Item 1.02. Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement.
Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the "Company") received notification from
Novartis International Pharmaceutical Ltd. ("Novartis") that Novartis had
terminated the Research Collaboration and Option Agreement (the "Research
Agreement") dated May 31, 2005, by and between the Company and Novartis,
effective as of February 21, 2010, in accordance with the terms thereof.
In accordance with the termination provisions of the Research Agreement, upon
termination the Company will regain all rights to IMO-2134, a novel agonist of
TLR9 created by the Company, without any financial obligations to Novartis, and
will no longer subject to restrictions on its right to develop its Toll-like
Receptor (TLR)-targeted compounds, including its TLR antagonists and TLR
antisense oligonucleotides, for respiratory diseases.
The Company's entry into the Research Agreement, as well as the related
License, Development and Commercialization Agreement between the parties, which
did not and will not become effective, was reported in its Current Report on
Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2005,
which Current Report is incorporated herein by reference.
A copy of the Company's press release announcing the termination of the
Research Agreement issued on November 25, 2009 is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this
Current Report on Form 8-K.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
99.1 Press release issued by Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on November 25, 2009