On November 7, 2023 Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRSN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing a pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting cancers in areas of high unmet medical need, reported a business update and announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023 (Press release, Mersana Therapeutics, NOV 7, 2023, View Source [SID1234637149]).
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"Our team has made considerable progress on multiple fronts in recent months as we seek to demonstrate the clinical potential of our next-generation ADC platforms," said Martin Huber, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Mersana Therapeutics. "With recent clinical presentations at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2023 affirming B7-H4 as an intriguing oncology target, we are advancing XMT-1660 in Phase 1 dose escalation with plans to initiate dose expansion in 2024. Additionally, we are now preparing to resume enrollment in our Phase 1 clinical trial of XMT-2056, a novel HER2-directed STING-agonist ADC product candidate. We believe this progress and the actions we have taken to right-size the company provide an exciting opportunity to advance our clinical assets to their next milestones."
Mersana’s Recent Activities and Strategic Priorities
Advance XMT-1660 and Mersana’s Dolasynthen Platform: Dolasynthen is Mersana’s next-generation cytotoxic ADC platform that is designed to generate site-specific, homogeneous ADCs, utilizes a proprietary auristatin payload and has the ability to match the drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) to specific targets. The company is currently advancing a Phase 1 trial of XMT-1660, a B7-H4-directed Dolasynthen ADC with a precise, target-optimized DAR 6, and it has begun to enroll patients in backfill cohorts at clinically relevant doses as part of the dose escalation design. Mersana expects to complete the dose escalation portion of this Phase 1 clinical trial by the end of 2023 and initiate the dose expansion portion of the trial in 2024. Additionally, Mersana is supporting Janssen Biotech, Inc. under a collaboration and license agreement focused on discovering novel Dolasynthen ADCs for up to three targets. In the third quarter of 2023, Mersana received $6 million in milestone payments from this agreement.
Advance XMT-2056 and Mersana’s Immunosynthen Platform: Immunosynthen is Mersana’s proprietary STING-agonist platform that is designed to generate systemically administered ADCs that locally activate STING signaling in both tumor-resident immune cells and in antigen-expressing cells to unlock the anti-tumor potential of innate immune stimulation. Mersana recently announced the lifting of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s clinical hold on the Phase 1 clinical trial of XMT-2056, the company’s lead Immunosynthen ADC candidate that targets a novel HER2 epitope, and work is now underway to resume enrollment in the trial. In August 2022, Mersana entered into a global collaboration providing GSK plc with an exclusive option to co-develop and commercialize XMT-2056. GSK has not exercised this option to date. Additionally, Mersana is supporting Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany under a collaboration and license agreement that focuses on discovering novel Immunosynthen ADCs for up to two targets.
UPLIFT Data Analysis
In the third quarter of 2023, the company reported top-line data from UPLIFT, its Phase 2 clinical trial of upifitamab rilsodotin (UpRi), that showed the trial did not meet its primary endpoint. UpRi is an ADC targeting the sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein NaPi2b that was developed utilizing the company’s first-generation Dolaflexin platform. Mersana is completing its analysis of UPLIFT results and plans to share detailed efficacy and safety data with the medical and scientific community in the first half of 2024.
Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results
Net cash used in operating activities for the third quarter of 2023 was $46.1 million.
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2023 were $241.0 million, compared to $280.7 million as of December 31, 2022. Mersana expects that its available funds will be sufficient to support its current operating plan commitments into 2026.
Collaboration revenue for the third quarter of 2023 was $7.7 million, compared to $5.6 million for the same period in 2022. The year-over-year increase was primarily related to Mersana’s collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Research and development (R&D) expenses for the third quarter of 2023 were $30.5 million, compared to $50.6 million for the same period in 2022. The decline in R&D expenses was primarily related to reduced manufacturing and clinical costs related to UpRi and XMT-2056 and reduced employee compensation. Included in third quarter 2023 R&D expenses were $2.2 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expenses.
General and administrative (G&A) expenses for the third quarter of 2023 were $12.9 million, compared to $14.6 million during the same period in 2022. The year-over-year decline in G&A expenses was primarily related to reduced consulting and professional services fees and reduced employee compensation. Included in third quarter 2023 G&A expenses were $1.8 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expenses.
Mersana incurred $8.2 million in restructuring expenses for the third quarter of 2023 related primarily to severance-related costs and contract termination expenses.
Net loss for the third quarter of 2023 was $41.7 million, or $0.35 per share, compared to a net loss of $59.8 million, or $0.61 per share, for the same period in 2022.
Conference Call Reminder
Mersana will host a conference call today at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss business updates and its financial results for the third quarter of 2023. To access the call, please dial 877-270-2148 (domestic) or 412-902-6510 (international). A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investors & Media section of the Mersana website at www.mersana.com, and a replay of the webcast will be available in the same location following the conference call for approximately 90 days.