On August 11, 2020 Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and provided a business update (Press release, Altimmune, AUG 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234563521]).

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"We are pleased with Altimmune’s progress during 2020 as we have launched two new product candidates for COVID-19, progressed our NASH candidate toward clinical testing and forged strategic alliances with Vigene Biosciences and DynPort Vaccine Company" said Vipin K. Garg, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "With the support of our shareholders, we now have more than $200 million of cash and investments on hand to drive continued development of our product pipeline."

Recent Highlights

Received gross proceeds of $199.4 million from a public offering, warrant exercises and ATM sales since Q1 2020
Since the first quarter, the Company has received $132.2 million in gross proceeds from a public offering of common stock and pre-funded warrants, $40.9 million from warrant exercises and $26.3 million in gross proceeds from ATM sales. The cash received will be used primarily for the development of AdCOVID and T-COVID, including scale up of manufacturing and advanced clinical trials; the continued development of ALT-801, a dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), including the first-in-human trial later this year; and for capital expenditures and general working capital purposes.

Announced positive preclinical results for AdCOVID
The Company announced positive results from the preclinical studies of its single-dose intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AdCOVID. The studies, which were conducted in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), showed strong serum neutralizing activity and potent mucosal immunity in the respiratory tract. The induction of mucosal IgA antibody in the respiratory tract may be necessary to block both infection and transmission of the virus to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Based on these findings, the Company has initiated manufacturing of AdCOVID and plans to advance the vaccine candidate to a Phase 1 safety and immunogenicity study in Q4 of this year.

Announced manufacturing agreement with Vigene Biosciences for AdCOVID
The Company announced that it has entered into an agreement with Vigene Biosciences to manufacture AdCOVID, the Company’s single-dose intranasal vaccine candidate for COVID-19. Vigene, a Rockville, Maryland-based award-winning Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, specializes in viral vectors and will deploy its capabilities to manufacture AdCOVID. Following recent positive pre-clinical data, the Company plans to start a Phase 1 clinical trial of AdCOVID in Q4 2020.

Formed teaming agreement with DynPort Vaccine Company for AdCOVID
The Company announced that it has entered into a teaming agreement with DynPort Vaccine Company (DVC), a General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) company, to coordinate U.S. Government funding efforts and, if successful, to provide program management, drug development activity integration, and regulatory support for AdCOVID.

Initiated T-COVID program and received $4.7 million award from the DoD to fund Phase 1/2 clinical trial
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Company to proceed with a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of T-COVID, an investigational therapeutic agent for the treatment of early COVID-19. The EPIC Trial (Efficacy and Safety of T-COVID in the Prevention of Clinical Worsening in COVID-19) is being funded through a $4.7 million competitive award from the U.S. Army Medical Research & Development Command (USAMRDC) and Department of Defense (DoD) working in collaboration with the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC), a 501(c)(3) biomedical technology consortium. Altimmune recently initiated multiple clinical sites across the United States and expects that enrollment will commence imminently.

Completed enrollment in Phase 1b clinical trial of NasoShield
The Company completed enrollment in its Phase 1b clinical trial of NasoShield, a single dose intranasal anthrax vaccine candidate. The NasoShield program is being developed under a contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), with a total potential value of $133.7 million if all options in the contract (HHSO100201600008C) are exercised. At the conclusion of the Phase 1b NasoShield trial, BARDA will have the option of exercising the remaining contract options valued at approximately $105 million to enable Phase 2 development.

Advanced IND-enabling activities for ALT-801 GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist for NASH
The Company has successfully completed the in-life portion of the safety and toxicological assessment of ALT-801 and is manufacturing the clinical trial material for the first-in-human trial, expected to start in Q4 2020. The single and multiple ascending dose trial will be conducted in Australia and will evaluate the safety and activity of ALT-801 in overweight and obese volunteers. Data from that study, including validation of the compound’s weight loss and liver fat-reducing effects, is expected to read out in the spring of 2021.

Received HepTcell IND clearance for Phase 2 trial
The FDA cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to conduct a Phase 2 trial of HepTcell, a peptide-based immunotherapeutic for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (HBV). The Company is also filing CTAs in Canada and three European countries. Altimmune plans to initiate the multinational trial in Q4 of this year, subject to an ongoing assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on study conduct.
Financial Results for the Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2020

The Company had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $80.3 million at June 30, 2020. Subsequent to the quarter ended June 30, 2020, the Company received approximately $136.2 million in net proceeds from the public offering of its common stock, warrant exercises, and ATM sales.
Revenue was $0.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 compared to $1.6 million in the prior year period. The change was primarily due to a decrease in billings under the Company’s U.S. government contracts due to timing of manufacturing and clinical trials for the NasoShield program.
Research and development expenses were $16.5 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 compared to $2.9 million in the prior year period. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in the contingent liability for stock-based milestone payments associated with the acquisition of ALT-801; development costs for IND-enabling preclinical studies for ALT-801; and development costs for the COVID-19 programs. These increases were partially offset by decreased spend on the NasoShield program.
General and administrative expenses were $2.5 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 compared to $2.2 million in the prior year period. The increase is attributable to higher employee compensation and legal costs.
Income tax benefit was $1.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, as compared to zero for the same period in 2019. The increase is attributable to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act") passed on March 27, 2020 which made temporary changes regarding the utilization and carry back of net operating losses. The Company intends to file a tax refund claim with the Internal Revenue Service reflecting a partial refund of its 2016 tax liability by carrying back net operating losses arising during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020.
Net loss attributed to common stockholders for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 was $16.8 million, or $0.94 net loss per share, compared to $3.4 million in the prior year, or $0.26 net loss per share. The difference in net loss is primarily attributable to higher research and development expenses, lower revenue, offset by an increase in income tax benefit.
Conference Call Information

Altimmune will host a conference call to discuss the company’s second quarter results and other business information.
Date: Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Time: 8:30 am Eastern Time
Domestic: 877-423-9813
International: 201-689-8573
Conference ID: 13706947
Webcast: View Source
Following the conclusion of the call, the webcast will be available for replay on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at www.altimmune.com. The company has used, and intends to continue to use, the investor relations portion of its website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.