On May 14, 2018 ERYTECH Pharma (Euronext: ERYP – Nasdaq: ERYP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, reported its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 (Press release, ERYtech Pharma, MAY 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234526581]).
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"Following our successful Nasdaq listing at the end of last year, the first quarter of this year has been focused on the execution of the plan to advance our pipeline into solid tumor indications," said Gil Beyen, chief executive officer at ERYTECH. "Set up activities are on track for the launch of a pivotal Phase 3 trial in second line pancreatic cancer and a Phase 2 trial in first line triple-negative breast cancer. We are expanding our teams and increasing our manufacturing capacity in Europe and the U.S. Furthermore, we will meet with the FDA to discuss our ALL program and await the CHMP’s feedback on our MAA submission for relapsed and refractory ALL. We look forward to providing updates later this year."
Business Highlights
Feedback was obtained from the Commission for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the design of the proposed Phase 3 trial with eryaspase in second line pancreatic cancer, confirming earlier feedback by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The proposed Phase 3 trial will evaluate eryaspase in combination with standard chemotherapy, compared to standard chemotherapy alone, in approximately 500 patients in the United States and Europe. The primary endpoint will be overall survival (OS). An interim analysis is foreseen when approximately two-thirds of events have occurred. Set up activities for this pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial are ongoing. Enrollment of the first patient is expected in the third quarter of 2018.
Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) was selected as the next solid tumor indication for the development of eryaspase. TNBC is an aggressive and metabolically active form of breast cancer for which limited treatment options are available. The planned proof of concept Phase 2 trial will evaluate eryaspase in combination with standard chemotherapy, compared to standard chemotherapy alone, in approximately 60 previously untreated patients in Europe and the United States. An interim analysis is foreseen. The primary endpoint will be objective response rate. Set up activities are ongoing and start of patient enrollment is expected in the third quarter of 2018.
ERYTECH is planning to expand the clinical development of eryaspase to first-line pancreatic cancer, as well as to other solid tumor indications. Program updates are expected later in 2018 and early 2019.
Full results from the U.S. Phase 1 trial evaluating eryaspase in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of first line adult ALL were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper). The data showed eryaspase was well tolerated. Based on the pharmaco-kinetic data and the safety findings, the recommended dose for further clinical development was determined to be 100 U/kg. A meeting with the FDA to discuss the next steps in ALL in the United States is upcoming, based on which we expect to be able to provide feedback during the third quarter of 2018.
Additionally, the Company also presented pre-clinical data on the combination of eryaspase and erymethionase, methionine-gamma-lyase encapsulated in red blood cells. The data in this study suggested that this combination could be promising in vitro and in vivo in a gastric cancer model with tumor growth inhibition in-vivo and decreased tumor cell viability in vitro.
Earlier today, the Company announced the expansion of its executive management team with the addition of Alex Dusek as VP of Commercial Strategy, to lay the groundwork for commercial success and ensure commercial product preparedness, primarily in the U.S. He brings over 25 years of experience including commercial strategic roles at Argos Therapeutics, Bayer, and United Therapeutics.
Financial Highlights
Net loss for the three-month period ended March 31, 2018 was €11.7 million, compared to €6.5 million in the same period of 2017. The €5.2 million increase was primarily attributable to:
An increase in R&D expenses by €1.9 million, related to the Company’s intensified clinical and regulatory activities, as well as the additional staffing for preclinical research and clinical development.
An increase in G&A expenses by €0.8 million, resulting from continued infrastructure developments in line with the Company’s growth.
The accounting of a €2.5 million financial loss, as the Company’s cash position denominated in euros was impacted by the negative currency exchange variation in the period of the U.S. dollar against the euro.
As of March 31, 2018, ERYTECH had cash and cash equivalents totaling €171.8 million, compared with €185.5 million as of December 31, 2017. The €13.8 million decrease in total cash and cash equivalents in the three-month period comprised a total net cash utilization of €11.2 million for operating, investing and financing activities, and a €2.6 million negative foreign exchange impact on the Company’s cash position denominated in U.S. dollars. This financial accounting loss had no real cash impact, as the U.S. dollar position is kept in that currency for U.S. dollar disbursements.
Key Upcoming Milestones Expected in 2018
Meeting with the FDA to discuss next steps in ALL
Launch of a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in second-line pancreatic cancer in Europe and the United States
Launch of a Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial in TNBC
CHMP opinion on MAA resubmission for GRASPA in R/R ALL
Initiation of a Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial in first-line pancreatic cancer
Initiation of Phase 1 clinical trial with erymethionase
First Quarter Results 2018 Conference Call Details
As a reminder, ERYTECH management will hold a conference call and webcast on Tuesday, May 15th, 2018 at 02:30pm CET / 08:30am EDT to discuss business highlights and financial results for the first quarter of 2018. Gil Beyen, Chairman and CEO, Eric Soyer, CFO and COO and Iman El-Hariry, CMO will deliver a brief presentation, followed by a Q&A session.
The call is accessible via the below teleconferencing numbers, followed by the Conference ID#: 3498017#
USA/Canada: +1 833 818 6807
United-Kingdom: +44 2031070289
Switzerland: +41 445802606
Germany: +49 6922224728
France: +33 176748988
Belgium: +32 24003547
Sweden: +46 856619361
Finland: +358 972519310
Netherlands: +31 207075547
Spain: +34 914142503
The webcast can be followed live online via the link: View Source
An archived replay of the call will be available for 7 days by dialing + 1 800 585 8367, Conference ID: 3498017#
An archive of the webcast will be available on ERYTECH’s website, under the "Investors" section at investors.erytech.com
2018 Financial Calendar:
General Assembly Meeting of Shareholders: Friday, June 22, 2018 at 10:00am CET in Paris
Quarterly financial updates:
Business Update and Financial Highlights for the 2nd quarter and first-half of 2018: September 17, 2018 (after U.S. market close), followed by a conference call and webcast on September 18, 2018 (2:30pm CET/8:30am ET)
Business Update and Financial Highlights for the 3rd quarter of 2018: November 12, 2018 (after U.S. market close), followed by a conference call and webcast on November 13, 2018 (2:30pm CET/8:30am ET)
Upcoming Investor Conferences:
BioEquity Europe 2018, May 16, Ghent
Gilbert Dupont Annual Healthcare Conference, May 29, Paris
Jefferies 2018 Global Healthcare Conference, June 5-6, New York
Journée Valeurs Moyennes SFAF, June 20, Paris
JMP Life Sciences Conference, June 20, New York
European Midcap Event – Spring, June 26-27, Paris