On March 28, 2018 Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ:AEZS) (TSX:AEZS) reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2017 (Press release, AEterna Zentaris, MAR 28, 2018, View Source [SID1234525032]).
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All Amounts are in U.S. Dollars
Recent Key Developments
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing approval for Macrilen
Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for the use of Macrilen (macimorelin) for the evaluation of AGHD was accepted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for regulatory review
Macrilen(macimorelin) License and Assignment Agreement to Strongbridge Biopharma completed
Financial condition and capital structure improved
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As of December 31, 2017, we had $7.8 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents at year-end and no third-party debt;
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Upfront payment of $24 million received from Strongbridge in January 2018
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Approximately 16,440,760 Common Shares outstanding as of March 27, 2018
Appointment of James Clavijo as Chief Financial Officer
Commenting on recent key developments, Michael V. Ward, President and Chief Executive Officer for Aeterna Zentaris, stated,"We made a positive transformation in the fourth quarter 2017 when we pursued out-licensing to maximize shareholder value and now are focused on the flawless execution of the contractual obligations with Strongbridge. We have been working with the exceptional leadership team at Strongbridge to transition Macrilen and are on target to support their efforts to successfully launch Macrilen as early as possible."
Mr. Ward continued his commentary with an update on the development of Macrilen."We are now in a better position to maximize additional value of Macrilen by licensing in territories outside of the United States and Canada. We have continued adjustment of the operating plan in Germany and the United States to reduce non-essential expenses.
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We further enhanced our operations with the appointment of James Clavijo as Chief Financial Officer on March 5, 2018. James is highly-skilled at building effective financial systems, organization restructuring, and developing solutions leading to financial and operational improvements."
Financial Highlights
Revenues $0.9 million
Research and Development ("R&D") Costs $10.7 million
General and Administrative ("G&A") Expenses $8.2 million
Selling Expenses $5.1 million
Net Finance Costs Income $2.8 million
Income Tax Recovery $3.5 million
Net Loss $16.8 million
Working Capital $3.6 million
Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Highlights
Revenues
Sales commission and other were $0.1 million and $0.5 million for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and $0.1 million and $0.4 million for the same periods in 2016, and thus increased in 2017 as compared to 2016. In 2017, those revenues mainly resulted from our sales team exceeding pre-established unit sales baseline thresholds under our co-promotion agreement to sell Saizen. We also generated sales commission in connection with our promotion of APIFINY. In the corresponding periods in 2016, sales commission and other revenues were mainly related to EstroGel.
License fees were $0.1 million and $0.5 million for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $0.2 million and $0.5 million for the same periods in 2016.
The Company currently has deferred revenues at December 31, 2017 of $541,000 relating to non-refundable upfront payments it previously received for licensing and technology transfer arrangements that it entered into with respect to the development of Zoptrex in various territories. Due to events that occurred in 2018, the Company does not anticipate development of Zoptrex under the licensing agreements, therefore the Company’s remaining carrying amount of deferred revenues will be recognized in the first quarter of 2018 as income.
Operating Expenses
R&D costs were $0.5 million and $10.7 million for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, compared to $4.6 million and $16.5 million for the same periods in 2016. R&D costs decreased for the three-month and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016. The decrease in R&D costs is mainly attributable to lower comparative third-party costs, as described below, partially offset by the recording, in the third quarter of 2017, of a provision in connection with the 2017 German Restructuring.
Additionally, the decrease in our R&D costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017, as compared to the same period in 2016, is attributable to lower employee compensation and benefits costs, lower facilities rent and maintenance
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costs as well as lower other costs. A substantial portion of this decrease is due to the realization of cost savings in connection with our ongoing efforts to streamline our R&D activities and to increase our commercial operations and flexibility by reducing our R&D staff, which was started in 2014 (the "Resource Optimization Program"). The R&D costs for the year ended December 31, 2017 were lower than anticipated mainly because we were able to negotiate reductions to a change order received from our principal R&D third-party service provider.
Third-party costs attributable to Zoptrex decreased during the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, as compared to the same period in 2016, mainly since we closed out the study and related activities in the second quarter following the negative Zoptrex top-line results on May 1, 2017. The negative costs for the three-month period ended December 31, 2017 are mainly explained by lower close out costs as compared to the accrual made in the second quarter.
Third-party costs attributable to Macrilen (macimorelin) decreased during the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, as compared to the same period in 2016. This is mainly since we completed the Phase 3 clinical trial at the end of 2016. The costs incurred in 2017 related to the detailed analysis of the top-line results as well as the preparation of the NDA filing which was submitted on June 30, 2017. The costs reversal in the fourth quarter of 2017 are explained mainly by the reductions to close out costs.
Excluding the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, we expect that we will incur overall R&D costs of between $1.0 million and $2.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2018.
G&A expenses were $2.8 million and $8.2 million for both the three and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $1.8 million and $7.1 million for the same periods in 2016. The increase in our G&A costs for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, as compared to the same period in 2016, is mainly due to outside legal costs. The G&A expenses are in line with expectations.
Excluding the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations and the recording of transaction costs related to potential financing activities (not currently known or estimable), we expect that G&A expenses will range between $9.0 million and $11.0 million in 2018.
Selling expenses were $0.5 million and $5.1 million for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $1.5 million and $6.7 million for the same periods in 2016. Selling expenses for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 represent mainly the costs of our sales force related to the co-promotion activities as well as our sales management team. The decrease in selling expenses is explained by the elimination of sales representatives. In the fourth quarter, we eliminated all sales representatives as part of the restructuring efforts. Based on currently available information, we expect selling expenses to range between $0.2 million and $0.5 million in 2018.
Other Income (Costs)
Net finance income (costs) was $(0.4) million and $2.8 million for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $(0.6) million and $4.5 million, for the same periods in 2016. The decrease in finance income is mainly attributable to the change in fair value of warrant liability. Such change in fair value results from the periodic "mark-to-market" revaluation, via the application of pricing models, of outstanding share purchase warrants. The closing price of our common shares, which, on the NASDAQ, fluctuated from $0.84 to $3.65 during the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017, compared to $2.67 to $4.94 during the same period in 2016, also had a direct impact on the change in fair value of warrant liability.
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Net Loss
Net loss for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017 was $0.5 million and $16.8 million (or $0.03 and $1.12 per share), as compared to a net loss of $8.2 million and $25.0 million (or $0.71 and $2.41 per share) for the same periods in 2016. The decrease in net loss for the three-month period ended December 31, 2017 is a result of the reduction in third party R&D costs. The reduction is attributed to closing out the Zoptrex study and successful completion in the U.S. of the Macrilen (macimorelin) filing.
Liquidity
Our operations and capital expenditures have been financed through certain transactions impacting our cash flows from operating activities, public equity offerings and issuances under various ATM programs.
At December 31, 2017, we had $7.8 million of cash and cash equivalents. We expect existing cash balances and operating cash flows (including the upfront cash payment of $24 million from Strongbridge discussed below) will provide us with adequate funds to support our current operating plan for at least the next twelve months.
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call to discuss these results on Wednesday, March 28, 2017, at 8:30 a.m., Eastern Time. Participants may access the conference call by telephone using the following dial-in numbers:
Toll-Free: 877-407-8029, Confirmation #13677806
Toll: 201-689-8029, Confirmation #13677806
A replay of the conference call will also be available on the Company’s website for a period of 30 days.
For reference, the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fourth quarter and full year 2017, as well as the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements as at December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, can be found at www.aezsinc.com in the"Investors" section.