Item 1.01. Entry into Material Definitive Agreement.
On October 16, 2009, QLT Inc., a corporation formed under the laws of the
Province of British Columbia, Canada ("QLT"), entered into an Amended and
Restated PDT Product Development, Manufacturing and Distribution Agreement (the
"Amended PDT Agreement") with Novartis Pharma AG, a Swiss corporation
("Novartis"). Under the Amended PDT Agreement, effective January 1, 2010, QLT
will, among other things, receive exclusive U.S. rights to the VisudyneŽ patents
to sell and market Visudyne in the U.S. Visudyne, a photosensitizer co-developed
with Novartis, is approved worldwide for the treatment of a form of wet
age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of legal blindness in people
over the age of 55 in North America and Europe.
Under the Amended PDT Agreement, QLT will have exclusive U.S. sales and
marketing rights to Visudyne, including rights to all end-user revenue derived
from Visudyne sales in the U.S. Novartis will have marketing and sales rights in
all countries outside of the U.S. ("ex-US") and will pay QLT a royalty of 20% of
ex-US net sales until December 31, 2014, and thereafter 16% of ex-US net sales
until the expiry of the Amended PDT Agreement on December 31, 2019. QLT will
continue to manufacture Visudyne and will supply the product at a pre-specified
price exclusively to Novartis for ex-US distribution. QLT and Novartis will each
be responsible for all costs and expenses associated with marketing and sales in
their respective territories.
Also under the Amended PDT Agreement, QLT and Novartis have released each other
from all open claims the parties may have against each other, including any in
connection with QLT's litigation with Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and
QLT's litigation with General Hospital Corporation (doing business as
Massachusetts General Hospital).
The foregoing does not purport to be a complete description of the Amended PDT
Agreement and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Amended PDT
Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.48 and which is
incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit No. Description
10.48* Amended and Restated PDT Product Development, Manufacturing
and Distribution Agreement between QLT Inc. and Novartis
Pharma AG, dated October 16, 2009.
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* Certain
portions of
this exhibit
have been
omitted and
filed
separately
with the SEC
pursuant to
a request
for
confidential
treatment
under
Rule 24b-2
promulgated
under the
Securities
Exchange Act
of 1934, as
amended.