On March 19, 2024 Precigen, Inc. (Nasdaq: PGEN), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of innovative gene and cell therapies to improve the lives of patients, reported full year 2023 financial results and business updates (Press release, Precigen, MAR 19, 2024, View Source [SID1234641269]).
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"2024 is poised to be a transformative year for Precigen, as we are on track to present pivotal Phase 2 data in the second quarter and submit a BLA for PRGN-2012 in the second half, a milestone bolstered by the Breakthrough Therapy Designation and accelerated approval pathway granted by the FDA," said Helen Sabzevari, PhD, President and CEO of Precigen. "We are preparing our manufacturing facility and commercial operations in anticipation of the launch of PRGN-2012 in 2025. We are also looking forward to exciting updates from our UltraCAR-T programs, which offer a novel approach compared to traditional CAR-T therapies and have garnered significant interest from potential partners due to the safety, preliminary efficacy, and manufacturing advantages."
"With multiple value inflection points anticipated in 2024, we remain steadfastly committed to a strategy of sound financial management," said Harry Thomasian Jr., CFO of Precigen. "We are evaluating various financing opportunities to strengthen our balance sheet as we prepare our lead asset PRGN-2012 for potential commercial launch in 2025."
Key Program Highlights
AdenoVerse Immunotherapies
· PRGN-2012 in RRP: PRGN-2012 is an investigational off-the-shelf AdenoVerse immunotherapy designed to elicit immune responses directed against cells infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) 6 or HPV 11 for the treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). PRGN-2012 has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Orphan Drug Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission.
o PRGN-2012 is currently under investigation in a Phase 1/2 pivotal single-arm study in adult patients with RRP (clinical trial identifier: NCT04724980).
o PRGN-2012 demonstrated strong efficacy and a favorable safety profile in the Phase 1 portion of the study with 50% of patients (N=12) in durable and ongoing Complete Response more than two years after PRGN-2012 treatment. Results of the Phase 1 portion of the Phase 1/2 study were published in the peer-reviewed journal, Science Translational Medicine, a leading publication from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
o Enrollment and dosing in the Phase 2 portion of the study is complete and a Phase 2 data presentation is anticipated in the second quarter of 2024.
o The Company has received agreement from the FDA that PRGN-2012 is eligible for consideration of a rolling Biologics License Application (BLA) review. A planned BLA submission under an accelerated approval pathway is anticipated in the second half of 2024.
o Commercial readiness preparations are underway for a potential launch in 2025.
· PRGN-2009 in OPSCC and Cervical Cancer: PRGN-2009 is an investigational off-the-shelf AdenoVerse immunotherapy designed to activate the immune system to recognize and target HPV-associated cancers.
o The Phase 2 study of PRGN-2009 in combination with pembrolizumab in newly diagnosed patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is enrolling patients (clinical trial identifier: NCT05996523).
o The Phase 2 randomized, open-label study of PRGN-2009 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with HPV-associated recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer is active and recruiting patients (clinical trial identifier: NCT06157151).
UltraCAR-T Cell Therapies
· PRGN-3006 in AML/MDS: PRGN-3006 is an investigational multigenic, autologous chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy engineered to simultaneously express a CAR specifically targeting CD33, membrane bound IL-15 (mbIL15), and a safety/kill switch. PRGN-3006 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and Fast Track Designation in patients with relapsed/refractory (r/r) AML by the FDA.
o PRGN-3006 is currently under investigation in a Phase 1b dose expansion clinical trial (clinical trial identifier: NCT03927261) for the treatment of patients with r/r AML or higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
o The first-in-human Phase 1 dose escalation study data show that PRGN-3006 was well-tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and a 27% objective response rate (ORR) in heavily pre-treated r/r AML patients infused following lymphodepletion.
o An interim Phase 1b dose expansion data presentation is anticipated in the second half of 2024.
o PRGN-3005 in Ovarian Cancer: PRGN-3005 is an investigational multigenic, autologous CAR-T cell therapy engineered to express a CAR specifically targeting the unshed portion of MUC16, mbIL15, and a safety/kill switch.
o The Phase 1b dose expansion portion of the Phase 1/1b study is ongoing (clinical trial identifier: NCT03907527).
o PRGN-3007 in Advanced ROR1+ Hematological and Solid Tumors: PRGN-3007, based on the next generation UltraCAR-T platform, is an investigational multigenic, autologous CAR-T cell therapy engineered to express a CAR targeting receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1), mbIL15, a safety/kill switch, and a novel mechanism for the intrinsic blockade of PD-1 gene expression.
o The Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the Phase 1/1b study is ongoing (clinical trial identifier: NCT05694364).
o A preliminary Phase 1 dose escalation data presentation is anticipated by the end of 2024.
Financial Highlights
o Cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments totaled $62.9 million as of December 31, 2023.
o Selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) costs decreased versus the prior year, 16% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.
Full Year 2023 Financial Results Compared to Prior Year Period
Research and development expenses increased $1.4 million, or 3.1%, compared to year ended December 31, 2022. Salaries, benefits, and other personnel costs increased $2.8 million due to an increase in the hiring of employees to support the growth in the Company’s development activities, and to a lesser extent, increases in salaries of our continuing employees. These increases were offset by less expenses incurred related to preclinical research programs for the comparable period.
SG&A expenses decreased $7.6 million, or 15.8%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily driven by a reduction in professional fees of $6.5 million, due to decreased legal fees associated with certain litigation matters, and $0.7 million decreased insurance-related premiums.
Total revenues decreased $20.7 million, or 76.9%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. Collaboration and licensing revenues decreased $14.6 million, or 99.5%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the prior year period non-cash recognition of revenue related to historical collaboration agreements for which revenue was previously deferred. Product and services revenues decreased $5.9 million, or 48.8%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is related to reductions in services performed at Exemplar as well as the recognition of revenue in the first quarter of 2022 related to agreements for which revenue was previously deferred that did not occur in 2023.
Total other income, net, increased $8.5 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This was primarily due to $6.3 million in reduced interest expense associated with the Convertible Notes as they were fully retired in the second quarter of 2023, and $3.1 million increased interest income due to higher interest rates on investments. This increase was partially offset by a $0.9 million decrease in gain recorded on the early retirement of a portion of our Convertible Notes compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.
The Company recorded a $10.4 million impairment charge in the fourth quarter of 2023 related to its Exemplar subsidiary as a result of the Company’s annual goodwill impairment test.
Loss from continuing operations was $95.9 million, or $(0.39) per basic and diluted share, compared to loss from continuing operations of $79.8 million, or $(0.40) per basic and diluted share, in year ended December 31, 2022.