On May 10, 2021 Veracyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: VCYT) reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021, which were in line with its previously announced, preliminary first-quarter results (Press release, Veracyte, MAY 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234579573]). The company also provided an update on recent business progress.
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"We delivered strong financial results for the first quarter of 2021, with particular momentum in March, as our business continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Bonnie Anderson, chairman and chief executive officer of Veracyte. "On March 12, we completed our acquisition of Decipher Biosciences which, with its market-leading urologic cancer portfolio, expands our reach into 7 of the top 10 cancers in the U.S. and will accelerate revenue growth.
"Additionally, we are excited to unveil pivotal clinical validation data at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) for our Percepta Nasal Swab test for early lung cancer detection. We expect to launch it and the Percepta Genomic Atlas as part of our comprehensive lung cancer portfolio later this year. We also anticipate strengthening our global commercial footprint with the introduction of the Envisia classifier, for improved diagnosis of interstitial lung diseases, on the nCounter Analysis System by the end of this year."
First Quarter 2021 Financial Results
For the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to the prior year (Decipher Biosciences one-time acquisition-related expenses in the first quarter of 2021 increased our operating expenses, net loss and net cash used in operations by $35.1 million and our net loss per share by $0.55):
Total Revenue was $36.7 million, including $3.8 million for urologic cancer testing, an increase of 18%;
Gross Margin was 66%;
Operating Expenses were $82.1 million. Operating Expenses, Excluding Cost of Revenue, were $69.7 million, including $35.1 million related to the acquisition of Decipher Biosciences;
Net Loss and Comprehensive Loss was $41.9 million, including $35.1 million of expenses related to the acquisition of Decipher Biosciences;
Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Common Share was $0.66, including $0.55 per share attributable to the acquisition related expenses recorded in G&A;
Net Cash Used in Operating Activities was $40.6 million; and
Cash and Cash Equivalents were $324.1 million at March 31, 2021.
First Quarter 2021 and Recent Business Highlights
Commercial Growth:
Total genomic testing and product revenue was $36.1 million, an increase of 19%, compared to the first quarter of 2020.
Total genomic volume was 14,437 tests, an increase of 11%, compared to prior year, including 1,560 tests from Decipher Biosciences.
Continue to expect a mid-year Medicare coverage decision for Decipher Bladder test, which will allow us to leverage our urology sales footprint to accelerate commercial adoption.
Launched General Manager-based global structure, vertically aligning commercial teams within each clinical indication to provide enhanced focus and clinical expertise. Also added key new hires in marketing, managed care and international market access to support multiple new product launches and global expansion later this year.
Evidence Development and Pipeline Advancement:
Six abstracts for our pulmonology products accepted as posters at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2021 International Conference this month:
– Percepta Genomic Atlas – New data demonstrating the test’s ability to inform treatment decisions on the same sample used in diagnosis, in anticipation for product launch in Q4 2021.
– Envisia – New data from five abstracts demonstrates the test’s clinical utility and our ability to enable the CLIA lab-based test on the nCounter Analysis System, in anticipation of the test’s international launch later this year.
Six abstracts for our oncology tests accepted for the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in June, including:
– Percepta Nasal Swab – Pivotal, multicenter, double-blind clinical validation data for test to enable early lung cancer detection, setting the stage for anticipated product launch in 2H 2021.
– Decipher Prostate – Two abstracts, including an oral presentation showing test’s ability to identify African American men with higher likelihood of aggressive prostate cancer, will help further distinguish Decipher Prostate from other prostate cancer genomic tests.
– Afirma XA – New data demonstrate the test’s ability to identify patients with gene alterations who may benefit from targeted therapies – at the time of diagnosis.
Two abstracts presented as posters at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Breast Cancer Virtual Congress 2021 meeting this month highlighted potential applications of the PAM50 biomarker on which the Prosigna test is based, as well as initial results from the PROCURE study, which aims to develop consensus around the use of breast cancer genomic tests, including Prosigna.
First patient enrolled and randomized in a study using Veracyte’s LymphMark lymphoma subtyping test to identify and enroll patients with untreated DLBCL who may benefit from Acerta Pharma and AstraZeneca’s Calquence in combination with a traditional chemoimmunotherapy regimen.
Financing:
Issued and sold 8,547,297 shares of common stock in February 2021, including 1,114,864 shares sold upon full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, at a price to the public of $74.00 per share. The net proceeds to Veracyte from the offering were approximately $593.8 million.
Veracyte used a portion of the net proceeds from the offering, together with its existing cash and cash equivalents, to finance its $600 million cash acquisition of Decipher, which was completed in March 2021. The company intends to use the remaining net proceeds of the offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes, which may include acquiring or investing in complementary businesses, technologies or other assets.
Additionally, in March 2021, the company announced the appointment of Muna Bhanji, a global senior healthcare executive, to its board of directors.
2021 Financial Outlook
Veracyte is reiterating its previous 2021 annual total revenue guidance of approximately $190 million to $200 million, representing growth of approximately 65% over 2020 at the midpoint of the range.
Conference Call and Webcast Details
Veracyte will host a conference call and webcast today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the company’s financial results and provide a general business update. The conference call will be webcast live from the company’s website and will be available via the following link: View Source The webcast should be accessed 10 minutes prior to the conference call start time. A replay of the webcast will be available for one year following the conclusion of the live broadcast and will be accessible on the company’s website at View Source