On May 4, 2023 Schrödinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR), whose physics-based computational platform is transforming the way therapeutics and materials are discovered, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 (Press release, Schrodinger, MAY 4, 2023, View Source [SID1234631052]).
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"We are very pleased with our achievements during the first quarter, which included strong contributions from our software business and our drug discovery collaborations," stated Ramy Farid, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Schrödinger. "We are making excellent progress across our pipeline of proprietary and collaborative programs. We advanced the first program in our collaboration with BMS to development candidate status, and today reported that we have begun enrollment and dosing in both our ongoing Phase 1 study of SGR-1505 in patients with advanced B cell malignancies and our newly-initiated Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers. The transition to being a clinical-stage company represents a significant milestone for Schrödinger and an important step toward delivering our medicines to patients."
"We delivered a very strong quarter, with software and drug discovery making equal contributions to our revenue result, reflecting our balanced business model. We also made substantial progress in both collaborative and proprietary programs and added capital to our balance sheet, and our partners achieved significant corporate and development milestones further validating our platform," stated Geoff Porges, MBBS, chief financial officer of Schrödinger. "With our highly differentiated technology, our growing pipeline and our strong cash position, we are well positioned to achieve our goals for 2023 and beyond."
First Quarter 2023 GAAP Financial Results
•Total revenue for the first quarter increased 33% to $64.8 million, compared to $48.7 million in the first quarter of 2022.
•Software revenue for the first quarter was $32.2 million, compared to $33.1 million in the first quarter of 2022. Software revenue in the first quarter of 2023 included a small number of multi-year agreements that did not fully offset revenue from multi-year agreements in the first quarter of 2022.
•Drug discovery revenue was $32.6 million for the first quarter and included a $25 million milestone from BMS, compared to $15.6 million in the first quarter of 2022.
•Software gross margin increased to 78% for the first quarter, compared to 77% in the first quarter of 2022.
•Operating expenses were $76.2 million for the first quarter, compared to $56.6 million for the first quarter of 2022. The increase was driven by additional headcount to support the company’s progressing internal pipeline and its software business, CRO expenses, and royalties.
•Other income for the first quarter was $186.0 million, primarily associated with changes in fair value of equity investments, interest income, and a $147.3 million gain relating to the cash distributions from Nimbus in connection with the sale of Nimbus’s TYK2 inhibitor to Takeda. Other expense for the first quarter of 2022 was $5.8 million driven primarily by changes in the fair value of the company’s equity investments.
•Net income for the first quarter was $129.1 million, compared to net loss of $34.4 million in the first quarter of 2022.
•During the first quarter, Schrödinger reported a non-cash tax expense of $26.4 million associated with the cash distribution from Nimbus.
•At March 31, 2023, Schrödinger had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities of approximately $532 million, compared to approximately $456 million at December 31, 2022.
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022 % Change
(in millions)
Total revenue $ 64.8 $ 48.7 33%
Software revenue $ 32.2 $ 33.1 -3%
Drug discovery revenue $ 32.6 $ 15.6 109%
Software gross margin 78 % 77 %
Operating expenses $ 76.2 $ 56.6 35%
Other income (expense) $ 186.0 $ (5.8) N/M
Net income (loss) $ 129.1 $ (34.4) N/M
For the three months ended March 31, 2023, Schrödinger reported a non-GAAP net loss of $27.5 million compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $28.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. See "Non-GAAP Information" below and the table at the end of this press release for a reconciliation of non-GAAP net income (loss) to GAAP net income (loss).
2023 Financial Outlook
As of May 4, 2023, Schrödinger maintained its financial guidance for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023:
•Software revenue growth is expected to be in the range of 13 to 17 percent
•Drug discovery revenue is expected to range from $70 million to $90 million
•Software gross margin is expected to be similar to software gross margin for the full year 2022
•Operating expense growth in 2023 is expected to be significantly lower than operating expense growth in 2022 and to be similar to revenue growth in 2023
•Cash used for operating activities in 2023 is expected to be below cash used for operating activities in 2022
For the second quarter of 2023, software revenue is expected to range from $27 million to $31 million.
Recent Highlights
Corporate
•In April, Schrödinger received a $36.0 million distribution, which is the second cash distribution from Nimbus Therapeutics in connection with Takeda’s acquisition of Nimbus Lakshmi, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nimbus, and its tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor NDI-034858. Schrödinger received the first distribution of $111.3 million in February 2023 for a total distribution of approximately $147.3 million, all of which was recognized as other income in the company’s first quarter 2023 financial results. NDI-034858 is being evaluated for the treatment of multiple autoimmune diseases following positive Phase 2b results in psoriasis.
•In April, Schrödinger published its inaugural corporate sustainability report. The report highlights the company’s vision and approach to corporate sustainability, summarizes the company’s 2022 achievements and discloses key data about its corporate sustainability efforts in alignment with GRI and SASB reporting standards.
Pipeline
•Schrödinger continues to advance its MALT1 inhibitor, SGR-1505, in Phase 1 clinical development. A dose-escalation study designed to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and early signals of clinical activity of SGR-1505 as a monotherapy is ongoing in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies. Today Schrödinger announced that it has also initiated a Phase 1 study in healthy subjects to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of SGR-1505.
•Schrödinger is continuing to progress its CDC7 inhibitor, SGR-2921, through IND-enabling studies to support a planned IND submission in the first half of 2023. SGR-2921 has exhibited strong anti-tumor activity as a monotherapy and in combination with standard of care agents in multiple preclinical tumor models.
•Schrödinger continues to advance its Wee1 inhibitor, SGR-3515, through IND-enabling studies to support a potential IND submission in 2024.
•Schrödinger continues to advance its multi-target collaboration with BMS and reported that it received a $25 million milestone payment associated with the advancement of the SOS1/KRAS program to development candidate status. This payment was recognized in drug discovery revenue in the first quarter of 2023.
•Schrödinger’s collaborator, Morphic Therapeutic, made significant progress advancing MORF-057, an oral α4β7 integrin inhibitor, reporting positive topline results of the EMERALD-1 Phase 2a study in adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC). MORF-057 achieved the primary endpoint and demonstrated consistent clinical improvement across other key measures with a favorable tolerability profile.
•The company continues to progress a pipeline of early-stage wholly-owned programs with potential across a broad range of therapeutic areas. Schrödinger is planning to review its drug discovery programs during its Pipeline Day, a virtual and in-person event that will take place on September 28, 2023.
Platform
•Schrödinger scientists published research showing how the company’s computational methods can be used to refine AlphaFold2 structures for hit discovery. While the publication of the open source AlphaFold protein structure database covers the complete human proteome and represents a significant scientific advance, computational methods are required to adequately refine the AlphaFold structures to improve their utility for drug discovery.
•Schrödinger scientists published a study describing how FEP+ can be used with homology models for protein thermostability predictions, which can extend Schrödinger’s platform and the use of FEP+ thermostability prediction to targets for which an experimental structure is unavailable. Protein engineering for thermostability has a range of applications, including in the design of antibodies and in chemical industries where protein stability requires optimization to enable enzymes to withstand specific chemical conditions or to extend the shelf-life of protein products.
Webcast and Conference Call Information
Schrödinger will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2023 financial results on Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. ET. The live webcast can be accessed under "News & Events" in the investors section of Schrödinger’s website, View Source To access the call by phone, please dial 1-888-396-8049 (domestic) or 1-416-764-8646 (international) and refer to conference ID 21402709. The archived webcast will be available on Schrödinger’s website for approximately 90 days following the event.
Non-GAAP Information
Included in this press release is certain financial information that has not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). The company presents non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, which exclude gains and losses on equity investments, changes in fair value, and non-cash income tax benefits and expenses relating to the company’s gains and losses on equity investments. Adjusting net income to exclude the impact of these items results in a financial presentation for the company without the impact of our equity investments. Management believes non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share are useful measures for investors, taken in conjunction with the company’s GAAP financial statements because they provide greater period-over-period comparability with respect to the company’s operating performance, by excluding non-cash mark-to-market and other valuation adjustments for our equity investments, non-recurring cash distributions from our equity investments and the tax impact of these distributions that are not reflective of the ongoing operating performance of the business. However, the non-GAAP measures should be considered only in addition to, not
as a substitute for or as superior to, net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share or other financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.
Other companies in our industry may calculate non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share, differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. For a reconciliation of non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share to GAAP net income (loss) and GAAP net income (loss) per share, respectively, please refer to the tables at the end of this press release.