Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

University of Mississippi ("UM") Agreements

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University of Mississippi ("UM") Agreements
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
University Of Mississippi Agreements [Abstract]  
University of Mississippi ("UM") Agreements
2. University of Mississippi ("UM") Agreements
 
In July 2013, the Company entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UM to engage in joint research of extracting, manipulating, and studying cannabis in certain forms to develop intellectual property (IP) with the intention to create and commercialize therapeutic medicines. Nemus will own all IP developed solely by its employees and will jointly own all IP developed jointly between Nemus and UM employees. The term of the MOU agreement is five years and the parties agree to negotiate separate Research agreements upon the identification of patentable technologies as well as any deemed to be a trade secret. The agreement may be terminated by either party with three months written notice to the other party.
 
On May 15, 2014, the Company entered into an Option Agreement in which UM granted us a three-month option for conducting due diligence to exclusively license a suppository dosage form containing Dronabinol Hemi succinate and other esters ("NPC 4718").
 
As a result of our due diligence, on September 29, 2014, the Company executed three license agreements with UM pursuant to which UM granted us exclusive, perpetual, worldwide licenses, including the right to sublicense, to intellectual property related to UM5050, a pro-drug formulation of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for products administered through each of ocular, oral or rectal delivery. The license agreement for the field of oral delivery also includes rights to UM 1250, a bio-adhesive hot melt extruded film for topical and mucosal adhesion application and drug delivery.  The license agreements contain certain milestone and royalty payments, as defined therein. These licenses also require the Company to reimburse UM for patent costs incurred related to these products under license. In the case of the ocular license the Company was required to reimburse sunk patent expenses of $70,678 in February 2015; this amount was reflected in accrued license and patent reimbursement fees as of December 31, 2014. These license agreements will terminate upon expiration of the patents, breach or default of the license agreements, or upon 60 days written notice by the Company to UM.
 
On October 15, 2014, we signed a renewable option agreement for the rights to explore other routes of delivery of UM5050 not yet agreed upon and/or in combination with other cannabinoids or other compatible compounds. There was a one-time up-front option payment and the option period was for six months expiring on March 31, 2015. On September 29, 2015, the Company exercised its right to renew for an additional six months under the same financial terms and conditions.
 
On July 1, 2014, the Company entered into three additional Option Agreements, pursuant to which UM granted Nemus three-month exclusive options for conducting due diligence on the following three cannabinoid extracts to exclusively license them for the purposes of obtaining FDA approval and commercializing the extracts:
 
1) UM 1490 – transmucosal delivery of cannabinoids
2) UM 5070 – treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections
3) UM 8790 – ocular delivery of cannabinoids
 
In March of 2015, in lieu of a license agreement, the Company entered into a research agreement with UM to begin studies concerning the medical utility of cannabinoids as anti-infective therapeutics for MRSA.  The fee payable to UM under the agreement is based on the achievement of certain milestones in the project. The Company recognized $18,673 and $66,747 of research and development expense for the three and nine months ending September 30, 2015 which represents work completed to date under this contract.  The agreement also grants an exclusive option to license the technology from the University within 180 days from the commencement of the agreement. Either party may terminate the agreement with 30 days written notice.
 
In July of 2015, the Company entered into a research agreement with UM to begin studies concerning research and development of cannabidiol (CBD) formulations.  The fee payable to UM is based on the achievement of certain milestones in the project. The Company recognized $37,119 of research and development expense for both the three and nine months ending September 30, 2015 which represents work completed to date under this contract. The agreement also grants an exclusive option to license the technology from the University within 180 days from the commencement of the agreement. Either party may terminate the agreement with 30 days written notice.
 
In September of 2015, the Company entered into a research agreement with UM to advance NEMUS' lead proprietary cannabinoid-based therapy (UM5050) developed for the treatment and management of glaucoma into an optimized once-daily treatment formulation. The fee payable to UM is based on the achievement of certain milestones in the project. The Company recognized $21,496 of research and development expense for both the three and nine months ending September 30, 2015 which represents work completed to date under this contract. The agreement also grants an exclusive option to license the technology from the University within 180 days from the commencement of the agreement. Either party may terminate the agreement with 30 days written notice.