On November 7, 2017 Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALDR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibody therapeutics, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017, and provided a corporate update (Press release, Alder Biopharmaceuticals, NOV 7, 2017, View Source [SID1234521711]).

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"In the third quarter, we continued to showcase the positive results of eptinezumab, our lead pivotal-stage product candidate for the prevention of migraine, and recently had seven presentations at the 18th Congress of the International Headache Society," said Randall C. Schatzman, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Alder. "We are encouraged by the migraine community’s excitement regarding eptinezumab’s unique clinical profile, including migraine prevention as early as Day 1 and >75% responder rates achieved by month one and sustained for three months from one administration. As the first-to-market anti-CGRP infusion therapy, we are confident that eptinezumab can address a distinct market segment of five million of the most severe episodic and chronic patients who are heavily impacted by migraine. Importantly, we remain on track to announce top-line data our PROMISE 2 Phase 3 pivotal trial in the first half of 2018 and complete our planned BLA submission in the second half of 2018. We look forward to delivering on our mission to transform the treatment of migraine and creating long-term value for our shareholders."

Recent Corporate Highlights

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Completed patient enrollment in PROMISE 2 (Prevention Of Migraine via Intravenous eptinezumab Safety and Efficacy 2), the Company’s ongoing Phase 3 pivotal trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of eptinezumab administered via infusion once every three months in approximately 1,050 patients with chronic migraine.

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Delivered seven presentations at the 18th Congress of the International Headache Society (IHC) in Vancouver, Canada in September 2017 providing clinical data and analyses for eptinezumab, including additional Phase 3 data from the PROMISE 1 Phase 3 pivotal trial and analyses of Alder’s Phase 2b clinical trial. The data presented further supported eptinezumab’s clinical profile as a potential first-of-its-kind, highly differentiated infusion therapy to prevent migraine.

Upcoming Milestones

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Report top-line data from the PROMISE 2 pivotal trial in the first half of 2018.

•
Submit the BLA for eptinezumab with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the second half of 2018.

Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results

Research and development expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 totaled $52.2 million, compared to $29.5 million for the same period in 2016. This increase over the same period last year reflects the company’s commitment to advancing the pivotal-stage eptinezumab program and commercialization preparations.

General and administrative expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 totaled $8.2 million, compared to $6.2 million for the same period in 2016. The increases in spending were primarily due to an increase in stock-based compensation expense and salaries due to headcount growth, and an increase in professional fees and other administrative costs primarily to support commercial readiness activities.

Net loss for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 totaled $59.6 million, or $0.92 per share, compared to net loss of $35.1, or $0.70 per share, on a fully-diluted basis, for the same period in 2016.

Cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and restricted cash totaled $340.9 million as of September 30, 2017, compared to $224.5 million as of June 30, 2017.

Financial Outlook

Alder estimates its available cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, will be sufficient to meet the company’s projected operating requirements through late 2018/early 2019 and enable the Company to achieve the planned BLA submission for eptinezumab and other key eptinezumab activities.

Conference Call and Webcast

Alder will host a conference call today at 5:00 p.m. ET to discuss these financial results and recent corporate highlights. The live call may be accessed by dialing (877) 430-4657 for domestic callers or (484) 756-4339 for international callers, and providing conference ID number 4399736. The webcast will be broadcast live and can be accessed from the Events & Presentations page in the Investors section of Alder’s website at www.alderbio.com. The webcast will be available for replay following the call for 30 days.