Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. Reports Record Global Revenue in Second Quarter 2022

On August 2, 2022 Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. ("Apollo") (Nasdaq: APEN), a global leader in less invasive medical devices for gastrointestinal and bariatric procedures, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022 and recent corporate highlights (Press release, Apollo Endosurgery, AUG 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234617256]).

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Second Quarter 2022 Selected Financial Results

Second Quarter and Recent Corporate Highlights
•Grew second quarter 2022 U.S. revenue by 18% and OUS revenue by 15% (23% in constant currency) over the same period in 2021;
•Grew second quarter 2022 Endoscopic Suturing System (ESS) revenue 23% (27% in constant currency) over the same period in 2021;
•Grew second quarter 2022 Intragastric Balloon (IGB) revenue 6% (9% in constant currency) over the same period in 2021;
•Increased second quarter 2022 revenue from the Company’s top 10 direct accounts by 53% over the same period in 2021;
•Received FDA De Novo marketing authorization in July 2022 for Apollo ESGTM and Apollo REVISETM, new endoscopic systems for the treatment of patients with obesity
•Announced publication of the MERIT Study on July 28, 2022 in The LANCET; and
•Appointed Sharon O’Keefe to the Board of Directors, deepening Apollo’s Board-level expertise in hospital systems and health care delivery.
"This was a solid quarter for Apollo, with record revenue driven by growth across all products, both domestic and international," said Chas McKhann, Apollo’s president and CEO. "Importantly, we also secured De Novo marketing authorization from the FDA for endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) and endoscopic bariatric revision (REVISE). This authorization positions Apollo to play a leading role in the market for next generation weight loss solutions. We remain focused on driving our business as a whole, in addition to preparing to take advantage of our new weight loss indication in the U.S. market, which we believe will be an important growth driver."
Selected GAAP and Non-GAAP Financial Results for Second Quarter 2022 Compared to Second Quarter 2021
Total worldwide revenues of $19.3 million for the second quarter of 2022 reflected an increase of 16% compared to $16.6 million in revenue during the second quarter of 2021. Revenue results in the second quarter include $0.6 million of foreign currency impact. On a constant currency basis, total revenue in the second quarter of 2022 increased 20% compared with the prior year second quarter. Compared to the second quarter of 2021, U.S. product sales increased 18% and OUS increased 15% (or 23% on a constant currency basis).

Compared to the second quarter of 2021, total ESS product sales increased $2.4 million, or 23%, due to the continued strong demand for OverStitch and X-Tack products. Total IGB product sales increased $0.3 million compared to the prior year quarter.
Gross margin increased to 57% for the second quarter of 2022, from 55% in the second quarter of 2021, due to higher product sales resulting in overhead efficiencies and improved variable gross margin on ESS products, net of 200 basis points of foreign exchange headwinds.
Total operating expenses increased $3.2 million compared to the second quarter of 2021. The increase primarily was due to the expansion of the U.S. salesforce in the latter half of 2021, and an increase in marketing spend to drive increased revenue as the Company scales the business and focuses on driving increased utilization of its products.
Net loss for the second quarter of 2022 was $10.4 million compared to $3.0 million for the second quarter of 2021 due to changes in unrealized foreign exchange of $3.3 million between periods and the $2.9 million gain on forgiveness of PPP loan in the prior year.
Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA, which excludes interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, unrealized foreign exchange and stock-based compensation, and gain on forgiveness of PPP loan, in the second quarter 2022 was a loss of $4.3 million, compared to a loss of $1.9 million in the second quarter 2021.
The Company had $140.7 million in cash and committed cash at June 30, 2022, including cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $75.7 million.
"We continue to manage cash investment prudently, with a focus on near-term growth initiatives," said Jeff Black, Chief Financial Officer. "We saw a $2.1 million sequential improvement in cash flow over the first quarter of 2022. We exited the second quarter with a multi-year runway and clear line of sight to a cash flow break-even business."
2022 Outlook
The Company is reiterating fiscal year 2022 revenue guidance to be in the range of $73 million to $75 million, inclusive of up to $3 million in foreign currency headwinds. The Company continues to monitor the potential and uncertain impact of adverse economic conditions in the U.S. and OUS. Continued or sustained COVID-19 pandemic, inflationary or recessionary pressures could impact the Company’s ability to achieve these financial projections.
Conference Call
Apollo will host a live webcast audio call with slides today at 3:30 p.m. CT / 4:30 p.m. ET. Investors are invited to join the live call via webcast from the Investors section of the Company’s corporate website at www.apolloendo.com. An audio-only option is available is available by dialing +1-973-528-0011 and referencing access code 481278 or the "Apollo Endosurgery Second Quarter 2022 Earnings Call." Investors who opt for audio-only will need to download the related slides at www.apolloendo.com.
A replay of the webcast will be made available on Apollo’s website, www.apolloendo.com, shortly after completion of the call.

Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. and VolitionRx Limited Collaborate to Develop NETs-Targeted Adoptive Cell Therapies for the Treatment of Cancer

On August 2, 2022 Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:XBIO) ("Xenetic"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing innovative immune-oncology technologies addressing hard-to-treat cancers, and VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN:VNRX) ("Volition"), a multi-national epigenetics company, reported a research and development collaboration to develop Neutrophil Extracellular Traps ("NETs") targeted, adoptive cell therapies for the treatment of cancer (Press release, Xenetic Biosciences, AUG 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234617250]).

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The collaboration is an early exploratory program to evaluate the potential combination of Volition’s Nu.Q NETs Test and Xenetic’s DNase-Armored CAR T platform to develop proprietary adoptive cell therapies potentially targeting multiple types of solid cancers.

Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Volition will fund a research program and the two parties will share proceeds from commercialization or licensing of any products arising from the collaboration.

"Since we in-licensed the DNase-based oncology platform in April of this year, our team is intently focused on driving the technologies forward with the goal of improving outcomes of existing therapeutic agents in multiple solid tumor indications. We are pleased to enter into our first industry research and development collaboration just a few short months after acquiring the technology platform. We have gotten to know the Volition team and are impressed by their technical expertise and creativity. We are therefore very excited to advance the development of this exciting new technology with an aligned strategic partner with the capabilities of Volition," commented Jeffrey Eisenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Xenetic.

Epigenetically modified nucleosomes are present on tumor cell surfaces and within the tumor microenvironment of multiple types of solid cancers, and thus these nucleosomes may represent generalizable tumor antigens that are not limited to a single cancer type. Volition’s Nu.Q technology can specifically recognize and target epigenetically modified nucleosomes, while Xenetic’s DNase-Armored CAR T platform is designed to enhance the function of CAR T cells within solid tumor microenvironments.

Jake Micallef, Volition’s Chief Scientific Officer, added, "Elevated levels of NETs are associated with poor patient outcomes in a range of diseases, such as COVID-19, sepsis and cancer. NETs are specifically implicated in metastatic cancer and removing them has been shown to prevent the spread of disease. Consequently, there’s an urgent need to develop treatments aimed at reducing the production of NETs or removing them from the body. Our CE marked Nu.Q NETs test is the only analytically validated test for the detection and evaluation of NETs. We are delighted to be working with Xenetic, employing our Nucleosomics technology to measure the level of NETs and help monitor the efficacy of their pioneering cancer therapies. It’s an exciting time ahead!"

Caris Life Sciences and Xencor Enter Target Discovery Collaboration and License Agreement for Novel XmAb® Bispecific Antibodies

On August 2, 2022 Caris Life Sciences(Caris), the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize health care, and Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ: XNCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered antibodies and cytokines for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported a multi-year strategic option and license agreement to research, develop and commercialize XmAb bispecific antibodies directed against novel targets for the treatment of patients with cancer (Press release, Xencor, AUG 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234617249]).

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Under the terms of the agreement, Caris will apply its proprietary end-to-end discovery platform, Caris Discovery, to identify novel targets for bispecific antibody drug candidates. Caris Discovery combines insights generated from molecular interrogation of primary patient tissues using ADAPT, the company’s exclusive aptamer-based proteomic profiling platform; a robust validation pipeline; and CODEai, the company’s proprietary real-world data platform that integrates Caris’ extensive catalog of molecular data with cancer treatment information. This results in a highly differentiated, orthogonal multi-omics method for target-based discovery.

"There is a critical need to address the paucity of novel therapeutic targets in oncology," said David Spetzler, M.S., Ph.D., MBA, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Caris Life Sciences. "Consequently, we have launched a comprehensive platform agnostic to therapeutic modality to discover and validate novel cancer targets. Our collaboration with Xencor will combine Caris’ proprietary, multi-omics target discovery engine and Xencor’s XmAb engineering platform to design and manufacture investigational bispecific antibodies to develop first-in-class therapies for patients with cancer."

"Our collaboration with Caris leverages the plug-and-play nature of the XmAb platform, combining Xencor’s extensive set of protein engineering tools and capabilities with Caris’ innovation in precision oncology," said John Desjarlais, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Xencor. "Caris has built a unique target discovery platform, coupled with deep genomics information, that will enhance our ability to create and evaluate a new generation of XmAb bispecific and multi-specific antibodies, including T cell engagers, NK cell engagers and other modalities."

As part of the agreement, Xencor will receive exclusive options to research, develop and commercialize products directed to up to three targets. Caris will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible to receive up to approximately $120 million in license fees, discovery, development, regulatory and sales-based milestones, in addition to royalty payments on net sales of each product commercialized by Xencor and future rights for molecular profiling and companion diagnostics for drug candidates developed under the collaboration.

XmAb is a registered trademark of Xencor, Inc.

Theratechnologies to Present at the Canaccord Genuity 42nd Annual Growth Conference

On August 2, 2022 Theratechnologies Inc. ("Theratechnologies" or the "Company") (TSX: TH) (NASDAQ: THTX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies, reported that Paul Levesque, President and Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat at the Canaccord Genuity 42nd Annual Growth Conference on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET (Press release, Theratechnologies, AUG 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234617248]).

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A live webcast of the event can be accessed here and through the investor relations section of the Company’s website under ‘Events’. An archive will also be available for 90 days following the conference.

MannKind Corporation to Hold 2022 Second Quarter Financial Results Conference Call on August 9, 2022

On August 2, 2022 MannKind Corporation (Nasdaq: MNKD) reported that it will release its 2022 second quarter and year to date financial results and its management will host a conference call to discuss these results and corporate updates at 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 (Press release, Mannkind, AUG 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234617247]).

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Presenting from the Company will be its Chief Executive Officer, Michael Castagna and Chief Financial Officer, Steven Binder.

Those interested in listening to the conference call live via the Internet may do so by visiting the Company’s website at View Source under Events.