Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

5. ACQUISITIONS

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5. ACQUISITIONS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]  
Acquisitions

On December 30, 2015, we completed the CanX Acquisition, a business combination pursuant to a merger agreement with CanX. The assets acquired include in-process research and development, trade names and non-compete agreements associated with pharmaceutical product development programs and a line of consumer products. The purchase price included $250,000 in cash, 5,000,000 shares of Company common stock, plus contingent consideration of $250,000 (subject to a new financing transaction with gross proceeds greater than $750,000) and 19,500,000 shares of Company common stock based on achieving certain post-closing milestones. The CanX Acquisition positioned the Company to pursue both pharmaceutical product development and branded consumer products utilizing CBD.

 

The contingent consideration arrangement requires us to issue up to 19,500,000 shares of Company common stock to the selling CanX shareholders upon successful completion of the following milestones: a) 4,500,000 shares of Company common stock the first time the Company completes development of a U.S. Food & Drug Administration (the “FDA”) current good manufacturing practice grade batch of successfully synthetically formulated “ready to ship” CBD for use in drug development activities, as confirmed in writing by the third party formulating entity engaged to conduct such development; b) 5,000,000 shares of Company common stock the first time the Company files an investigational new drug application with the FDA in connection with a development program utilizing CBD as the active pharmaceutical ingredient (a CBD Drug Product); c) 5,000,000 shares of Company common stock the first time the Company commences a Phase I clinical trial as authorized by the FDA for a CBD Drug Product; and, d) 5,000,000 shares of Company common stock the first time the Company commences a Phase II clinical trial as authorized by the FDA for a CBD Drug Product.

  

The fair value of contingent consideration based on achievement of the milestones described above will range depending on whether the milestones are achieved and the Company’s stock price at the date of issuance of the stock for payment of the milestones. The fair value of contingent consideration on the acquisition date was estimated by utilizing a discounted cash flow method and applied estimates for probabilities of achieving commercialization of potential drug candidates over the period of potential patent expiration, estimated at 20 years. The discounted cash flow measure is based on significant Level 3 inputs not observable in the market.

 

In connection with the CanX Acquisition, the Company acquired IPR&D totaling $3,730,000, which is classified as an indefinite life asset and is not being amortized. In conjunction with this acquisition, the Company recognized $2,788,300 of goodwill. However, none of the goodwill, IPR&D and other intangible assets acquired are expected to be deductible for income tax purposes. Accordingly, in conjunction with the valuation of intangible assets acquired, it was determined that a deferred income tax liability of $1,556,300 was required to reflect the book to tax differences of the CanX Acquisition. This same amount was added to the goodwill balance.

 

In March 2017, the Company entered into an amendment to the principal agreement for the CanX Acquisition (the “Amendment”), as more fully set forth in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 22, 2017 (the “March 2017 8-K”). Pursuant to such Amendment, which was approved by the disinterested members of the Board of Directors of the Company, the Company agreed to issue the remaining 15,000,000 shares of contingent consideration to the former CanX shareholders, without the Company having yet achieved any of the remaining post-closing milestones.

 

Additionally, pursuant to such Amendment, the parties agreed to revise the Company’s buy-out option of the royalties payable to the CanX shareholders in the future, to allow the Company to buy-out the future royalty payments by the issuance of 6,400,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock (the “Royalty Buy-Out Shares”) to the former CanX shareholders. The Company concurrently exercised the buy-out option, as so revised.

 

In the aggregate, pursuant to the Amendment, the Company agreed to issue to the former CanX shareholders a total of 21,400,000 shares of restricted common stock (See Note 11). As previously disclosed in the January 2016 8-K, James McNulty, a member of the Board, is a former shareholder of CanX and thereby received his pro rata portion of the consideration paid to the former CanX shareholders. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recorded an expense of $2,432,000 for the value of the Royalty Buy-Out Shares as a separate line item in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations.

 

The fair value of IPR&D on the acquisition date was estimated by utilizing the multiple-period excess earnings method with revenues projected to commence in 2021, is adjusted for probabilities, and used a discount rate of approximately 21%. The multiple-period excess earnings method measure is based on significant Level 3 inputs not observable in the market.

 

As a result of the CanX Acquisition, the Company expects to build on our reputation, experience and expertise in CBD to expand our corporate mission to include bringing the attributes of CBD to the prescription drug market. These factors, among others, contributed to a purchase price in excess of the estimated fair value of the CanX Acquisition net identifiable assets and, as a result, the Company recorded goodwill in connection with this transaction.