Note 7 – Commitments and Contingencies

License, Development and Collaboration Agreements

Onxeo S.A.

In June 2016, the Company executed an option and license agreement with Onxeo S.A. (“Onxeo”), a public French company, which gave Monopar the exclusive option to license (on a world-wide exclusive basis) Validive to pursue treating severe oral mucositis in patients undergoing chemoradiation treatment for head and neck cancers. The pre-negotiated Onxeo license agreement for Validive as part of the option agreement includes clinical, regulatory, developmental and sales milestones and escalating royalties on net sales. On September 8, 2017, the Company exercised the license option, and therefore paid Onxeo the $1 million fee under the option and license agreement.

On March 27, 2023, Monopar announced the discontinuation of its Validive Phase 2b/3 VOICE trial based upon the Data Safety Monitoring Board (“DSMB”) determination that the trial did not meet the pre-defined threshold for efficacy of a 15% absolute difference in severe oral mucositis prevention between Validive and placebo. The Company is planning to terminate the license and does not anticipate any future license or royalty obligations under the Onxeo license agreement.

Grupo Español de Investigación en Sarcomas (“GEIS”)

In June 2019, the Company executed a clinical collaboration agreement with GEIS for the development of camsirubicin in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (“ASTS”). Following completion of the Company’s Phase 1b clinical trial in the U.S. that Monopar initiated in the third quarter of 2021 with the first patient dosed in October 2021, the Company continues to expect that GEIS will sponsor and lead a multi-country, randomized, open-label Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate camsirubicin head-to-head against doxorubicin, the current first-line treatment for ASTS. The Company will provide study drug and supplemental financial support for the clinical trial. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and September 30, 2022, no expenses were incurred under the GEIS agreement. The Company can terminate the agreement by providing GEIS with advance notice, and without affecting the Company’s rights and ownership to any related intellectual property or clinical data. In the second quarter of 2021, due to regulatory delays in Spain, Monopar decided to conduct an open-label Phase 1b clinical trial of camsirubicin in the U.S., therefore no expenses were incurred related to the GEIS collaboration beyond March 31, 2021.

XOMA Ltd.

The intellectual property rights contributed by Tactic Pharma to the Company included the non-exclusive license agreement with XOMA Ltd. for the humanization technology used in the development of MNPR-101. Pursuant to such license agreement, the Company is obligated to pay XOMA Ltd. clinical, regulatory and sales milestones for MNPR-101 that could reach up to $14.925 million if the Company achieves all milestones. The agreement does not require the payment of sales royalties. There can be no assurance that the Company will reach any milestones under the XOMA agreement. As of September 30, 2023, the Company had not reached any milestones and has not been required to pay XOMA Ltd. any funds under this license agreement.

Legal Contingencies

The Company may be subject to claims and assessments from time to time in the ordinary course of business. No claims have been asserted to date.

Indemnification

In the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts and agreements that contain a variety of representations and warranties and provide for general indemnification. The Company’s exposure under these agreements is unknown because it involves claims that may be made against the Company in the future, but that have not yet been made. To date, the Company has not paid any claims nor been required to defend any action related to its indemnification obligations. However, the Company may record charges in the future as a result of future claims against these indemnification obligations. 

In accordance with its second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and the indemnification agreements entered into with each officer and non-employee director, the Company has indemnification obligations to its officers and non-employee directors for certain events or occurrences, subject to certain limits, while they are serving at the Company’s request in such capacities. There have been no indemnification claims to date.