On October 26, 2017 Alkermes plc (NASDAQ: ALKS) reported financial results for the third quarter of 2017 (Press release, Alkermes, OCT 26, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2311524 [SID1234521192]).

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"Our third quarter results reflect solid year-over-year topline growth of more than twenty percent and disciplined expense management. We continue to focus on executing on our business strategy to grow our commercial products and invest in the late-stage development programs that we expect will be the growth drivers for the future," commented James Frates, Chief Financial Officer of Alkermes. "As we head into the final months of the year, today we are reiterating our guidance for non-GAAP results and improving guidance for GAAP net loss. These expectations reflect reduced revenues, largely due to VIVITROL sales growth being slightly lower than expected in the third quarter, offset by lower cost forecasts."

"VIVITROL and ARISTADA both operate in markets where there remains significant unmet patient need. With new health and economic data being generated to support the long-term potential of these important medicines, we continue to progress VIVITROL and ARISTADA and work toward ensuring access for the patients that need these medicines," said Richard Pops, Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes. "Looking ahead, 2018 will be a transformative year for Alkermes’ proprietary development pipeline, with key events across the development portfolio, highlighted by FDA review of the ALKS 5461 NDA, the phase 3 data readout for ALKS 3831, submission of the ALKS 8700 NDA and important phase 1 data for ALKS 4230."

Quarter Ended Sept. 30, 2017 Highlights

Total revenues for the quarter were $217.4 million. This compared to $180.2 million for the same period in the prior year.
Net loss according to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP) was $36.3 million, or a basic and diluted GAAP loss per share of $0.24, for the quarter. This compared to GAAP net loss of $62.7 million, or a basic and diluted GAAP loss per share of $0.41, for the same period in the prior year.
Non-GAAP net income was $4.2 million, or a non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.03. This compared to non-GAAP net loss of $14.1 million, or a non-GAAP basic and diluted loss per share of $0.09, for the same period in the prior year.
Quarter Ended Sept. 30, 2017 Financial Results

Revenues

Net sales of VIVITROL were $69.2 million, compared to $55.8 million for the same period in the prior year.
Net sales of ARISTADA were $24.5 million, compared to $14.0 million for the same period in the prior year.
Manufacturing and royalty revenues from RISPERDAL CONSTA, INVEGA SUSTENNA/XEPLION and INVEGA TRINZA/TREVICTA were $79.4 million, compared to $73.3 million for the same period in the prior year.
Manufacturing and royalty revenues from AMPYRA/FAMPYRA1 were $24.5 million, compared to $12.9 million for the same period in the prior year.
Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses were $255.7 million, compared to $241.4 million for the same period in the prior year, reflecting increased investment in the company’s development pipeline and commercial organization.
Balance Sheet
At Sept. 30, 2017, Alkermes had cash and total investments of $568.9 million, compared to $560.8 million at June 30, 2017. At Sept. 30, 2017, the company’s total debt outstanding was $282.0 million.

Financial Expectations
Alkermes is updating its financial expectations for 2017 to reflect year-to-date results and expectations for the fourth quarter of 2017. The following outlines Alkermes’ updated financial expectations for 2017.

Revenues: The company now expects total revenues to range from $850 million to $880 million, reduced from a previous range of $870 million to $920 million. Included in this total revenue expectation, the company now expects VIVITROL net sales to range from $265 million to $275 million, reduced from a previous range of $280 million to $300 million.
Cost of Goods Manufactured and Sold: The company continues to expect cost of goods manufactured and sold to range from $150 million to $160 million.
Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: The company now expects R&D expenses to range from $400 million to $420 million, reduced from $405 million to $435 million, reflecting the timing of certain expenses related to various ongoing programs.
Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Expenses: The company now expects SG&A expenses to range from $410 million to $430 million, reduced from $425 million to $455 million, reflecting disciplined expense management and the timing of certain commercial initiatives.
Amortization of Intangible Assets: The company continues to expect amortization of intangibles to be approximately $60 million.
Net Interest Expense: The company continues to expect net interest expense to be approximately $10 million.
Other Income, Net: The company now expects net other income of approximately $10 million.
Income Tax Benefit: The company now expects an income tax benefit of approximately $5 million, improved from an income tax expense of up to $10 million.
GAAP Net Loss: The company now expects GAAP net loss to range from $160 million to $190 million, or a basic and diluted loss per share of $1.04 to $1.23, based on a weighted average basic and diluted share count of approximately 154 million shares outstanding. This compares to previous expectations of GAAP net loss in the range of $180 million to $210 million, or a basic and diluted loss per share of $1.17 to $1.36, based on a weighted average basic and diluted share count of approximately 154 million shares outstanding.
Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss): The company continues to expect its non-GAAP financial measure to be in the range of non-GAAP net loss of $15 million to non-GAAP net income of $15 million. This equates to a non-GAAP basic loss per share of $0.10 to a non-GAAP basic income per share of $0.10, based on a weighted average basic share count of approximately 154 million shares outstanding, and a non-GAAP diluted loss per share of $0.10 to a non-GAAP diluted income per share of $0.09, based on a weighted average diluted share count of approximately 161 million shares outstanding.
Capital Expenditures: The company now expects capital expenditures to range from $50 million to $60 million, reduced from $70 million to $80 million.
Conference Call
Alkermes will host a conference call and webcast presentation with accompanying slides at 8:30 a.m. ET (1:30 p.m. BST) on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, to discuss these financial results and provide an update on the company. The webcast player may be accessed on the Investors section of Alkermes’ website at www.alkermes.com. The conference call may be accessed by dialing +1 888 424 8151 for U.S. callers and +1 847 585 4422 for international callers. The conference call ID number is 6037988. A replay of the conference call will be available from 11:00 a.m. ET (4:00 p.m. BST) on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017 through 5:00 p.m. ET (9:00 p.m. GMT) on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, and may be accessed by visiting Alkermes’ website or by dialing +1 888 843 7419 for U.S. callers and +1 630 652 3042 for international callers. The replay access code is 6037988.