NOTE 9 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Milestone Payments and Royalties

Please refer to Note 4 for further discussion of commitments to make milestone payments and to pay royalties under license agreements.

COVID-19

In December 2019, COVID-19 was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, and by March 2020 the spread of the virus had resulted in a world-wide pandemic. The U.S. economy has been largely shut down by mass quarantines and government mandated stay-in-place orders to halt the spread of the virus. While these orders are being lifted gradually, a full recovery of the U.S. economy may not occur until 2021 or later. Federal and state governments in the U.S. have approved funding for many programs that may provide financial assistance to individuals and businesses. The Company intends to pursue all material types of government assistance that it may be entitled to. However, no assurance can be provided that the Company will qualify and realize any material benefits from such assistance.

COVID-19 has resulted in an economic environment that is unfavorable for many businesses to pursue new equity financings. Accordingly, the current economic environment is expected to present greater challenges for the Company to obtain additional funding for its clinical programs on terms that are acceptable to the Company's Board of Directors.

In February 2020, Rezolute announced the initiation of its Phase 2b trial in Congenital Hyperinsulinism ("CHI"). New site initiation and enrollment is on hold, similar to many other clinical studies conducted by other companies throughout the world. There are no mitigation strategies we can employ to help avoid potential timeline delays should there be an extended enrollment pause due to COVID-19. The long-term effects of COVID-19 are expected to require additional safeguards to protect patients and staff engaged in clinical activities, and extended periods of time required to complete clinical trials, both of which are expected to result in higher overall costs. While the current business disruption is expected to be temporary, the long-term financial impact and the duration cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

Employment Agreements

As of June 30, 2020, the Company was subject to employment agreements with three executive officers that provide for aggregate annual base salaries of $1.2 million. In the event the Company terminates employment of the executive officers without cause, severance benefits include (i) between one and three years of base salary, (ii) between 50% and 150% of annual target bonuses applicable to the terminated executive, and (iii) continuation of certain medical and dental benefits. In addition, vesting is accelerated for unvested stock options that would have otherwise vested during the period that the severance benefits are paid out.

401(k) Plan

The Company has a defined contribution employee benefit plan under section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “401(k) Plan”). The 401(k) Plan covers all eligible employees who are entitled to participate six months after commencement of employment. The Company matches contributions up to 4% of the participating employee’s compensation with such matching contributions vested immediately. Total contributions by the Company to the 401(k) Plan amounted to approximately $0.1 million for each of the fiscal years ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.

Legal Matters

From time to time, the Company may be involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of operations in the normal course of business. As of June 30, 2020, there were no pending or threatened lawsuits that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the Company’s results of operations. At each reporting period, the Company evaluates whether or not a potential loss amount or a potential range of loss is probable and reasonably estimable under ASC 450, Contingencies. Legal fees are expensed as incurred.