Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
License Agreement
On October 15, 2020, Cara Therapeutics, Inc. ("Cara") entered into a license
agreement (the "Vifor Agreement") with Vifor (International) Ltd. ("Vifor
Pharma"), under which Cara granted Vifor Pharma an exclusive license solely in
the United States to use, distribute, offer for sale, promote, sell and
otherwise commercialize Cara's product candidate KORSUVA Injection
(CR845/difelikefalin) for all therapeutic uses relating to the inhibition,
prevention or treatment of itch associated with pruritus in hemodialysis and
peritoneal dialysis patients in the United States. Under the Vifor Agreement,
Cara retains all rights with respect to the clinical development of, and
activities to gain regulatory approvals of, KORSUVA Injection in the United
States.
Under the terms of the Vifor Agreement, Cara will receive from Vifor Pharma an
upfront payment of $100 million in cash and a $50 million investment in Cara's
common stock at a price of $17.0094 per share. Upon U.S. regulatory approval of
KORSUVA Injection, Cara will also be eligible to receive an additional $50
million common stock investment at a 20% premium to the 30-day trailing average
price of Cara's common stock as of such date. In addition, pursuant to the Vifor
Agreement, Cara is eligible to receive payments of up to $240 million upon the
achievement of certain sales-based milestones. In connection with the Vifor
Agreement, the parties entered into a securities purchase agreement (the
"Purchase Agreement") dated October 15, 2020, governing the issuance of the
common stock described herein.
The Vifor Agreement provides full commercialization rights in dialysis clinics
to Vifor Pharma in the United States under a profit-sharing arrangement.
Pursuant to the profit-sharing arrangement, Cara will generally be entitled to
60% of the net profits (as defined in the Vifor Agreement) from sales of KORSUVA
Injection in the United States (excluding sales to Fresenius Medical Center
dialysis clinics, compensation for which is governed by a separate license
agreement dated May 17, 2018 between Cara and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal
Pharma Ltd. ("VFMCRP")) and Vifor Pharma is entitled to 40% of such net profits,
subject to potential temporary adjustment in future years based on certain
conditions. Under the Vifor Agreement, in consideration of Vifor Pharma's
conduct of the marketing, promotion, selling and distribution of KORSUVA
Injection in the United States, Cara will pay a marketing and distribution fee
to Vifor Pharma based on the level of annual net sales. This fee will be
deducted from product sales in calculating the net profits that are subject to
the profit-sharing arrangement under the agreement. Vifor Pharma has
simultaneously entered into an option agreement with VFMCRP pursuant to which
the license may be transferred from Vifor Pharma to VFMCRP.
The Vifor Agreement shall continue in effect until its expiration upon the
cessation of commercial sale of KORSUVA Injection in the United States by Vifor
Pharma and its affiliates and sublicensees, or until the earlier termination of
the Vifor Agreement.
In addition, upon the earlier of: (1) the acceptance for filing of a new drug
application covering KORSUVA Injection submitted to the U.S. Federal Drug
Administration ("FDA"); or (2) October 15, 2023, the Vifor Agreement may be
terminated by Vifor Pharma in its entirety, with such termination effective upon
12 months' notice.
Securities Purchase Agreement
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, Vifor Pharma will not, and will not cause
any direct or indirect affiliate to, during the period beginning on October 15,
2020 and ending at the close of business on the earlier of (A) October 15, 2022
and (B) the date that Cara publicly discloses the receipt of a complete response
letter from the FDA with respect to Cara's NDA for KORSUVA Injection (such
period, the "Restricted Period"), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell,
sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to
sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise
transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of common stock of
Cara or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for
common stock of Cara (including without limitation, common stock or such other
securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by Vifor Pharma in
accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC") and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock
option or warrant) owned by Vifor Pharma as of the date hereof or acquired prior
to the end of the Restricted Period (collectively with the Common Stock,
"Lock-Up Securities"), except any such sale, option or contract by and between
Vifor Pharma and one of its affiliates (including Vifor Pharma Group Ltd. or
VFMCRP), (2) enter into any hedging, swap or other agreement or transaction that
transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of
the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or
(2) above is to be settled by delivery of Lock-Up Securities, in cash or
otherwise, (3) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the
registration of any Lock-Up Securities, or (4) publicly disclose the intention
to do any of the foregoing.
Under the Purchase Agreement, the parties also agreed that, in certain
circumstances, upon the request of Vifor Pharma, the parties will enter into a
registration rights agreement prior to the end of the Restricted Period that
would provide Vifor Pharma (or its affiliate transferee) customary registration
rights with respect to the shares of common stock issued pursuant to the
Purchase Agreement following the expiration of the Restricted Period.
The descriptions of the Vifor Agreement and the Purchase Agreement contained
herein do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by
reference to the complete text of the Vifor Agreement and Purchase Agreement
which will be filed as exhibits to Cara's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2020.
Item 3.02 Unregistered Sale of Equity Securities.
The information in Item 1.01 above relating to issuance of shares of Cara's
common stock to Vifor Pharma is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02.
Neither Cara nor Vifor Pharma engaged any investment advisors with respect to
the issuance of such shares and no finders' fees were paid to any party in
connection therewith. The issuance of such shares was made in reliance on the
exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D thereunder.
Neither this Current Report on Form 8-K nor any exhibit attached hereto is an
offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy shares of shares of common
stock or other securities of Cara.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
On October 20, 2020, Cara issued a press release announcing its entry into a
license agreement with Vifor Pharma. A copy of the press release is furnished as
Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by
reference. The information furnished under this Item 7.01, including
Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or subject to the liabilities of
that section. The information shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into
any other filing with the SEC made by Cara, regardless of any general
incorporation language in such filing.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit
No. Description
99.1 Press release dated October 20, 2020
104 Cover Page lnteractive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).
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