On November 12, 2019 Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ABEO), a fully-integrated leader in gene and cell therapy, reported third quarter 2019 financial results and business updates, which will be discussed on a conference call scheduled for Wednesday, November 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET (Press release, Abeona Therapeutics, NOV 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234550984]). Interested parties are invited to participate in the call by dialing 844-602-0380 (toll-free domestic) or 862-298-0970 (international) or via webcast at View Source

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"Abeona has made progress on our lead clinical program, EB-101, for the treatment of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa," said João Siffert, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Abeona. "We continue to anticipate receiving CMC clearance for this pivotal trial by year-end following the recent submission of additional transport stability data for EB-101, in response to the Clinical Hold Letter received in the quarter, as well as the submission of updated clinical and comparability protocols for the VIITALTM Phase 3 study."

Dr. Siffert continued, "We were also very pleased with the publication of positive long-term data from our Phase 1/2a clinical trial, reinforcing the potential of EB-101 to safely provide durable healing for the most challenging to treat, large and painful RDEB wounds. Three years post treatment, the majority of EB-101-treated wounds remained healed and without pain. We believe that EB-101 is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the majority of RDEB patients who suffer from these types of chronic wounds and we remain dedicated to delivering this therapy to the community."

Third Quarter Financial Results:

Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2019, were $47.9 million compared to $62.5 million as of June 30, 2019. The decrease in cash was driven primarily by the net cash used in operating activities of $18.3 million.

Research and development expenses for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 were $10.9 million compared to $13.2 million in the same period of 2018. The decrease in R&D expense was primarily attributable to decreased clinical and development work, partially offset by increased salary and related costs from the hiring of additional clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and quality staff.

General and administrative expenses for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 were $4.7 million compared to $5.0 million in the same period of 2018. The decrease in G&A expenses was primarily due to decreased rental, recruiting, professional fee and salary related costs.

Net loss was $0.35 per share for the third quarter of 2019 compared to $0.34 per share in the same period of 2018.

Third Quarter and Recent Highlights:

●Submitted additional transport stability data for EB-101 in response to September 17 FDA Clinical Hold Letter regarding the planned Phase 3 VIITAL study
Submitted Phase 3 VIITAL clinical trial protocol with updated PRO assessments, and submitted the retrovirus comparability protocol to FDA.
●Presentation of data from the Transpher A Study, the Company’s ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating ABO-102 for the treatment of MPS IIIA, and research updates from its library of novel AIMTM adeno-associated virus capsids at the 27th European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy Congress.
●Publication of positive long-term safety and efficacy data from the Phase 1/2a clinical trial of EB-101 in JCI Insight with collaborators from Stanford University School of Medicine.
●Three years after treatment with EB-101, a majority of RDEB patients had sustained wound healing, with 80% (16/20) of wounds achieving ≥50% healing, and 70% (14/20) achieving ≥75%
●Two years after treatment, only 1 of 6 untreated (17%), prospectively selected control wounds, had ≥50% healing
●50% or greater wound healing was associated with no pain (0/16) and no itch (0/16) at treated sites three years post-treatment, compared with presence of pain in 53% (20/38) and itch in 61% (23/38) of wound sites at baseline
●EB-101 was associated with long-term molecular expression of type VII collagen protein, which plays an important role in anchoring the dermal and epidermal layers of the skin
●No serious treatment-related adverse events were observed during the three-year observation period
●Retained Jefferies LLC as its financial advisor to assist with the review of strategic intiatives focused on advancing the Company’s mission and maximizing stakeholder value.