Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Collaboration and Research Arrangements

v3.23.3
Collaboration and Research Arrangements
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Collaborative Arrangement Disclosure [Abstract]  
Collaboration and Research Arrangements

4. Collaboration and Research Arrangements

Collaboration with Global Blood Therapeutics

On December 17, 2019, the Company entered into a license and collaboration agreement (the “GBT Collaboration Agreement”) with Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (“GBT”), now a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., pursuant to which the parties agreed to a research collaboration to discover novel targets that induce fetal hemoglobin in order to develop new small molecule treatments for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. The research term (the “Research Term”) was for an initial period of three years and could be extended for up to two additional one-year terms upon mutual agreement. In November 2022, the Company and GBT agreed to extend the Research Term for an additional one-year period. Pfizer, as successor to GBT, elected to exercise its right to terminate the GBT Collaboration Agreement, effective October 16, 2023.

Pursuant to the terms of the GBT Collaboration Agreement, GBT paid the Company an upfront payment of $20.0 million. GBT also agreed to reimburse the Company for full-time employee and out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by the Company in accordance with the agreed-upon research budget, which was anticipated to total approximately $40.0 million over the initial Research Term.

The Company granted to GBT an option (the “Option”) to obtain an exclusive, worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, under relevant intellectual property rights and know-how of the Company arising from the collaboration to develop, manufacture and commercialize any compounds or products resulting from the collaboration. This Option terminated simultaneously with the effective date of termination of the GBT Collaboration Agreement, and the Company is no longer eligible to receive any milestone or royalty-based payments from GBT.

GBT Collaboration Revenue

The Company analyzed the GBT Collaboration Agreement and concluded that it represented a contract with a customer within the scope of ASC 606.

The Company identified a single performance obligation, which included a (i) non-exclusive research license that GBT had access to during the initial Research Term and (ii) research and development services provided during the initial Research Term. The GBT Collaboration Agreement includes the Option. The Option did not provide a material right to GBT that it would receive without entering into the GBT Collaboration Agreement, principally because the Option exercise fee was at least equal to the standalone selling price for the underlying goods. The non-exclusive research license was not distinct as GBT could not benefit from the license without the research and development services that were separately identifiable in the contract. The non-exclusive research license only allowed GBT to evaluate the candidate compounds developed under the research plan or to conduct work allocated to it during the

Research Term. GBT could not extract any benefit from the non-exclusive research license without the research and development services performed by the Company, including the provision of data package information. As such, these two promises are inputs to a combined output (the delivery of data package allowing GBT to make an Option exercise decision) and are bundled into a single performance obligation (the non-exclusive research license and research and development service performance obligation).

At inception, the total transaction price was determined to be approximately $60.0 million, which consisted of a $20.0 million upfront non-refundable and non-creditable technology access fee and approximately $40.0 million in reimbursable costs for employee and external research and development expenses. The GBT Collaboration Agreement also provided for development and regulatory milestones which were only payable subsequent to the exercise of the Option, and therefore were excluded from the transaction price at inception. As of September 30, 2023, the transaction price was estimated at $54.6 million, which reflects a reduction in the initial estimate of $60.0 million due to a lower reimbursable cost incurred and the termination of the GBT Collaboration Agreement that became effective on October 16, 2023, partially offset by additional consideration of $7.1 million related to the one year extension of the Research Term. The Company accounted for the contract amendment as if it were part of the existing contract, since the remaining goods and services are not distinct, and form part of a single performance obligation that was partially satisfied at the date of the amendment.

ASC 606 requires an entity to recognize revenue only when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring a promised good or service to a customer. A good or service is considered to be transferred when the customer obtains control. As the non-exclusive research license and research and development services represent one performance obligation, the Company has determined that it would satisfy its performance obligation over a period of time as services are performed and GBT receives the benefit of the services, as the overall purpose of the arrangement is for the Company to perform the services. The Company will recognize revenue associated with the performance obligation as the research and development services are provided using an input method, according to the costs incurred as related to the research and development activities and the costs expected to be incurred in the future to satisfy the performance obligation. The transfer of control occurs during this time and is the best measure of progress towards satisfying the performance obligation.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company recognized revenue of $3.8 million and $9.5 million, respectively, under the GBT Collaboration Agreement. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company recognized revenue of $3.7 million and $14.4 million, respectively, under the GBT Collaboration Agreement. As of September 30, 2023, the Company had deferred revenue outstanding under the GBT Collaboration Agreement of approximately $0.1 million, all of which is classified as deferred revenue, current portion on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Agreements with Incyte Corporation

In January 2018, the Company and Incyte entered into a Target Discovery, Research Collaboration and Option Agreement (the “Incyte Collaboration Agreement”). The Incyte Collaboration Agreement was amended in November 2019. Under the terms of the Incyte Collaboration Agreement, Incyte paid the Company $10.0 million in up-front consideration, consisting of $2.5 million in cash and $7.5 million in pre-paid research funding (the “Prepaid Research Amount”). On August 9, 2023, Incyte elected to terminate the Incyte Collaboration Agreement.

In January 2018, the Company also entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with Incyte (the “Stock Purchase Agreement”) whereby, for an aggregate purchase price of $10.0 million, Incyte purchased 79,302 shares of the Company’s common stock at $126.10 per share. Under the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement, the shares were purchased at a 30% premium over the volume-weighted sale price of the shares of the Company’s common stock over the 15-trading day period immediately preceding the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement.

Incyte Collaboration Revenue

The Company analyzed the Incyte Collaboration Agreement and concluded that it represents a contract with a customer within the scope of ASC 606.

The Company identified a single performance obligation which included (i) a research license that Incyte retained as long as there remained an unexercised option (the “Research License”), and (ii) research and development services provided during the research term. The Incyte Collaboration Agreement included options to (x) obtain additional time to exercise the license options for certain targets designated as definitive validation targets, and (y)

obtain license rights to each validated target, both of which were not considered by the Company’s management to be material rights, and therefore not performance obligations, at inception.

The total transaction price following the November 2019 amendment was $12.8 million, consisting of a $2.5 million upfront non-refundable and non-creditable payment, the $7.5 million Prepaid Research Amount, $2.3 million in premium paid on the equity investment made pursuant the Stock Purchase Agreement, and $0.5 million of additional consideration. The Company accounted for the contract amendment as a modification as if it were part of the existing contract as the remaining goods and services are not distinct, and therefore form part of a single performance obligation that was partially satisfied at the date of the amendment.

The Company recognizes revenue associated with the performance obligation as the research and development services are provided using an input method, according to the costs incurred as related to the research and development activities and the costs expected to be incurred in the future to satisfy the performance obligation. The transfer of control occurs during this time and is the best measure of progress towards satisfying the performance obligation. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has completed all of the target validation activities allocated to it under the research plan and all deferred revenue were recognized.

The Company did not recognize any revenue under the Incyte Collaboration Agreement during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. For three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company recognized revenue of $0.2 million and $1.2 million, respectively, under the Incyte Collaboration Agreement.

The following table presents the changes in contract liabilities for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 (in thousands):

 

 

Balance at
December 31, 2022

 

 

Additions

 

 

Deductions

 

 

Balance at September 30, 2023

 

Contract liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred revenue - GBT

 

$

4,330

 

 

$

173

 

 

$

4,364

 

 

$

139

 

Total contract liabilities

 

$

4,330

 

 

$

173

 

 

$

4,364

 

 

$

139