On February 7, 2018, Purdue filed a patent infringement suit against the Company in the District of Delaware. Specifically, Purdue argues that the Company’s sale of immediate-release and extended-release Nucynta infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 9,861,583, 9,867,784, and 9,872,836. Purdue has made a demand for monetary relief in its complaint but has not quantified its alleged damages.
On December 6, 2018, the Company filed an Amended Answer asserting an affirmative defense for patent exhaustion. On December 10, 2018, the Court granted the parties’ stipulation for resolution of the Company’s affirmative defense of patent exhaustion and stayed the action, with the exception of briefing on and resolution of the Company’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings related to patent exhaustion and any discovery related to that Motion. Also, on December 10, 2018, the Company filed a Rule 12(c) Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, arguing that the Purdue’s claims were barred by the doctrine of patent exhaustion. On June 18, 2019, the Court heard oral argument on the Company’s Rule 12(c) Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings. On June 19, 2019, the Court issued an order stating that “judgment in Collegium’s favor is warranted under the doctrine of patent exhaustion to the extent Collegium’s alleged infringing activities resulted from sales that fall within the scope of that covenant.” The Court explained, however, that based on the current record, it was not possible “to determine whether title of the Nucynta Products was transferred to Collegium” from sales authorized by Purdue’s covenant not to sue. The Court ordered discovery on this issue and the case remained “stayed with the exception of discovery and briefing on and resolution of the Company’s anticipated motion for summary judgment based on patent exhaustion.”
On September 19, 2019, Purdue gave the Court notice of its bankruptcy filing and sought the imposition of an automatic stay of the proceedings. The Nucynta litigation is subject to the automatic bankruptcy stay.
Pending resolution of the bankruptcy action, the Company plans to defend this case vigorously. At this stage, the Company is unable to evaluate the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome or estimate the amount or range of potential loss, if any.
Litigation Related to the BDSI Acquisition
On February 25, 2022, in connection with the BDSI Acquisition, a purported individual stockholder of BDSI filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, captioned Stein v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al., No. 1:22-cv-01600, naming as defendants BDSI and each member of its board of directors as of the date of the Merger Agreement (“Stein Action”). On February 28, 2022, 2 additional cases were filed by purported individual stockholders of BDSI in the same court, captioned Sanford v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al., No. 1:22-cv-01676 (“Sanford Action”), and Higley v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al., No. 1:22-cv-01658 (“Higley Action”). On March 2, 2022 and March 5, 2022, 2 additional cases were filed by purported individual stockholders of BDSI in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, captioned Justice II v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al., No. 1:22-cv-01145 (“Justice Action”) and Zomber v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al., No. 1:22-cv-01220 (“Zomber Action”; together with the Stein, Sanford, Higley, and Justice Actions, the “Actions”). The Actions and any similar subsequently filed cases involving BDSI, its officers or board of directors, or any committee thereof, and/or any of the Company’s officers or directors relating directly or indirectly to the Merger Agreement, the BDSI Acquisition or any related transaction, are referred to as the “Merger Litigations.”
The Merger Litigations filed to date generally allege that the Schedule 14D-9 is materially incomplete and misleading by allegedly failing to disclose purportedly material information relating to the sale process leading to the Merger, BDSI’s financial projections, and the analyses performed by Moelis & Company LLC in connection with the Merger. The Merger Litigations assert violations of Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act and violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act against BDSI’s board of directors. Additionally, the Stein, Higley, Justice, and Zomber complaints assert violations of Section 14(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14d-9 promulgated thereunder. The Merger Litigations seek, among other things: an injunction enjoining consummation of the Merger, rescission of the Merger Agreement, a declaration that BDSI and its board of directors violated Sections 14(e) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14a-9 promulgated thereunder, damages, costs of the action, including plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and experts’ fees and expenses, and any other relief the court may deem just and proper.
In addition, on February 24, 2022, February 28, 2022, and March 7, 2022, BDSI received demand letters from 3 purported stockholders of BDSI seeking to inspect certain books and records of BDSI related to the Merger (collectively, the “Inspection Letters”). On March 4, 2022, March 9, 2022, and March 11, 2022, BDSI received demand letters from