Company: NCNA
Filing Date: 2025-03-20
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0000950170-25-042709
Chunk: 81

Company: NuCana plc
Filing Date: 2025-03-20
Form: 20-F
Item: Item 3
Chunk 81
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, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which could compromise our competitive position.
 Intellectual property litigation could cause us to spend substantial resources and distract our personnel from their normal responsibilities.
 Litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims, with or without merit, is unpredictable, generally expensive and time consuming and is likely to divert significant resources from our core business, including distracting our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. Furthermore, because of the discovery that is required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and, if securities analysts or

investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our ADSs. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing or distribution activities.
 For example, in 2018, we were granted a European patent from the European Patent Office, or EPO, EP 2955190, or EP 190, that covered the composition of matter of a genus of phosphoramidate nucleotide compounds that includes sofosbuvir, sold under the brand name Sovaldi®, a leading drug for the treatment of hepatitis C sold by Gilead Sciences, Inc. Sofosbuvir is also a key component of Harvoni®, Vosevi® and Epclusa®.
 In September 2022, we were granted a further European patent from the EPO, EP 3904365, or EP 365, that covered the composition of matter of a smaller genus of phosphoramidate nucleotide compounds that includes sofosbuvir.
 In connection with these patents, we and Gilead engaged in patent infringement litigation at the EPO, in the United Kingdom, and later in Germany over a several year period between 2018 and 2023. This litigation resulted in the revocation of EP 190 by the EPO and the determination of the invalidity of EP 190 and EP 365 in the United Kingdom. As a result of these decisions, we reached settlements with Gilead in relation to their legals fees for the proceedings in each of the United Kingdom and Germany.
 All obligations arising from the patent infringement litigation in the United Kingdom and Germany have been settled as at December 31, 2023. There were no