Exhibit 10.3
CONFIDENTIAL
Eric N. Prystowsky,
MD
STEREOTAXIS ADVISORY BOARD AND
CONSULTING AGREEMENT
This Agreement is made by and
between Stereotaxis, Inc., a Delaware corporation (hereinafter
“Company”), and Eric N. Prystowsky, MD (hereinafter
“Consultant”).
WHEREAS, Consultant is practicing at
St. Vincent’s Health System (hereinafter
“Institution”) and is affiliated with Ascension Health
Ventures (hereinafter “Ascension”). Consultant has been
involved in medical research in fields of particular interest to
the Company and has achieved recognition as an international leader
in the field of cardiac electrophysiology. The Company wishes to
retain Consultant in a consulting capacity and as a member of the
Stereotaxis Advisory Board, and Consultant desires to perform such
consulting services.
WHEREAS, the Company has developed
and acquired substantial information and expertise in the fields of
remote, computer-controlled or assisted navigation and delivery of
interventional disposable devices, with or without the use of
magnetic devices or systems, and related interventional
workstations, used in or with interventional medical procedures
(hereinafter “Company Technology”), and will disclose
to Consultant such information as Company deems appropriate about
Company Technology to assist Consultant in developing ideas for the
application of such Company Technology.
In consideration of the foregoing,
and for other good and valuable consideration, the adequacy and
receipt of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as
follows:
1. Services
.
1.1 Consultant shall advise the
Company’s management, employees, and agents, at reasonable
times, in matters related to computer-controlled or assisted
navigation systems, devices, and therapies (hereinafter
“Field of Interest”), as requested by the Company. In
response to a request by an officer or duly appointed
representative of the Company, Consultant shall provide
consultation over the telephone, in person at Consultant’s
office, or through written correspondence. Such consultation will
include reviewing activities and developments in the Field of
Interest and advising on new products and applications for the
Company Technology. In addition, Consultant shall, from
time-to-time, make himself available in person at the
Company’s offices or other locations as agreed upon. The
consulting services required under this Section 1.1 are
described in greater detail on Schedule 1.1 ,
incorporated herein by reference.
1.2 Consultant shall participate as
a member and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board
(hereinafter, “Advisory Board”) and use his best
efforts to attend Advisory Board meetings at least one
(1) time per year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ MPK
|
|
PT
11-08SABm
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 16
|
|
|
|
/s/ PAT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ ENP
|
CONFIDENTIAL
2. Consideration .
2.1 In consideration for the
consulting, advisory, development, and research services provided
by Consultant under Section 1 hereof at the specific request
of the Company, Consultant will be compensated as described
below:
(a) The Company agrees to pay
Consultant a cash stipend of US $28,800.00 per calendar quarter,
for all services provided at the specific request of the Company
(Section 1.0), provided, however, that any time spent by Consultant
shall be limited to such amount of time as the parties may agree in
advance. Payment shall be made at the end of each calendar quarter
for documented time spent during the three (3) months of that
quarter. For purposes of this Agreement, services provided shall
consist of at least 36.0 hours per calendar quarter.
(i) In the event Consultant spends
fewer than 36.0 hours per quarter, Consultant’s remuneration
shall be adjusted pro rata based on an hourly rate of $800.00, and,
upon payment for the applicable quarter, the Company shall inform
Consultant, in writing (in accordance with Section 14.0), that
the service requirements for the given period have not been met and
pro rata adjustments have been made.
(ii) Documented time spent (Section
2.1(b)) for services provided in excess of 36.0 hours in a given
calendar quarter may be carried forward toward remuneration in
subsequent calendar quarters, as is appropriate.
(iii) Outstanding remuneration for
services completed under the prior agreement with Consultant as
amended 1 July 2005 (hereinafter “Prior
Agreement”) and compensated as monthly installments pursuant
to the Prior Agreement shall be carried forward under the quarterly
remuneration schedule provided for hereunder as outlined in this
Section 2.1(a).
(b) Consultant agrees to maintain a
record of his days spent and activities performed pursuant to time
sheets in substantially the form attached as Exhibit A to
this Agreement (or other form, electronic or otherwise, that may be
approved by the Company). Such time sheets shall be treated as
invoices for payments due pursuant to this Section 2 and
Company shall have no obligation to make payment unless and until
Consultant shall have submitted his time sheet for the applicable
calendar quarter. The Company shall not reimburse for time and/or
services otherwise billable to insurance carriers or other third
parties.
(c) The Company agrees to reimburse
Consultant for reasonable and documented travel and related
expenses actually incurred by Consultant and pre-approved in
writing by the Company, in accordance with Stereotaxis standard
expense reimbursement policies, as amended from time to time.
Consultant shall also maintain records of his actual expenses
incurred in connection with the performance of the services under
the Agreement.
(d) Within 30 days following the end
of each calendar quarter, Consultant shall submit to Company his
timesheets and expense reports, and the Company shall issue a check
for the applicable amount within 30 days following receipt of such
reports or otherwise in accordance with the Company’s
standard payment cycle.
2.2 Consultant acknowledges and
agrees that the fees and expenses provided for above represent
Company’s full and complete obligation for any and all
advisory and consulting services to be rendered, and expenses
incurred, on behalf of the Company under this Agreement.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ MPK
|
|
PT
11-08SABm
|
|
|
|
Page 2 of 16
|
|
|
|
/s/ PAT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ ENP
|
CONFIDENTIAL
2.3 In the event that Consultant is
requested to serve as a principal investigator of one or more of
the Company’s human clinical trials, Consultant acknowledges
that, to the extent required by Title 21 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 54, the Company will disclose all financial
compensation to Consultant from the Company under this Agreement on
a written Form 3454, which will be submitted by the Company to the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Termination of this Agreement
shall not modify the disclosure requirements specified in this
section for relevant submissions to the FDA. Consultant’s
services as a principal investigator in any Company-sponsored
clinical trials shall not be subject to this Agreement (other than
this Section 2.3).
2.4 (a) The Company and Consultant
acknowledge and agree that the consideration set forth in this
Section 2 represents the fair market value for the services to
be rendered under this Agreement, and no amount payable hereunder
is intended to constitute a payment for the inducement of patient
referrals, the purchase, lease, or order of any item or service, or
the recommending or arranging for the purchase, lease, or order of
any item or service.
(b) This Agreement
shall be construed to the fullest extent possible to be in
compliance with and permitted by all U.S., non-U.S., state, or
other local laws, statutes, rules, and regulations. If a Triggering
Event (as defined below) occurs after the date hereof, the parties
agree that they shall amend this Agreement solely to the extent
necessary to comply with the item giving rise to the Triggering
Event and in a manner that shall preserve the underlying economic
and financial arrangements between the parties with the least
changes to the parties’ expectations hereunder. For purposes
of this Section 2.4, a “Triggering Event” shall
mean any U.S., state, or local governmental agency, or any other
non-U.S. local governmental agency, or any court or administrative
tribunal, passing, issuing, or promulgating any law, final rule,
final regulation, or rendering from an evidentiary proceeding any
order, decision, or judgment (including but not limited to those
relating to any final regulations promulgated under applicable
anti-kickback or self-referral statutes) which in the good faith
and reasonable judgment of a party hereto materially and adversely
affects such party’s licensure or certification, ability to
obtain any material benefit hereunder or under any payment program
to which it is a party or ability to perform a material obligation
hereunder. If the parties in good faith cannot agree on a necessary
amendment under this Section 2.4 within thirty (30) days
of the Triggering Event, then this Agreement shall terminate
without further action on the 30 th day.
3. Term .
3.1 This Agreement shall have an
initial term of one (1) year from the Effective Date (the
“Term”). This Agreement may be renewable for periods
(the “Renewal Term”) up to a cumulative term of two
(2) years from the Effective Date (collectively, the
“Term”). All such Renewal Terms shall be valid only
upon the execution of a written agreement by Consultant and the
Company, approved by a Company Compliance Officer pursuant to
Section 20.0 of the Agreement, and executed prior to the end
of the then current Initial or Renewal Term.
3.2 Termination.
(a) In the event that either Party
hereto shall commit a material breach with respect to the
performance of any of its obligations hereunder and if such breach
shall not be remedied within thirty (30) days after written
notice of such breach by the nonbreaching
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ MPK
|
|
PT
11-08SABm
|
|
|
|
Page 3 of 16
|
|
|
|
/s/ PAT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ ENP
|
CONFIDENTIAL
Party to the breaching Party, then the
nonbreaching Party may, but shall not be obligated to, terminate
this Agreement immediately upon further notice. Any termination
hereof shall not waive any legal or equitable remedy available to
the nonbreaching Party against the breaching Party by reason of
such breach. Either Party hereto shall be deemed to be in breach
hereunder if at any time it shall be adjudicated bankrupt or
insolvent, or an order shall be entered, remaining unstayed by
appeal or otherwise for sixty (60) days, appointing a receiver
or trustee for such Party or any of its properties, or approving a
petition seeking reorganization or other relief under the
bankruptcy or similar laws of the United States, any U.S. state or
applicable foreign law, or such Party shall file a petition to take
advantage of any statutes for the protection of debtors, or make a
general assignment for the benefit of creditors. Upon the
occurrence of any such breach under the provisions of the preceding
sentence, the nonbreaching Party shall be entitled to terminate
this Agreement immediately upon written notice given to the
breaching Party.
(b) In addition, either party may
terminate this Agreement upon 30 days’ written notice to the
other party.
(c) In the event of a termination of
this Agreement pursuant to this section, the parties shall not
enter into any new agreements or financial arrangements with
respect to the subject matter hereof from the date of termination
until the next anniversary date of the Effective Date.
(d) Upon termination all accrued
payments as of the date of the notice of termination will be paid
by the Company.
(e) This Agreement shall continue in
full force and effect following any Change of Control of the
Company (as hereinafter defined) through the end of the term,
provided that the termination rights of the parties in the
event of breach, set forth in Section 3.2(a), shall not be
affected by such Change of Control. “Change of Control”
shall mean (A) any merger or other business combination
involving the Company after which the former stockholders of the
Company own less than fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding
stock of the surviving company, (B) any sale of all or
substantially all of the assets of the Company, or any similar
transaction, (C) any transaction or series of related
transactions by the Company in which in excess of fifty percent
(50%) of the voting securities of the Company are transferred
to any third party (whether a single person or a group of persons
as defined in the US securities laws), or (D) any similar
transactions or series of transactions (as reasonably determined by
the Company).
3.3 Modifications
The material terms of this
agreement, including the services performed and the compensation to
be paid, may not be modified within one (1) year following the
Effective Date of this Agreement, nor any more frequently than
annually thereafter.
4. Certain Other
Contracts .
4.1 Consultant will not disclose to
the Company any information that Consultant is obligated to keep
secret pursuant to an agreement with, or other duty of
confidentiality to, a third party, and nothing in this Agreement
shall be deemed to impose any obligation on Consultant to the
contrary. In the event that either party has a contractual or
ethical obligation to disclose the existence of this Agreement to a
third party the other party hereby consents to such disclosure,
provided that the disclosing party notifies the other party of such
disclosure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ MPK
|
|
PT
11-08SABm
|
|
|
|
Page 4 of 16
|
|
|
|
/s/ PAT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ ENP
|
CONFIDENTIAL
4.2 Consultant shall not perform
consulting work hereunder during the time that is required to be
devoted to the Institution or to any other third party. Consultant
shall not use the time, funding, resources, or facilities of the
Institution or any other third party to perform consulting work
hereunder, and Consultant shall not perform the consulting work
hereunder in any manner that would give the Institution or any
third party any claim of benefit to, or rights (including
intellectual property rights) in the product of such
work.
4.3 Consultant has disclosed on the
attached Schedule 4.3 all present (and during the
term of this Agreement Consultant shall promptly disclose to the
Chief Executive Officer of the Company any subsequent) actual or
potential conflicts between this Agreement and any other agreements
under which Consultant owes any duties or obligations, including
any agreements or understandings that Consultant has with any
person or firm relating to the Field of Interest.
5. Exclusive Services During
The Term . Consultant agrees that during the Term of this
Agreement and for a period ending one year after the expiration or
earlier termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 3 or
otherwise, he will not directly or indirectly either
(i) provide any consulting, advisory, development, and
clinical research or other services to any other business or
commercial entity which competes with the Company in the Field of
Interest or (ii) participate in the formation of any business
or commercial entity which competes with the Company in the Field
of Interest.
6. Disclosure of Discoveries
to the Company . Subject to Consultant’s
confidentiality obligations to third parties, during the term of
this Agreement, Consultant will use his best efforts to disclose to
the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, on a confidential
basis, technology and product opportunities which come to the
attention of Consultant in the Field of Interest, and any idea,
concept, invention, improvement, discovery, process, formula,
technique, or method, or other intellectual property relating to,
or useful in, the Field of Interest, whether or not patentable or
copyrightable (hereinafter “Discoveries”).
7. Consultant
Discoveries . Consultant will promptly and fully disclose
to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company (or his designee) any
Discoveries conceived, developed, or first reduced to practice by
Consultant or by the Institution or anyone working on their
respective behalves, either alone or jointly with others, while
performing services pursuant to this Agreement (the
“Consultant Discoveries”). Consultant agrees to, and
hereby does, assign to the Company all of his right, title, and
interest in and to any such Consultant Discoveries. Consultant
agrees to take such actions and execute such documents as
reasonably required by Company to secure and enforce
Company’s rights in Consultant Discoveries, including the
documents required for Company to apply for, obtain, and enforce
patents or copyrights in any and all countries on such Consultant
Discoveries. Consultant hereby irrevocably designates the Secretary
of the Company as his agent and attorney-in-fact to execute and
file any such document and to do all lawful acts necessary to apply
for and obtain patents and copyrights, and to enforce the
Company’s rights under this paragraph. This Section 7
will survive the termination of this Agreement with respect to
Consultant Discoveries. Without limiting the foregoing, but subject
to Consultant’s rights in Section 10 hereof, the Company
shall have the exclusive right to use and exploit economically, to
divulge, to
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ MPK
|
|
PT
11-08SABm
|
|
|
|
Page 5 of 16
|
|
|
|
/s/ PAT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ ENP
|
CONFIDENTIAL
publish, to record, to translate, to distribute,
and to modify all the papers, publications, and any other document
or information relating to Company Technology or otherwise within
the Field of Interest. The documents, papers, and other information
(including such Consultant Discoveries) shall not be transferred,
communicated to third parties, divulged, or published for any
reason without the Company’s prior written
consent.
8. Health
Information
8.1 The Parties recognize a common
goal of securing the integrity of all individually identifiable
health information and according that information the highest
possible degree of confidentiality and protection from
disclosure.
(a) All individually identifiable
health information (including information relating to patients
and/or study subjects whose identities may be ascertained by the
exercise of reasonable effort through investigation or through use
of other public or private databases) shall be treated as
confidential by the Parties in accordance with applicable federal,
state, and local laws, rules, and regulations governing the
confidentiality and privacy of individually identifiable health
information, including, but without limitation, to the extent that
each party is subject to it, the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and any
regulations and official guidance promulgated thereunder; and the
Parties agree to take such additional steps as may be required to
ensure that the Parties are and remain in compliance with the HIPAA
regulations and official guidance.
(b) The Company, even if not a
covered entity under HIPAA, recognizes that the Company has the
responsibility to protect all individually identifiable health
information consistent with the protections afforded to that
information as Confidential Information set forth above; and only
to use and disclose such information as necessary to discuss and
analyze the results of a clinical case, to ensure research
integrity, to communicate with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and other regulatory authorities, and otherwise as required
by law or as permitted by authorizations or consents signed by
affected patients, or waiver of authorization granted by an IRB
overseeing clinical protocols or that IRB’s affiliated
Privacy Board (the “Permitted Activities”);