On May 10, 2022 Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRBP) ("Corbus" or the "Company"), an immunology company, reported financial results for the first quarter of 2022 (Press release, Corbus Pharmaceuticals, MAY 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234614150]).
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Key Corporate and Program Updates:
Anti-integrin monoclonal antibodies (mAb) program targeting the inhibition of TGFβ is progressing on schedule.
CRB-601, an anti-αvβ8 mAb, is being developed as a potential treatment for solid tumors. Corbus presented the first preclinical data for CRB-601 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in April 2022. The poster can be viewed at: www.corbuspharma.com/AACRposter.
The most recent data from CRB-601 will be presented on May 11, 2022 at the New York Academy of Sciences Frontiers in Cancer Immunotherapy Conference (CIMT) (Free CIMT Whitepaper). This new data demonstrates effects of CRB-601 in additional syngeneic animal models with increasing levels of resistance to check point inhibitors.
Across models explored to date, CRB-601 demonstrates an enhancement of anti-tumor activity when combined with anti PD-1 therapy compared to either single agent alone. This enhancement of efficacy is associated with tumor infiltration of proliferating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in addition to NK cells and M1 macrophages.
Collectively, this data supports the hypothesis that blockade of local TGFb production by CRB-601 can lead to changes in immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment, potentially enhancing the benefit of PD-1 blockade.
IND-enabling activities for CRB-601 are ongoing and the program is on-schedule for an IND submission in the first half of 2023.
A lead candidate, CRB-913, has been selected for the CB1 inverse agonist program. In animal models of diet-induced obesity, CRB-913 induced weight loss and impacted multiple metabolic parameters, both as monotherapy and in combination with semaglutide and tirzepatide. Corbus is seeking partnerships to advance CRB-913 into clinical studies.
The National Institutes of Health sponsored Phase 2 study of lenabasum in systemic lupus erythematosus has completed its last patient visit and the clinical database has been locked. The Company is awaiting topline results. Corbus is pursuing potential partnerships to fund further development of lenabasum.
A detailed update on the Corbus pipeline can be found in the most recent Corporate Presentation available at: ir.corbuspharma.com/presentations
"We are executing our plan to transform Corbus into a company with a novel and diversified immuno-oncology pipeline. We’re excited about the first data to come out of our integrin program and for the opportunity to present it at scientific conferences. We look forward to entering the clinic in 2023," commented Yuval Cohen, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Corbus. "We are actively engaging in business development activities with the goal of expanding our immuno-oncology pipeline while monetizing our ECS assets through new partnerships."
Financial Results for First Quarter Ended March 31, 2022:
The Company reported a net loss of approximately $9.4 million, or a net loss per diluted share of $0.08, for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to a net loss of approximately $16 million, or a net loss per diluted share of $0.14, for the same period in 2021.
Operating expenses decreased by $7.5 million to approximately $8.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $16 million in the comparable period in the prior year. The decrease was primarily attributable to decreased clinical trial and drug manufacturing costs, and an overall reduction in compensation expense.
As of March 31, 2022, the company has $86.8 million of cash and investments on hand which is expected to fund operations into the first quarter of 2024, based on the current planned expenditures.