On May 2, 2019 Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALDR), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of migraine, reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 (Press release, Alder Biopharmaceuticals, MAY 2, 2019, View Source [SID1234535702]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"The recent acceptance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of our Biologics License Application (BLA) for eptinezumab was another major milestone for Alder and moves us one step closer to making the first quarterly infusion prevention therapy available to the millions of patients debilitated by episodic and chronic migraine," said Bob Azelby, Alder’s president and chief executive officer. "We are in a strong position as we continue to prepare to commercialize eptinezumab in the first quarter of 2020, by building commercial inventory and expanding our commercial infrastructure. Additionally, in pursuit of Alder’s mission to forever change migraine treatment, we are excited to announce today that we plan to initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial of eptinezumab for the acute treatment of migraine in the second half of 2019."

First Quarter 2019 Highlights

On April 22, 2019, Alder announced its BLA submission for eptinezumab, the company’s investigational monoclonal antibody (mAb) for migraine prevention targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and lead commercial candidate, was accepted by the FDA. The FDA has set the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of February 21, 2020. The BLA includes, and is supported by, positive data from Alder’s PROMISE 1 and PROMISE 2 Phase 3 clinical trials, open-label safety study, pharmacokinetic (PK) comparability study and chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) data packages.
In April, Alder announced the appointment of Nadia Dac as chief commercial officer. Ms. Dac brings more than two decades of U.S. and global commercial experience in neurology with both large and small publicly traded biopharmaceutical companies, with extensive expertise across all commercial functions including marketing, market access and promotion, sales, pipeline management, business development and partnerships. She joins Alder from AbbVie, where she served as vice president of global specialty commercial development.
In March, Alder closed an underwritten public offering and concurrent private placement in which the company received net proceeds of $159.3 million (which included the exercise of an over-allotment option granted to the underwriters in the public offering).
In January, Alder announced the appointment of Dr. Paul Streck, M.D. as chief medical officer. He brings more than 25 years of experience in drug development, regulatory and medical affairs leadership across both large and small publicly traded biopharmaceutical companies. Dr. Streck previously served as chief medical officer at Insmed Incorporated, where he played an instrumental role as a member of the executive leadership team and successfully led the Arikayce regulatory filing, approval and launch.
In January, an amendment to Alder’s contract manufacturing agreement with Sandoz GmbH for the production of eptinezumab became effective. Pursuant to this amendment, Sandoz will manufacture and supply guaranteed quantities of eptinezumab drug substance for a five year term, running through 2023. Alder anticipates the guaranteed quantities will be sufficient to supply U.S. and ex-U.S. markets beyond 2023, if eptinezumab is approved.
Upcoming Anticipated Milestones

Alder plans to initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating eptinezumab as a treatment for acute migraine in the second half of 2019. The trial will seek to leverage eptinezumab’s 100% bioavailability and rapid onset of prevention demonstrated in clinical testing, with the objective of securing an indication for the acute treatment of migraine and positioning eptinezumab as the only anti-CGRP monoclonal antibody for the treatment and prevention of migraine, if approved for these indications.
Alder remains on track for the potential commercial launch of eptinezumab in the first quarter of 2020, and continues to advance its manufacturing and commercial readiness activities in anticipation of launch. Currently, Alder is advancing its supply chain, building commercial inventory, continuing to build out its commercial and operational infrastructure, and executing against other key pre-launch initiatives.
Alder continues to advance its pre-clinical candidate, ALD1910, a monoclonal antibody targeting PACAP-38 (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide-38). ALD1910 is currently undergoing Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling preclinical studies and Alder expects to initiate a first in-human clinical study by the end of 2019.
First Quarter 2019 Financial Results

As of March 31, 2019, Alder had $498.5 million in cash, cash equivalents, investments and restricted cash, compared to $412.4 million as of December 31, 2018.
Research and development expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 totaled $69.6 million, compared to $74.0 million for the same period in 2018. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to lower clinical trial costs, partially offset by expenses related to securing manufacturing capacity and the initial build of commercial inventory in preparation for the launch of eptinezumab.
General and administrative expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 totaled $44.5 million, compared to $11.6 million for the same period in 2018. The year-over-year increase reflects a $26 million loss contingency provision relating to a dispute over a contract we terminated for breach by the other party, as well as Alder’s continued ramp-up of the commercial organization and infrastructure required for the anticipated commercialization of eptinezumab.
Net loss applicable to common stockholders for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 totaled $119.2 million, or $1.63 per share, compared to net loss of $117.6 million, or $1.73 per share on a fully-diluted basis, for the same period in 2018.
Financial Outlook

Alder continues to expect that full-year 2019 net cash used in operating activities and purchases of property and equipment will be in the range of $285 to $315 million. The majority of the spend is focused on ensuring that Alder is prepared for the potential launch of eptinezumab in the first quarter of 2020, including advancing eptinezumab’s supply chain, building commercial inventory, continuing to build out Alder’s commercial footprint and other pre-launch market readiness activities.

Alder believes its available cash, cash equivalents, investments and restricted cash will be sufficient to meet its projected operating requirements through the anticipated launch of eptinezumab and into the latter part of 2020.

Conference Call and Webcast
Alder will host a conference call today at 5:00 p.m. ET to discuss these financial results and recent corporate highlights. The live call may be accessed by dialing (877) 430-4657 for domestic callers or (484) 756-4339 for international callers, and providing conference ID number 8162289. The webcast will be broadcast live and can be accessed from the Events & Presentations page in the Investors section of Alder’s website at www.alderbio.com. The accompanying slides are available now at the Events & Presentations page in the Investors section of Alder’s website at www.alderbio.com. The webcast will be available for replay following the call for at least 30 days.