On October 27, 2021 Alkermes plc (Nasdaq: ALKS) reported financial results for the third quarter of 2021 (Press release, Alkermes, OCT 27, 2021, View Source [SID1234592037]).
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"We have made significant strides across our commercial and development portfolios over the course of 2021. With the recent commercial launch of LYBALVI, we have expanded our psychiatry franchise and added an important new growth opportunity that leverages our experience and capabilities in the antipsychotic market. Within our development pipeline, we initiated clinical studies designed to support potential registration of nemvaleukin in mucosal melanoma and platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. We also initiated a phase 1 study of ALKS 1140 and advanced our preclinical orexin 2 receptor agonist program. Each of these important achievements demonstrates the continued execution of our strategy to advance differentiated medicines in neuroscience and oncology," said Richard Pops, Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes. "As we look ahead, we believe we are well-positioned to deliver long-term growth and value creation, driven by our diversified commercial business, our advancing development pipeline and our focus on profitability."
Quarter Ended Sept. 30, 2021 Financial Results
Revenues
– Total revenues for the quarter were $294.1 million. This compared to $265.0 million for the same period in the prior year.
– Net sales of proprietary products for the quarter were $157.7 million, compared to $142.7 million for the same period in the prior year.
Net sales of VIVITROL were $88.8 million, compared to $80.3 million for the same period in the prior year, representing an increase of approximately 11%.
Net sales of ARISTADAi were $68.9 million, compared to $62.4 million for the same period in the prior year, representing an increase of approximately 10%.
– Manufacturing and royalty revenues for the quarter were $136.3 million, compared to $120.4 million for the same period in the prior year.
Manufacturing and royalty revenues from INVEGA SUSTENNA/XEPLION, INVEGA TRINZA/TREVICTA, and RISPERDAL CONSTA were $90.3 million, compared to $87.9 million for the same period in the prior year.
Manufacturing and royalty revenues from VUMERITY were $26.7 million, compared to $2.7 million for the same period in the prior year.
Costs and Expenses
– Total operating expenses for the quarter were $313.8 million, compared to $275.7 million for the same period in the prior year.
Cost of Goods Manufactured and Sold were $49.6 million, compared to $43.1 million for the same period in the prior year.
Research and Development (R&D) expenses were $118.4 million, compared to $95.0 million for the same period in the prior year. R&D expenses for the third quarter included accrual of a $25.0 million development milestone to be paid to the former shareholders of Rodin Therapeutics, Inc. related to ALKS 1140, the first clinical candidate to emerge from the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor platform acquired by Alkermes in 2019. Excluding this milestone, R&D expenses for the quarter were $93.4 million.
Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) expenses were $136.2 million, compared to $127.7 million for the same period in the prior year, primarily reflecting increased investment to support the launch of LYBALVI.
Profitability
– Net loss according to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP) was $29.0 million for the quarter, or a basic and diluted GAAP loss per share of $0.18, and included the $25.0 million development milestone related to ALKS 1140. This compared to GAAP net loss of $0.1 million, or a basic and diluted GAAP loss per share of $0.00, for the same period in the prior year.
– Non-GAAP net income was $23.6 million for the quarter, or a non-GAAP basic earnings per share of $0.15 and a non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.14, and included the $25.0 million development milestone related to ALKS 1140. This compared to non-GAAP net income of $41.5 million, or a non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.26 for the same period in the prior year.
Balance Sheet
– At Sept. 30, 2021, the company recorded cash, cash equivalents and total investments of $748.2 million, compared to $669.4 million at June 30, 2021, driven primarily by the company’s operating results and changes in working capital. The company’s total debt outstanding as of Sept. 30, 2021 was $296.4 million.
Financial Expectations for 2021
Alkermes reiterates its financial expectations for 2021 set forth in its press release dated July 28, 2021. These financial expectations assume improvement in patient access to treatment providers and further normalization of the treatment system in the fourth quarter of 2021. If patient access does not improve or the treatment system does not normalize as anticipated, or if new COVID-19-related disruptions emerge, the company’s ability to meet these expectations could be negatively impacted.
"We are pleased to report another strong quarter that reflects our continued focus on commercial execution, with solid year-over-year growth for VIVITROL and ARISTADA, and on driving operational efficiencies," commented Iain Brown, Chief Financial Officer of Alkermes. "As we look ahead, we believe that we are in a strong financial position to successfully launch LYBALVI and invest in our pipeline of development candidates as we seek to drive long-term value creation and profitability."
Recent Events:
Psychiatry
In October 2021, the company announced the commercial availability of LYBALVI (olanzapine and samidorphan) in the U.S. for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia, and for the treatment of adults with bipolar I disorder, as a maintenance monotherapy or for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes as monotherapy or an adjunct to lithium or valproateii. LYBALVI is a once-daily, oral atypical antipsychotic composed of olanzapine, an established antipsychotic agent, co-formulated with samidorphan, a new chemical entity, in a single bilayer tablet.
Oncology
In August 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to nemvaleukin alfa (nemvaleukin) for the treatment of mucosal melanoma. This followed the FDA’s grant of Orphan Drug designation to nemvaleukin for the treatment of mucosal melanoma and the recent initiation of ARTISTRY-6, a global phase 2 trial evaluating the anti-tumor activity, safety and tolerability of nemvaleukin monotherapy in patients with melanoma who have been previously treated with anti-PD-(L)1 therapy.
In October 2021, the FDA granted Fast Track designation to nemvaleukin in combination with pembrolizumab for the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
In October 2021, the company announced the initiation of ARTISTRY-7, a global phase 3 trial evaluating the anti-tumor activity and safety of intravenously administered (IV) nemvaleukin in combination with pembrolizumab compared to investigator’s choice chemotherapy in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
Neuroscience
In October 2021, the company initiated a phase 1, first-in-human study evaluating the safety and tolerability of ALKS 1140 in healthy subjects. ALKS 1140 is a novel, investigational CoREST-selective (co-repressor of repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor) HDAC inhibitor candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. ALKS 1140 is designed to increase functional synaptic connections and synaptic integrity in the brain.
Conference Call
Alkermes will host a conference call and webcast presentation with accompanying slides at 8:00 a.m. ET (1:00 p.m. BST) on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, to discuss these financial results and provide an update on the company. The webcast may be accessed on the Investors section of Alkermes’ website at www.alkermes.com. The conference call may be accessed by dialing +1 877 407 2988 for U.S. callers and +1 201 389 0923 for international callers. In addition, a replay of the conference call may be accessed by visiting Alkermes’ website.