On November 5, 2020 Bicycle Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ:BCYC), a biotechnology company pioneering a new and differentiated class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycles) technology, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020 and discussed recent corporate updates (Press release, Bicycle Therapeutics, NOV 5, 2020, View Source [SID1234570108]).
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"Amidst the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bicycle has made significant advances during the third quarter, including the initiation of dosing in a Phase IIa trial of BT1718, in a Phase I/II trial of BT8009, and in Oxurion’s Phase II study of THR-149," said Kevin Lee, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bicycle Therapeutics. "As we advance and expand our clinical portfolio, with multiple potential inflection points in the coming year, we have thoughtfully bolstered our balance sheet through our ATM program and the closing of a non-dilutive debt financing. We have also enhanced Bicycle’s clinical leadership with the appointment of Dominic Smethurst as Chief Medical Officer and the addition of prominent scientists and clinicians to our Scientific Advisory Board, now chaired by renowned immunologist Sir Keith Peters. We believe we are well-positioned as we pursue our goal of realizing the full potential of our disruptive Bicycle technology."
Third Quarter 2020 and Recent Highlights
Announced Expansion of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). In October 2020, Bicycle announced that Drs. Garret FitzGerald, Jane Grogan, Caetano Reis e Sousa, and Charles Swanton have joined the Company’s SAB. The SAB works closely with Bicycle’s senior management team to advance the Company’s growing pipeline of potential Bicycle-based treatments for cancer and other difficult-to-treat diseases.
Raised $50 Million Through At-the-Market (ATM) Offering Program and Entered into Debt Financing from Hercules Capital. Also in October, Bicycle announced that it had utilized its ATM offering program, initiated during the third quarter, generating gross proceeds of $50.0 million. In addition, it closed a debt financing with Hercules Capital, Inc. for a term loan of up to $40.0 million, $15.0 million of which was drawn at closing.
Presented Trials in Progress Poster for BT8009 at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Virtual Congress 2020. The poster describes the design of the ongoing Phase I/II trial of BT8009 in advanced solid tumors associated with Nectin-4 expression. BT8009 is a second-generation, Nectin-4 targeting Bicycle Toxin Conjugate (BTC).
Dosed First Patient in Phase I Dose Escalation Portion of Phase I/II Trial of BT8009 in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies. In September 2020, Bicycle announced that the first patient had been dosed in the Phase I dose escalation portion of its Phase I/II trial of BT8009 in patients with advanced solid tumors associated with Nectin-4 expression.
Dosed First Patient in Phase IIa Expansion Portion of Phase I/IIa Trial, Sponsored by Cancer Research UK, Evaluating BT1718 in Patients with MT1-MMP-Positive Tumors. Also in September, Bicycle announced that the first patient had been dosed in the Phase IIa expansion portion of a Phase I/IIa trial of BT1718 in a cohort of patients with MT1-MMP-positive squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in a basket cohort of patients with other MT1-MMP-positive solid tumors. BT1718 is a BTC targeting the tumor antigen MT1-MMP.
Announced First Patient Dosed in Oxurion’s Phase II Study of THR-149 in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema (DME). In September, Bicycle announced that the first patient had been dosed in Oxurion’s Phase II study of THR-149, a novel Bicycle-based plasma kallikrein (PKal) inhibitor, in patients with DME. The Phase II trial, named KALAHARI, is expected to include approximately 122 patients with central involved DME who do not respond adequately to anti-VEGF therapy.
Awarded Innovate UK Grant to Pursue Exploratory Research into Novel Bicycle-based Interventions for SARS-CoV-2. In response to an invitation from the UK government, Bicycle applied for, and was awarded, $2.8 million to explore the utility of Bicycle technology to generate binders to a range of SARS-CoV-2 targets. The application of the Bicycle platform to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could enable the development of next-generation antivirals and diagnostics. Furthermore, this application of Bicycles offers a rapid and differentiated approach that can be swiftly deployed in response to current and future viral threats.
Appointed Dominic Smethurst as Chief Medical Officer. The Company appointed Dominic Smethurst, MBchB, MRCP, MFPM as Chief Medical Officer in August 2020. Dr. Smethurst brings to Bicycle extensive expertise in developing bispecific immuno-oncology agents, as well as toxin conjugate therapeutics for cancer and other diseases where patients experience high unmet medical need.
Upcoming Investor Presentations
Bicycle will present at the following investor conferences in the fourth quarter of 2020. The conferences will be held in a virtual meeting format:
Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 1:10 p.m. ET
Piper Sandler 32nd Annual Healthcare Conference, December 1-3, 2020
A live webcast of each presentation will be accessible in the Investors & Media section of Bicycle’s website at bicycletherapeutics.com. Archived replays of the webcasts will be available for 90 days following the presentation dates.
Financial Results
Cash and cash equivalents were $149.8 million as of September 30, 2020, compared to $92.1 million as of December 31, 2019. The increase in cash is primarily due to net proceeds of $46.4 million from the ATM offering and net proceeds of $14.6 million from a Loan Agreement with Hercules, offset by cash used in operating activities. Cash at September 30, 2020 does not include net proceeds of $1.8 million from the ATM offering received in October 2020.
Research and development expenses totaled $7.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020, compared to $6.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019. The increase of $1.3 million was primarily due to increased clinical program expenses for BT5528 and BT8009, partially offset by lower development expenses of other programs due to timing, and an increase in personnel related costs, including $0.3 million of incremental non-cash share-based compensation expense.
General and administrative expenses were $7.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020, compared to $4.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019. The increase of $2.4 million was primarily due to an increase in professional fees and costs related to operations as a public company, offset by favorable effect of foreign exchange rates, and an increase in personnel related costs, including $0.4 million of incremental non-cash share-based compensation expense.
Net loss was $10.1 million, or $(0.52) basic and diluted net loss per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2020, compared to net loss of $9.5 million, or $(0.53) basic and diluted net loss per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2019.