6  Notices . Any notice, demand or request required or permitted to be given by the respective parties hereto pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall delivered in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement.

3.7  Expenses . The parties hereto shall pay their own costs and expenses in connection herewith.

3.8  Entire Agreement; Amendments . This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with regard to the subject matter hereof and thereof, superseding all prior agreements or understandings, whether written or oral, between or among the parties. No amendment, modification or other change to this Agreement or waiver of any agreement or other obligation of the parties under this Agreement may be made or given unless such amendment, modification or waiver is set forth in writing and is signed by Purchasers and Company. Any waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given.

3.9  Headings . The headings used in this Agreement are used for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement.

3.10  Construction . The parties agree that each of them and/or their respective counsel has reviewed and had an opportunity to revise this Agreement and, therefore, the normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of this Agreement or any amendments hereto.

[Signature pages follow]

 

 

 

2


 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

By:

 

/s/ Henry Ji

Name:

  Henry Ji

Title:

  President & CEO

 

CAMBRIDGE EQUITIES, LP

 

By: MP 13 Ventures, LLC, its General Partner

 

By:

 

/s/ C. Kenworthy

Name:

  C. Kenworthy

Title:

  Manager

 

3

Exhibit 10.30

 

LEASE

UNIVERSITY CENTER WEST

HCP UNIVERSITY CENTER WEST LLC ,

a Delaware limited liability company,

as Landlord,

and

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.,

a Delaware corporation,

as Tenant.

 

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

Page

1.

PREMISES, BUILDING, PROJECT, AND COMMON AREAS

4

2.

LEASE TERM; OPTION TERM; TERMINATION RIGHT

5

3.

BASE RENT

8

4.

ADDITIONAL RENT

8

5.

USE OF PREMISES

12

6.

SERVICES AND UTILITIES

16

7.

REPAIRS

17

8.

ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS

18

9.

COVENANT AGAINST LIENS

19

10.

INSURANCE

19

11.

DAMAGE AND DESTRUCTION

21

12.

NONWAIVER

22

13.

CONDEMNATION

22

14.

ASSIGNMENT AND SUBLETTING

22

15.

SURRENDER OF PREMISES; OWNERSHIP AND REMOVAL OF TRADE FIXTURES

25

16.

HOLDING OVER

25

17.

ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATES

26

18.

SUBORDINATION

26

19.

DEFAULTS; REMEDIES

26

20.

COVENANT OF QUIET ENJOYMENT

28

21.

SECURITY DEPOSIT

28

22.

COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTER LINE

29

23.

SIGNS

29

24.

COMPLIANCE WITH LAW

29

25.

LATE CHARGES

30

26.

LANDLORD’S RIGHT TO CURE DEFAULT; PAYMENTS BY TENANT

30

27.

ENTRY BY LANDLORD

30

28.

TENANT PARKING

31

29.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

31

 

EXHIBITS

 

 

 

 

A

OUTLINE OF PREMISES

 

A-1

OUTLINE OF SITE PLAN

 

B

TENANT WORK LETTER

 

C

FORM OF NOTICE OF LEASE TERM DATES

 

D

FORM OF TENANT'S ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATE

 

E

PARKING SITE PLAN

 

F

ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE

 

G

LETTER OF CREDIT PROVISIONS

 

H

FF&E INVENTORY LIST

 

I

SAMPLE SNDA

 

 

 

 

 

 

(i)

HCP, INC.

Unversity Center West

[Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.]

 


 

INDEX

 

 

Page(s)

Abatement Event

28

Accountant

12

Advocate Arbitrators

6

Alterations

18

Base Building

20

Base Rent

8

Base Rent Abatement

8

Brokers

34

Building

4

Common Areas

4

Comparable Buildings

6

Contemplated Effective Date

24

Contemplated Transfer Space

24

Direct Expenses

8

Eligibility Period

28

Estimate

11

Estimate Statement

11

Estimated Direct Expenses

11

Existing Hazardous Materials

14

Expense Year

9

Force Majeure

32

Intention to Transfer Notice

24

Landlord

1

Landlord Parties

19

Landlord Repair Notice

21

L-C Reduction Conditions

 

Lease

1

Lease Commencement Date

5

Lease Expiration Date

5

Lease Month

5

Lease Term

5

Lines

29

Mail

32

Neutral Arbitrator

7

Nine Month Period

24

Notices

32

Objectionable Name

29

Operating Expenses

9

Option Rent

6

Original Improvements

20

Outside Agreement Date

6

Premises

4

Project,

4

Review Period

12

Security Deposit

28

Sign Specifications

29

Statement

11

Subject Space

22

Summary

1

Tax Expenses

9

Tenant

1

 

 

(ii)

HCP, INC.

Unversity Center West

[Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.]

 


Tenant Work Letter

4

Tenant’s Share

8

Termination Date

7

Termination Fee

7

Termination Notice

7

Transfer Notice

22

Transferee

22

 

 

 

 

 

(iii)

HCP, INC.

Unversity Center West

[Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.]

 


 

UNIVERSITY CENTER WEST

LEASE

This Lease (the “ Lease ”), dated as of the date set forth in Section 1 of the Summary of Basic Lease Information (the “ Summary ”), below, is made by and between HCP UNIVERSITY CENTER WEST LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Landlord ”), and SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC., a Delaware corporation (“ Tenant ”).

SUMMARY OF BASIC LEASE INFORMATION

 

TERMS OF LEASE

DESCRIPTION

 

 

1. Date:

February 3, 2015

 

 

2. Premises

( Article 1 ).

 

 

 

2.1 Building:

9380 Judicial Drive, San Diego, California 92121

 

 

2.2 Premises:

Approximately 43,022 rentable square feet of space consisting of the entire Building, as further set forth in Exhibit A to the Lease.

 

 

3. Lease Term

( Article 2 ).

 

 

 

3.1 Length of Term:

Approximately ten (10) years and seven (7) months.

 

 

3.2 Lease Commencement Date:

The earlier to occur of (i) the date upon which Tenant first commences to conduct business in the Premises, and (ii) May 1, 2015.

 

 

3.3 Lease Expiration Date:

If the Lease Commencement Date shall be the first day of a calendar month, then the day immediately preceding the one hundred twenty-seventh (127 th ) monthly anniversary of the Lease Commencement Date; or, if the Lease Commencement Date shall be other than the first day of a calendar month, then the last day of the month in which the one hundred twenty-seventh (127 th ) monthly anniversary of the Lease Commencement Date occurs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HCP, INC.

Unversity Center West

[Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.]

 


 

4. Base Rent ( Article 3 ):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lease Months

Annual

Base Rent

Monthly

Installment

of Base Rent*

Approximate

Monthly Base

Rent per Rentable

Square Foot

 

 

 

 

1-12**

$1,161,594.00

$96,799.50

$2.25

 

 

 

 

13-24**

$1,196,700.00

$99,725.00

$2.32

 

 

 

 

25-36

$1,232,838.48

$102,736.54

$2.39

 

 

 

 

37-48

$1,270,009.44

$105,834.12

$2.46

 

 

 

 

49-60

$1,308,213.00

$109,017.75

$2.53

 

 

 

 

61-72

$1,347,449.04

$112,287.42

$2.61

 

 

 

 

73-84

$1,387,717.68

$115,643.14

$2.69

 

 

 

 

85-96

$1,429,535.04

$119,127.92

$2.77

 

 

 

 

97-108

$1,472,384.88

$122,698.74

$2.85

 

 

 

 

109-120

$1,516,783.68

$126,398.64

$2.94

 

 

 

 

121-Lease Expiration Date

$1,562,214.84

$130,184.57

$3.03

* The calculation of the Monthly Installment of Base Rent reflects an annual increase of 3%, rounded to the nearest cent, after every twelve (12) Lease Month period.

** Tenant's obligation to pay the Monthly Installment of Base Rent otherwise attributable to the Premises shall be subject to the terms and conditions of Section 3.2 of this Lease.

 

 

5. Tenant Improvement Allowance ( Exhibit B ):

An amount equal to $28.00 per rentable square foot of the Premises ( i.e. , $1,204,616.00 based upon 43,022 rentable square feet in the Premises); provided, however, the foregoing amount may be increased by up to an additional $100.00 per rentable square foot of the Premises (for a total of $128.00 per rentable square foot of the Premises in the aggregate) in accordance with the terms and conditions of Sections 2.1.2 , 2.1.3 and 2.1.4 of the Tenant Work Letter.

 

 

6. Tenant's Share

( Article 4 ):

 

One hundred percent (100%).  

 

 

7. Permitted Use

( Article 5 ):

 

The Premises shall be used only for general office, research and development, and/or laboratory uses, including, but not limited to, administrative offices and other lawful uses reasonably related to or incidental to such specified uses, all (i) consistent with first class life sciences projects in San Diego, California (“ First Class Life Sciences Projects ”), and (ii) in compliance with, and subject to, applicable laws and the terms of this Lease.  

 

 

 

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8. Security Deposit

( Article 21 ):

 

$316,000.00

 

 

9. Parking

( Article 28 ):

 

All unreserved and reserved parking spaces pertaining to the Building, as depicted on Exhibit E to the Lease, subject to the terms of Article 28 of the Lease.

 

 

10. Address of Tenant

( Section 29.18 ):

 

Sorrento Therapeutics

6042 Cornerstone Court West, Suite B

San Diego, California 92121

Attention: Rich Vincent, CFO

(Prior to Lease Commencement Date)

and

 

 

 

Sorrento Therapeutics

9380 Judicial Drive

San Diego, California 92121

Attention: Rich Vincent, CFO

(After Lease Commencement Date)

 

 

11. Address of Landlord

( Section 29.18 ):

 

See Section 29.18 of the Lease.

 

 

12. Broker(s)

( Section 29.24 ):

 

Representing Tenant : RE:Align, Inc.

and

Representing Landlord :  CBRE

 

 

 

 

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1. PREMISES, BUILDING, PROJECT, AND COMMON AREAS

1.1 Premises, Building, Project and Common Areas .

1.1.1 The Premises . Landlord hereby leases to Tenant and Tenant hereby leases from Landlord the premises set forth in Section 2.2 of the Summary (the “ Premises ”). The outline of the Premises is set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto. The outline of the “Building” and the “Project,” as those terms are defined in Section 1.1.2 below, are further depicted on the Site Plan attached hereto as Exhibit A-1 . The parties hereto agree that the lease of the Premises is upon and subject to the terms, covenants and conditions herein set forth, and Tenant covenants as a material part of the consideration for this Lease to keep and perform each and all of such terms, covenants and conditions by it to be kept and performed and that this Lease is made upon the condition of such performance. The parties hereto hereby acknowledge that the purpose of Exhibit A is to show the approximate location of the Premises only, and such Exhibit is not meant to constitute an agreement, representation or warranty as to the construction of the Premises, the precise area thereof or the specific location of the “Common Areas,” as that term is defined in Section 1.1.3 , below, or the elements thereof or of the accessways to the Premises or the “Project,” as that term is defined in Section 1.1.2 , below. Except as specifically set forth in this Lease and in the Tenant Work Letter attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “ Tenant Work Letter ”), Landlord shall not be obligated to provide or pay for any improvement work or services related to the improvement of the Premises. Tenant also acknowledges that neither Landlord nor any agent of Landlord has made any representation or warranty regarding the condition of the Premises, the Building or the Project or with respect to the suitability of any of the foregoing for the conduct of Tenant’s business, except as specifically set forth in this Lease and the Tenant Work Letter. The taking of possession of the Premises by Tenant shall conclusively establish that the Premises and the Building were at such time in good and sanitary order, condition and repair. F or purposes of Section 1938 of the California Civil Code, Landlord hereby discloses to Tenant, and Tenant hereby acknowledges, that the Premises have not undergone inspection by a Certified Access Specialist (CASp). Subject to “Applicable Laws,” as that term is defined in Article 24 of this Lease, and the other provisions of this Lease, and except in the event of an emergency, Tenant shall have access to the Premises twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, every day of the year.

1.1.2 The Building and The Project . The Premises constitutes the entire building set forth in Section 2.1 of the Summary (the “ Building ”). The Building is currently known as “University Center West.” The term “ Project ,” as used in this Lease, shall mean (i) the Building and the Common Areas, (ii) the land (which is improved with landscaping, parking facilities and other improvements) upon which the Building and the Common Areas are located, and (iii) at Landlord’s discretion, any additional real property, areas, land, buildings or other improvements added thereto outside of the Project.

1.1.3 Common Areas . Tenant shall have the non-exclusive right to use in common with other tenants in the Project, and subject to the rules and regulations referred to in Article 5 of this Lease, those portions of the Project which are provided, from time to time, for use in common by Landlord, Tenant and any other tenants of the Project (such areas, together with such other portions of the Project designated by Landlord, in its discretion, are collectively referred to herein as the “ Common Areas ”). The manner in which the Common Areas are maintained and operated shall be at the sole discretion of Landlord and the use thereof shall be subject to such rules, regulations and restrictions as Landlord may make from time to time. Landlord reserves the right to close temporarily, make alterations or additions to, or change the location of elements of the Project and the Common Areas. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Landlord and Tenant acknowledge that there are currently no Common Areas as the Building is the only building within the Project as of the date of this Lease.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HCP, INC.

Unversity Center West

[Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.]

 


 

1.1.4 Condition of Building Systems . Notwithstanding anything set forth in Section 1.1.1 , above, to the contrary, Landlord shall cause the “Building Systems,” as that term is defined in Section 7 , below, which serve the Premises to be in good working condition and repair upon the delivery of the Premises to Tenant. The foregoing shall not be deemed to require Landlord to replace any of the Building Systems, as opposed to repair any Building Systems. In addition, Landlord hereby covenants that the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (“ HVAC ”) system serving the Premises (the “ Warrantied Item ”) shall remain in good working condition for a period of twelve (12) months following the Lease Commencement Date. Notwithstanding anything in this Lease to the contrary, Landlord shall, at Landlord’s sole cost and expense (which shall not be deemed an “Operating Expense,” as that term is defined in Article 4 ), repair or replace any portion of the Warrantied Item during such twelve (12) month period which is not in good working condition (“ Landlord’s 12 Month Warranty ”), provided that (i) the need to repair or replace was not caused (A) by the misuse, misconduct, damage, destruction, omissions, and/or negligence of Tenant, its subtenants and/or assignees, if any, or any company which is acquired, sold or merged with Tenant (collectively, “ Tenant Damage ”), or (B) by any modifications, Alterations or improvements constructed by or on behalf of Tenant, and (ii) Landlord has reasonably approved Tenant’s HVAC vendor (“ HVAC Vendor ”) and corresponding maintenance operating plan (“ Maintenance Plan ”) and such HVAC Vendor conducts quarterly HVAC inspections in compliance with the Maintenance Plan. Landlord’s 12 Month Warranty shall not extend to the costs of normal and customary preventive maintenance relating to the Warrantied Item. To the extent repairs which Landlord is required to make pursuant to this Section 1.1.4 are necessitated in part by Tenant Damage, then Tenant shall reimburse Landlord for an equitable proportion of the cost of such repair. If it is determined that the Warrantied Item was not in good working condition and repair as of the date Tenant accepts possession under this Lease, Landlord shall not be liable to Tenant for any damages, but, subject to Section 19.5.2 , below, as Tenant’s sole remedy, Landlord, at no cost to Tenant, shall promptly commence such work or take such other action as may be necessary to place the same in good working condition and repair, and shall thereafter diligently pursue the same to completion. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that the terms of this Section 1.1.4 does not affect Landlord’s obligations to repair and maintain the Building, including without limitation, Landlord’s obligation to repair and maintain the Building Systems and the Building Structure, pursuant to the express terms and conditions of Section 7 of this Lease.

1.2 Rentable Square Feet of Premises . The rentable square footage of the Premises is hereby deemed to be as set forth in Section 2.2 of the Summary, and shall not be subject to measurement or adjustment during the Lease Term.

1.3 Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment .  Landlord and Tenant have performed an inventory of the existing furniture, fixtures and equipment at the Premises, and such inventory is set forth in Exhibit H attached hereto (the “ Existing FF&E ”).  During the Term, Tenant shall have the right to use the Existing FF&E at no additional cost to Tenant, provided that (A) such Existing FF&E shall, at all times during the Lease Term, remain the property of Landlord, and Tenant shall not have the right to remove any of the Existing FF&E from the Premises without Landlord's prior written consent, and (B) Tenant shall, at its sole cost and expense, maintain, repair and replace (to the extent reasonably necessary) the Existing FF&E in accordance with Article 7 below.  Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Lease, the Existing FF&E shall be delivered to Tenant in its then existing “As Is” condition, and Landlord shall have no liability or obligation with respect to the condition thereof or for any maintenance and repairs required thereto.  Tenant shall have no obligation to insure such Existing FF&E or replace such FF&E in the event of any casualty.  Upon the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease, (i) Tenant shall surrender the Existing FF&E to Landlord in materially the same condition and operating order as received by Tenant, reasonable wear and tear excepted, (ii) any replacements of Existing FF&E that are permanently affixed to the Premises (or paid for by funds provided by Landlord) shall become Landlord’s property and be surrendered by Tenant to Landlord, and (iii) any replacements of Existing FF&E that are not permanently affixed to the Premises (and are not paid for by funds provided by Landlord) shall be Tenant’s property and be removed from the Premises by Tenant, at its sole cost, pursuant to Section 15.2 , below.  

2. LEASE TERM; OPTION TERM; TERMINATION RIGHT

2.1 Lease Term . The terms and provisions of this Lease shall be effective as of the date of this Lease. The term of this Lease (the “ Lease Term ”) shall be as set forth in Section 3.1 of the Summary, shall commence on the date set forth in Section 3.2 of the Summary (the “ Lease Commencement Date ”), and shall terminate on the date set forth in Section 3.3 of the Summary (the “ Lease Expiration Date ”) unless this Lease is sooner terminated as hereinafter provided. For purposes of this Lease, the term “ Lease Month ” shall mean each monthly period during the Lease Term; provided that the first (1 st ) Lease Month of the Lease Term shall commence on the Lease Commencement Date and end on the last day of the first (1 st ) full calendar month of the Lease Term, and the last Lease Month shall end on the Lease Expiration Date; and provided further that, if applicable, the first (1 st ) Lease Month of the Option Term shall commence on the first (1 st ) day of the Option Term and end on the last day of the first (1 st ) full calendar month of the Option Term, and the last Lease Month of the Option Term shall end on the last day of the Option Term. At any time during the Lease Term, Landlord may deliver to Tenant a notice in the form as set forth in Exhibit C , attached hereto, as a confirmation only of the information set forth therein, which Tenant shall execute and return to Landlord within five (5) days of receipt thereof.

 

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2.2 Option Term .

2.2.1 Option Right . Landlord hereby grants the Tenant originally named in this Lease (the “ Original Tenant ”), and any assignee of Original Tenant’s entire interest in the Lease that has been approved in accordance with the terms of Article 14 , below (a “ Permitted Assignee ”), one (1) option to extend the Lease Term for a period of five (5) years (the “ Option Term ”). Such option to extend shall be exercisable only by written notice delivered by Tenant to Landlord not more than twelve (12) months nor less than nine (9) months prior to the expiration of the initial Lease Term, stating that Tenant is thereby irrevocably exercising its option to lease the Premises during the Option Term. Upon the proper exercise of the option to extend, and provided that, at Landlord’s option, as of the date of delivery of such notice, Tenant is not in default under this Lease and has not previously been in default under this Lease more than twice during the preceding twelve (12) month period, and as of the end of the initial Lease Term, Tenant is not in default under this Lease, the Lease Term shall be extended for a period of five (5) years. The rights contained in this Section 2.2 shall be personal to Original Tenant and any Permitted Assignee (and not any other assignee, sublessee or “Transferee,” as that term is defined in Section 14.1 , below, of Tenant’s interest in this Lease).

2.2.2 Option Rent . The annual Rent payable by Tenant during the Option Term (the “ Option Rent ”) shall be equal to the “Fair Rental Value,” as that term is defined below, for the Premises as of the commencement date of the Option Term. The “ Fair Rental Value ,” as used in this Lease, shall be equal to the annual rent per rentable square foot (including additional rent and considering any “base year” or “expense stop” applicable thereto), including all escalations, at which tenants (pursuant to leases consummated within the twelve (12) month period preceding the first day of the Option Term), are leasing non-sublease, non-encumbered, non-equity space which is not significantly greater or smaller in size than the subject space, for a comparable lease term, in an arm’s length transaction, which comparable space is located in the “Comparable Buildings,” as that term is defined in this Section 2.2.2 , below (transactions satisfying the foregoing criteria shall be known as the “ Comparable Transactions ”), taking into consideration the following concessions (the “ Concessions ”): (a) rental abatement concessions, if any, being granted such tenants in connection with such comparable space; (b) tenant improvements or allowances provided or to be provided for such comparable space, and taking into account the value, if any, of the existing improvements in the subject space, such value to be based upon the age, condition, design, quality of finishes and layout of the improvements; and (c) other reasonable monetary concessions being granted such tenants in connection with such comparable space; provided, however, that in calculating the Fair Rental Value, no consideration shall be given to any period of rental abatement, if any, granted to tenants in comparable transactions in connection with the design, permitting and construction of tenant improvements in such comparable spaces. The Fair Rental Value shall additionally include a determination as to whether, and if so to what extent, Tenant must provide Landlord with financial security, such as a letter of credit or guaranty, for Tenant’s Rent obligations in connection with Tenant’s lease of the Premises during the Option Term. Such determination shall be made by reviewing the extent of financial security then generally being imposed in Comparable Transactions from tenants of comparable financial condition and credit history to the then existing financial condition and credit history of Tenant (with appropriate adjustments to account for differences in the then-existing financial condition of Tenant and such other tenants). The Concessions (A) shall be reflected in the effective rental rate (which effective rental rate shall take into consideration the total dollar value of such Concessions as amortized on a straight-line basis over the applicable term of the Comparable Transaction (in which case such Concessions evidenced in the effective rental rate shall not be granted to Tenant)) payable by Tenant, or (B) at Landlord’s election, all such Concessions shall be granted to Tenant in kind. The term “ Comparable Buildings ” shall mean the Building and those other first-class laboratory and R&D buildings located in the University Towne Center area of San Diego, California that are comparable in age (based on the date of original construction or the latest major renovation) location, quality of construction, services and amenities.

2.2.3 Determination of Option Rent . In the event Tenant timely and appropriately exercises an option to extend the Lease Term, Landlord shall notify Tenant of Landlord’s determination of the Option Rent on or before the Lease Expiration Date. If Tenant, on or before the date which is thirty (30) days following the date upon which Tenant receives Landlord’s determination of the Option Rent, in good faith objects to Landlord’s determination of the Option Rent, then Landlord and Tenant shall attempt to agree upon the Option Rent using their best good-faith efforts. If Landlord and Tenant fail to reach agreement within thirty (30) days following Tenant’s objection to the Option Rent (the “ Outside Agreement Date ”), then each party shall make a separate determination of the Option Rent, as the case may be, within five (5) days, and such determinations shall be submitted to arbitration in accordance with Sections 2.2.3.1 through 2.2.3.7 , below. If Tenant fails to object to Landlord’s determination of the Option Rent within the time period set forth herein, then Tenant shall be deemed to have accepted Landlord’s determination of Option Rent.

2.2.3.1 Landlord and Tenant shall each appoint one arbitrator who shall be, at the option of the appointing party, a real estate broker, appraiser or attorney who shall have been active over the five (5) year period ending on the date of such appointment in the leasing or appraisal, as the case may be, of commercial office properties in North San Diego, California. The determination of the arbitrators shall be limited solely to the issue of whether Landlord’s or Tenant’s submitted Option Rent is the closest to the actual Option Rent, taking into account the requirements of Section 2.2.2 of this Lease, as determined by the arbitrators. Each such arbitrator shall be appointed within fifteen (15) days after the Outside Agreement Date. Landlord and Tenant may consult with their selected arbitrators prior to appointment and may select an arbitrator who is favorable to their respective positions. The arbitrators so selected by Landlord and Tenant shall be deemed “ Advocate Arbitrators .”

 

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2.2.3.2 The two (2) Advocate Arbitrators so appointed shall be specifically required pursuant to an engagement letter within ten (10) days of the date of the appointment of the last appointed Advocate Arbitrator to agree upon and appoint a third arbitrator (“ Neutral Arbitrator ”) who shall be qualified under the same criteria set forth hereinabove for qualification of the two Advocate Arbitrators, except that neither the Landlord or Tenant or either parties’ Advocate Arbitrator may, directly or indirectly, consult with the Neutral Arbitrator prior or subsequent to his or her appearance. The Neutral Arbitrator shall be retained via an engagement letter jointly prepared by Landlord’s counsel and Tenant’s counsel.

2.2.3.3 The three arbitrators shall, within thirty (30) days of the appointment of the Neutral Arbitrator, reach a decision as to whether the parties shall use Landlord’s or Tenant’s submitted Option Rent, and shall notify Landlord and Tenant thereof.

2.2.3.4 The decision of the majority of the three arbitrators shall be binding upon Landlord and Tenant.

2.2.3.5 If either Landlord or Tenant fails to appoint an Advocate Arbitrator within fifteen (15) days after the Outside Agreement Date, then either party may petition the presiding judge of the Superior Court of San Diego County to appoint such Advocate Arbitrator subject to the criteria in Section 2.2.3.1 of this Lease, or if he or she refuses to act, either party may petition any judge having jurisdiction over the parties to appoint such Advocate Arbitrator.

2.2.3.6 If the two (2) Advocate Arbitrators fail to agree upon and appoint the Neutral Arbitrator, then either party may petition the presiding judge of the Superior Court of San Diego County to appoint the Neutral Arbitrator, subject to criteria in Section 2.2.3.2 of this Lease, or if he or she refuses to act, either party may petition any judge having jurisdiction over the parties to appoint such arbitrator.

2.2.3.7 The cost of the arbitration shall be paid by Landlord and Tenant equally.

2.2.3.8 In the event that the Option Rent shall not have been determined pursuant to the terms hereof prior to the commencement of the Option Term, Tenant shall be required to pay the Option Rent initially provided by Landlord to Tenant, and upon the final determination of the Option Rent, the payments made by Tenant shall be reconciled with the actual amounts of Option Rent due, and the appropriate party shall make any corresponding payment to the other party.

2.3 Termination Right .

2.3.1 Exercise of Termination Right . Tenant shall have the one-time right to terminate and cancel this Lease effective the last day of the ninety-first (91 st ) full calendar month of the Lease Term (the “ Termination Date ”), provided that, not later than nine (9) months prior to the Termination Date, Landlord receives (i) written notice from Tenant (the “ Termination Notice ”) that Tenant intends to terminate this Lease pursuant to the terms of this Section 2.3 , which Termination Notice shall set forth the Termination Date, and (ii) cash in the amount of the “Termination Fee,” as that term is defined below, as consideration for such early termination. Upon Tenant’s delivery of the Termination Notice to Landlord, all of Tenant’s rights under Section 2.2 (with respect to the Option Term) and all of Tenant’s rights to any future Additional Tenant Improvement Allowance disbursements shall automatically terminate and be of no further force and effect regardless of whether this Lease thereafter shall be terminated in accordance with the terms of this Section 2.3 . As used in this Lease, the “ Termination Fee ” shall be equal to the sum of (a) as of the Termination Date, the unamortized amount of the Additional Tenant Improvement Allowance expended by Landlord in connection with this Lease and not reimbursed by Tenant (which amount shall be amortized with interest at (I) 9% per annum with respect to the “First Tier Additional Tenant Improvement Allowance,” as that term is defined in Section 2.1.2.1 of the Tenant Work Letter, over the number of months as set forth in sub-item (x) of Section 2.1.2.1 of the Tenant Work Letter, (II) 10% per annum with respect to the “Second Tier Additional Tenant Improvement Allowance,” as that term is defined in Section 2.1.2.2 of the Tenant Work Letter, over the number of months as set forth in sub-item (x) of Section 2.1.2.2 of the Tenant Work Letter, and (III) 11% per annum with respect to the “Third Tier Additional Tenant Improvement Allowance,” as that term is defined in Section 2.1.2.3 of the Tenant Work Letter, over the number of months as set forth in sub-item (x) of Section 2.1.2.3 of the Tenant Work Letter), and (b) an amount equal to six (6) month’s of the Base Rent and Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses at the rental rate in effect (or which would have been in effect but for the Tenant’s termination of this Lease) as of the six (6) months following the Termination Date.

2.3.2 Termination of Lease . Provided that Tenant timely elects to terminate this Lease in accordance with Section 2.3.1 , above, this Lease shall automatically terminate and be of no further force or effect, and Landlord and Tenant shall be relieved of their respective obligations under this Lease, as of the Termination Date, except with respect to those obligations set forth in this Lease which specifically survive the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease, including, without limitation, the payment by Tenant of all amounts owed by Tenant under this Lease. The termination right contained in this Section 2.3 shall be personal to the Original Tenant and an affiliate assignee (pursuant to Section 14.8 , below), and may only be exercised by Original Tenant or such affiliate assignee (and not by any other assignee, sublessee or Transferee of Tenant’s interest in this Lease).

 

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2.3.3 No Tenant Default . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 2.3 , (i) Tenant shall have no right to exercise the termination right set forth in this Section 2.3 if Tenant is in default under this Lease as of the date of Tenant’s delivery to Landlord of the Termination Notice, and (ii) if Tenant is in default under the Lease following Tenant’s delivery to Landlord of the Termination Notice but prior to the Termination Date, then, at Landlord’s option, the Termination Notice shall be null and void and of no further force or effect, and Landlord shall have the right to retain the Termination Fee as a security deposit, to be held by Landlord under this Lease as part of, and an addition to, the Security Deposit.

3. BASE RENT

3.1 In General . Tenant shall pay, without prior notice or demand, to Landlord or Landlord’s agent at the management office of the Project, or, at Landlord’s option, at such other place as Landlord may from time to time designate in writing, by a check for currency which, at the time of payment, is legal tender for private or public debts in the United States of America, base rent (“ Base Rent ”) as set forth in Section 4 of the Summary, payable in equal monthly installments as set forth in Section 4 of the Summary in advance on or before the first day of each and every calendar month during the Lease Term, without any setoff or deduction whatsoever. The Base Rent and the estimated “Tenant’s Share” of “Direct Expenses,” as those terms are defined in Article 4 , below, for the first full month of the Lease Term shall be paid at the time of Tenant’s execution of this Lease. If any Rent payment date (including the Lease Commencement Date) falls on a day of the month other than the first day of such month or if any payment of Rent is for a period which is shorter than one month, the Rent for any fractional month shall accrue on a daily basis for the period from the date such payment is due to the end of such calendar month or to the end of the Lease Term at a rate per day which is equal to 1/365 of the applicable annual Rent. All other payments or adjustments required to be made under the terms of this Lease that require proration on a time basis shall be prorated on the same basis.

3.2 Abated Base Rent . Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in Section 3.1 above, provided that Tenant is not in default under this Lease, Tenant shall be entitled to an abatement (the “ Base Rent Abatement ”) of one hundred percent (100%) of the Base Rent otherwise due for the Premises during the second (2 nd ), third (3 rd ), fourth (4 th ), fifth (5 th ), thirteenth (13 th ), fourteenth (14 th ) and fifteenth (15 th ) full calendar months of the Lease Term (collectively, the “ Base Rent Abatement Period ”), for a total Base Rent Abatement amount equal to $686,373.00 in the aggregate; provided, however, that Landlord may, upon thirty (30) days’ prior notice to Tenant and at Landlord’s sole option, elect to accelerate Base Rent Abatement that will occur in a future month by converting such amount into a credit against Rent and applying the same to an earlier Lease Month(s) as designated by Landlord in such notice. The Base Rent Abatement right set forth in this Section 3.2 has been granted to Tenant as additional consideration for Tenant’s agreement to enter into this Lease and comply with the terms and conditions otherwise required under this Lease. If Tenant shall be in default under this Lease, or if this Lease is terminated for any reason other than Landlord’s breach of this Lease, then the dollar amount of the unapplied portion of the Base Rent Abatement as of the date of such default or termination, as the case may be, shall be converted to a credit to be applied to the Base Rent applicable at the end of the Lease Term and Tenant shall immediately be obligated to begin paying Base Rent for the Premises in full.

4. ADDITIONAL RENT

4.1 General Terms .

4.1.1 Direct Expenses; Additional Rent . In addition to paying the Base Rent specified in Article 3 of this Lease, Tenant shall pay “ Tenant’s Share ” of the annual “ Direct Expenses ,” as those terms are defined in Sections 4.2.6 and 4.2.2 of this Lease, respectively. Such payments by Tenant, together with any and all other amounts payable by Tenant to Landlord pursuant to the terms of this Lease, are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ Additional Rent ”, and the Base Rent and the Additional Rent are herein collectively referred to as “ Rent .” All amounts due under this Article 4 as Additional Rent shall be payable for the same periods and in the same manner as the Base Rent. Without limitation on other obligations of Tenant which survive the expiration of the Lease Term, the obligations of Tenant to pay the Additional Rent provided for in this Article 4 shall survive the expiration of the Lease Term.

4.1.2 Triple Net Lease . Landlord and Tenant acknowledge that, except as otherwise provided to the contrary in this Lease, it is their intent and agreement that this Lease be a “ TRIPLE net ” lease and that as such, the provisions contained in this Lease are intended to pass on to Tenant or reimburse Landlord for the costs and expenses reasonably associated with this Lease, the Building and the Project, and Tenant’s operation therefrom. To the extent such costs and expenses payable by Tenant cannot be charged directly to, and paid by, Tenant, such costs and expenses shall be paid by Landlord but reimbursed by Tenant as Additional Rent.

4.2 Definitions of Key Terms Relating to Additional Rent . As used in this Article 4 , the following terms shall have the meanings hereinafter set forth:

4.2.1 Intentionally Deleted.

 

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4.2.2 “ Direct Expenses ” shall mean “ Operating Expenses ” and “ Tax Expenses .”

4.2.3 “ Expense Year ” shall mean each calendar year in which any portion of the Lease Term falls, through and including the calendar year in which the Lease Term expires, provided that Landlord, upon notice to Tenant, may change the Expense Year from time to time to any other twelve (12) consecutive month period, and, in the event of any such change, Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses shall be equitably adjusted for any Expense Year involved in any such change.

4.2.4 “ Operating Expenses ” shall mean all expenses, costs and amounts of every kind and nature which Landlord pays or accrues during any Expense Year because of or in connection with the ownership, management, maintenance, security, repair, replacement, restoration or operation of the Project, or any portion thereof. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Operating Expenses shall specifically include any and all of the following: (i) the cost of supplying all utilities, the cost of operating, repairing, maintaining, and renovating the utility, telephone, mechanical, sanitary, storm drainage, and elevator systems, and the cost of maintenance and service contracts in connection therewith; (ii) the cost of licenses, certificates, permits and inspections and the cost of contesting any governmental enactments which may affect Operating Expenses, and the costs incurred in connection with a governmentally mandated transportation system management program or similar program; (iii) the cost of all insurance carried by Landlord in connection with the Project and Premises as reasonably determined by Landlord; (iv) the cost of landscaping, relamping, and all supplies, tools, equipment and materials used in the operation, repair and maintenance of the Project, or any portion thereof; (v) the cost of parking area operation, repair, restoration, and maintenance; (vi) fees and other costs, including management and/or incentive fees, consulting fees, legal fees and accounting fees, of all contractors and consultants in connection with the management, operation, maintenance and repair of the Project; (vii) payments under any equipment rental agreements and the fair rental value of any management office space; (viii) subject to item (f), below, wages, salaries and other compensation and benefits, including taxes levied thereon, of all persons engaged in the operation, maintenance and security of the Project; (ix) costs under any instrument pertaining to the sharing of costs by the Project; (x) operation, repair, maintenance and replacement of all systems and equipment and components thereof of the Project; (xi) the cost of janitorial, alarm, security and other services, replacement of wall and floor coverings, ceiling tiles and fixtures in common areas, maintenance and replacement of curbs and walkways, repair to roofs and re-roofing; (xii) amortization (including interest on the unamortized cost) over the reasonable useful life of such item as Landlord shall reasonably determine in accordance with sound real estate management and accounting principles, consistently applied, of the cost of acquiring or the rental expense of personal property used in the maintenance, operation and repair of the Project, or any portion thereof; (xiii) the cost of capital improvements or other costs incurred in connection with the Project (A) which are intended to effect economies in the operation or maintenance of the Project, or any portion thereof, or to reduce current or future Operating Expenses or to enhance the safety or security of the Project or its occupants, (B) that are required to comply with present or anticipated conservation programs, (C) which are replacements or modifications of nonstructural items located in the Common Areas required to keep the Common Areas in good order or condition, or (D) that are required under any governmental law or regulation; provided, however, that any capital expenditure shall be amortized (including interest on the amortized cost) over its reasonable useful life as Landlord shall reasonably determine in accordance with sound real estate management and accounting principles, consistently applied; and (xiv) costs, fees, charges or assessments imposed by, or resulting from any mandate imposed on Landlord by, any federal, state or local government for fire and police protection, trash removal, community services, or other services which do not constitute “Tax Expenses” as that term is defined in Section 4.2.5 , below, (xv) cost of tenant relation programs reasonably established by Landlord, and (xvi) payments under any easement, license, operating agreement, declaration, restrictive covenant, or instrument pertaining to the sharing of costs by the Building, including, without limitation, any covenants, conditions and restrictions affecting the property, and reciprocal easement agreements affecting the property, any parking licenses, and any agreements with transit agencies affecting the Property (collectively, “ Underlying Documents ”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of this Lease, Operating Expenses shall not, however, include:

(a) costs, including legal fees, space planners’ fees, advertising and promotional expenses (except as otherwise set forth above), and brokerage fees incurred in connection with the original construction or development, or original or future leasing of the Project, and costs, including permit, license and inspection costs, incurred with respect to the installation of tenant improvements made for new tenants initially occupying space in the Project after the Lease Commencement Date or incurred in renovating or otherwise improving, decorating, painting or redecorating vacant space for tenants or other occupants of the Project (excluding, however, such costs relating to any common areas of the Project or parking facilities);

(b) except as set forth in items (xii), (xiii), and (xiv) above, depreciation, interest and principal payments on mortgages and other debt costs, if any, penalties and interest;

(c) costs for which the Landlord is reimbursed by any tenant or occupant of the Project or by insurance by its carrier or any tenant’s carrier or by anyone else, and electric power costs for which any tenant directly contracts with the local public service company;

(d) any bad debt loss, rent loss, or reserves for bad debts or rent loss;

 

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(e) costs associated with the operation of the business of the partnership or entity which constitutes the Landlord, as the same are distinguished from the costs of operation of the Project (which shall specifically include, but not be limited to, accounting costs associated with the operation of the Project). Costs associated with the operation of the business of the partnership or entity which constitutes the Landlord include costs of partnership accounting and legal matters, costs of defending any lawsuits with any mortgagee (except as the actions of the Tenant may be in issue), costs of selling, syndicating, financing, mortgaging or hypothecating any of the Landlord’s interest in the Project, and costs incurred in connection with any disputes between Landlord and its employees, between Landlord and Project management, or between Landlord and other tenants or occupants;

(f) the wages and benefits of any employee who does not devote substantially all of his or her employed time to the Project unless such wages and benefits are prorated to reflect time spent on operating and managing the Project vis-a-vis time spent on matters unrelated to operating and managing the Project; provided, that in no event shall Operating Expenses for purposes of this Lease include wages and/or benefits attributable to personnel above the level of Project manager;

(g) amount paid as ground rental for the Project by the Landlord;

(h) except for a Project management fee to the extent allowed pursuant to item (l) below, overhead and profit increment paid to the Landlord or to subsidiaries or affiliates of the Landlord for services in the Project to the extent the same exceeds the costs of such services rendered by qualified, first-class unaffiliated third parties on a competitive basis;

(i) any compensation paid to clerks, attendants or other persons in commercial concessions operated by the Landlord, provided that any compensation paid to any concierge at the Project shall be includable as an Operating Expense;

(j) rentals and other related expenses incurred in leasing air conditioning systems, elevators or other equipment which if purchased the cost of which would be excluded from Operating Expenses as a capital cost, except equipment not affixed to the Project which is used in providing engineering, janitorial or similar services and, further excepting from this exclusion such equipment rented or leased to remedy or ameliorate an emergency condition in the Project;

(k) all items and services for which Tenant or any other tenant in the Project reimburses Landlord or which Landlord provides selectively to one or more tenants (other than Tenant) without reimbursement;

(l) any costs expressly excluded from Operating Expenses elsewhere in this Lease;

(m) rent for any office space occupied by Project management personnel to the extent the size or rental rate of such office space exceeds the size or fair market rental value of office space occupied by management personnel of the comparable buildings in the vicinity of the Building, with adjustment where appropriate for the size of the applicable project;

(n) personal injury or property damage costs arising from the negligence or willful misconduct of Landlord in connection with this Lease; and

(o) costs incurred to comply with laws relating to the removal of hazardous material (as defined under applicable law) which was in existence in the Building or on the Project prior to the Lease Commencement Date, and was of such a nature that a federal, State or municipal governmental authority, if it had then had knowledge of the presence of such hazardous material, in the state, and under the conditions that it then existed in the Building or on the Project, would have then required the removal of such hazardous material or other remedial or containment action with respect thereto; and costs incurred to remove, remedy, contain, or treat hazardous material, which hazardous material is brought into the Building or onto the Project after the date hereof by Landlord or any other tenant of the Project and is of such a nature, at that time, that a federal, State or municipal governmental authority, if it had then had knowledge of the presence of such hazardous material, in the state, and under the conditions, that it then exists in the Building or on the Project, would have then required the removal of such hazardous material or other remedial or containment action with respect thereto.

4.2.5 Taxes .

4.2.5.1 “ Tax Expenses ” shall mean all federal, state, county, or local governmental or municipal taxes, fees, charges or other impositions of every kind and nature, whether general, special, ordinary or extraordinary (including, without limitation, real estate taxes, general and special assessments, transit taxes, leasehold taxes or taxes based upon the receipt of rent, including gross receipts or sales taxes applicable to the receipt of rent, unless required to be paid by Tenant, personal property taxes imposed upon the fixtures, machinery, equipment, apparatus, systems and equipment, appurtenances, furniture and other personal property used in connection with the Project, or any portion thereof), which shall be paid or accrued during any Expense Year

 

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(without regard to any different fiscal year used by such governmental or municipal authority) because of or in connection with the ownership, leasing and operation of the Project, or any portion thereof.

4.2.5.2 Tax Expenses shall include, without limitation: (i) Any tax on the rent, right to rent or other income from the Project, or any portion thereof, or as against the business of leasing the Project, or any portion thereof; (ii) Any assessment, tax, fee, levy or charge in addition to, or in substitution, partially or totally, of any assessment, tax, fee, levy or charge previously included within the definition of real property tax; (iii) Any assessment, tax, fee, levy, or charge allocable to or measured by the area of the Premises or the Rent payable hereunder, including, without limitation, any business or gross income tax or excise tax with respect to the receipt of such rent, or upon or with respect to the possession, leasing, operating, management, maintenance, alteration, repair, use or occupancy by Tenant of the Premises, or any portion thereof; and (iv) Any assessment, tax, fee, levy or charge, upon this transaction or any document to which Tenant is a party, creating or transferring an interest or an estate in the Premises or the improvements thereon.

4.2.5.3 Any costs and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ and consultants’ fees) incurred in attempting to protest, reduce or minimize Tax Expenses shall be included in Tax Expenses in the Expense Year such expenses are incurred. Tax refunds shall be credited against Tax Expenses and refunded to Tenant regardless of when received, based on the Expense Year to which the refund is applicable, provided that in no event shall the amount to be refunded to Tenant for any such Expense Year exceed the total amount paid by Tenant as Additional Rent under this Article 4 for such Expense Year. If Tax Expenses for any period during the Lease Term or any extension thereof are increased after payment thereof for any reason, including, without limitation, error or reassessment by applicable governmental or municipal authorities, Tenant shall pay Landlord upon demand Tenant’s Share of any such increased Tax Expenses. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 4.2.5 , there shall be excluded from Tax Expenses (i) all excess profits taxes, franchise taxes, gift taxes, capital stock taxes, inheritance and succession taxes, estate taxes, federal and state income taxes, and other taxes to the extent applicable to Landlord’s net income (as opposed to rents, receipts or income attributable to operations at the Project), (ii) any items included as Operating Expenses, and (iii) any items paid by Tenant under Section 4.5 of this Lease.

4.2.6 “ Tenant’s Share ” shall mean the percentage set forth in Section 6 of the Summary.

4.3 Allocation of Direct Expenses . The parties acknowledge that the Building may in the future be a part of a multi-building project and that the costs and expenses incurred in connection with the Project (i.e., the Direct Expenses) should be shared between the Building and the other buildings in the Project. Accordingly, as set forth in Section 4.2 above, Direct Expenses (which consist of Operating Expenses and Tax Expenses) are determined annually for the Project as a whole, and a portion of the Direct Expenses, which portion shall be determined by Landlord on an equitable basis, shall be allocated to the Building (as opposed to other buildings in the Project). Such portion of Direct Expenses allocated to the Building shall include all Direct Expenses attributable solely to the Building and an equitable portion of the Direct Expenses attributable to the Project as a whole, and shall not include Direct Expenses attributable solely to other buildings in the Project.

4.4 Calculation and Payment of Additional Rent . Tenant shall pay to Landlord, in the manner set forth in Section 4.4.1 , below, and as Additional Rent, Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses for each Expense Year.

4.4.1 Statement of Actual Direct Expenses and Payment by Tenant . Landlord shall use commercially reasonable efforts to give to Tenant within one hundred twenty (120) days following the end of each Expense Year, a statement (the “ Statement ”) which shall state the Direct Expenses incurred or accrued for such preceding Expense Year, and which shall indicate the amount of Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses. Upon receipt of the Statement for each Expense Year commencing or ending during the Lease Term, Tenant shall pay, with its next installment of Base Rent due, the full amount of Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses for such Expense Year, less the amounts, if any, paid during such Expense Year as “ Estimated Direct Expenses ,” as that term is defined in Section 4.4.2 , below, and if Tenant paid more as Estimated Direct Expenses than the actual Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses, Tenant shall receive a credit in the amount of Tenant’s overpayment against Rent next due under this Lease. The failure of Landlord to timely furnish the Statement for any Expense Year shall not prejudice Landlord or Tenant from enforcing its rights under this Article 4 . Even though the Lease Term has expired and Tenant has vacated the Premises, when the final determination is made of Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses for the Expense Year in which this Lease terminates, Tenant shall immediately pay to Landlord such amount, and if Tenant paid more as Estimated Direct Expenses than the actual Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses, Landlord shall, within thirty (30) days, deliver a check payable to Tenant in the amount of the overpayment. The provisions of this Section 4.4.1 shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of the Lease Term.

4.4.2 Statement of Estimated Direct Expenses . In addition, Landlord shall use commercially reasonable efforts to give to Tenant within one hundred twenty (120) days following the end of each Expense Year a yearly expense estimate statement (the “ Estimate Statement ”) which shall set forth Landlord’s reasonable estimate (the “ Estimate ”) of what the total amount of Direct Expenses for the then-current Expense Year shall be and the estimated Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses (the “ Estimated Direct Expenses ”). The failure of Landlord to timely furnish the Estimate Statement for any Expense Year shall not preclude Landlord from

 

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enforcing its rights to collect any Estimated Direct Expenses under this Article 4 , nor shall Landlord be prohibited from revising any Estimate Statement or Estimated Direct Expenses theretofore delivered to the extent necessary. Thereafter, Tenant shall pay, with its next installment of Base Rent due, a fraction of the Estimated Direct Expenses for the then-current Expense Year (reduced by any amounts paid pursuant to the last sentence of this Section 4.4.2 ). Such fraction shall have as its numerator the number of months which have elapsed in such current Expense Year, including the month of such payment, and twelve (12) as its denominator. Until a new Estimate Statement is furnished (which Landlord shall have the right to deliver to Tenant at any time), Tenant shall pay monthly, with the monthly Base Rent installments, an amount equal to one-twelfth (1/12) of the total Estimated Direct Expenses set forth in the previous Estimate Statement delivered by Landlord to Tenant.

4.5 Taxes and Other Charges for Which Tenant Is Directly Responsible . Tenant shall be liable for and shall pay ten (10) days before delinquency, taxes levied against Tenant’s equipment, furniture, fixtures and any other personal property located in or about the Premises. If any such taxes on Tenant’s equipment, furniture, fixtures and any other personal property are levied against Landlord or Landlord’s property or if the assessed value of Landlord’s property is increased by the inclusion therein of a value placed upon such equipment, furniture, fixtures or any other personal property and if Landlord pays the taxes based upon such increased assessment, which Landlord shall have the right to do regardless of the validity thereof but only under proper protest if requested by Tenant, Tenant shall upon demand repay to Landlord the taxes so levied against Landlord or the proportion of such taxes resulting from such increase in the assessment, as the case may be.

4.6 Audit of Direct Expenses . Upon Tenant’s written request (an “ Audit Request ”) given not more than sixty (60) days after Tenant’s receipt of a Statement for a particular Expense Year, and provided that Tenant is not then in default under this Lease, Landlord shall furnish Tenant with such reasonable supporting documentation in connection with said Direct Expenses. Landlord shall provide said information to Tenant within sixty (60) days after Tenant’s written request therefor. Within sixty (60) days after receipt of such information by Tenant (the “ Review Period ”), if Tenant disputes the amount of Direct Expenses set forth in the Statement, an independent certified public accountant (which accountant (A) is a certified public accountant, (B) is a member of a nationally recognized accounting firm, (C) is not working on a contingency fee basis, and (D) is reasonably acceptable to, and approved by Landlord (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed)), designated and paid for by Tenant, may, after reasonable notice to Landlord and at reasonable times, inspect Landlord’s records with respect to the Statement at Landlord’s offices, provided that Tenant is not then in default under this Lease and Tenant has paid all amounts required to be paid under the applicable Estimate Statement and Statement, as the case may be. In connection with such inspection, Tenant and Tenant’s agents must agree in advance to follow Landlord’s reasonable rules and procedures regarding inspections of Landlord’s records, and shall execute a commercially reasonable confidentiality agreement regarding such inspection. Tenant’s failure to dispute the amount of Direct Expenses set forth in any Statement within the Review Period shall be deemed to be Tenant’s approval of such Statement and Tenant, thereafter, waives the right or ability to dispute the amounts set forth in such Statement. If after such inspection, Tenant still disputes such Additional Rent, a determination as to the proper amount shall be made, at Tenant’s expense, by an independent certified public accountant (the “ Accountant ”) selected by Landlord and subject to Tenant’s reasonable approval; provided that if such determination by the Accountant proves that Direct Expenses were overstated by more than five percent (5%), then the cost of the Accountant and the cost of such determination shall be paid for by Landlord with interest at the “Default Rate,” as that term is defined in Article 25 , below. If the parties agree or the Accountant determines that Tenant’s payments of Direct Expenses for such calendar year were in excess of the actual Direct Expenses for such calendar year, then Landlord shall, at Landlord’s option, either (a) credit such excess to Tenant’s next succeeding installment(s) of Estimated Direct Expenses until such excess has been exhausted, or (b) deliver a check payable to Tenant in the amount of such excess within thirty (30) days after such agreement or determination. If the parties agree or the Accountant determines that Tenant’s payments of Direct Expenses for such calendar year were less than the actual Direct Expenses, then Tenant shall pay the deficiency to Landlord within thirty (30) days after such agreement or determination. Tenant hereby acknowledges that Tenant’s sole right to inspect Landlord’s books and records and to contest the amount of Direct Expenses payable by Tenant shall be as set forth in this Section 4.6 , and Tenant hereby waives any and all other rights pursuant to applicable law to inspect such books and records and/or to contest the amount of Direct Expenses payable by Tenant.

5. USE OF PREMISES

5.1 Permitted Use . Tenant shall use the Premises solely for the Permitted Use set forth in Section 7 of the Summary and Tenant shall not use or permit the Premises or the Project to be used for any other purpose or purposes whatsoever without the prior written consent of Landlord, which may be withheld in Landlord’s sole discretion.

5.2 Prohibited Uses . Tenant further covenants and agrees that Tenant shall not use, or suffer or permit any person or persons to use, the Premises or any part thereof for any use or purpose in violation of the laws of the United States of America, the State of California, or the ordinances, regulations or requirements of the local municipal or county governing body or other lawful authorities having jurisdiction over the Project) including, without limitation, any such laws, ordinances, regulations or requirements relating to hazardous materials or substances, as those terms are defined by applicable laws now or hereafter in effect, or any Underlying Documents. Landlord shall have the right to impose reasonable and customary rule and regulations (which shall be enforced by Landlord in a non-discriminatory manner) regarding the use of the Project, as reasonably deemed necessary by Landlord with respect

 

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to the orderly operation of the Project, and Tenant shall comply with such reasonable rules and regulations. Tenant shall not do or permit anything to be done in or about the Premises which will in any way damage the reputation of the Project or obstruct or interfere with the rights of other tenants or occupants of the Building, or injure or annoy them or use or allow the Premises to be used for any improper, unlawful or objectionable purpose, nor shall Tenant cause, maintain or permit any nuisance in, on or about the Premises. Tenant shall comply with, and Tenant’s rights and obligations under the Lease and Tenant’s use of the Premises shall be subject and subordinate to, all recorded easements, covenants, conditions, and restrictions now or hereafter affecting the Project.

5.3 Hazardous Materials .

5.3.1 Tenant’s Obligations .

5.3.1.1 Prohibitions . As a material inducement to Landlord to enter into this Lease with Tenant, Tenant has fully and accurately completed Landlord’s Pre-Leasing Environmental Exposure Questionnaire (the “ Environmental Questionnaire ”), which is attached as Exhibit F . Tenant agrees that except for those chemicals or materials, and their respective quantities, specifically listed on the Environmental Questionnaire, neither Tenant nor Tenant’s employees, contractors and subcontractors of any tier, entities with a contractual relationship with Tenant (other than Landlord), or any entity acting as an agent or sub-agent of Tenant (collectively, “ Tenant’s Agents ”) will produce, use, store or generate any “Hazardous Materials,” as that term is defined below, on, under or about the Premises, nor cause or permit any Hazardous Material to be brought upon, placed, stored, manufactured, generated, blended, handled, recycled, used or “Released,” as that term is defined below, on, in, under or about the Premises. If any information provided to Landlord by Tenant on the Environmental Questionnaire, or otherwise relating to information concerning Hazardous Materials is false, incomplete, or misleading in any material respect, the same shall be deemed a default by Tenant under this Lease. Upon request by Landlord, Tenant shall deliver to Landlord an updated Environmental Questionnaire at least once a year; provided that, regardless of whether such request is made by Landlord, Tenant shall deliver to Landlord an updated Environmental Questionnaire to the extent any information therein needs to be updated in any material respect, provided that “material” shall mean any changes in the Hazardous Materials usage including, but not limited to, in terms of their hazardous character, handling profile, usage and quantity. Landlord’s prior written consent shall be required to any Hazardous Materials use for the Premises not described on the initial Environmental Questionnaire, such consent to be withheld in Landlord’s sole discretion. Tenant shall not install or permit any underground storage tank on the Premises. For purposes of this Lease, “ Hazardous Materials ” means all flammable explosives, petroleum and petroleum products, waste oil, radon, radioactive materials, toxic pollutants, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (“ PCBs ”), medical waste, chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity, pollutants, contaminants, hazardous wastes, toxic substances or related materials, including without limitation any chemical, element, compound, mixture, solution, substance, object, waste or any combination thereof, which is or may be hazardous to human health, safety or to the environment due to its radioactivity, ignitability, corrosiveness, reactivity, explosiveness, toxicity, carcinogenicity, infectiousness or other harmful or potentially harmful properties or effects, or defined as, regulated as or included in, the definition of “hazardous substances,” “hazardous wastes,” “hazardous materials,” or “toxic substances” under any Environmental Laws. The term “Hazardous Materials” for purposes of this Lease shall also include any mold, fungus or spores, whether or not the same is defined, listed, or otherwise classified as a “hazardous material” under any Environmental Laws, if such mold, fungus or spores may pose a risk to human health or the environment or negatively impact the value of the Premises. For purposes of this Lease, “ Release ” or “ Released ” or “ Releases ” shall mean any release, deposit, discharge, emission, leaking, spilling, seeping, migrating, injecting, pumping, pouring, emptying, escaping, dumping, disposing, or other movement of Hazardous Materials into the environment. Landlord represents and warrant to Tenant that, to Landlord’s actual knowledge, without duty of investigation or inquiry, there is no Hazardous Material on, in, or under the Premises as of the Lease Commencement Date in violation of Environmental Laws. For purposes of the foregoing, Landlords “actual knowledge” shall mean the current actual (as opposed to constructive) knowledge of Michael Dorris (“ Landlord’s Representative ”). No duty of inquiry or investigation on the part of Landlord or Landlord’s Representative will be required or implied by the making of any representation or warranty which is so limited to matters within Landlord’s actual knowledge, and in no event shall Landlord’s Representative have any personal liability therefor.

5.3.1.2 Notices to Landlord . Tenant shall notify Landlord in writing as soon as possible but in no event later than five (5) days after (i) the occurrence of any actual, alleged or threatened Release of any Hazardous Material in, on, under, from, about or in the vicinity of the Premises (whether past or present), regardless of the source or quantity of any such Release, or (ii) Tenant becomes aware of any regulatory actions, inquiries, inspections, investigations, directives, or any cleanup, compliance, enforcement or abatement proceedings (including any threatened or contemplated investigations or proceedings) relating to or potentially affecting the Premises, or (iii) Tenant becomes aware of any claims by any person or entity relating to any Hazardous Materials in, on, under, from, about or in the vicinity of the Premises, whether relating to damage, contribution, cost recovery, compensation, loss or injury. Collectively, the matters set forth in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above are hereinafter referred to as “ Hazardous Materials Claims ”. Tenant shall promptly forward to Landlord copies of all orders, notices, permits, applications and other communications and reports in connection with any Hazardous Materials Claims. Additionally, Tenant shall promptly advise Landlord in writing of Tenant’s discovery of any occurrence or condition on, in, under or about the Premises that could subject Tenant or Landlord to any liability, or restrictions on ownership, occupancy, transferability or use of the Premises under any “Environmental Laws,” as that term is defined below. Tenant shall not enter into any legal proceeding or other action, settlement, consent decree or other compromise with respect to

 

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any Hazardous Materials Claims without first notifying Landlord of Tenant’s intention to do so and affording Landlord the opportunity to join and participate, at Landlord’s sole cost and expense, as a party if Landlord so elects, in such proceedings and in no event shall Tenant enter into any agreements which are binding on Landlord or the Premises without Landlord’s prior written consent. Landlord shall have the right to appear at and participate in, any and all legal or other administrative proceedings concerning any Hazardous Materials Claim. For purposes of this Lease, “ Environmental Laws ” means all applicable present and future laws relating to the protection of human health, safety, wildlife or the environment, including, without limitation, (i) all requirements pertaining to reporting, licensing, permitting, investigation and/or remediation of emissions, discharges, Releases, or threatened Releases of Hazardous Materials, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous in nature, into the air, surface water, groundwater, or land, or relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport, or handling of Hazardous Materials; and (ii) all requirements pertaining to the health and safety of employees or the public. Environmental Laws include, but are not limited to, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, 42 USC § 9601, et seq., the Hazardous Materials Transportation Authorization Act of 1994, 49 USC § 5101, et seq., the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, and Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984, 42 USC § 6901, et seq., the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended by the Clean Water Act of 1977, 33 USC § 1251, et seq., the Clean Air Act of 1966, 42 USC § 7401, et seq., the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, 15 USC § 2601, et seq., the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, 42 USC §§ 300f through 300j, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as amended, 29 USC § 651 et seq., the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, 33 USC § 2701 et seq., the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986, 42 USC § 11001 et seq., the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 USC § 4321 et seq., the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1947, 7 USC § 136 et seq., California Carpenter-Presley-Tanner Hazardous Substance Account Act, California Health & Safety Code §§ 25300 et seq., Hazardous Materials Release Response Plans and Inventory Act, California Health & Safety Code, §§ 25500 et seq., Underground Storage of Hazardous Substances provisions, California Health & Safety Code, §§ 25280 et seq., California Hazardous Waste Control Law, California Health & Safety Code, §§ 25100 et seq., and any other state or local law counterparts, as amended, as such applicable laws, are in effect as of the Lease Commencement Date, or thereafter adopted, published, or promulgated.

5.3.1.3 Releases of Hazardous Materials. If any Release of any Hazardous Material in, on, under, from or about the Premises shall occur at any time during the Lease and/or if any other Hazardous Material condition exists at the Premises that requires response actions of any kind (other than Hazardous Materials brought onto the Premises by Landlord or Landlord’s agents or an Existing Hazardous Materials condition for which Landlord is expressly responsible under this Section 5 ), in addition to notifying Landlord as specified above, Tenant, at its own sole cost and expense, shall (i) immediately comply with any and all reporting requirements imposed pursuant to any and all Environmental Laws, (ii) provide a written certification to Landlord indicating that Tenant has complied with all applicable reporting requirements, (iii) take any and all necessary investigation, corrective and remedial action in accordance with any and all applicable Environmental Laws, utilizing an environmental consultant approved by Landlord, all in accordance with the provisions and requirements of this Section 5.3 , including, without limitation, Section 5.3.4 , and (iv) take any such additional investigative, remedial and corrective actions as Landlord shall in its reasonable discretion deem necessary such that the Premises are remediated to the condition existing prior to such Release.

5.3.1.4 Indemnification .

5.3.1.4.1 In General . Without limiting in any way Tenant’s obligations under any other provision of this Lease, Tenant shall be solely responsible for and shall protect, defend, indemnify and hold the Landlord Parties harmless from and against any and all claims, judgments, losses, damages, costs, expenses, penalties, enforcement actions, taxes, fines, remedial actions, liabilities (including, without limitation, actual attorneys’ fees, litigation, arbitration and administrative proceeding costs, expert and consultant fees and laboratory costs) including, without limitation, consequential damages and sums paid in settlement of claims, which arise during or after the Lease Term, whether foreseeable or unforeseeable, that arise during or after the Lease Term in whole or in part, foreseeable or unforeseeable, directly or indirectly arising out of or attributable to the presence, use, generation, manufacture, treatment, handling, refining, production, processing, storage, Release or presence of Hazardous Materials in, on, under or about the Premises by Tenant or Tenant’s Agents. Landlord agrees to indemnify, defend, protect and hold harmless Tenant from and against any liability, obligation, damage or costs, including without limitation, attorneys’ fees and costs, resulting directly or indirectly from any use, presence, removal or disposal of any Hazardous Materials to the extent such liability, obligation, damage or costs was a result of actions caused or knowingly permitted by Landlord or a Landlord Party.

5.3.1.4.2 Limitations . Notwithstanding anything in Section 5.3.1.4 , above, to the contrary, Tenant’s indemnity of Landlord as set forth in Section 5.3.1.4 , above, shall not be applicable to (a) any claims that result from the activities of Landlord, its contractors or agents on or about the Premises after the Lease Commencement Date, and (b) claims based upon Hazardous Materials which may exist in, on or about the Premises as of the date of this Lease (“ Existing Hazardous Materials ”), except to the extent that Tenant’s construction activities and/or Tenant’s other acts or omissions (including Tenant’s failure to remove, remediate or otherwise treat or “Clean-up,” as that term is defined in Section 5.3.4 , below, the subject Existing Hazardous Materials during the tenancy of the Premises) caused or exacerbated the subject claim (a “ Tenant Caused Release of Existing Hazardous Materials ”).

 

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5.3.1.5 Compliance with Environmental Laws . Without limiting the generality of Tenant’s obligation to comply with applicable laws as otherwise provided in this Lease, Tenant shall, at its sole cost and expense, comply with all Environmental Laws applicable to its use of the Premises; provided however that Tenant shall not be liable for or obligated to remove or remediate any Existing Hazardous Materials (other than a Tenant Caused Release of Existing Hazardous Materials) or Hazardous Materials brought onto the Premises by Landlord or Landlord’s agents. Tenant shall obtain and maintain any and all necessary permits, licenses, certifications and approvals appropriate or required for the use, handling, storage, and disposal of any Hazardous Materials used, stored, generated, transported, handled, blended, or recycled by Tenant on the Premises. Landlord shall have a continuing right, without obligation, to require Tenant to obtain, and to review and inspect any and all such permits, licenses, certifications and approvals, together with copies of any and all Hazardous Materials management plans and programs, any and all Hazardous Materials risk management and pollution prevention programs, and any and all Hazardous Materials emergency response and employee training programs respecting Tenant’s use of Hazardous Materials. Upon request of Landlord, Tenant shall deliver to Landlord a narrative description explaining the nature and scope of Tenant’s activities involving Hazardous Materials and showing to Landlord’s satisfaction compliance with all Environmental Laws and the terms of this Lease.

5.3.2 Assurance of Performance .

5.3.2.1 Environmental Assessments In General . Landlord may, but shall not be required to, engage from time to time such contractors as Landlord determines to be appropriate to perform environmental assessments of a scope reasonably determined by Landlord (an “ Environmental Assessment ”) to ensure Tenant’s compliance with the requirements of this Lease with respect to Hazardous Materials. .

5.3.2.2 Costs of Environmental Assessments . All costs and expenses incurred by Landlord in connection with any such Environmental Assessment initially shall be paid by Landlord; provided that if any such Environmental Assessment shows that Tenant has failed to comply with the provisions of this Section 5.3 , then all of the costs and expenses of such Environmental Assessment shall be reimbursed by Tenant as Additional Rent within ten (10) days after receipt of written demand therefor.

5.3.3 Tenant’s Obligations upon Surrender . At the expiration or earlier termination of the Lease Term, Tenant, at Tenant’s sole cost and expense, shall: (i) cause an Environmental Assessment of the Premises to be conducted in accordance with Section 15.3 ; (ii) to the extent required by Environmental Laws, cause all Hazardous Materials to be removed from the Premises and disposed of in accordance with all Environmental Laws and as necessary to allow the Premises to be used for any purpose; and (iii) cause to be removed all containers installed or used by Tenant or Tenant’s Agents to store any Hazardous Materials on the Premises, and cause to be repaired any damage to the Premises caused by such removal.

5.3.4 Clean-up .

5.3.4.1 Environmental Reports; Clean-Up . If any written report, including any report containing results of any Environmental Assessment (an “ Environmental Report ”) shall indicate (i) the presence of any Hazardous Materials as to which either Tenant or Landlord has a removal or remediation obligation under this Section 5.3 , and (ii) that as a result of same, the investigation, characterization, monitoring, assessment, repair, closure, remediation, removal, or other clean-up (the “ Clean-up ”) of any Hazardous Materials is required, Tenant shall immediately prepare and submit to Landlord within thirty (30) days after receipt of the Environmental Report a comprehensive plan, subject to Landlord’s reasonable written approval, specifying the actions to be taken by Tenant to perform the Clean-up so that the Premises are restored to the conditions required by this Lease. Upon Landlord’s approval of the Clean-up plan, Tenant shall, at Tenant’s sole cost and expense, without limitation on any rights and remedies of Landlord under this Lease, immediately implement such plan with a consultant reasonably acceptable to Landlord and proceed to Clean-Up Hazardous Materials in accordance with all applicable laws and as required by such plan and this Lease. If, within thirty (30) days after receiving a copy of such Environmental Report, Tenant fails either (a) to complete such Clean-up, or (b) with respect to any Clean-up that cannot be completed within such thirty-day period, fails to proceed with diligence to prepare the Clean-up plan and complete the Clean-up as promptly as practicable, then Landlord shall have the right, but not the obligation, and without waiving any other rights under this Lease, to carry out any Clean-up recommended by the Environmental Report or required by any governmental authority having jurisdiction over the Premises, and recover all of the costs and expenses thereof from Tenant as Additional Rent, payable within ten (10) days after receipt of written demand therefor. If an Environmental Report indicates that Clean-up of any Existing Hazardous Materials (other than a Tenant Caused Release of Existing Hazardous Materials) which is required by Environmental Laws, then Landlord, at its sole cost and expense, shall notify Tenant of, and thereafter implement, Landlord’s Clean-up plan, which Clean-up plan, including the scope and timing thereof, shall cause the Premises to be restored substantially in the condition existing prior to commencing Landlord’s Clean-up plan.

5.3.4.2 Rent Abatement . Tenant shall continue to pay all Rent due or accruing under this Lease during any Clean-up of Hazardous Materials as to which Tenant has a removal or remediation obligation under this Section 5.3 , and shall not be entitled to any reduction, offset or deferral of any Base Rent or Additional Rent due or accruing under this Lease during any such Clean-up. During the Clean-up of Existing Hazardous Materials as to which Landlord has a removal or remediation obligation under this

 

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Section 5.3, Landlord may temporarily close all or a portion of the Premises to facilitate the Clean-up, and the provisions regarding Rent abatement set forth in Section 19.5.2 shall apply thereto except that Tenant shall not be required to provide notice to Landlord and the applicable abatement shall commence on the first day that all or a portion of the Premises are closed.

5.3.4.3 Surrender of Premises . Tenant shall complete any Clean-up prior to surrender of the Premises upon the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease. Tenant shall obtain and deliver to Landlord a letter or other written determination from the overseeing governmental authority confirming that the Clean-up has been completed in accordance with all requirements of such governmental authority and that no further response action of any kind is required for the unrestricted use of the Premises (“ Closure Letter ”). Upon the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease, Tenant shall also be obligated to close all permits obtained in connection with Hazardous Materials in accordance with applicable laws.

5.3.4.4 Failure to Timely Clean-Up . Should any Clean-up for which Tenant is responsible not be completed, or should Tenant not receive the Closure Letter and any governmental approvals required under Environmental Laws in conjunction with such Clean-up prior to the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease, then Tenant shall be liable to Landlord as a holdover tenant (as more particularly provided in Article 16 ) until Tenant has fully complied with its obligations under this Section 5.3 .

5.3.5 Confidentiality . Unless compelled to do so by applicable law, Tenant agrees that Tenant shall not disclose, discuss, disseminate or copy any information, data, findings, communications, conclusions and reports regarding the environmental condition of the Premises to any Person (other than Tenant’s consultants, attorneys, property managers and employees that have a need to know such information), including any governmental authority, without the prior written consent of Landlord. In the event Tenant reasonably believes that disclosure is compelled by applicable law, it shall provide Landlord ten (10) days’ advance notice of disclosure of confidential information so that Landlord may, at its own cost, attempt to obtain a protective order. Tenant may additionally release such information to bona fide prospective purchasers or lenders, subject to any such parties’ written agreement to be bound by the terms of this Section 5.3 .

5.3.6 Copies of Environmental Reports . Within thirty (30) days of receipt thereof, Tenant shall provide Landlord with a copy of any and all environmental assessments, audits, studies and reports regarding Tenant’s activities with respect to the Premises, or ground water beneath the Land, or the environmental condition or Clean-up thereof. Tenant shall be obligated to provide Landlord with a copy of such materials without regard to whether such materials are generated by Tenant or prepared for Tenant, or how Tenant comes into possession of such materials.

5.3.7 Intentionally Omitted .

5.3.8 Signs, Response Plans, Etc . Tenant shall be responsible for posting on the Premises any signs required under applicable Environmental Laws. Tenant shall also complete and file any business response plans or inventories required by any applicable laws. Tenant shall concurrently file a copy of any such business response plan or inventory with Landlord.

5.3.9 Survival . Each covenant, agreement, representation, warranty and indemnification made by each of Tenant and Landlord set forth in this Section 5.3 shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease and shall remain effective until all of Tenant’s obligations under this Section 5.3 have been completely performed and satisfied.

6. SERVICES AND UTILITIES

6.1 In General . Tenant will be responsible, at its sole cost and expense, for the furnishing of all services and utilities to the Premises, including, but not limited to heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, electricity, water, telephone, janitorial and interior Building security services.

6.1.1 All utilities (including without limitation, electricity, gas, sewer and water) to the Building are separately metered at the Premises and shall be paid directly by Tenant to the applicable utility provider.

6.1.2 Landlord shall not provide janitorial services for the Premises. Tenant shall be solely responsible for performing all janitorial services and other cleaning of the Premises, all in compliance with applicable laws. The janitorial and cleaning of the Premises shall be adequate to maintain the Premises in a manner consistent with First Class Life Sciences Projects.

Tenant shall cooperate fully with Landlord at all times and abide by all regulations and requirements that Landlord may reasonably prescribe for the proper functioning and protection of the HVAC, electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems. Provided that Landlord agrees to provide and maintain and keep in continuous service utility connections to the Project, including electricity, water and sewage connections, Landlord shall have no obligation to provide any services or utilities to the Building, including, but not limited to heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, electricity, water, telephone, janitorial and interior Building security services.

 

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6.2 Interruption of Use . Tenant agrees that Landlord shall not be liable for damages, by abatement of Rent or otherwise, for failure to furnish or delay in furnishing any service (including telephone and telecommunication services), or for any diminution in the quality or quantity thereof, when such failure or delay or diminution is occasioned, in whole or in part, by breakage, repairs, replacements, or improvements, by any strike, lockout or other labor trouble, by inability to secure electricity, gas, water, or other fuel at the Building or Project after reasonable effort to do so, by any riot or other dangerous condition, emergency, accident or casualty whatsoever, by act or default of Tenant or other parties, or by any other cause; and such failures or delays or diminution shall never be deemed to constitute an eviction or disturbance of Tenant’s use and possession of the Premises or relieve Tenant from paying Rent or performing any of its obligations under this Lease. Furthermore, Landlord shall not be liable under any circumstances for a loss of, or injury to, property or for injury to, or interference with, Tenant’s business, including, without limitation, loss of profits, however occurring, through or in connection with or incidental to a failure to furnish any of the services or utilities as set forth in this Article 6 .

6.3 Energy Performance Disclosure Information . Tenant hereby acknowledges that Landlord may be required to disclose certain information concerning the energy performance of the Building pursuant to California Public Resources Code Section 25402.10 and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto (collectively the “ Energy Disclosure Requirements ”). Tenant hereby acknowledges prior receipt of the Data Verification Checklist, as defined in the Energy Disclosure Requirements (the “ Energy Disclosure Information ”), and agrees that Landlord has timely complied in full with Landlord’s obligations under the Energy Disclosure Requirements. Tenant acknowledges and agrees that (i) Landlord makes no representation or warranty regarding the energy performance of the Building or the accuracy or completeness of the Energy Disclosure Information, (ii) the Energy Disclosure Information is for the current occupancy and use of the Building and that the energy performance of the Building may vary depending on future occupancy and/or use of the Building, and (iii) Landlord shall have no liability to Tenant for any errors or omissions in the Energy Disclosure Information. If and to the extent not prohibited by applicable laws, Tenant hereby waives any right Tenant may have to receive the Energy Disclosure Information, including, without limitation, any right Tenant may have to terminate this Lease as a result of Landlord’s failure to disclose such information. Further, Tenant hereby releases Landlord from any and all losses, costs, damages, expenses and/or liabilities relating to, arising out of and/or resulting from the Energy Disclosure Requirements, including, without limitation, any liabilities arising as a result of Landlord’s failure to disclose the Energy Disclosure Information to Tenant prior to the execution of this Lease. Tenant’s acknowledgment of the AS-IS condition of the Premises pursuant to the terms of this Lease shall be deemed to include the energy performance of the Building. Tenant further acknowledges that pursuant to the Energy Disclosure Requirements, Landlord may be required in the future to disclose information concerning Tenant’s energy usage to certain third parties, including, without limitation, prospective purchasers, lenders and tenants of the Building (the “ Tenant Energy Use Disclosure ”). Tenant hereby (A) consents to all such Tenant Energy Use Disclosures, and (B) acknowledges that Landlord shall not be required to notify Tenant of any Tenant Energy Use Disclosure. Further, Tenant hereby releases Landlord from any and all losses, costs, damages, expenses and liabilities relating to, arising out of and/or resulting from any Tenant Energy Use Disclosure. The terms of this Section 6.3 shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease.

7. REPAIRS

7.1 Tenant Repair Obligations . Subject to Landlord’s obligations under Section 1.1.4 , above, Tenant shall, throughout the Term, at its sole cost and expense, maintain, repair, replace and improve as required, the non-structural portion of the Premises and Building and every part thereof in a good standard of maintenance, repair and replacement as required, and in good and sanitary condition, all in accordance with the standards of First Class Life Sciences Projects, except for “Landlord Repair Obligations,” as that term is defined in Section 7.4 , below, whether or not such maintenance, repair, replacement or improvement is required in order to comply with applicable Laws (“ Tenant’s Repair Obligations ”), including, without limitation, the following: (1) glass, windows, window frames, window casements (including the repairing, resealing, cleaning and replacing of both interior and exterior windows) and skylights; (2) interior and exterior doors, door frames and door closers; (3) interior lighting (including, without limitation, light bulbs and ballasts); (4) the plumbing, sewer, drainage, electrical, fire protection, elevator, escalator, life safety and security systems and equipment, existing heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and all other mechanical, electrical and communications systems and equipment (collectively, the “ Building Systems ”), including without limitation (i) any specialty or supplemental Building Systems installed by or for Tenant and (ii) all electrical facilities and equipment, including lighting fixtures, lamps, fans and any exhaust equipment and systems, electrical motors and all other appliances and equipment of every kind and nature located in, upon or about the Premises; (5) all communications systems serving the Premises; (6) all of Tenant’s security systems in or about or serving the Premises; (7) Tenant’s signage; (8) interior demising walls and partitions (including painting and wall coverings), equipment, floors, and any roll-up doors, ramps and dock equipment; and (9) the non-structural portions of the roof of the Building. Tenant’s Repair Obligations also includes the routine maintenance of the load bearing and exterior walls of the Building, including, without limitation, any painting, sealing, patching and waterproofing of such walls. Tenant shall additionally be responsible, at Tenant’s sole cost and expense, to furnish all expendables, including light bulbs, paper goods and soaps, used in the Premises, and, to the extent that Landlord notifies Tenant in writing of its intention to no longer arrange for such monitoring, cause the fire alarm systems serving the Premises to be monitored by a monitoring or protective services firm approved by Landlord in writing.

7.2 Service Contracts . All Building Systems, including HVAC, elevators, main electrical, plumbing and fire/life-safety systems, shall be maintained, repaired and replaced by Tenant (i) in a commercially reasonable first-class condition, (ii) in accordance

 

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with any applicable manufacturer specifications relating to any particular component of such Building Systems, (iii) in accordance with applicable Laws. Tenant shall contract with a qualified, experienced professional third party service companies (a “ Service Contract ”). Tenant shall regularly, in accordance with commercially reasonable standards, generate and maintain preventive maintenance records relating to each Building’s mechanical and main electrical systems, including life safety, elevators and the central plant (“ Preventative Maintenance Records ”). In addition, upon Landlord’s request, Tenant shall deliver a copy of all current Service Contracts to Landlord and/or a copy of the Preventative Maintenance Records.

7.3 Landlord’s Right to Perform Tenant’s Repair Obligations . Tenant shall notify Landlord in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to performing any material Tenant’s Repair Obligations, including without limitation, any Tenant’s Repair Obligation which affect the Building Systems or which is reasonably anticipated to cost more than $100,000.00. Upon receipt of such notice from Tenant, Landlord shall have the right to either (i) perform such material Tenant’s Repair Obligation by delivering notice of such election to Tenant within thirty (30) days following receipt of Tenant’s notice, and Tenant shall pay Landlord the cost thereof (including Landlord’s reasonable supervision fee) within thirty (30) days after receipt of an invoice therefor, or (ii) require Tenant to perform such Tenant’s Repair Obligation at Tenant’s sole cost and expense. If Tenant fails to perform any Tenant’s Repair Obligation within a reasonable time period, as reasonably determined by Landlord, then Landlord may, but need not, following delivery of notice to Tenant of such election, make such Tenant Repair Obligation, and Tenant shall pay Landlord the cost thereof, (including Landlord’s reasonable supervision fee) within thirty (30) days after receipt of an invoice therefor.

7.4 Landlord Repair Obligations . Landlord shall be responsible for repairs to the exterior walls, foundation and roof of the Building, the structural portions of the floors of the Building, except to the extent that such repairs are required due to the negligence or willful misconduct of Tenant (the “ Landlord Repair Obligation ”); provided, however, that if such repairs are due to the negligence or willful misconduct of Tenant, Landlord shall nevertheless make such repairs at Tenant’s expense, or, if covered by Landlord’s insurance, Tenant shall only be obligated to pay any deductible in connection therewith.

8. ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS

8.1 Landlord’s Consent to Alterations . Tenant may not make any improvements, alterations, additions or changes to the Premises or any mechanical, plumbing or HVAC facilities or systems pertaining to the Premises (collectively, the “ Alterations ”) without first procuring the prior written consent of Landlord to such Alterations, which consent shall be requested by Tenant not less than thirty (30) days prior to the commencement thereof, and which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld by Landlord, provided it shall be deemed reasonable for Landlord to withhold its consent to any Alteration which adversely affects the structural portions or the systems or equipment of the Building or is visible from the exterior of the Building. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Tenant shall be permitted to make Alterations following ten (10) business days notice to Landlord, but without Landlord’s prior consent, to the extent that such Alterations (i) do not affect the building systems or equipment, (ii) are not visible from the exterior of the Building, and (iii) cost less than $50,000.00 for a particular job of work. The construction of the initial improvements to the Premises shall be governed by the terms of the Tenant Work Letter and not the terms of this Article 8 .

8.2 Manner of Construction . Landlord may impose, as a condition of its consent to any and all Alterations or repairs of the Premises or about the Premises, such requirements as Landlord in its reasonable discretion may deem desirable, including, but not limited to, the requirement that in accordance with the terms of Section 8.5, below, Tenant shall, at Tenant’s expense, remove such Alterations upon the expiration or any early termination of the Lease Term. Tenant shall construct such Alterations and perform such repairs in a good and workmanlike manner, in conformance with any and all applicable federal, state, county or municipal laws, rules and regulations and pursuant to a valid building permit, issued by the city in which the Building is located (or other applicable governmental authority). Tenant shall not use (and upon notice from Landlord shall cease using) contractors, services, workmen, labor, materials or equipment that, in Landlord’s reasonable judgment, would disturb labor harmony with the workforce or trades engaged in performing other work, labor or services in or about the Building or the Common Areas. Upon completion of any Alterations (or repairs), Tenant shall deliver to Landlord final lien waivers from all contractors, subcontractors and materialmen who performed such work. In addition to Tenant’s obligations under Article 9 of this Lease, upon completion of any Alterations, Tenant agrees to cause a Notice of Completion to be recorded in the office of the Recorder of the County of San Diego in accordance with Section 8182 of the Civil Code of the State of California or any successor statute, and Tenant shall deliver to the Project construction manager a reproducible copy of the “ as built ” drawings of the Alterations as well as all permits, approvals and other documents issued by any governmental agency in connection with the Alterations.

8.3 Payment for Improvements . If Tenant orders any work directly from Landlord, Tenant shall pay to Landlord an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the cost of such work to compensate Landlord for all overhead, general conditions, fees and other costs and expenses arising from Landlord’s involvement with such work. If Tenant does not order any work directly from Landlord, Tenant shall reimburse Landlord for Landlord’s reasonable, actual, out-of-pocket costs and expenses actually incurred in connection with Landlord’s review of such work.

 

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8.4 Construction Insurance . In addition to the requirements of Article 10 of this Lease, in the event that Tenant makes any Alterations, prior to the commencement of such Alterations, Tenant shall provide Landlord with evidence that Tenant carries “ Builder’s All Risk ” insurance in an amount approved by Landlord covering the construction of such Alterations, and such other insurance as Landlord may reasonably require, it being understood and agreed that all of such Alterations shall be insured by Tenant pursuant to Article 10 of this Lease immediately upon completion thereof. In addition, Tenant’s contractors and subcontractors shall be required to carry (i) Commercial General Liability Insurance in an amount approved by Landlord, with Landlord, and, at Landlord’s option, Landlord’s property manager and project manager, as additional insureds in an amount approved by Landlord, and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Article 10 of this Lease, and (ii) workers compensation insurance with a waiver of subrogation in favor of Landlord . Landlord may, in its discretion, require Tenant to obtain a lien and completion bond or some alternate form of security satisfactory to Landlord in an amount sufficient to ensure the lien-free completion of such Alterations and naming Landlord as a co-obligee.

8.5 Landlord’s Property . All Alterations, improvements, fixtures, equipment and/or appurtenances which may be installed or placed in or about the Premises, from time to time, shall be at the sole cost of Tenant and shall be and become the property of Landlord and remain in place at the Premises following the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Landlord may, by written notice to Tenant prior to the end of the Lease Term, or given following any earlier termination of this Lease, require Tenant, at Tenant’s expense, to remove any Alterations and/or improvements and/or systems and equipment within the Premises and to repair any damage to the Premises and Building caused by such removal and return the affected portion of the Premises to a building standard tenant improved condition as determined by Landlord; provided; however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, upon request by Tenant at the time of Tenant’s request for Landlord’s consent to any Alteration or improvement, Landlord shall notify Tenant whether the applicable Alteration or improvement will be required to be removed pursuant to the terms of this Section 8.5 and Tenant shall have no removal obligations for Alterations or improvements identified in such notice as not requiring removal by Landlord. If Tenant fails to complete any required removal and/or to repair any damage caused by the removal of any Alterations and/or improvements and/or systems and equipment in the Premises and return the affected portion of the Premises to a building standard tenant improved condition as reasonably determined by Landlord, Landlord may do so and may charge the cost thereof to Tenant. Tenant hereby protects, defends, indemnifies and holds Landlord harmless from any liability, cost, obligation, expense or claim of lien in any manner relating to the installation, placement, removal or financing of any such Alterations, improvements, fixtures and/or equipment in, on or about the Premises, which obligations of Tenant shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease.

9. COVENANT AGAINST LIENS Tenant shall keep the Project and Premises free from any liens or encumbrances arising out of the work performed, materials furnished or obligations incurred by or on behalf of Tenant, and shall protect, defend, indemnify and hold Landlord harmless from and against any claims, liabilities, judgments or costs (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs) arising out of same or in connection therewith. Tenant shall give Landlord notice at least twenty (20) days prior to the commencement of any such work on the Premises (or such additional time as may be necessary under applicable laws) to afford Landlord the opportunity of posting and recording appropriate notices of non-responsibility (to the extent applicable pursuant to then applicable laws). Tenant shall remove any such lien or encumbrance by bond or otherwise within ten (10) business days after notice by Landlord, and if Tenant shall fail to do so, Landlord may pay the amount necessary to remove such lien or encumbrance, without being responsible for investigating the validity thereof.

10. INSURANCE

10.1 Indemnification and Waiver . Subject to the waiver of subrogation provisions set forth in Section 10.5, and except to the extent arising from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Landlord or the “Landlord Parties,” as that term is defined below, or Landlord’s breach of this Lease, Tenant hereby assumes all risk of damage to property or injury to persons in, upon or about the Premises from any cause whatsoever and agrees that Landlord, its partners, subpartners and their respective officers, agents, servants, employees, lenders, any property manager and independent contractors (collectively, “ Landlord Parties ”) shall not be liable for, and are hereby released from any responsibility for, any damage either to person or property or resulting from the loss of use thereof, which damage is sustained by Tenant or by other persons claiming through Tenant. Except to the extent arising from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Landlord or the Landlord Parties or Landlord’s breach of this Lease, Tenant shall indemnify, defend, protect, and hold harmless the Landlord Parties from any and all claims, loss, cost, damage, injury, expense and liability (including without limitation court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with or arising from any cause in, on or about the Premises, any acts, omissions or negligence of Tenant or of any person claiming by, through or under Tenant, or of the contractors, agents, servants, employees, invitees, guests or licensees of Tenant or any such person, in, on or about the Project or any breach of the terms of this Lease, either prior to, during, or after the expiration of the Lease Term. Should Landlord be named as a defendant in any suit brought against Tenant in connection with or arising out of Tenant’s occupancy of the Premises, Tenant shall pay to Landlord its reasonable costs and expenses incurred in such suit, including without limitation, its actual professional fees such as reasonable appraisers’, accountants’ and attorneys’ fees. The provisions of this Section 10.1 shall survive the expiration or sooner termination of this Lease with respect to any claims or liability arising in connection with any event occurring prior to such expiration or termination.

 

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10.2 Tenant’s Compliance With Landlord’s Property Insurance. Landlord shall insure the Building during the Lease Term against loss or damage under a building property and general liability insurance policy. Such coverage shall be in such amounts, from such companies, and on such other terms and conditions, as Landlord may from time to time reasonably determine. Additionally, at the option of Landlord, such insurance coverage may include the risks of earthquakes and/or flood damage and additional hazards, a rental loss endorsement and one or more loss payee endorsements in favor of the holders of any mortgages or deeds of trust encumbering the interest of Landlord in the Building or the ground or underlying lessors of the Building, or any portion thereof. Tenant shall, at Tenant’s expense, comply with all insurance company requirements pertaining to the use of the Premises. If Tenant’s conduct or use of the Premises causes any increase in the premium for such insurance policies then Tenant shall reimburse Landlord for any such increase. Tenant, at Tenant’s expense, shall comply with all rules, orders, regulations or requirements of the American Insurance Association (formerly the National Board of Fire Underwriters) and with any similar body.

10.3 Tenant’s Insurance . Tenant shall maintain the following coverages in the following amounts.

10.3.1 Commercial General Liability Insurance on an occurrence form covering the insured against claims of bodily injury, personal injury and property damage (including loss of use thereof) arising out of Tenant’s operations, and contractual liabilities including a contractual coverage, and including products and completed operations coverage, for limits of liability on a per location basis of not less than:

 

Bodily Injury and

Property Damage Liability

  

$2,000,000 each occurrence

$2,000,000 annual aggregate

 

 

 

 

 

Personal Injury Liability

  

$2,000,000 each occurrence

$2,000,000 annual aggregate

 

10.3.2 Property Insurance covering (i) all office furniture, business and trade fixtures, office equipment, free-standing cabinet work, movable partitions, merchandise and all other items of Tenant’s property on the Premises installed by, for, or at the expense of Tenant, (ii) the “ Tenant Improvements ,” as that term is defined in the Tenant Work Letter, and any other improvements which exist in the Premises as of the Lease Commencement Date (excluding the “Base Building,” as that term is defined below) (the “ Original Improvements ”), and (iii) all other improvements, alterations and additions to the Premises. Such insurance shall be written on an “ all risks ” of physical loss or damage basis, for the full replacement cost value (subject to reasonable deductible amounts) new without deduction for depreciation of the covered items and in amounts that meet any co-insurance clauses of the policies of insurance and shall include coverage for damage or other loss caused by fire or other peril including, but not limited to, vandalism and malicious mischief, theft, water damage of any type, including sprinkler leakage, bursting or stoppage of pipes, and explosion. As used in this Lease, the “ Base Building ” shall include the structural portions of the Building, and the elevators, exit stairwells and the systems and equipment located in the internal core of the Building.

10.3.3 Business Income Interruption for one (1) year plus Extra Expense insurance in such amounts as will reimburse Tenant for actual direct or indirect loss of earnings attributable to the risks outlined in Section 10.3.2 above.

10.3.4 Worker’s Compensation and Employer’s Liability or other similar insurance pursuant to all applicable state and local statutes and regulations. The policy shall include a waiver of subrogation in favor of Landlord, its employees, Lenders and any property manager or partners.

10.4 Form of Policies . The minimum limits of policies of insurance required of Tenant under this Lease shall in no event limit the liability of Tenant under this Lease. Such insurance shall (i) name Landlord, its subsidiaries and affiliates, its property manager (if any) and any other party the Landlord so specifies, as an additional insured, including Landlord’s managing agent (but only with regard to commercial liability and general property insurance), if any; (ii) be issued by an insurance company having a rating of not less than A:IX in Best’s Insurance Guide or which is otherwise acceptable to Landlord and licensed to do business in the State of California; (iv) be primary insurance as to all claims thereunder and provide that any insurance carried by Landlord is excess and is non-contributing with any insurance required of Tenant; (v) be in form and content reasonably acceptable to Landlord; and (vi) provide that said insurance shall not be canceled or coverage changed unless thirty (30) days’ prior written notice shall have been given to Landlord and any mortgagee of Landlord (unless such cancellation is the result of non-payment of premiums). Tenant shall deliver said policy or policies or certificates thereof to Landlord on or before the Lease Commencement Date and at least ten (10) days before the expiration dates thereof. In the event Tenant shall fail to procure such insurance, or to deliver such policies or certificate, Landlord may, at its option, procure such policies for the account of Tenant, and the cost thereof shall be paid to Landlord within five (5) days after delivery to Tenant of bills therefor.

10.5 Subrogation . Landlord and Tenant hereby agree to look solely to, and seek recovery only from, their respective insurance carriers in the event of a property or business interruption loss to the extent that such coverage is agreed to be provided hereunder. The parties each hereby waive all rights and claims against each other for such losses, and waive all rights of subrogation of their

 

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respective insurers, provided such waiver of subrogation shall not affect the right to the insured to recover thereunder. The parties agree that their respective insurance policies do now, or shall, contain the waiver of subrogation.

10.6 Additional Insurance Obligations . Tenant shall carry and maintain during the entire Lease Term, at Tenant’s sole cost and expense, increased amounts of the insurance required to be carried by Tenant pursuant to this Article 10 and such other reasonable types of insurance coverage and in such reasonable amounts covering the Premises and Tenant’s operations therein, as may be reasonably requested by Landlord or Landlord’s lender, but in no event in excess of the amounts and types of insurance then being required by landlords of buildings comparable to and in the vicinity of the Building.

11. DAMAGE AND DESTRUCTION

11.1 Repair of Damage to Premises by Landlord . Tenant shall promptly notify Landlord of any damage to the Premises resulting from fire or any other casualty. If the Premises or any Common Areas serving or providing access to the Premises shall be damaged by fire or other casualty, Landlord shall promptly and diligently, subject to reasonable delays for insurance adjustment or other matters beyond Landlord’s reasonable control, and subject to all other terms of this Article 11 , restore the Base Building and such Common Areas. Such restoration shall be to substantially the same condition of the Base Building and the Common Areas prior to the casualty, except for modifications required by zoning and building codes and other laws or by the holder of a mortgage on the Building or Project or any other modifications to the Common Areas deemed desirable by Landlord, which are consistent with the character of the Project, provided that access to the Premises shall not be materially impaired. Upon the occurrence of any damage to the Premises, upon notice (the “ Landlord Repair Notice ”) to Tenant from Landlord, Tenant shall assign to Landlord (or to any party designated by Landlord) all insurance proceeds payable to Tenant under Tenant’s insurance required under Section 10.3 of this Lease, and Landlord shall repair any injury or damage to the Tenant Improvements and the Original Improvements installed in the Premises and shall return such Tenant Improvements and Original Improvements to their original condition; provided that if the cost of such repair by Landlord exceeds the amount of insurance proceeds received by Landlord from Tenant’s insurance carrier, as assigned by Tenant, the excess cost of such repairs shall be paid by Tenant to Landlord in accordance with a reasonable progress payment schedule, or, in the event Tenant is not the Original Tenant, then prior to Landlord’s commencement of repair of the damage. In the event that Landlord does not deliver the Landlord Repair Notice within sixty (60) days following the date the casualty becomes known to Landlord, Tenant shall, at its sole cost and expense, repair any injury or damage to the Tenant Improvements and the Original Improvements installed in the Premises and shall return such Tenant Improvements and Original Improvements to their original condition. Whether or not Landlord delivers a Landlord Repair Notice, prior to the commencement of construction, Tenant shall submit to Landlord, for Landlord’s review and approval, all plans, specifications and working drawings relating thereto, and Landlord shall select the contractors to perform such improvement work. Landlord shall not be liable for any inconvenience or annoyance to Tenant or its visitors, or injury to Tenant’s business resulting in any way from such damage or the repair thereof; provided however, that if such fire or other casualty shall have damaged the Premises or Common Areas necessary to Tenant’s occupancy, and the Premises are not occupied by Tenant as a result thereof, then during the time and to the extent the Premises are unfit for occupancy, the Rent shall be abated in proportion to the ratio that the amount of rentable square feet of the Premises which is unfit for occupancy for the purposes permitted under this Lease bears to the total rentable square feet of the Premises. In the event that Landlord shall not deliver the Landlord Repair Notice, Tenant’s right to rent abatement pursuant to the preceding sentence shall terminate as of the date which is reasonably determined by Landlord to be the date Tenant should have completed repairs to the Premises assuming Tenant used reasonable due diligence in connection therewith.

11.2 Landlord’s Option to Repair . Notwithstanding the terms of Section 11.1 of this Lease, Landlord may elect not to rebuild and/or restore the Premises, Building and/or Project, and instead terminate this Lease, by notifying Tenant in writing of such termination within forty-five (45) days after the date of discovery of the damage, such notice to include a termination date giving Tenant sixty (60) days to vacate the Premises, but Landlord may so elect only if the Building or Project shall be damaged by fire or other casualty or cause, whether or not the Premises are affected, and one or more of the following conditions is present: (i) in Landlord’s reasonable judgment, repairs cannot reasonably be completed within one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of discovery of the damage (when such repairs are made without the payment of overtime or other premiums); (ii) the holder of any mortgage on the Building or Project or ground lessor with respect to the Building or Project shall require that the insurance proceeds or any portion thereof be used to retire the mortgage debt, or shall terminate the ground lease, as the case may be; (iii) the damage is not fully covered by Landlord’s insurance policies, after the payment by Landlord of any deductible under the applicable insurance policy in an amount equal to Five Hundred Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($500,000.00); (iv) Landlord decides to rebuild the Building or Common Areas so that they will be substantially different structurally or architecturally; (v) the damage occurs during the last twelve (12) months of the Lease Term; or (vi) any owner of any other portion of the Project, other than Landlord, does not intend to repair the damage to such portion of the Project; provided, however, that if Landlord does not elect to terminate this Lease pursuant to Landlord’s termination right as provided above, and the repairs cannot, in the reasonable opinion of Landlord, be completed within one hundred eighty (180) days after being commenced, Tenant may elect, no earlier than sixty (60) days after the date of the damage and not later than ninety (90) days after the date of such damage, to terminate this Lease by written notice to Landlord effective as of the date specified in the notice, which date shall not be less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days after the date such notice is given by Tenant. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 11.2 , Tenant shall have the right to terminate this Lease

 

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under this Section 11.2 only if each of the following conditions is satisfied: (a) the damage to the Project by fire or other casualty was not caused by the gross negligence or intentional act of Tenant or its partners or subpartners and their respective officers, agents, servants, employees, and independent contractors; (b) Tenant is not then in default under this Lease; (c) as a result of the damage, Tenant cannot reasonably conduct business from the Premises; and, (d) as a result of the damage to the Project, Tenant does not occupy or use the Premises at all.

11.3 Waiver of Statutory Provisions . The provisions of this Lease, including this Article 11 , constitute an express agreement between Landlord and Tenant with respect to any and all damage to, or destruction of, all or any part of the Premises, the Building or the Project, and any statute or regulation of the State of California, including, without limitation, Sections 1932(2) and 1933(4) of the California Civil Code, with respect to any rights or obligations concerning damage or destruction in the absence of an express agreement between the parties, and any other statute or regulation, now or hereafter in effect, shall have no application to this Lease or any damage or destruction to all or any part of the Premises, the Building or the Project.

12. NONWAIVER No provision of this Lease shall be deemed waived by either party hereto unless expressly waived in a writing signed thereby. The waiver by either party hereto of any breach of any term, covenant or condition herein contained shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any subsequent breach of same or any other term, covenant or condition herein contained. The subsequent acceptance of Rent hereunder by Landlord shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any preceding breach by Tenant of any term, covenant or condition of this Lease, other than the failure of Tenant to pay the particular Rent so accepted, regardless of Landlord’s knowledge of such preceding breach at the time of acceptance of such Rent. No acceptance of a lesser amount than the Rent herein stipulated shall be deemed a waiver of Landlord’s right to receive the full amount due, nor shall any endorsement or statement on any check or payment or any letter accompanying such check or payment be deemed an accord and satisfaction, and Landlord may accept such check or payment without prejudice to Landlord’s right to recover the full amount due. No receipt of monies by Landlord from Tenant after the termination of this Lease shall in any way alter the length of the Lease Term or of Tenant’s right of possession hereunder, or after the giving of any notice shall reinstate, continue or extend the Lease Term or affect any notice given Tenant prior to the receipt of such monies, it being agreed that after the service of notice or the commencement of a suit, or after final judgment for possession of the Premises, Landlord may receive and collect any Rent due, and the payment of said Rent shall not waive or affect said notice, suit or judgment.

13. CONDEMNATION If the whole or any part of the Premises, Building or Project shall be taken by power of eminent domain or condemned by any competent authority for any public or quasi-public use or purpose, or if any adjacent property or street shall be so taken or condemned, or reconfigured or vacated by such authority in such manner as to require the use, reconstruction or remodeling of any part of the Premises, Building or Project, or if Landlord shall grant a deed or other instrument in lieu of such taking by eminent domain or condemnation, Landlord shall have the option to terminate this Lease effective as of the date possession is required to be surrendered to the authority. Tenant shall not because of such taking assert any claim against Landlord or the authority for any compensation because of such taking and Landlord shall be entitled to the entire award or payment in connection therewith, except that Tenant shall have the right to file any separate claim available to Tenant for any taking of Tenant’s personal property and fixtures belonging to Tenant and removable by Tenant upon expiration of the Lease Term pursuant to the terms of this Lease, and for moving expenses, so long as such claims do not materially diminish the award available to Landlord, its ground lessor with respect to the Building or Project or its mortgagee, and such claim is payable separately to Tenant. All Rent shall be apportioned as of the date of such termination. If any part of the Premises shall be taken, and this Lease shall not be so terminated, the Rent shall be proportionately abated. Tenant hereby waives any and all rights it might otherwise have pursuant to Section 1265.130 of The California Code of Civil Procedure. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Article 13, in the event of a temporary taking of all or any portion of the Premises for a period of one hundred and eighty (180) days or less, then this Lease shall not terminate but the Base Rent and the Additional Rent shall be abated for the period of such taking in proportion to the ratio that the amount of rentable square feet of the Premises taken bears to the total rentable square feet of the Premises. Landlord shall be entitled to receive the entire award made in connection with any such temporary taking.

14. ASSIGNMENT AND SUBLETTING

14.1 Transfers . Tenant shall not, without the prior written consent of Landlord, which will not be unreasonably withheld, assign, mortgage, pledge, hypothecate, encumber, or permit any lien to attach to, or otherwise transfer, this Lease or any interest hereunder, permit any assignment, or other transfer of this Lease or any interest hereunder by operation of law, sublet the Premises or any part thereof, or enter into any license or concession agreements or otherwise permit the occupancy or use of the Premises or any part thereof by any persons other than Tenant and its employees and contractors (all of the foregoing are hereinafter sometimes referred to collectively as “ Transfers ” and any person to whom any Transfer is made or sought to be made is hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “ Transferee ”). If Tenant desires Landlord’s consent to any Transfer, Tenant shall notify Landlord in writing, which notice (the “ Transfer Notice ”) shall include (i) the proposed effective date of the Transfer, which shall not be less than thirty (30) days nor more than one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of delivery of the Transfer Notice, (ii) a description of the portion of the Premises to be transferred (the “ Subject Space ”), (iii) all of the terms of the proposed Transfer and the consideration therefor, including calculation of the “ Transfer Premium ”, as that term is defined in Section 14.3 below, in connection with such

 

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Transfer, the name and address of the proposed Transferee, and a copy of all existing executed and/or proposed documentation pertaining to the proposed Transfer, and (iv) current financial statements of the proposed Transferee certified by an officer, partner or owner thereof, business credit and personal references and history of the proposed Transferee and any other information reasonably required by Landlord which will enable Landlord to determine the financial responsibility, character, and reputation of the proposed Transferee, nature of such Transferee’s business and proposed use of the Subject Space. Any Transfer made without Landlord’s prior written consent shall, at Landlord’s option, be null, void and of no effect, and shall, at Landlord’s option, constitute a default by Tenant under this Lease. Whether or not Landlord consents to any proposed Transfer, Tenant shall pay Landlord’s reasonable review and processing fees, as well as any reasonable professional fees (including, without limitation, attorneys’, accountants’, architects’, engineers’ and consultants’ fees) incurred by Landlord, not to exceed Two Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($2,000.00) for a Transfer in the ordinary course of business, within thirty (30) days after written request by Landlord.

14.2 Landlord’s Consent . Landlord shall not unreasonably withhold, condition or delay its consent to any proposed Transfer of the Subject Space to the Transferee on the terms specified in the Transfer Notice. Without limitation as to other reasonable grounds for withholding consent, the parties hereby agree that it shall be reasonable under this Lease and under any applicable law for Landlord to withhold consent to any proposed Transfer where one or more of the following apply:

14.2.1 The Transferee is of a character or reputation or engaged in a business which is not consistent with the quality of the Building or the Project;

14.2.2 The Transferee is either a governmental agency or instrumentality thereof;

14.2.3(A) If the Transferee is an assignee, the Transferee, (i) if such Transferee is a public company, has a market capitalization less than Tenant’s market capitalization as of the date of this Lease (which the parties hereby agree is $385,000,000.00) (“ Tenant’s Market Capitalization ”), and (ii) if such Transferee is not a public company, has a tangible net worth (not including goodwill as an asset) computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles which is less than the equivalent to Tenant’s Market Capitalization, and (B) if the Transferee is a sublessee, the Transferee is not a party of reasonable financial worth and/or financial stability in light of the responsibilities to be undertaken in connection with the Transfer on the date consent is requested; or

14.2.4 The proposed Transfer would cause a violation of another lease for space in the Project, or would give an occupant of the Project a right to cancel its lease.

If Landlord consents to any Transfer pursuant to the terms of this Section 14.2 (and does not exercise any recapture rights Landlord may have under Section 14.4 of this Lease), Tenant may within six (6) months after Landlord’s consent, but not later than the expiration of said six-month period, enter into such Transfer of the Premises or portion thereof, upon substantially the same terms and conditions as are set forth in the Transfer Notice furnished by Tenant to Landlord pursuant to Section 14.1 of this Lease, provided that if there are any changes in the terms and conditions from those specified in the Transfer Notice such that Landlord would initially have been entitled to refuse its consent to such Transfer under this Section 14.2 , Tenant shall again submit the Transfer to Landlord for its approval and other action under this Article 14 (including Landlord’s right of recapture, if any, under Section 14.4 of this Lease). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Lease, if Tenant or any proposed Transferee claims that Landlord has unreasonably withheld or delayed its consent under Section 14.2 or otherwise has breached or acted unreasonably under this Article 14 , their sole remedies shall be a suit for contract damages (other than damages for injury to, or interference with, Tenant’s business including, without limitation, loss of profits, however occurring) or declaratory judgment and an injunction for the relief sought, and Tenant hereby waives all other remedies, including, without limitation, any right at law or equity to terminate this Lease, on its own behalf and, to the extent permitted under all applicable laws, on behalf of the proposed Transferee.

14.3 Transfer Premium . If Landlord consents to a Transfer, as a condition thereto which the parties hereby agree is reasonable, Tenant shall pay to Landlord fifty percent (50%) of any “ Transfer Premium ,” as that term is defined in this Section 14.3 , received by Tenant from such Transferee. “ Transfer Premium ” shall mean all rent, additional rent or other consideration payable by such Transferee in connection with the Transfer in excess of the Rent and Additional Rent payable by Tenant under this Lease during the term of the Transfer on a per rentable square foot basis if less than all of the Premises is transferred, and after deduction of (i) any costs of improvements made to the Subject Space in connection with such Transfer, (ii) brokerage commissions and reasonable marketing costs paid in connection with such Transfer, (iii) rent abatement granted to the Transferee, and (iii) reasonable legal fees incurred in connection with such Transfer. “ Transfer Premium ” shall also include, but not be limited to, key money, bonus money or other cash consideration paid by Transferee to Tenant in connection with such Transfer, and any payment in excess of fair market value for fixtures, equipment, or furniture transferred by Tenant to Transferee in connection with such Transfer; provided that any payments for services rendered by Tenant to Transferee or for assets or inventory shall not be used as a subterfuge by Tenant to avoid paying a Transfer Premium hereunder. The determination of the amount of Landlord’s applicable share of the Transfer Premium shall be made on a monthly basis as rent or other consideration is received by Tenant under the Transfer.

 

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14.4 Landlord’s Option as to Subject Space . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Article 14 , in the event Tenant contemplates a Transfer which, together with all prior Transfers then remaining in effect, would cause fifty percent (50%) or more of the Premises to be Transferred for more than twenty five percent (25%) of the then remaining Lease Term (taking into account any extension of the Lease Term which has irrevocably exercised by Tenant), Tenant shall give Landlord notice (the “ Intention to Transfer Notice ”) of such contemplated Transfer (whether or not the contemplated Transferee or the terms of such contemplated Transfer have been determined). The Intention to Transfer Notice shall specify the portion of and amount of rentable square feet of the Premises which Tenant intends to Transfer (the “ Contemplated Transfer Space ”), the contemplated date of commencement of the Contemplated Transfer (the “ Contemplated Effective Date ”), and the contemplated length of the term of such contemplated Transfer, and shall specify that such Intention to Transfer Notice is delivered to Landlord pursuant to this Section 14.4 in order to allow Landlord to elect to recapture the Contemplated Transfer Space. Thereafter, Landlord shall have the option, by giving written notice to Tenant within thirty (30) days after receipt of any Intention to Transfer Notice, to recapture the Contemplated Transfer Space. Such recapture shall cancel and terminate this Lease with respect to such Contemplated Transfer Space as of the Contemplated Effective Date. In the event of a recapture by Landlord, if this Lease shall be canceled with respect to less than the entire Premises, the Rent reserved herein shall be prorated on the basis of the number of rentable square feet retained by Tenant in proportion to the number of rentable square feet contained in the Premises, and this Lease as so amended shall continue thereafter in full force and effect, and upon request of either party, the parties shall execute written confirmation of the same. If Landlord declines, or fails to elect in a timely manner, to recapture such Contemplated Transfer Space under this Section 14.4 , then, subject to the other terms of this Article 14 , for a period of nine (9) months (the “ Nine Month Period ”) commencing on the last day of such thirty (30) day period, Landlord shall not have any right to recapture the Contemplated Transfer Space with respect to any Transfer made during the Nine Month Period, provided that any such Transfer is substantially on the terms set forth in the Intention to Transfer Notice, and provided further that any such Transfer shall be subject to the remaining terms of this Article 14 . If such a Transfer is not so consummated within the Nine Month Period (or if a Transfer is so consummated, then upon the expiration of the term of any Transfer of such Contemplated Transfer Space consummated within such Nine Month Period), Tenant shall again be required to submit a new Intention to Transfer Notice to Landlord with respect any contemplated Transfer, as provided above in this Section 14.4 .

14.5 Effect of Transfer . If Landlord consents to a Transfer, (i) the terms and conditions of this Lease shall in no way be deemed to have been waived or modified, (ii) such consent shall not be deemed consent to any further Transfer by either Tenant or a Transferee, (iii) Tenant shall deliver to Landlord, promptly after execution, an original executed copy of all documentation pertaining to the Transfer in form reasonably acceptable to Landlord, (iv) Tenant shall furnish upon Landlord’s request a complete statement, certified by an independent certified public accountant, or Tenant’s chief financial officer, setting forth in detail the computation of any Transfer Premium Tenant has derived and shall derive from such Transfer, and (v) no Transfer relating to this Lease or agreement entered into with respect thereto, whether with or without Landlord’s consent, shall relieve Tenant or any guarantor of the Lease from any liability under this Lease, including, without limitation, in connection with the Subject Space. Landlord or its authorized representatives shall have the right at all reasonable times to audit the books, records and papers of Tenant relating to any Transfer, and shall have the right to make copies thereof. If the Transfer Premium respecting any Transfer shall be found understated, Tenant shall, within thirty (30) days after demand, pay the deficiency, and if understated by more than five percent (5%), Tenant shall pay Landlord’s costs of such audit.

14.6 Additional Transfers . For purposes of this Lease, the term “ Transfer ” shall also include (i) if Tenant is a partnership, the withdrawal or change, voluntary, involuntary or by operation of law, of fifty percent (50%) or more of the partners, or transfer of fifty percent (50%) or more of partnership interests, within a twelve (12)-month period, or the dissolution of the partnership without immediate reconstitution thereof, and (ii) if Tenant is a closely held corporation ( i.e. , whose stock is not publicly held and not traded through an exchange or over the counter), (A) the dissolution, merger, consolidation or other reorganization of Tenant or (B) the sale or other transfer of an aggregate of fifty percent (50%) or more of the voting shares of Tenant (other than to immediate family members by reason of gift or death), within a twelve (12)-month period, or (C) the sale, mortgage, hypothecation or pledge of an aggregate of fifty percent (50%) or more of the value of the unencumbered assets of Tenant within a twelve (12)-month period.

14.7 Occurrence of Default . Any Transfer hereunder shall be subordinate and subject to the provisions of this Lease, and if this Lease shall be terminated during the term of any Transfer, Landlord shall have the right to: (i) treat such Transfer as cancelled and repossess the Subject Space by any lawful means, or (ii) require that such Transferee attorn to and recognize Landlord as its landlord under any such Transfer. If Tenant shall be in default under this Lease, Landlord is hereby irrevocably authorized, as Tenant’s agent and attorney-in-fact, to direct any Transferee to make all payments under or in connection with the Transfer directly to Landlord (which Landlord shall apply towards Tenant’s obligations under this Lease) until such default is cured. Such Transferee shall rely on any representation by Landlord that Tenant is in default hereunder, without any need for confirmation thereof by Tenant. Upon any assignment, the assignee shall assume in writing all obligations and covenants of Tenant thereafter to be performed or observed under this Lease. No collection or acceptance of rent by Landlord from any Transferee shall be deemed a waiver of any provision of this Article 14 or the approval of any Transferee or a release of Tenant from any obligation under this Lease, whether theretofore or thereafter accruing. In no event shall Landlord’s enforcement of any provision of this Lease against any Transferee be deemed a waiver of Landlord’s right to enforce any term of this Lease against Tenant or any other person. If Tenant’s obligations hereunder have been guaranteed, Landlord’s consent to any Transfer shall not be effective unless the guarantor also consents to such Transfer.

 

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14.8 Non-Transfers . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Article 14 , an assignment or subletting of all or a portion of the Premises to an affiliate of Tenant (an entity which is controlled by, controls, or is under common control with, Tenant), shall not be deemed a Transfer under this Article 14 , provided that Tenant notifies Landlord of any such assignment or sublease and promptly supplies Landlord with any documents or information requested by Landlord regarding such assignment or sublease or such affiliate, and further provided that such assignment or sublease is not a subterfuge by Tenant to avoid its obligations under this Lease. “ Control ,” as used in this Section 14.8 , shall mean the ownership, directly or indirectly, of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the voting securities of, or possession of the right to vote, in the ordinary direction of its affairs, of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the voting interest in, any person or entity. No such permitted assignment or subletting shall serve to release Tenant from any of its obligations under this Lease.

15. SURRENDER OF PREMISES; OWNERSHIP AND REMOVAL OF TRADE FIXTURES

15.1 Surrender of Premises . No act or thing done by Landlord or any agent or employee of Landlord during the Lease Term shall be deemed to constitute an acceptance by Landlord of a surrender of the Premises unless such intent is specifically acknowledged in writing by Landlord. The delivery of keys to the Premises to Landlord or any agent or employee of Landlord shall not constitute a surrender of the Premises or effect a termination of this Lease, whether or not the keys are thereafter retained by Landlord, and notwithstanding such delivery Tenant shall be entitled to the return of such keys at any reasonable time upon request until this Lease shall have been properly terminated. The voluntary or other surrender of this Lease by Tenant, whether accepted by Landlord or not, or a mutual termination hereof, shall not work a merger, and at the option of Landlord shall operate as an assignment to Landlord of all subleases or subtenancies affecting the Premises or terminate any or all such sublessees or subtenancies.

15.2 Removal of Tenant Property by Tenant . Upon the expiration of the Lease Term, or upon any earlier termination of this Lease, Tenant shall, subject to the provisions of this Article 15 , quit and surrender possession of the Premises to Landlord in as good order and condition as when Tenant took possession and as thereafter improved by Landlord and/or Tenant, reasonable wear and tear and repairs which are specifically made the responsibility of Landlord hereunder excepted. Upon such expiration or termination, Tenant shall, without expense to Landlord, remove or cause to be removed from the Premises all debris and rubbish, and such items of furniture, equipment, free-standing cabinet work, movable partitions and other articles of personal property owned by Tenant or installed or placed by Tenant at its expense in the Premises, and such similar articles of any other persons claiming under Tenant, as Landlord may, in its sole discretion, require to be removed, and Tenant shall repair at its own expense all damage to the Premises and Building resulting from such removal.

15.3 Environmental Assessment . In connection with its surrender of the Premises, Tenant shall submit to Landlord, at least one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the expiration date of this Lease (or in the event of an earlier termination of this Lease, as soon as reasonably possible following such termination), an environmental Assessment of the Premises by a competent and experienced environmental engineer or engineering firm reasonably satisfactory to Landlord (pursuant to a contract approved by Landlord and providing that Landlord can rely on the Environmental Assessment), which (i) evidences that the Premises are in a clean and safe condition and free and clear of any Hazardous Materials; and (ii) includes a review of the Premises by an environmental consultant for asbestos, mold, fungus, spores, and other moisture conditions, on-site chemical use, and lead-based paint. If such Environmental Assessment reveals that remediation or Clean-up is required under any Environmental Laws, Tenant shall submit a remediation plan prepared by a recognized environmental consultant and shall be responsible for all costs of remediation and Clean-up, as more particularly provided in Section 5.3 , above.

15.4 Condition of the Building and Premises Upon Surrender . In addition to the above requirements of this Article 15 , upon the expiration of the Lease Term, or upon any earlier termination of this Lease, Tenant shall, surrender the Premises and Building such that the same are in compliance with all Applicable Laws and with Tenant having complied with all of Tenant’s obligations under this Lease, including those relating to improvement, repair, maintenance, compliance with law, testing and other related obligations of Tenant set forth in Article 7 of this Lease. In the event that the Building and Premises shall be surrendered in a condition which does not comply with the terms of this Section 15.4 , because Tenant failed to comply with its obligations set forth in Lease, then following thirty (30) days notice to Tenant, during which thirty (30) day period Tenant shall have the right to cure such noncompliance, Landlord shall be entitled to expend all reasonable costs in order to cause the same to comply with the required condition upon surrender and Tenant shall immediately reimburse Landlord for all such costs upon notice and Tenant shall be deemed during the period that Tenant or Landlord, as the case may be, perform obligations relating to the Surrender Improvements to be in holdover under Article 16 of this Lease.

16. HOLDING OVER If Tenant holds over after the expiration of the Lease Term or earlier termination thereof, with the express or implied consent of Landlord, such tenancy shall be from month-to-month only, and shall not constitute a renewal hereof or an extension for any further term. If Tenant holds over after the expiration of the Lease Term of earlier termination thereof, without the express or implied consent of Landlord, such tenancy shall be deemed to be a tenancy by sufferance only, and shall not constitute a renewal hereof or an extension for any further term. In either case, Rent shall be payable at a monthly rate equal to one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the Rent applicable during the last rental period of the Lease Term under this Lease. Such month-to-month tenancy

 

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or tenancy by sufferance, as the case may be, shall be subject to every other applicable term, covenant and agreement contained herein. Nothing contained in this Article 16 shall be construed as consent by Landlord to any holding over by Tenant, and Landlord expressly reserves the right to require Tenant to surrender possession of the Premises to Landlord as provided in this Lease upon the expiration or other termination of this Lease. The provisions of this Article 16 shall not be deemed to limit or constitute a waiver of any other rights or remedies of Landlord provided herein or at law. If Tenant fails to surrender the Premises upon the termination or expiration of this Lease, in addition to any other liabilities to Landlord accruing therefrom, Tenant shall protect, defend, indemnify and hold Landlord harmless from all loss, costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) and liability resulting from such failure, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any claims made by any succeeding tenant founded upon such failure to surrender and any lost profits to Landlord resulting therefrom.

17. ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATES Within ten (10) business days following a request in writing by Landlord (“ Initial Estoppel Request Period ”), Tenant shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to Landlord an estoppel certificate, which, as submitted by Landlord, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit D , attached hereto (or such other form as may be required by any prospective mortgagee or purchaser of the Project, or any portion thereof), indicating therein any exceptions thereto that may exist at that time, and shall also contain any other information reasonably requested by Landlord or Landlord’s mortgagee or prospective mortgagee. Any such certificate may be relied upon by any prospective mortgagee or purchaser of all or any portion of the Project. Tenant shall execute and deliver whatever other instruments may be reasonably required for such purposes. At any time during the Lease Term, Landlord may require Tenant to provide Landlord with a current financial statement and financial statements of the two (2) years prior to the current financial statement year. Such statements shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and, if such is the normal practice of Tenant, shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant. If Tenant fails to deliver such estoppel certificate prior to the expiration of the Initial Estoppel Request Period, then Landlord shall provide written notice of the same to Tenant pursuant to Section 19.1.4 or Section 19.1.2 , as applicable, below, and Tenant shall thereafter deliver such certificate to Landlord within the time period for cure set forth in such applicable Section. Failure of Tenant to timely execute, acknowledge and deliver such estoppel certificate or other instruments shall constitute an acceptance of the Premises and an acknowledgment by Tenant that statements included in the estoppel certificate are true and correct, without exception.

18. SUBORDINATION This Lease shall be subject and subordinate to all present and future ground or underlying leases of the Building or Project and to the lien of any mortgage, trust deed or other encumbrances now or hereafter in force against the Building or Project or any part thereof, if any, and to all renewals, extensions, modifications, consolidations and replacements thereof, and to all advances made or hereafter to be made upon the security of such mortgages or trust deeds, unless the holders of such mortgages, trust deeds or other encumbrances, or the lessors under such ground lease or underlying leases, require in writing that this Lease be superior thereto. Tenant covenants and agrees in the event any proceedings are brought for the foreclosure of any such mortgage or deed in lieu thereof (or if any ground lease is terminated), to attorn, without any deductions or set-offs whatsoever, to the lienholder or purchaser or any successors thereto upon any such foreclosure sale or deed in lieu thereof (or to the ground lessor), if so requested to do so by such purchaser or lienholder or ground lessor, and to recognize such purchaser or lienholder or ground lessor as the lessor under this Lease, provided such lienholder or purchaser or ground lessor shall agree to accept this Lease and not disturb Tenant’s occupancy, so long as Tenant timely pays the rent and observes and performs the terms, covenants and conditions of this Lease to be observed and performed by Tenant. Landlord’s interest herein may be assigned as security at any time to any lienholder. Tenant shall, within ten (10) days of request by Landlord, execute such further commercially reasonable instruments or assurances as Landlord may reasonably deem necessary to evidence or confirm the subordination or superiority of this Lease to any such mortgages, trust deeds, ground leases or underlying leases. An example of a commercially reasonable subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit I . Tenant waives the provisions of any current or future statute, rule or law which may give or purport to give Tenant any right or election to terminate or otherwise adversely affect this Lease and the obligations of the Tenant hereunder in the event of any foreclosure proceeding or sale.

19. DEFAULTS; REMEDIES

19.1 Events of Default . The occurrence of any of the following shall constitute a default of this Lease by Tenant:

19.1.1 Any failure by Tenant to pay any Rent or any other charge required to be paid under this Lease, or any part thereof, when due unless such failure is cured within five (5) business days after written notice of such failure; or

19.1.2 Except where a specific time period is otherwise set forth for Tenant’s performance in this Lease, in which event the failure to perform by Tenant within such time period shall be a default by Tenant under this Section 19.1.2 , any failure by Tenant to observe or perform any other provision, covenant or condition of this Lease to be observed or performed by Tenant where such failure continues for thirty (30) days after written notice thereof from Landlord to Tenant; provided that if the nature of such default is such that the same cannot reasonably be cured within a thirty (30) day period, Tenant shall not be deemed to be in default if it diligently commences such cure within such period and thereafter diligently proceeds to rectify and cure such default; or

19.1.3 Abandonment or vacation of all or a substantial portion of the Premises by Tenant; or

 

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19.1.4 The failure by Tenant to observe or perform according to the provisions of Articles 5 , 14 , 17 or 18 of this Lease where such failure continues for more than five (5) business days after notice from Landlord (which, as it applies to Article 17 , only if Landlord is required to provide the estoppel certificate in order to consummate any sale, financing or third party transaction, and otherwise Section 19.1.2 shall apply); or

19.1.5 Tenant’s failure to occupy the Premises within ten (10) business days after the Lease Commencement Date.

The notice periods provided herein are in lieu of, and not in addition to, any notice periods provided by law.

19.2 Remedies Upon Default . Upon the occurrence of any event of default by Tenant, Landlord shall have, in addition to any other remedies available to Landlord at law or in equity (all of which remedies shall be distinct, separate and cumulative), the option to pursue any one or more of the following remedies, each and all of which shall be cumulative and nonexclusive, without any notice or demand whatsoever.

19.2.1 Terminate this Lease, in which event Tenant shall immediately surrender the Premises to Landlord, and if Tenant fails to do so, Landlord may, without prejudice to any other remedy which it may have for possession or arrearages in rent, enter upon and take possession of the Premises and expel or remove Tenant and any other person who may be occupying the Premises or any part thereof, without being liable for prosecution or any claim or damages therefor; and Landlord may recover from Tenant the following:

(i) The worth at the time of award of the unpaid rent which has been earned at the time of such termination; plus

(ii) The worth at the time of award of the amount by which the unpaid rent which would have been earned after termination until the time of award exceeds the amount of such rental loss that Tenant proves could have been reasonably avoided; plus

(iii) The worth at the time of award of the amount by which the unpaid rent for the balance of the Lease Term after the time of award exceeds the amount of such rental loss that Tenant proves could have been reasonably avoided; plus

(iv) Any other amount necessary to compensate Landlord for all the detriment proximately caused by Tenant’s failure to perform its obligations under this Lease or which in the ordinary course of things would be likely to result therefrom, specifically including but not limited to, brokerage commissions and advertising expenses incurred, expenses of remodeling the Premises or any portion thereof for a new tenant, whether for the same or a different use, and any special concessions reasonably made to obtain a new tenant; and

(v) At Landlord’s election, such other amounts in addition to or in lieu of the foregoing as may be permitted from time to time by applicable law.

The term “ rent ” as used in this Section 19.2 shall be deemed to be and to mean all sums of every nature required to be paid by Tenant pursuant to the terms of this Lease, whether to Landlord or to others. As used in Sections 19.2.1(i) and (ii) , above, the “worth at the time of award” shall be computed by allowing interest at the rate set forth in Article 25 of this Lease, but in no case greater than the maximum amount of such interest permitted by law. As used in Section 19.2.1(iii) above, the “ worth at the time of award ” shall be computed by discounting such amount at the discount rate of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco at the time of award plus one percent (1%).

19.2.2 Landlord shall have the remedy described in California Civil Code Section 1951.4 (lessor may continue lease in effect after lessee’s breach and abandonment and recover rent as it becomes due, if lessee has the right to sublet or assign, subject only to reasonable limitations). Accordingly, if Landlord does not elect to terminate this Lease on account of any default by Tenant, Landlord may, from time to time, without terminating this Lease, enforce all of its rights and remedies under this Lease, including the right to recover all rent as it becomes due.

19.2.3 Landlord shall at all times have the rights and remedies (which shall be cumulative with each other and cumulative and in addition to those rights and remedies available under Sections 19.2.1 and 19.2.2 , above, or any law or other provision of this Lease), without prior demand or notice except as required by applicable law, to seek any declaratory, injunctive or other equitable relief, and specifically enforce this Lease, or restrain or enjoin a violation or breach of any provision hereof.

19.3 Subleases of Tenant . Whether or not Landlord elects to terminate this Lease on account of any default by Tenant, as set forth in this Article 19 , Landlord shall have the right to terminate any and all subleases, licenses, concessions or other consensual arrangements for possession entered into by Tenant and affecting the Premises or may, in Landlord’s sole discretion, succeed to Tenant’s interest in such subleases, licenses, concessions or arrangements. In the event of Landlord’s election to succeed to Tenant’s

 

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interest in any such subleases, licenses, concessions or arrangements, Tenant shall, as of the date of notice by Landlord of such election, have no further right to or interest in the rent or other consideration receivable thereunder.

19.4 Efforts to Relet. No re-entry or repossession, repairs, maintenance, changes, alterations and additions, reletting, appointment of a receiver to protect Landlord’s interests hereunder, or any other action or omission by Landlord shall be construed as an election by Landlord to terminate this Lease or Tenant’s right to possession, or to accept a surrender of the Premises, nor shall same operate to release Tenant in whole or in part from any of Tenant’s obligations hereunder, unless express written notice of such intention is sent by Landlord to Tenant. Tenant hereby irrevocably waives any right otherwise available under any law to redeem or reinstate this Lease.

19.5 Landlord Default .

19.5.1 General . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Lease, Landlord shall not be in default in the performance of any obligation required to be performed by Landlord pursuant to this Lease unless Landlord fails to perform such obligation within thirty (30) days after the receipt of notice from Tenant specifying in detail Landlord’s failure to perform; provided, however, if the nature of Landlord’s obligation is such that more than thirty (30) days are required for its performance, then Landlord shall not be in default under this Lease if it shall commence such performance within such thirty (30) day period and thereafter diligently pursue the same to completion. Upon any such default by Landlord under this Lease, Tenant may, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Lease to the contrary, exercise any of its rights provided at law or in equity.

19.5.2 Abatement of Rent . In the event that Tenant is prevented from using, and does not use, the Premises or any portion thereof, as a result of (i) any repair, maintenance or alteration performed by Landlord, or which Landlord failed to perform, after the Lease Commencement Date and required by this Lease, which substantially interferes with Tenant’s use of the Premises, or (ii) any failure to provide services, utilities or access to the Premises as required by this Lease, each as a direct result of Landlord’s negligence or willful misconduct (and except to the extent such failure is caused in whole or in part by the action or inaction of Tenant) (either such set of circumstances as set forth in items (i) or (ii), above, to be known as an “ Abatement Event ”), then Tenant shall give Landlord notice of such Abatement Event, and if such Abatement Event continues for ten (10) consecutive business days after Landlord’s receipt of any such notice (the “ Eligibility Period ”) and Landlord does not diligently commence and pursue to completion the remedy of such Abatement Event, then the Base Rent, Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses, and Tenant’s obligation, if any, to pay for parking (to the extent not utilized by Tenant) shall be abated or reduced, as the case may be, after expiration of the Eligibility Period for such time that Tenant continues to be so prevented from using, and does not use for the normal conduct of Tenant’s business, the Premises or a portion thereof, in the proportion that the rentable area of the portion of the Premises that Tenant is prevented from using, and does not use, bears to the total rentable area of the Premises; provided, however, in the event that Tenant is prevented from using, and does not use, a portion of the Premises for a period of time in excess of the Eligibility Period and the remaining portion of the Premises is not sufficient to allow Tenant to effectively conduct its business therein, and if Tenant does not effectively conduct its business from such remaining portion, then for such time after expiration of the Eligibility Period during which Tenant is so prevented from effectively conducting its business therein, the Base Rent and Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses for the entire Premises and Tenant’s obligation to pay for parking shall be abated for such time as Tenant continues to be so prevented from using, and does not use, the Premises. If, however, Tenant reoccupies any portion of the Premises during such period, the Rent allocable to such reoccupied portion, based on the proportion that the rentable area of such reoccupied portion of the Premises bears to the total rentable area of the Premises, shall be payable by Tenant from the date Tenant reoccupies such portion of the Premises. To the extent an Abatement Event is caused by an event covered by Articles 5, 11 or 13 of this Lease, then Tenant’s right to abate rent shall be governed by the terms of such Article 5, 11 or 13, as applicable, and the Eligibility Period shall not be applicable thereto. Such right to abate Base Rent and Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses shall be Tenant’s sole and exclusive remedy for rent abatement at law or in equity for an Abatement Event. Except as provided in this Section 19.5.2 , nothing contained herein shall be interpreted to mean that Tenant is excused from paying Rent due hereunder.

20. COVENANT OF QUIET ENJOYMENT Landlord covenants that Tenant, on paying the Rent, charges for services and other payments herein reserved and on keeping, observing and performing all the other terms, covenants, conditions, provisions and agreements herein contained on the part of Tenant to be kept, observed and performed, shall, during the Lease Term, peaceably and quietly have, hold and enjoy the Premises subject to the terms, covenants, conditions, provisions and agreements hereof without interference by any persons lawfully claiming by or through Landlord. The foregoing covenant is in lieu of any other covenant express or implied.

21. SECURITY DEPOSIT Concurrently with Tenant’s execution of this Lease, Tenant shall deposit with Landlord a security deposit (the “ Security Deposit ”) in the amount set forth in Section 8 of the Summary, as security for the faithful performance by Tenant of all of its obligations under this Lease. If Tenant defaults with respect to any provisions of this Lease, including, but not limited to, the provisions relating to the payment of Rent, the removal of property and the repair of resultant damage in accordance with this Lease, Landlord may, without notice to Tenant, but shall not be required to apply all or any part of the Security Deposit for the payment of any Rent or any other sum in default and Tenant shall, upon demand therefor, restore the Security Deposit to its original amount. Any

 

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unapplied portion of the Security Deposit shall be returned to Tenant, or, at Landlord’s option, to the last assignee of Tenant’s interest hereunder, within sixty (60) days following the expiration of the Lease Term. Tenant shall not be entitled to any interest on the Security Deposit. Tenant hereby irrevocably waives and relinquishes any and all rights, benefits, or protections, if any, Tenant now has, or in the future may have, under Section 1950.7 of the California Civil Code, any successor statute, and all other provisions of law, now or hereafter in effect (except for Section 1950.7(b) of the California Civil Code, which provision Tenant does not waive), including, but not limited to, any provision of law which (i) establishes the time frame by which a landlord must refund a security deposit under a lease, and/or (ii) provides that a landlord may claim from a security deposit only those sums reasonably necessary to remedy defaults in the payment of rent, to repair damage caused by a tenant or to clean the subject premises. Tenant acknowledges and agrees that (a) any statutory time frames for the return of a security deposit are superseded by the express period identified in this Article 21 , above, and (b) rather than be so limited, Landlord may claim from the Security Deposit (1) any and all sums expressly identified in this Article 21 , above, and (2) any additional sums reasonably necessary to compensate Landlord for any and all losses or damages caused by Tenant’s default of this Lease, including, but not limited to, all damages or rent due upon termination of Lease pursuant to Section 1951.2 of the California Civil Code.

22. COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTER LINE Tenant may install, maintain, replace, remove or use any communications or computer wires and cables serving the Premises (collectively, the “ Lines ”), provided that Tenant shall obtain Landlord’s prior written consent, use an experienced and qualified contractor approved in writing by Landlord, and comply with all of the other provisions of Articles 7 and 8 of this Lease. Tenant shall pay all costs in connection therewith. Landlord reserves the right, upon notice to Tenant prior to the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease, to require that Tenant, at Tenant’s sole cost and expense, remove any Lines located in or serving the Premises prior to the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease.

23. SIGNS

23.1 Exterior Signage . Subject to Landlord’s prior written approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, and provided all signs are in keeping with the quality, design and style of the Building and Project, Tenant, at its sole cost and expense, may install identification signage on the exterior and in the interior of the Building (including interior directional, lobby and/or directory signage) (collectively, “ Tenant Signage ”); provided, however, in no event shall Tenant’s Signage include an “Objectionable Name,” as that term is defined in Section 23.3 , of this Lease. All such signage shall be subject to Tenant’s obtaining all required governmental approvals. All permitted signs shall be maintained by Tenant at its expense in a first-class and safe condition and appearance. Upon the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease, Tenant shall remove all of its signs at Tenant’s sole cost and expense. The graphics, materials, color, design, lettering, lighting, size, illumination, specifications and exact location of Tenant’s Signage (collectively, the “ Sign Specifications ”) shall be subject to the prior written approval of Landlord, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, and shall be consistent and compatible with the quality and nature of the Project. Tenant hereby acknowledges that, notwithstanding Landlord’s approval of Tenant’s Signage, Landlord has made no representation or warranty to Tenant with respect to the probability of obtaining all necessary governmental approvals and permits for Tenant’s Signage. In the event Tenant does not receive the necessary governmental approvals and permits for Tenant’s Signage, Tenant’s and Landlord’s rights and obligations under the remaining terms and conditions of this Lease shall be unaffected.

23.2 Objectionable Name . Tenant’s Signage shall not include a name or logo which relates to an entity which is of a character or reputation, or is associated with a political faction or orientation, which is inconsistent with the quality of the Project, or which would otherwise reasonably offend a landlord of the Comparable Buildings (an “ Objectionable Name ”). The parties hereby agree that the following name, or any reasonable derivation thereof, shall be deemed not to constitute an Objectionable Name: “Sorrento Therapeutics.”

23.3 Prohibited Signage and Other Items . Any signs, notices, logos, pictures, names or advertisements which are installed and that have not been separately approved by Landlord may be removed without notice by Landlord at the sole expense of Tenant. Any signs, window coverings, or blinds (even if the same are located behind the Landlord-approved window coverings for the Building), or other items visible from the exterior of the Premises or Building, shall be subject to the prior approval of Landlord, in its sole discretion.

23.4 Termination of Right to Tenant’s Signage . The rights contained in this Article 23 shall be personal to Original Tenant and its Permitted Assignee, and may only be exercised and maintained by such parties (and not any other assignee, sublessee or other transferee of the Original Tenant’s interest in this Lease) to the extent ( x ) they are not in default under this Lease (beyond any applicable notice and cure period) and (y) if they occupy the entire Premises.

24. COMPLIANCE WITH LAW Tenant shall not do anything or suffer anything to be done in or about the Premises or the Project which will in any way conflict with any law, statute, ordinance or other governmental rule, regulation or requirement now in force or which may hereafter be enacted or promulgated (collectively, “ Applicable Laws ”). At its sole cost and expense, Tenant shall promptly comply with any Applicable Laws which relate to (i) Tenant’s use of the Premises, (ii) any Alterations made by Tenant to the Premises, and, after their construction, any Tenant Improvements in the Premises, or (iii) the Base Building, but as to the Base

 

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Building, only to the extent such obligations are triggered by Alterations made by Tenant to the Premises to the extent such Alterations are not normal and customary improvements for the Permitted Use, or triggered by the Tenant Improvements to the extent such Tenant Improvements are not normal and customary improvements for the Permitted Use, or triggered by Tenant’s use of the Premises for non Permitted Use. Should any standard or regulation now or hereafter be imposed on Landlord or Tenant by a state, federal or local governmental body charged with the establishment, regulation and enforcement of occupational, health or safety standards for employers, employees, landlords or tenants, then Tenant agrees, at its sole cost and expense, to comply promptly with such standards or regulations. Tenant shall be responsible, at its sole cost and expense, to make all alterations to the Building and Premises as are required to comply with the governmental rules, regulations, requirements or standards described in this Article 24 . The judgment of any court of competent jurisdiction or the admission of Tenant in any judicial action, regardless of whether Landlord is a party thereto, that Tenant has violated any of said governmental measures, shall be conclusive of that fact as between Landlord and Tenant. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article 24 , Landlord covenants to comply with the “Landlord Initial Compliance Obligations,” as that term is defined in Section 1 of the Tenant Work Letter, as of the Lease Commencement Date, and Landlord shall be responsible to promptly cure, at its sole cost, any noncompliance of the Premises as of the Lease Commencement Date with such foregoing covenant.

25. LATE CHARGES If any installment of Rent or any other sum due from Tenant shall not be received by Landlord or Landlord’s designee within five (5) business days after Tenant’s receipt of written notice from Landlord that said amount is due, then Tenant shall pay to Landlord a late charge equal to five percent (5%) of the overdue amount plus any reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred by Landlord by reason of Tenant’s failure to pay Rent and/or other charges when due hereunder. The late charge shall be deemed Additional Rent and the right to require it shall be in addition to all of Landlord’s other rights and remedies hereunder or at law and shall not be construed as liquidated damages or as limiting Landlord’s remedies in any manner. In addition to the late charge described above, any Rent or other amounts owing hereunder which are not paid within ten (10) days after the date they are due shall bear interest from the date when due until paid at a rate per annum equal to the lesser of (i) the annual “Bank Prime Loan” rate cited in the Federal Reserve Statistical Release Publication G.13(415), published on the first Tuesday of each calendar month (or such other comparable index as Landlord and Tenant shall reasonably agree upon if such rate ceases to be published) plus four (4) percentage points, and (ii) the highest rate permitted by applicable law (the “ Default Rate ”).

26. LANDLORD’S RIGHT TO CURE DEFAULT; PAYMENTS BY TENANT

26.1 Landlord’s Cure . All covenants and agreements to be kept or performed by Tenant under this Lease shall be performed by Tenant at Tenant’s sole cost and expense and without any reduction of Rent, except to the extent, if any, otherwise expressly provided herein. If Tenant shall fail to perform any obligation under this Lease, and such failure shall continue in excess of the time allowed under Section 19.1.2 , above, unless a specific time period is otherwise stated in this Lease, Landlord may, but shall not be obligated to, make any such payment or perform any such act on Tenant’s part without waiving its rights based upon any default of Tenant and without releasing Tenant from any obligations hereunder.

26.2 Tenant’s Reimbursement . Except as may be specifically provided to the contrary in this Lease, Tenant shall pay to Landlord, upon delivery by Landlord to Tenant of statements therefor: (i) sums equal to expenditures reasonably made and obligations incurred by Landlord in connection with the remedying by Landlord of Tenant’s defaults pursuant to the provisions of Section 26.1 ; (ii) sums equal to all losses, costs, liabilities, damages and expenses referred to in Article 10 of this Lease; and (iii) sums equal to all expenditures made and obligations incurred by Landlord in collecting or attempting to collect the Rent or in enforcing or attempting to enforce any rights of Landlord under this Lease or pursuant to law, including, without limitation, all reasonable legal fees and other amounts so expended. Tenant’s obligations under this Section 26.2 shall survive the expiration or sooner termination of the Lease Term.

27. ENTRY BY LANDLORD Landlord reserves the right at all reasonable times and upon reasonable notice to Tenant (which shall not be less than twenty-four (24) hours except in the case of an emergency) to enter the Premises to (i) inspect them; (ii) show the Premises to prospective purchasers, or to current or prospective mortgagees, ground or underlying lessors or insurers or, during the last twelve (12) months of the Lease Term, to prospective tenants; (iii) post notices of nonresponsibility (to the extent applicable pursuant to then applicable law); or (iv) alter, improve or repair the Premises or the Building, or for structural alterations, repairs or improvements to the Building or the Building’s systems and equipment. Landlord may make any such entries without the abatement of Rent, except as otherwise provided in Section 19.5.2 of this Lease, and may take such reasonable steps as required to accomplish the stated purposes. Landlord shall use commercially reasonable efforts to minimize interference with the conduct of Tenant’s business in connection with such entries into the Premises. In an emergency, Landlord shall have the right to use any means that Landlord may deem proper to open the doors in and to the Premises. To the extent reasonably necessary, Landlord may temporarily close all or a portion of the Premises to perform repairs under this Lease and Tenant shall not have any right to terminate this Lease or abate Rent (except as otherwise provided in Section 19.5.2 of this Lease) or assert a claim of partial or constructive eviction because of any such closure (provided that Landlord shall perform any such repairs outside of normal business hours to the extent reasonably possible). Any entry into the Premises by Landlord in the manner hereinbefore described shall not be deemed to be a forcible or unlawful entry into, or a detainer of, the Premises, or an actual or constructive eviction of Tenant from any portion of the Premises.

 

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28. TENANT PARKING Tenant shall have the right to, at no additional rent or cost to Tenant, use the parking set forth in Section 9 of the Summary, in the location depicted on Exhibit E attached hereto. Tenant shall abide by all reasonable rules and regulations which are prescribed from time to time for the orderly operation and use of the parking facility where the parking passes are located (including any sticker or other identification system established by Landlord and the prohibition of vehicle repair and maintenance activities in the parking facilities), and shall cooperate in seeing that Tenant’s employees and visitors also comply with such rules and regulations. Tenant’s use of the Project parking facility shall be at Tenant’s sole risk and Tenant acknowledges and agrees that Landlord shall have no liability whatsoever for damage to the vehicles of Tenant, its employees and/or visitors, or for other personal injury or property damage or theft relating to or connected with the parking rights granted herein or any of Tenant’s, its employees’ and/or visitors’ use of the parking facilities.

29. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

29.1 Terms; Captions . The words “ Landlord ” and “ Tenant ” as used herein shall include the plural as well as the singular. The necessary grammatical changes required to make the provisions hereof apply either to corporations or partnerships or individuals, men or women, as the case may require, shall in all cases be assumed as though in each case fully expressed. The captions of Articles and Sections are for convenience only and shall not be deemed to limit, construe, affect or alter the meaning of such Articles and Sections.

29.2 Binding Effect . Subject to all other provisions of this Lease, each of the covenants, conditions and provisions of this Lease shall extend to and shall, as the case may require, bind or inure to the benefit not only of Landlord and of Tenant, but also of their respective heirs, personal representatives, successors or assigns, provided this clause shall not permit any assignment by Tenant contrary to the provisions of Article 14 of this Lease.

29.3 No Air Rights . No rights to any view or to light or air over any property, whether belonging to Landlord or any other person, are granted to Tenant by this Lease. If at any time any windows of the Premises are temporarily darkened or the light or view therefrom is obstructed by reason of any repairs, improvements, maintenance or cleaning in or about the Project, the same shall be without liability to Landlord and without any reduction or diminution of Tenant’s obligations under this Lease.

29.4 Modification of Lease . Should any current or prospective mortgagee or ground lessor for the Building or Project require a modification of this Lease, which modification will not cause an increased cost or expense to Tenant or in any other way materially and adversely change the rights and obligations of Tenant hereunder, then and in such event, Tenant agrees that this Lease may be so modified and agrees to execute whatever documents are reasonably required therefor and to deliver the same to Landlord within ten (10) business days following a request therefor. At the request of Landlord or any mortgagee or ground lessor, Tenant agrees to execute a short form of Lease and deliver the same to Landlord within ten (10) business days following the request therefor.

29.5 Transfer of Landlord’s Interest . Tenant acknowledges that Landlord has the right to transfer all or any portion of its interest in the Project or Building and in this Lease, and Tenant agrees that in the event of any such transfer, Landlord shall automatically be released from all liability under this Lease and Tenant agrees to look solely to such transferee for the performance of Landlord’s obligations hereunder after the date of transfer and such transferee shall be deemed to have fully assumed and be liable for all obligations of this Lease to be performed by Landlord, including the return of any Security Deposit, and Tenant shall attorn to such transferee.

29.6 Prohibition Against Recording . Except as provided in Section 29.4 of this Lease, neither this Lease, nor any memorandum, affidavit or other writing with respect thereto, shall be recorded by Tenant or by anyone acting through, under or on behalf of Tenant.

29.7 Landlord’s Title . Landlord’s title is and always shall be paramount to the title of Tenant. Nothing herein contained shall empower Tenant to do any act which can, shall or may encumber the title of Landlord.

29.8 Relationship of Parties . Nothing contained in this Lease shall be deemed or construed by the parties hereto or by any third party to create the relationship of principal and agent, partnership, joint venturer or any association between Landlord and Tenant.

29.9 Application of Payments . Landlord shall have the right to apply payments received from Tenant pursuant to this Lease, regardless of Tenant’s designation of such payments, to satisfy any obligations of Tenant hereunder, in such order and amounts as Landlord, in its sole discretion, may elect.

29.10 Time of Essence . Time is of the essence with respect to the performance of every provision of this Lease in which time of performance is a factor.

 

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29.11 Partial Invalidity . If any term, provision or condition contained in this Lease shall, to any extent, be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this Lease, or the application of such term, provision or condition to persons or circumstances other than those with respect to which it is invalid or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each and every other term, provision and condition of this Lease shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent possible permitted by law.

29.12 No Warranty . In executing and delivering this Lease, Tenant has not relied on any representations, including, but not limited to, any representation as to the amount of any item comprising Additional Rent or the amount of the Additional Rent in the aggregate or that Landlord is furnishing the same services to other tenants, at all, on the same level or on the same basis, or any warranty or any statement of Landlord which is not set forth herein or in one or more of the exhibits attached hereto.

29.13 Landlord Exculpation . The liability of Landlord or the Landlord Parties to Tenant for any default by Landlord under this Lease or arising in connection herewith or with Landlord’s operation, management, leasing, repair, renovation, alteration or any other matter relating to the Project or the Premises shall be limited solely and exclusively to an amount which is equal to the lesser of (a) the interest of Landlord in the Building or (b) the equity interest Landlord would have in the Building if the Building were encumbered by third-party debt in an amount equal to eighty percent (80%) of the value of the Building (as such value is determined by Landlord), provided that in no event shall such liability extend to any sales or insurance proceeds received by Landlord or the Landlord Parties in connection with the Project, Building or Premises. Neither Landlord, nor any of the Landlord Parties shall have any personal liability therefor, and Tenant hereby expressly waives and releases such personal liability on behalf of itself and all persons claiming by, through or under Tenant. The limitations of liability contained in this Section 29.13 shall inure to the benefit of Landlord’s and the Landlord Parties’ present and future partners, beneficiaries, officers, directors, trustees, shareholders, agents and employees, and their respective partners, heirs, successors and assigns. Under no circumstances shall any present or future partner of Landlord (if Landlord is a partnership), or trustee or beneficiary (if Landlord or any partner of Landlord is a trust), have any liability for the performance of Landlord’s obligations under this Lease. Notwithstanding any contrary provision herein, neither Landlord nor the Landlord Parties shall be liable under any circumstances for injury or damage to, or interference with, Tenant’s business, including but not limited to, loss of profits, loss of rents or other revenues, loss of business opportunity, loss of goodwill or loss of use, in each case, however occurring, or loss to inventory, scientific research, scientific experiments, laboratory animals, products, specimens, samples, and/or scientific, business, accounting and other records of every kind and description kept at the premises and any and all income derived or derivable therefrom.

29.14 Entire Agreement . It is understood and acknowledged that there are no oral agreements between the parties hereto affecting this Lease and this Lease constitutes the parties’ entire agreement with respect to the leasing of the Premises and supersedes and cancels any and all previous negotiations, arrangements, brochures, agreements and understandings, if any, between the parties hereto or displayed by Landlord to Tenant with respect to the subject matter thereof, and none thereof shall be used to interpret or construe this Lease. None of the terms, covenants, conditions or provisions of this Lease can be modified, deleted or added to except in writing signed by the parties hereto.

29.15 Right to Lease . Landlord reserves the absolute right to effect such other tenancies in the Project as Landlord in the exercise of its sole business judgment shall determine to best promote the interests of the Building or Project. Tenant does not rely on the fact, nor does Landlord represent, that any specific tenant or type or number of tenants shall, during the Lease Term, occupy any space in the Building or Project.

29.16 Force Majeure . Any prevention, delay or stoppage due to strikes, lockouts, labor disputes, acts of God, acts of war, terrorist acts, inability to obtain services, labor, or materials or reasonable substitutes therefor, governmental actions, civil commotions, fire or other casualty, and other causes beyond the reasonable control of the party obligated to perform, except with respect to the obligations imposed with regard to Rent and other charges to be paid by Tenant pursuant to this Lease (collectively, a “ Force Majeure ”), notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Lease, shall excuse the performance of such party for a period equal to any such prevention, delay or stoppage and, therefore, if this Lease specifies a time period for performance of an obligation of either party, that time period shall be extended by the period of any delay in such party’s performance caused by a Force Majeure.

29.17 Waiver of Redemption by Tenant . Tenant hereby waives, for Tenant and for all those claiming under Tenant, any and all rights now or hereafter existing to redeem by order or judgment of any court or by any legal process or writ, Tenant’s right of occupancy of the Premises after any termination of this Lease.

29.18 Notices . All notices, demands, statements, designations, approvals or other communications (collectively, “ Notices ”) given or required to be given by either party to the other hereunder or by law shall be in writing, shall be (A) sent by United States certified or registered mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested (“ Mail ”), (B) transmitted by telecopy, if such telecopy is promptly followed by a Notice sent by Mail, (C) delivered by a nationally recognized overnight courier, or (D) delivered personally. Any Notice shall be sent, transmitted, or delivered, as the case may be, to Tenant at the appropriate address set forth in Section 10 of the Summary, or to such other place as Tenant may from time to time designate in a Notice to Landlord, or to Landlord at the

 

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addresses set forth below, or to such other places as Landlord may from time to time designate in a Notice to Tenant. Any Notice will be deemed given (i) three (3) days after the date it is posted if sent by Mail, (ii) the date the telecopy is transmitted, (iii) the date the overnight courier delivery is made, or (iv) the date personal delivery is made. As of the date of this Lease, any Notices to Landlord must be sent, transmitted, or delivered, as the case may be, to the following addresses:

HCP University Center West LLC

c/o HCP, Inc.

462 Stevens Avenue, Suite 107

Solana Beach, California 92075

Attention: Mike Dorris

with a copy to:

HCP University Center West LLC

c/o HCP, Inc.

3760 Kilroy Airport Way, Suite 300

Long Beach, CA 90806-2473

Attn: Legal Department and

Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP

1901 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1800

Los Angeles, California 90067

Attention: Anton N. Natsis, Esq.

29.19 Joint and Several . If there is more than one tenant, the obligations imposed upon Tenant under this Lease shall be joint and several.

29.20 Authority . If Tenant is a corporation, trust or partnership, each individual executing this Lease on behalf of Tenant hereby represents and warrants that Tenant is a duly formed and existing entity qualified to do business in the State of California and that Tenant has full right and authority to execute and deliver this Lease and that each person signing on behalf of Tenant is authorized to do so. In such event, Tenant shall, within ten (10) days after execution of this Lease, deliver to Landlord satisfactory evidence of such authority and, if a corporation, upon demand by Landlord, also deliver to Landlord satisfactory evidence of (i) good standing in Tenant’s state of incorporation and (ii) qualification to do business in the State of California.

29.21 Attorneys’ Fees . In the event that either Landlord or Tenant should bring suit for the possession of the Premises, for the recovery of any sum due under this Lease, or because of the breach of any provision of this Lease or for any other relief against the other, then all costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, incurred by the prevailing party therein shall be paid by the other party, which obligation on the part of the other party shall be deemed to have accrued on the date of the commencement of such action and shall be enforceable whether or not the action is prosecuted to judgment.

29.22 Governing Law; WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY. This Lease shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California. IN ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING HEREFROM, LANDLORD AND TENANT HEREBY CONSENT TO (I) THE JURISDICTION OF ANY COMPETENT COURT WITHIN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, (II) SERVICE OF PROCESS BY ANY MEANS AUTHORIZED BY CALIFORNIA LAW, AND (III) IN THE INTEREST OF SAVING TIME AND EXPENSE, TRIAL WITHOUT A JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM BROUGHT BY EITHER OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGAINST THE OTHER OR THEIR SUCCESSORS IN RESPECT OF ANY MATTER ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS LEASE, THE RELATIONSHIP OF LANDLORD AND TENANT, TENANT’S USE OR OCCUPANCY OF THE PREMISES, AND/OR ANY CLAIM FOR INJURY OR DAMAGE, OR ANY EMERGENCY OR STATUTORY REMEDY. IN THE EVENT LANDLORD COMMENCES ANY SUMMARY PROCEEDINGS OR ACTION FOR NONPAYMENT OF BASE RENT OR ADDITIONAL RENT, TENANT SHALL NOT INTERPOSE ANY COUNTERCLAIM OF ANY NATURE OR DESCRIPTION (UNLESS SUCH COUNTERCLAIM SHALL BE MANDATORY) IN ANY SUCH PROCEEDING OR ACTION, BUT SHALL BE RELEGATED TO AN INDEPENDENT ACTION AT LAW.

29.23 Submission of Lease . Submission of this instrument for examination or signature by Tenant does not constitute a reservation of, option for or option to lease, and it is not effective as a lease or otherwise until execution and delivery by both Landlord and Tenant.

29.24 Brokers . Landlord and Tenant hereby warrant to each other that they have had no dealings with any real estate broker or agent in connection with the negotiation of this Lease, excepting only the real estate brokers or agents specified in Section 12 of the

 

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Summary (the “ Brokers ”), and that they know of no other real estate broker or agent who is entitled to a commission in connection with this Lease. Each party agrees to indemnify and defend the other party against and hold the other party harmless from any and all claims, demands, losses, liabilities, lawsuits, judgments, costs and expenses (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees) with respect to any leasing commission or equivalent compensation alleged to be owing on account of any dealings with any real estate broker or agent, other than the Brokers, occurring by, through, or under the indemnifying party. The terms of this Section 29.24 shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of the Lease Term.

29.25 Independent Covenants . This Lease shall be construed as though the covenants herein between Landlord and Tenant are independent and not dependent and Tenant hereby expressly waives the benefit of any statute to the contrary and agrees that if Landlord fails to perform its obligations set forth herein, Tenant shall not be entitled to make any repairs or perform any acts hereunder at Landlord’s expense or to any setoff of the Rent or other amounts owing hereunder against Landlord.

29.26 Project or Building Name, Address and Signage . Landlord shall have the right at any time to change the name and/or address of the Project or Building and to install, affix and maintain any and all signs on the exterior and on the interior of the Project or Building as Landlord may, in Landlord’s sole discretion, desire. Tenant shall not use the name of the Project or Building or use pictures or illustrations of the Project or Building in advertising or other publicity or for any purpose other than as the address of the business to be conducted by Tenant in the Premises, without the prior written consent of Landlord.

29.27 Counterparts . This Lease may be executed in counterparts with the same effect as if both parties hereto had executed the same document. Both counterparts shall be construed together and shall constitute a single lease.

29.28 Confidentiality . Tenant acknowledges that the content of this Lease and any related documents are confidential information. Tenant shall keep such confidential information strictly confidential and shall not disclose such confidential information to any person or entity other than Tenant’s financial, legal, and space planning consultants.

29.29 Development of the Project .

29.29.1 Subdivision . Landlord reserves the right to subdivide all or a portion of the buildings and Common Areas. Tenant agrees to execute and deliver, upon demand by Landlord and in the form requested by Landlord, any additional documents needed to conform this Lease to the circumstances resulting from a subdivision and any all maps in connection therewith. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Lease, the separate ownership of any buildings and/or Common Areas by an entity other than Landlord shall not affect the calculation of Direct Expenses or Tenant’s payment of Tenant’s Share of Direct Expenses.

29.29.2 Construction of Property and Other Improvements . Tenant acknowledges that portions of the Project may be under construction following Tenant’s occupancy of the Premises, and that such construction may result in levels of noise, dust, obstruction of access, etc. which are in excess of that present in a fully constructed project. Tenant hereby waives any and all rent offsets or claims of constructive eviction which may arise in connection with such construction.

29.30 No Violation . Tenant hereby warrants and represents that neither its execution of nor performance under this Lease shall cause Tenant to be in violation of any agreement, instrument, contract, law, rule or regulation by which Tenant is bound, and Tenant shall protect, defend, indemnify and hold Landlord harmless against any claims, demands, losses, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, arising from Tenant’s breach of this warranty and representation.

29.31 Transportation Management . Tenant shall fully comply with all present or future programs intended to manage parking, transportation or traffic in and around the Project and/or the Building, and in connection therewith, Tenant shall take responsible action for the transportation planning and management of all employees located at the Premises by working directly with Landlord, any governmental transportation management organization or any other transportation-related committees or entities. Such programs may include, without limitation: (i) restrictions on the number of peak-hour vehicle trips generated by Tenant; (ii) increased vehicle occupancy; (iii) implementation of an in-house ridesharing program and an employee transportation coordinator; (iv) working with employees and any Project, Building or area-wide ridesharing program manager; (v) instituting employer-sponsored incentives (financial or in-kind) to encourage employees to rideshare; and (vi) utilizing flexible work shifts for employees.

 

 

 

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Landlord and Tenant have caused this Lease to be executed the day and date first above written.

 

LANDLORD:

 

TENANT:

 

 

 

HCP UNIVERSITY CENTER WEST LLC,

 

SORRENTO THERAPEUTICS, INC.,

a Delaware limited liability company  

 

a Delaware corporation

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jonathan M. Bergschneider

 

By:

/s/ Henry Ji

Jonathan M. Bergschneider

 

Henry Ji

Print Name

 

Print Name

 

 

 

 

 

Its:

EVP

 

Its:

President & CEO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Print Name

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 35 -

Exhibit 21

Subsidiaries of Registrant

 

 

  

State of
Jurisdiction
of
Organization

  

Percentage
of Voting
Securities
Owned

 

IgDraSol, Inc.

  

Delaware

  

 

100

Concortis Biosystems, Corp.

  

Delaware

  

 

100

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. Hong Kong Limited

  

Hong Kong, China

  

 

100

Ark Animal Therapeutics, Inc.

  

Delaware

  

 

100

 

Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in Registration Statement Nos. 333-163670,  333-195487 and 333-198307 on Form S-8 and Registration Statement Nos. 333-189538, 333-192025 and 333-199849 on Form S-3 of our report dated March 13, 2015, relating to the consolidated financial statements of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries, for each of the years in the three year period ended December 31, 2014, and our report dated March 13, 2015, relating to the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, as of December 31, 2014, included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2014.

/s/ Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C.

San Diego, California

March 13, 2015

 

 

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Henry Ji, certify that:

1.

I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Sorrento Therapeutics, 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 officer(s) 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.

 

/s /   Henry Ji

Director, Chief Executive Officer

& President

Dated: March 13, 2015

 

 

 

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER

Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Douglas Langston, certify that:

1.

I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Sorrento Therapeutics, 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 officer(s) 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.

 

/s/  Douglas Langston

Douglas Langston

Vice President of Finance

(Principal Financial Officer)

Dated: March 13, 2015

 

 

 

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATIONS

Each of the undersigned, in his capacity as the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”), as the case may be, hereby certifies, pursuant to the requirement set forth in Rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. §1350), that, to the best of his knowledge:

1.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2014 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; and

2.

The information contained in this Annual Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company for the period covered by this Annual Report.

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or its staff upon request.

This certification accompanies the Form 10-K to which it relates, is not deemed filed with the SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act (whether made before or after the date of this Annual Report), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have set their hands hereto as of the 13th day of March 2015.

 

/ S /   H ENRY J I

Director, Chief Executive Officer

& President

 

/ S /  Douglas Langston

Douglas Langston

Vice President of Finance

(Principal Financial Officer)