On March 15, 2019 Stemline Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: STML), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel oncology therapeutics, reported financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. The Company also reviewed recent milestones (Press release, Stemline Therapeutics, MAR 15, 2019, View Source [SID1234534361]):

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ELZONRIS (tagraxofusp) – US Approval and Commercial Launch

ELZONRIS was FDA-approved on December 21, 2018 for the treatment of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) in adults and in pediatric patients, two years and older.

ELZONRIS has been commercially available in the U.S. since the end of January 2019, and patients are currently being treated with ELZONRIS in the commercial setting.

A Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for ELZONRIS seeking marketing approval in Europe was submitted to, and subsequently validated by, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in January 2019. The MAA has been granted accelerated assessment and is currently under review.
ELZONRIS – Market Expansion Efforts

ELZONRIS is being evaluated in clinical trials in additional indications, including chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), myelofibrosis (MF), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Based on the clinical results observed in CMML and MF thus far, we are evaluating potential registrational pathways in these indications. For CMML, we intend to discuss registration-directed plans with the FDA mid-year.

We are also working towards expansion opportunities within the BPDCN universe, including maintenance therapy after stem cell transplant.

In parallel, we plan to expand our clinical efforts later this year and next into subsets of AML patients enriched for CD123+ expression.

We expect to provide periodic updates on these initiatives throughout this year and next at scientific conferences.
ASH Conference

In December 2018, ELZONRIS data were selected for four presentations at the 2018 American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) conference. Presentations included results of the BPDCN pivotal trial, delivered via oral presentation, and updated clinical trial data in patients with CMML and MF.

Additionally, we had an active clinical, medical affairs and pre-commercial presence at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) focused on BPDCN disease awareness.
SL-801

In October 2018, data from the ongoing Phase 1 trial of SL-801 in patients with advanced solid tumors were presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Annual Congress 2018. We expect to provide further updates at upcoming conferences.
SL-701

In November 2018, data from the Phase 2 trial of SL-701 in patients with second-line glioblastoma (GBM) were delivered via oral presentation at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO). We expect to provide further updates on this program later this year.
SL-901

SL-901 is a novel kinase inhibitor that was evaluated in an abbreviated Phase 1 trial of solid tumor patients in Europe. Neither a dose limiting toxicity nor maximum tolerated dose was identified, and there was one partial response (PR) in a patient with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. We plan to re-initiate a Phase 1 study by early 2020.
SL-1001

In March 2019, we announced the in-licensing of SL-1001, a novel, selective RET kinase inhibitor that demonstrated potent preclinical in vitro and in vivo activity. We expect to begin IND-enabling studies this year, with a Phase 1 clinical trial targeted for 2020.
Robert Francomano, SVP and Global Head of Commercial, commented, "2018 was a transformational year for Stemline as we invested in building out a focused, world class, commercial organization ahead of the FDA approval of ELZONRIS. We are excited to bring this important new treatment to patients, and our highly talented team is in the field, excited, engaged, and poised for success in 2019."

Ivan Bergstein, M.D., CEO of Stemline Therapeutics, commented, "We have built a solid foundation for growth in 2019 and beyond, driven by the launch of ELZONRIS in BPDCN. ELZONRIS is the first drug ever approved for BPDCN and brings to patients with BPDCN a new treatment option and hope. In parallel, our team is working diligently with the EMA in an effort to make ELZONRIS potentially available to patients in Europe. We continue to aggressively pursue market expansion efforts with ELZONRIS, while also building out our overall pipeline, with the goal of improving the lives of patients with cancer."

Fourth Quarter 2018 Financial Results Review
Stemline ended the fourth quarter of 2018 with $60.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments, as compared to $78.5 million as of September 30, 2018, which reflects cash expenditures of $18.4 million for the quarter. Subsequent to year-end 2018, Stemline completed a follow-on public offering during January 2019 raising $86.1 million in net cash proceeds bringing total cash, cash equivalents and investments to $125.2 million as of March 15, 2019.

For the fourth quarter of 2018, Stemline had a net loss of $26.6 million, or $0.92 per share, compared with a net loss of $21.7 million, or $0.93 per share, for the same period in 2017.

Research and development expenses were $12.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, which reflects a decrease of $4.6 million compared with $16.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. The higher costs in 2017 were primarily due to manufacturing and regulatory expenses in support of our BLA filing for ELZONRIS.

General and administrative expenses were $14.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, which reflects an increase of $9.7 million compared with $5.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. The increase in costs were primarily attributable to pre-launch expenses in support of the commercialization of ELZONRIS and compensation costs related to an increase in headcount to support the commercial launch.