| Commitments and Contingencies | 15. Commitments and Contingencies Legal Proceedings From time to time, the Company may face legal claims or actions in the normal course of business. Except as disclosed below, the Company is not currently a party to any material litigation and, accordingly, does not have any other amounts recorded for any litigation related matters. Xtampza ER Litigation The Company filed the NDA for Xtampza ER as a 505(b)(2) application, which allows the Company to reference data from an approved drug listed in the FDA’s Orange Book, in this case OxyContin. The 505(b)(2) process requires that the Company certify to the FDA that the Company does not infringe any of the patents listed for OxyContin in the Orange Book, or that the patents are invalid. The process also requires that the Company notify Purdue Pharma, L.P (“Purdue”), as the holder of the NDA, and any other Orange Book-listed patent owners that it has made such a certification. On February 11, 2015, the Company made the required certification documenting why Xtampza ER does not infringe any of the 11 Orange Book listed patents for OxyContin, five of which have been invalidated in court proceedings, and provided the required notice to Purdue. Under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, Purdue had the option to sue the Company for infringement and receive a stay of up to 30 months before the FDA could issue a final approval for Xtampza ER, unless the stay was earlier terminated. In response to these actions, Purdue sued the Company for infringement in the District of Delaware on March 24, 2015 asserting infringement of three of Purdue’s Orange Book-listed patents (Patent Nos. 7,674,799, 7,674,800, and 7,683,072) and a non-Orange Book-listed patent (Patent No. 8,652,497), and accordingly, received a 30-month stay of FDA approval. The Delaware court transferred the case to the District of Massachusetts. After the Company filed a partial motion for judgment on the pleadings relating to the Orange Book-listed patents, the District Court of Massachusetts ordered judgment in the Company’s favor on those three patents, and dismissed the claims asserting infringement of those patents with prejudice. Upon dismissal of those claims, the 30-month stay of FDA approval was lifted. As a result, the Company was able to obtain final approval for Xtampza ER and launch the product commercially. Purdue subsequently filed two follow-on lawsuits asserting infringement of two patents that had been late-listed in the Orange Book and therefore could not trigger any stay of FDA approval: Purdue filed suit asserting infringement of Patent No. 9,073,933 in November 2015, and asserted infringement of Patent No. 9,522,919 in April 2017. In addition, Purdue filed suit on two patents that had not been listed in the Orange Book, filing suit in June 2016 asserting infringement of Patent No. 9,155,717 and in September 2017, asserting infringement of Patent No. 9,693,961. On March 13, 2018, the Company filed a Petition for Post-Grant Review (“PGR”) of the ʼ961 patent with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”). The PGR argues that the ʼ961 patent is invalid for lack of a written description, for lack of enablement, for indefiniteness, and as being anticipated by prior art. The PTAB held oral argument on the proceedings on July 10, 2019 and was scheduled to issue a decision on the patentability of the ʼ961 patent by no later than October 4, 2019. On September 15, 2019, Purdue commenced a voluntary case under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. On September 24, 2019, Purdue gave the PTAB notice of its bankruptcy filing and sought the imposition of an automatic stay of the PGR proceedings. On October 2, 2019, the PTAB extended the one-year period for issuing its decision by up to six months. In October 2017, and in response to the filing of the Company’s Supplemental NDA (“sNDA”) seeking to update the drug abuse and dependence section of the Xtampza ER label, Purdue filed another suit asserting infringement of the ʼ933 and ʼ919 patent. The Company filed a motion to dismiss that action, and the Court granted its motion on January 16, 2018. A claim construction hearing was held on June 1, 2017. On November 21, 2017, the Court issued its claim construction ruling, construing certain claims of the ʼ933, ʼ497, and ʼ717 patents. The Court issued an order on September 28, 2018 in which it granted in part a motion for summary judgment that the Company filed. Specifically, the Court ruled that the Xtampza ER formulation does not infringe the ʼ497 and ʼ717 patents. On September 18, 2019, Purdue gave the Court notice of its bankruptcy filing and sought the imposition of an automatic stay of the proceedings. On September 20, 2019, the matter was stayed pending further order of the Court. On September 1, 2020, the Bankruptcy Court entered an Order Granting Motions for Relief from the Automatic Stay, lifting the automatic stays in both the District of Massachusetts and PTAB proceedings. The Company appealed the Bankruptcy Court’s Order, in part, and that appeal is stayed, on consent by Purdue, pending the outcome of any appeal of the PTAB proceedings. On September 11, 2020, Purdue filed a motion to terminate the PTAB action on the basis that those proceedings had gone beyond the 18-month statutory period. The Company opposed Purdue’s motion. On November 19, 2021, the PTAB (i) denied Purdue’s motion to terminate the PGR and (ii) issued its Final Written Decision, finding that claims 1-17 of the ʼ961 patent were invalid for lack of written description and anticipation. On December 17, 2021, Purdue filed a Request for Director Review. That request was denied on February 7, 2022. On February 16, 2022, Purdue filed a Federal Circuit notice of appeal. On April 12, 2022, the Company filed a Motion to Dismiss the Appeal as Untimely. On May 20, 2022, the Federal Circuit denied the Motion to Dismiss and directed the parties to address jurisdiction during merits briefing. On April 2, 2021, the Court granted Purdue’s Motion to Lift the Stay in the District of Massachusetts that was entered following Purdue’s Notice of Bankruptcy. On April 9, 2021, Purdue filed another follow-on lawsuit asserting infringement of U.S. Patent No. 10,407,434, which was late-listed in the Orange Book and therefore could not trigger any stay of FDA approval. The Company responded to Purdue’s complaint asserting the ’434 patent with a motion to dismiss. On May 21, 2021, and in response to the Company’s motion to dismiss, Purdue filed an amended complaint asserting the ’434 patent. The Company renewed its motion to dismiss on June 4, 2021, arguing: (i) Purdue cannot, as a matter of law, state a claim for infringement under § 271(e)(2)(A); (ii) Purdue cannot, as a matter of law, state a claim for product-by-process infringement under §271(g); and (iii) Purdue has not alleged facts sufficient to support any indirect infringement theory under §271(b) or (c). The Court held a hearing on the Company’s motion to dismiss on October 13, 2021, and the motion is pending before the Court. Like the prior follow-on lawsuits, the ’434 patent litigation was consolidated into the lead case and a scheduling order was entered. On October 5, 2021, the Court held a claim construction hearing for the ʼ961 patent and the ʼ434 patent. On August 17, 2022, the Court set (i) the fact discovery deadline for February 3, 2023; and (ii) expert witness depositions to conclude by May 26, 2023. The Court has not set a deadline for dispositive motions or trial. The remaining patents-in-suit in the lead consolidated action in the District of Massachusetts are the ʼ933, ʼ919, ʼ434, and ʼ961 patents. The parties agreed, however, that litigation concerning the ʼ961 patent is stayed pending resolution of Purdue’s Federal Circuit appeal of the PTAB decision invalidating the claims of the ʼ961 patent. Purdue has made a demand for monetary relief, and requested a judgment of infringement, an adjustment of the effective date of FDA approval, and an injunction on the sale of the Company’s products accused of infringement. The Company has denied all claims and has requested a judgment that the remaining asserted patents are invalid and/or not infringed; the Company is also seeking a judgment that the case is exceptional and has requested an award of the Company’s attorneys’ fees for defending the case. 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. Nucynta Litigation 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. Stein Sanford v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al Sanford Higley v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al. Higley Justice II v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al. Justice Zomber v. BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., et al. Zomber Stein Sanford Higley Justice 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 Zomber In addition, on February 24, 2022, February 28, 2022, and March 7, 2022, BDSI received demand letters from three 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 four purported stockholders alleging that the Schedule 14D-9 omits purportedly material information relating to the Merger (collectively, the “Demand Letters”). On April 14, 2022, plaintiff in the Higley Action filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of the complaint. On May 15, 2022, plaintiff in the Zomber Action filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of the complaint. And, on June 24, 2022, plaintiff in the Justice Action filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of the complaint. In both of the remaining Stein and Sanford cases, on July 20, 2022, the respective Courts entered an Order for plaintiff to serve a summons and complaint by August 3, 2022. Sanford Sanford Stein While the Company believes that the remaining Merger Litigations, Inspection Letters, and Demand Letters are without merit and that the disclosures in the Schedule 14D-9 comply fully with applicable law, solely in order to avoid the expense and distraction of litigation, BDSI previously determined to voluntarily supplement the Schedule 14D-9 with certain supplemental disclosures set forth in BDSI’s Schedule 14D-9 filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022 (the “Supplemental Disclosures”). The Company and BDSI believe that the Supplemental Disclosures mooted all allegations or concerns raised in the Merger Litigations, Inspection Letters, and Demand Letters. As set forth in the Supplemental Disclosures, nothing therein shall be deemed an admission of the legal necessity or materiality under applicable law of the Supplemental Disclosures. To the contrary, the Company and BDSI specifically deny all allegations that any of the Supplemental Disclosures, or any other additional disclosures, were or are required. The Company plans to defend the Merger Litigations 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. Opioid Litigation As a result of the opioid epidemic, numerous state and local governments, healthcare providers, and other entities brought suit against manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and pharmacies alleging a variety of claims related to opioid marketing and distribution practices. In late 2017, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered the consolidation of what were then a few hundred cases pending around the country in federal court against opioid manufacturers and distributors into a Multi-District Litigation (“MDL”) in the Northern District of Ohio. Generally, these suits do not seek damages for injuries to individuals but rather compensation for the cost of public services needed to address the consequences of addicted communities, ranging from emergency response capabilities to rehabilitation services. The Company was named as a defendant in a small subset of the MDL cases. Of the 21 MDL cases that have named the Company as a defendant, the allegations against it were previously dismissed or withdrawn in 13 cases. As explained below, the remaining eight MDL cases that named the Company were dismissed as of April 19, 2022. In addition, the Company had been previously dismissed from three non-MDL cases filed in Pennsylvania and Arkansas state courts. Outside of the MDL, there are several cases pending against the Company in state courts in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts: ● lawsuits naming the Company have been consolidated for discovery purposes in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas as part of a consolidated proceeding of similar lawsuits brought by numerous Pennsylvania counties against other pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. These include lawsuits filed between May 2018 and July 2019 on behalf of Bucks County, Clinton County, Mercer County, Warrington Township, Warminster Township, and the City of Lock Haven, each of Pennsylvania, alleging claims related to opioid marketing and distribution, including negligence, fraud, unjust enrichment, public nuisance, and violations of state consumer protections laws. ● On December 24, 2021, the Company entered into a settlement framework with Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law, LLP (the “Scott Firm”), the law firm representing plaintiffs in each of the 27 cases, including the 8 remaining MDL cases and 19 state court cases described above. Pursuant to the terms of the settlement framework, which were later memorialized in a final settlement agreement, the Company agreed to pay an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,750 in exchange for the dismissal, with prejudice, of each plaintiff’s lawsuit against the Company and a release of claims related to such lawsuits. The settlement agreement has been executed by the Company and all 27 plaintiffs, and the amounts subject to the settlement agreement have been paid. The Company entered into this settlement to efficiently resolve this litigation and does not admit any liability or acknowledge any wrongdoing in connection with the settlement agreement. The parties have submitted appropriate motions to dismiss the Company with prejudice for each of the 27 cases. A notice of voluntary dismissal as to Collegium was filed in the MDL on April 19, 2022, which dismissed the Company from the eight remaining MDL cases that named it. In the consolidated Pennsylvania state court cases, a motion for leave to discontinue as to the Company was filed on April 11, 2022 for the six cases naming the Company, which has been granted. In Massachusetts state court, motions to dismiss the Company from the thirteen cases naming it were filed May 11, 2022. The Court endorsed all thirteen of these motions to dismiss on July 22, 2022, thereby dismissing the Company from those cases. Ongoing BDSI Litigation Matters BDSI’s ongoing litigations with Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly MonoSol Rx, “Aquestive”) and Indivior PLC (formerly RB Pharmaceuticals Limited, “Indivior”) are provided below. Litigation related to BUNAVAIL On October 29, 2013, Reckitt Benckiser, Inc., Indivior PLC (formerly RB Pharmaceuticals Limited, “Indivior”), and Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly MonoSol Rx, “Aquestive”) (collectively, the “RB Plaintiffs”) filed an action against BDSI relating to its BUNAVAIL product in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (“EDNC”) for alleged patent infringement. BUNAVAIL is a drug approved for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. The RB Plaintiffs claim that the formulation for BUNAVAIL, which has never been disclosed publicly, infringes its U.S. Patent No. 8,475,832 (the “‘832 Patent”). On May 21, 2014, the Court granted BDSI’s motion to dismiss. On January 22, 2014, Aquestive initiated an inter partes review (“IPR”) on U.S. Patent No. 7,579,019, (the “‘019 Patent”). The PTAB upheld all claims of BDSI’s ‘019 Patent in 2015 and this decision was not appealed by Aquestive. On September 20, 2014, BDSI filed a declaratory judgment action in the United States District Court for the EDNC requesting the Court to make a determination that BDSI’s BUNAVAIL product does not infringe the ‘832 Patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,897,080 (the “‘080 Patent”) and U.S. Patent No. 8,652,378 (the “‘378 Patent”). BDSI obtained a final written decision of invalidity of the ‘080 Patent in its entirety in an inter partes reexamination proceeding. BDSI obtained a final written decision of invalidity of all relevant claims of the ‘832 Patent in an IPR proceeding. In an IPR proceeding for the ‘378 Patent, in its decision not to institute the IPR proceeding, the PTAB construed the claims of the ‘378 Patent. Shortly thereafter, by joint motion of the parties, the ‘378 Patent was removed from the District Court action. On June 6, 2016, in an unrelated case in which Indivior and Aquestive asserted the ‘832 Patent against other parties, the Delaware District Court entered an order invalidating other claims in the ‘832 Patent. Indivior and Aquestive did not appeal the Delaware Court’s holding that other claims of the ‘832 Patent are invalid. On February 10, 2021, the parties in BDSI’s EDNC declaratory judgment action filed a covenant by Indivior and Aquestive not to sue BDSI for infringement of the ‘832 Patent. In view of that covenant and the prior invalidation of the ‘080 patent, BDSI filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of its EDNC declaratory judgement action. On September 22, 2014, the RB Plaintiffs filed an action against BDSI (and BDSI’s commercial partner) relating to BDSI’s BUNAVAIL product in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey for alleged patent infringement. The RB Plaintiffs claim that BUNAVAIL, whose formulation and manufacturing processes have never been disclosed publicly, infringes its patent U.S. Patent No. 8,765,167 (the “‘167 Patent”). On December 12, 2014, BDSI filed a motion to transfer the case from New Jersey to North Carolina and a motion to dismiss the case against its commercial partner. On October 28, 2014, BDSI filed multiple IPR petitions on certain claims of the ‘167 Patent. The USPTO instituted three of the four IPR petitions. The PTAB upheld the claims and denied collateral estoppel applied to the PTAB decisions in March 2016. BDSI appealed to Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The USPTO intervened with respect to whether collateral estoppel applied to the PTAB. On June 19, 2018, BDSI filed a motion to remand the case for further consideration by the PTAB in view of intervening authority. On July 31, 2018, the Federal Circuit vacated the decisions, and remanded the ‘167 Patent IPRs for further consideration on the merits. On February 7, 2019, the PTAB issued three decisions on remand vacating institution of the three previously instituted IPRs of the ‘167 patent. On March 11, 2019, BDSI timely appealed the PTAB decisions on remand to U.S. Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit. On March 20, 2019, Aquestive and Indivior moved to dismiss the appeal, and BDSI opposed that motion. On August 29, 2019, a three -judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted the motion and dismissed BDSI’s appeal. On September 30, 2019, BDSI filed a petition for an en banc rehearing of the order dismissing BDSI’s appeal by the full Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. On January 13, 2020, by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied BDSI’s petition for en banc rehearing of the dismissal of BDSI’s appeal relating to inter partes review proceedings on the ’167 patent. On June 11, 2020, BDSI filed a petition for certiorari seeking U.S. Supreme Court review of the Federal Circuit’s decision. On October 5, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court denied BDSI’s petition for certiorari. On May 18, 2021, the RB Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint dropping BDSI’s commercial partner from the action it began on September 22, 2014. On June 1, 2021, BDSI answered the amended complaint asserting counterclaims of non-infringement, invalidity, and unenforceability. On December 16, 2021, the parties completed claim construction briefing on the disputed claim terms of the ʼ167 patent. The Court has not set a date for the claim construction hearing. Fact discovery is set to close ninety days after the court issues its order on claim construction. Expert discovery is set to close 141 days after the close of fact discovery. The Court has not set a trial date. Litigation related to BELBUCA On January 13, 2017, Aquestive filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey alleging BELBUCA infringes the ‘167 Patent. In lieu of answering the complaint, BDSI filed motions to dismiss the complaint and, in the alternative, to transfer the case to the EDNC. On July 25, 2017, the New Jersey Court administratively terminated the case pending the parties’ submission of a joint stipulation of transfer because the District of New Jersey was an inappropriate venue. This case was later transferred to the Delaware District Court. On October 31, 2017, BDSI filed motions to dismiss the complaint and, in the alternative, to transfer the case to the EDNC. On October 16, 2018, denying the motion to dismiss as moot, the Delaware District Court granted BDSI’s motion to transfer the case to the EDNC. On November 20, 2018, BDSI moved the EDNC to dismiss the complaint for patent infringement for failure to state a claim for relief. On August 6, 2019, the EDNC granted BDSI’s motion to dismiss, and dismissed the complaint without prejudice. On or about November 11, 2019, Aquestive refiled a complaint in the EDNC against BDSI alleging that BELBUCA infringes the ‘167 Patent. On January 13, 2020, in lieu of answering the complaint, BDSI filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. After that motion was denied, BDSI answered the complaint on April 16, 2020. Aquestive moved to dismiss BDSI’s counterclaim of unenforceability, but the court denied that motion. On December 16, 2021, the parties completed claim construction briefing on the disputed claim terms of the ʼ167 patent. The Court has not set a date for the claim construction hearing. Fact discovery is set to close ninety days after the court issues its order on claim construction. Expert discovery is set to close 141 days after the close of fact discovery. The Court has not set a trial date. 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. Chemo Research, S.L On March 1, 2019, BDSI filed a complaint for patent infringement in Delaware against Chemo Research, S.L., Insud Pharma S.L., IntelGenx Corp., and IntelGenx Technologies Corp. (collectively, the “Chemo Defendants”), asserting that the Chemo Defendants infringe its Orange Book listed patents for BELBUCA, including U.S. Patent Nos. 8,147,866 and 9,655,843, both expiring in July of 2027, and U.S. Patent No. 9,901,539 expiring December of 2032 (collectively, “the BEMA patents”). This complaint follows a receipt by BDSI on January 31, 2019, of a Notice Letter from Chemo Research S.L. stating that it has filed with the FDA an ANDA containing a Paragraph IV Patent Certification, for a generic version of BELBUCA Buccal Film in strengths 75 mcg, 150 mcg, 300 mcg, 450 mcg, and 900 mcg. Because BDSI initiated a patent infringement suit asserting the patents identified in the Notice Letter within 45 days after receipt, the FDA is prevented from approving the ANDA until the earlier of 30 months or a decision in the case that each of the patents is not infringed or invalid. On March 15, 2019, BDSI filed a complaint against the Chemo Defendants in the Federal District Court for the District of New Jersey asserting the same claims for patent infringement made in the Delaware lawsuit. On April 19, 2019, Defendants filed an answer to the Delaware complaint wherein they denied infringement of the ‘866, ‘843 and ‘539 patents and asserted counterclaims seeking declaratory relief concerning the alleged invalidity and non-infringement of such patents. On April 25, 2019, BDSI voluntarily dismissed the New Jersey lawsuit given Defendants’ consent to jurisdiction in Delaware. The trial to adjudicate issues concerning the validity of the Orange Book listed patents covering BELBUCA was held on March 1, 2021. Chemo did not participate in the bench trial. Instead, on February 26, 2021, Chemo agreed to be bound by the decision of the Court with respect to the validity of the BEMA patents from the March 1, 2021 trial with Alvogen. On December 20, 2021, the Court issued an opinion upholding the validity of claims in BDSI’s ‘866 patent, which expires in 2027, and claims in the ’539 patent, which expires in 2032, to which Chemo is bound. The bench trial to adjudicate issues concerning the Chemo Defendants’ infringement of the Orange Book patents was set to commence on April 25, 2022. O n March 30, 2022, the Court vacated the trial and has not yet set a new trial date. The Court instructed the parties to file a joint status report on February 1, 2023. On August 1, 2022, BDSI received a second Paragraph IV certification notice letter from Chemo indicating that Chemo has amended its ANDA to include its generic version of the 600 mcg and 750 mcg strengths of Belbuca, in addition to the 300 mcg, 450 mcg, and 900 mcg strengths identified in the first Chemo Paragraph IV certification notice letter. In response, on September 12, 2022, BDSI filed a complaint for patent infringement in Federal District Court for the District of Delaware. The Company plans to litigate these cases 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. Alvogen On September 7, 2018, BDSI filed a complaint for patent infringement in United States District Court for the District of Delaware against Alvogen Pb Research & Development LLC, Alvogen Malta Operations Ltd., Alvogen Pine Brook LLC, Alvogen, Incorporated, and Alvogen Group, Incorporated (collectively, “Alvogen”), asserting that Alvogen infringes BDSI’s Orange Book listed patents for BELBUCA, including U.S. Patent Nos. 8,147,866 and 9,655,843, both expiring in July of 2027, and U.S. Patent No. 9,901,539, expiring in December of 2032 (collectively, “the BEMA patents”) The Court scheduled a bench trial to commence on November 9, 2020 to adjudicate issues concerning the validity of the BEMA patents. On October 6, 2020, the Court rescheduled the bench trial with Alvogen to commence on March 1, 2021. A three-day bench trial against Alvogen was conducted commencing on March 1, 2021. At the conclusion of trial, the Court ordered the parties to submit post-trial briefs. Post-trial briefing was completed on May 26, 2021. BDSI subsequently moved the Court to strike (i.e., remove from the Court’s consideration) three patent invalidity defenses raised for the first time in Alvogen’s post-trial briefs and two documents improperly cited in Alvogen’s post-trial briefs. On June 28, 2021, the Court granted BDSI’s motion to strike in its entirety. In addition, on June 28, 2021, the Court enjoined Alvogen from launching its generic product until the Court issued its final decision on the merits. On September 21, 2021, BDSI filed under seal a Motion for Order to Show Cause why Defendants Should not be Held in Contempt for Violating the Court Order of June 28, 2021 (the “Motion”). On June 28, 2021, citing the statute authorizing the Court to extend the 30-month stay under the Hatch-Waxman Act, the Court ordered Alvogen not to “launch” its generic product until it could reach a final decision on the merits in the case. In the Motion, BDSI contends that Alvogen violated the order of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware commencing in or about August 2021 by, among other things, offering the generic product for sale through five compendia / price reporting services, including First Databank, Medi-Span (Wolters Kluwer), Red Book, Gold Standard and ScriptPro. As alleged in the Motion, after Alvogen’s product launch, certain payers began declining insurance coverage for BDSI’s brand BELBUCA and directing use of Alvogen’s generic substitute and/or made it more difficult for patients to obtain insurance coverage for BELBUCA. In addition to filing the Motion, BDSI demanded that Alvogen withdraw its compendia listings. Alvogen claims to have withdrawn its compendia product listings on or about September 9, 2021. On December 20, 2021, the Court issued an opinion upholding the validity of claims in BDSI’s ‘866 patent, which expires in 2027, and claims in the ’539 patent, which expires in 2032. Alvogen conceded infringement of those claims prior to the trial. The Court entered final judgment of infringement and of failure to prove invalidity on January 21, 2022. The final judgment entered in this case upholding the validity of claims of the ’866 and ’539 Orange Book listed patents extends the effective date of any final approval by the FDA of Alvogen’s ANDA until December 21, 2032, which is the expiration date of the ’539 patent, and enjoins Alvog |
