Palleon Pharmaceuticals and Henlius Enter into Strategic Collaboration to Develop Bifunctional Sialidase Therapies

On June 28, 2022 Palleon Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company pioneering the field of glyco-immunology to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases, reported a strategic collaboration with Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc. (2696.HK) to develop and commercialize two bifunctional sialidase programs from Palleon’s EAGLE (Enzyme-Antibody Glyco-Ligand Editing) immuno-oncology platform, including Palleon’s Bifunctional HER2-Sialidase now in preclinical development and a second bifunctional sialidase to be developed with a proprietary target provided by Henlius (Press release, Palleon Pharmaceuticals, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616320]).

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Palleon’s EAGLE platform potentiates antitumor immunity by enzymatically removing immunosuppressive sialic acids from tumor and immune cell surfaces. The EAGLE platform is created by genetic fusion of an engineered human sialidase with antibody domains, and includes clinical stage Bi-Sialidase, as well as various bifunctional sialidases comprising a sialidase together with a targeting arm. As one of Palleon’s most advanced bifunctional sialidases, the Bifunctional HER2-Sialidase has shown the potential to treat both HER2-low and HER2-high expressing tumors with modest to high levels of tumor surface sialoglycans, and the candidate is on the verge of entering IND-enabling studies.

Henlius has built a vertically integrated biopharmaceutical platform with core capabilities of high efficiency and innovation embedded throughout the entire product life cycle of R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization, expediting a diversified and robust pipeline covering tumor-associated-antigen (TAA) targets with high market potential. Fully leveraging its experience in biologics development and harnessing the power of innovation, Henlius implements its proprietary antibody and novel conjugating technologies to explore various forms of antibody conjugates to continue building a more diverse innovative pipeline by synergizing its innovation centers in China and the US, as well as its global clinical development teams. Henlius has process development capabilities that span the product lifecycle, starting with cell line development and continuing through commercial manufacturing, effectively supporting the commercialization of its products around the world.

"We’re very pleased to partner with Henlius to develop and expand Palleon’s pipeline to realize the potential of bifunctional sialidases as a treatment option for a wide range of cancer types," said Jim Broderick, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Palleon. "Henlius has a strong track record of providing groundbreaking and cost-effective medicines for patients in China, and the development of these two therapeutic candidates will benefit from their expertise and capabilities."

Under the terms of the agreement, Palleon will perform research and the parties will then share preclinical and global clinical development responsibilities and costs for the Bifunctional HER2-Sialidase and a second bifunctional sialidase. Henlius has an exclusive license to the two investigational therapies in China (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), while Palleon retains all other global rights and, for the second product, receives a royalty-bearing exclusive license to Henlius’ antibody technology outside China. Palleon received an upfront payment and is further eligible to receive up to $196.5 million in certain predetermined R&D and commercial milestones, in addition to royalties upon Henlius commercialization in China.

"We strive to offer innovative and affordable biologics to all patients," said Wenjie Zhang, Chairman, Executive Director, and CEO of Henlius. "Henlius is currently exploring various forms of antibody conjugates utilizing our proprietary antibody expertise and novel conjugating technologies. Together with Palleon’s cutting-edge EAGLE immuno-oncology platform, we believe that this collaboration will complement Henlius’ innovative early-stage pipeline and accelerate our progress of providing breakthrough treatments for patients with unmet medical needs."

BioLineRx Announces Collaboration Agreement with GenFleet Therapeutics to Further Develop Motixafortide in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC)

On June 28, 2022 BioLineRx Ltd. (NASDAQ: BLRX) (TASE: BLRX), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, reported that the Company has entered into a collaboration agreement with GenFleet Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology focused biopharmaceutical company based in China, to advance Motixafortide through a randomized Phase 2b clinical trial in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, or PDAC (Press release, BioLineRx, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616319]).

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Under the terms of the agreement, GenFleet will fully fund, design and execute a randomized Phase 2b clinical trial that will enroll approximately 200 first-line metastatic PDAC patients in China. This randomized controlled study will aim to evaluate the superiority of Motixafortide in combination with an anti-PD-1 and chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone, the current standard of care. As part of the collaboration, BioLineRx will supply Motixafortide, while GenFleet will supply the other study drugs for the trial. Trial oversight will be administered by a Joint Development Committee. GenFleet will be eligible to receive low-to-mid-single digit tiered percentage royalties on future Motixafortide sales, if approved.

"This collaboration is based on the highly encouraging results from our Phase 2a COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 study of Motixafortide in combination with an anti-PD-1 and chemotherapy, which provide strong support for continued development in this very challenging disease," stated Philip Serlin, Chief Executive Officer of BioLineRx. "With its broad solid tumor oncology pipeline and highly experienced development team, we believe we have found an outstanding partner in GenFleet to execute a rigorously designed randomized Phase 2b trial."

"At the same time, we remain on track to submit our New Drug Application (NDA) for Motixafortide in stem cell mobilization in the U.S. in the next few months, and we are continuing our pre-launch activities in anticipation of potential FDA approval in 2023."

"Together, these programs demonstrate the potential versatility of Motixafortide and its promise of new combination therapies targeting both hematological and solid tumor cancers," Mr. Serlin concluded.

"The results of the COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 Phase 2a study demonstrate the benefit of combining the CXCR4 inhibitor Motixafortide with an anti-PD-1 and chemotherapy in a second-line setting," said Qiang Lu, Chairman of GenFleet. "We believe that this combination could be beneficial to patients in a first-line setting as well, and we hope to confirm this in a randomized trial. We are thrilled to be partners with BioLineRx in the development of this late-stage clinical asset, and look forward to initiating this important trial as quickly as possible."

In parallel, BioLineRx is continuing its collaboration with Colombia University in an on-going Phase 2 investigator-initiated study (NCT04543071) to evaluate Motixafortide in combination with the anti-PD-1 LIBTAYO (cemiplimab) and standard-of-care chemotherapy (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) in first-line PDAC patients.

MSQ Ventures served as advisor to BioLineRx on this transaction.

About Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer has a low rate of early diagnosis and a poor prognosis. Its incidence rate in the US is estimated at 3.2% of new cancer cases. In 2022, approximately 495,000 individuals globally are expected to be diagnosed with this condition, 62,000 of them in the US; and the incidence of pancreatic cancer is expected to continue to increase. Symptoms are usually non-specific and as a result, pancreatic cancer is often not diagnosed until it reaches an advanced stage. Surgical resection does not offer adequate treatment since only 20% of patients have resectable tumors at the time of diagnosis. Even among patients who undergo resection for pancreatic cancer and have tumor-free margins, the five-year survival rate is only 10-25%. The overall five-year survival rate among pancreatic cancer patients is 8%, which constitutes the highest mortality rate among solid tumor malignancies. The overall median survival is less than one year from diagnosis, highlighting the need for the development of new therapeutic options.

Despite advances in chemotherapeutics and immunotherapy, increases in median and overall survival rates in pancreatic cancer have been modest. Pancreatic cancer remains an area of unmet medical need, with very limited new approved therapies for the majority of PDAC patients since the approval of nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) in combination with gemcitabine for first-line treatment in 2013 and Onivyde in combination with fluorouracil and leucovorin for second-line treatment in 2015. The limited clinical benefits demonstrated by these existing standard treatment options reinforce the need for additional approaches.

About COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202

In December 2020, BioLineRx announced final positive results from its Phase 2a COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 triple combination study of Motixafortide in second line PDAC. The highly encouraging results demonstrated improvement across all study endpoints, including overall survival, progression free survival and overall response rate, in the most challenging PDAC patients, as compared to historical data. All patients were diagnosed at Stage IV, and greater than 70% had liver metastases, a key determinant of poor prognoses in this patient population.

Akoya Biosciences to Partner with Acrivon Therapeutics for the Clinical Development of Acrivon’s Proprietary OncoSignature® Test into a Companion Diagnostic

On June 28, 2022 Akoya Biosciences, Inc., (Nasdaq: AKYA), The Spatial Biology Company, and Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage oncology therapeutics company with proprietary technologies driving a new era of precision-based medicine, reported an agreement to co-develop, validate, and commercialize Acrivon’s OncoSignature test, a first-of-its-kind companion diagnostic (Press release, Akoya Biosciences, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616318]). The test will be used to identify cancer patients most likely to respond to treatment with ACR-368, a targeted DNA damage response inhibitor therapy being developed by Acrivon. ACR-368 has been cleared by the FDA to be advanced in a Phase 2 master protocol trial to treat patients with ovarian, endometrial, and urothelial cancer based on predicted sensitivity to ACR-368.

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ACR-368 has been evaluated in over 1,000 patients and has demonstrated durable monotherapy activity, including complete responses, in a proportion of patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. These patients currently have no effective treatment options, and the median survival time with this disease is less than one year. In addition to ovarian cancer, ACR-368 is being evaluated as a treatment for endometrial and urothelial cancers — two other high unmet need solid tumor types predicted by OncoSignature to be highly sensitive to the drug. The OncoSignature test, developed by Acrivon, will be run on Akoya’s PhenoImager solution during clinical development and, pending ACR-368 approval and commercialization, will enable physicians to identify and treat the patients most likely to respond to the therapy.

Akoya, in partnership with Acrivon, will develop, clinically validate, and seek regulatory co-approval for the OncoSignature test, and, pending ACR-368 approval, commercialize the test as the exclusive provider of the companion diagnostic required for prescribing ACR-368. The test will leverage the spatial phenotyping capabilities of the PhenoImager solution to localize and quantify the expression of a signature of clinically relevant protein biomarkers within the tumor.

"The ability to select patients for ACR-368 is a foundational part of our efficient clinical development strategy and is a critical part of our mission to bring our targeted therapies to the patients most likely to benefit from treatment," said Peter Blume-Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer and president of Acrivon. "We believe that Akoya is an ideal partner to develop and commercialize this next-generation companion diagnostic with their technically advanced, quantitative PhenoImager solution. We look forward to working with Akoya towards bringing this companion diagnostic to patients and clinicians around the world."

In the initial phase of this co-development agreement, studies were conducted in collaboration with Acrivon at Akoya’s CLIA-certified Advanced Biopharma Solutions (ABS) lab to complete the analytical validation of the clinical trial assay version of the OncoSignature test on the PhenoImager platform. ABS is a premium high-value partner for biopharmaceutical companies enabling the use of Akoya’s platform in clinical trials. In the next phase of the agreement, the companion diagnostic for ACR-368 will be developed and clinically validated.

"We are honored to partner with Acrivon in the advancement of their promising therapy ACR-368, which has the potential to substantially impact the well-being of these patients," said Brian McKelligon, chief executive officer of Akoya. "We believe that the next generation of personalized medicines will go beyond the genetic markers currently being used today. Our spatial phenotyping technology and complete workflow solution with the PhenoImager platform can enable the sophisticated analyses necessary to achieve diagnostic capabilities required for patient selection, and we are excited to have Acrivon’s leading-edge OncoSignature test run on our solution."

About Acrivon’s Precision Predictive Proteomics (AP3) and OncoSignature Tests
Acrivon Predictive Precision Proteomics, AP3, is a proprietary, streamlined approach to develop patient selection tumor biopsy tests, called OncoSignature tests. The technology is engineered to be agnostic to underlying genetic alterations and designed to enable identification and treatment of the patients whose tumors are regulated by and sensitive to the drug based on direct protein measurement of the critical tumor-driving mechanisms. The AP3 approach leverages unbiased differential global phosphoproteomic drug profiling using mass spectrometry, biased tumor model analyses, and quantitative multispectral in situ imaging of patient derived xenograft (PDX) in vivo models and intended-use tumor samples and clinical trial biopsies, to identify and evaluate biomarkers. The output of AP3 is clinically actionable, drug-tailored, proprietary OncoSignature tests. These are automated, quantitative protein multiplex imaging tests applied to pretreatment tumor biopsies as a companion diagnostic (CDx) to select and treat the patients predicted to benefit from the drug candidate. The AP3 method is broadly applicable across drugs and drug candidates and is a transformative, efficient method to accurately match the right therapy to the right patient.

Revolution Medicines Advances First RAS(ON) Inhibitor into Clinic, Dosing First Patient in Phase 1/1b Trial of RMC-6236

On June 28, 2022 Revolution Medicines, Inc. (Nasdaq: RVMD), a clinical-stage oncology company developing targeted therapies for RAS-addicted cancers, reported the first patient was dosed in its Phase 1/1b monotherapy clinical trial of RMC-6236, the company’s oral, potent, tri-complex RAS(ON) Inhibitor designed to treat patients with cancers driven by a variety of RAS mutations (Press release, Revolution Medicines, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616317]). RMC-6236, which the company refers to as a RASMULTI (ON) Inhibitor, is the first development candidate from Revolution Medicines’ portfolio of novel RAS(ON) Inhibitors to enter clinical development.

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The Phase 1/1b trial (NCT05379985) is a multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study of RMC-6236 in patients with advanced solid tumors harboring selected KRASG12 mutations, including KRASG12D, KRASG12V and KRASG12R. The primary objectives of the study are to evaluate safety and tolerability and to inform the recommended Phase 2 dose and schedule (RP2DS) for the compound. The study’s first patient has pancreatic cancer with a KRASG12D mutation, the most common genetic variant of RAS proteins causing cancer.

"Beginning clinical evaluation of the first compound from our broad portfolio of RAS(ON) Inhibitors marks a significant milestone in our efforts to serve unmet needs of patients with RAS-addicted cancers," said Mark A. Goldsmith, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer and chairman of Revolution Medicines. "To our knowledge, RMC-6236 is the first oral, direct RAS inhibitor to be deployed against a tumor harboring the KRASG12D variant, and it ushers in a wave of groundbreaking RAS(ON) Inhibitors we expect to advance."

Steve Kelsey, M.D., president, research and development at Revolution Medicines said, "RMC-6236 is a compelling drug candidate with the potential to demonstrate broad utility across many RAS cancer variants, particularly those harboring KRASG12 mutations. We are enthusiastic about its potential both to display first-in-class single agent activity as an inhibitor of mutant RAS and to be deployed as a RAS Companion Inhibitor in combination with mutant-selective RAS(ON) Inhibitors we have in development."

The company also highlights the election of Sushil Patel, Ph.D., to its board of directors at its recent annual meeting of stockholders. Dr. Patel has more than twenty years of experience in the biotech industry, focused on commercialization strategy and execution in U.S. and global oncology markets. He currently serves as chief commercial officer of Replimune Group, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel tumor-directed oncolytic immunotherapies. Previously, Dr. Patel held various positions at Genentech, Inc., where he served as franchise head for lung, skin, and rare cancers that included several blockbuster products in both targeted therapies and immuno-oncology. Notably, he led lifecycle management of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in lung cancer and helped lead more than eight product launches across more than twenty different indications. Dr. Patel holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of London and a Master’s degree in biotechnology from the Imperial College London.

Dr. Goldsmith added, "We are very fortunate to have Sushil join our board of directors. His commercial expertise in bringing innovative cancer drugs to patients will provide a valuable perspective as we advance our deep product pipeline."

Roivant Sciences Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2022 and Provides Business Update

On June 28, 2022 Roivant Sciences Ltd. (Nasdaq: ROIV), a next-generation biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the delivery of healthcare to patients, reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 and provided an update on the Company’s operations (Press release, Roivant Sciences, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616316]).

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Roivant’s Chief Executive Officer, Matt Gline, noted: "We are thrilled by the FDA approval of VTAMA for the treatment of psoriasis, a first and only-in-class medicine. Our leadership team at Dermavant is wholly focused on the ongoing launch, with a fully operating commercial organization in place and early signs of meaningful physician engagement. With $2.1B in cash, we are fortunate to operate from a position of financial strength, with a projected cash runway of over two years, to aggressively advance our existing programs while opportunistically adding new ones in the future. We continue to focus our capital allocation on the most meaningful opportunities for patients, including newly launched Priovant, while remaining cognizant of the current external environment and prioritizing our spend to deliver the highest return for shareholders."

Recent Developments

Roivant: We have implemented a company-wide cost optimization and pipeline reprioritization initiative to reduce our expected operating expenses and prioritize our capital resources. As part of this initiative, we have discontinued the development of several programs, including ARU-1801, LSVT-1701, DMVT-502, DMVT-503, DMVT-504 and CVT-TCR-01, to focus our capital on the potentially most valuable and meaningful opportunities for patients in our pipeline, including our programs for newly launched Priovant.
Aruvant: We have elected to wind down the development of ARU-1801 after considering the future development costs of the program, the current market environment and the clinical and commercial profile of the drug. We would like to thank the patients and their families, as well as Aruvant employees and investigators for their commitment to finding a cure for sickle cell disease.
Dermavant: The FDA approved VTAMA for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. The approval makes VTAMA the first and only FDA-approved steroid-free topical medication in its class. Dermavant also completed a strategic pipeline review and has terminated the development of DMVT-502 for vitiligo and atopic dermatitis, DMVT-503 for acne and DMVT-504 for hyperhidrosis to focus on the potential blockbuster launch of VTAMA for plaque psoriasis and execution of the Phase 3 clinical trials of VTAMA for atopic dermatitis, a potential second blockbuster indication.
Priovant: Priovant initiated a single registrational Phase 3 trial to evaluate brepocitinib for the treatment of dermatomyositis. Brepocitinib is a potential first-in-class dual, selective inhibitor of TYK2 and JAK1 licensed from Pfizer that has been evaluated in 14 completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials, including 5 placebo-controlled Phase 2 trials in psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, alopecia areata and hidradenitis suppurativa that generated statistically significant and clinically meaningful efficacy results. Oral brepocitinib is also in active development in SLE, for which a potentially registrational trial is currently ongoing.
Immunovant: Immunovant initiated a single potentially registrational Phase 3 trial to evaluate batoclimab for the treatment of myasthenia gravis, with topline results expected in the second half of calendar year 2024.
Genevant: In February 2022, Genevant and Arbutus filed a lawsuit against Moderna seeking damages for infringement of several patents in the manufacture and sale of mRNA-1273, Moderna’s vaccine for COVID-19. The patents relate to nucleic acid-lipid particles and lipid vesicles, as well as compositions and methods for their use.
Hemavant: The open-label Phase 1/2 trial evaluating RVT-2001 for the treatment of transfusion-dependent anemia in lower-risk MDS patients is underway, with target enrollment of up to 64 patients with SF3B1 mutations.
Proteovant and VantAI: Proteovant and VantAI entered into several recently announced research collaboration agreements focused on the discovery and development of novel protein degraders and next-generation E3 ligase platforms. Collaborations with Janssen, Blueprint Medicines and Boehringer Ingelheim include aggregate contingent milestone payments of over $1 billion as well as product royalties.
Kinevant: In April 2022, Kinevant initiated a Phase 2 trial evaluating namilumab for the treatment of sarcoidosis.
Major Upcoming Milestones

Dermavant: Dermavant expects to provide updates on the commercial launch of VTAMA for psoriasis on a periodic basis and to report topline data from the Phase 3 clinical trials of VTAMA for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in the first half of calendar year 2023.
Immunovant: Immunovant plans to initiate two Phase 3 trials to evaluate batoclimab for the treatment of thyroid eye disease in the second half of calendar year 2022, with topline results expected in the first half of calendar year 2025. Immunovant also plans to initiate an additional Phase 3 trial in another indication in the second half of calendar year 2022 and announce two new indications by August 2022. Results from the additional cohorts of the batoclimab and atorvastatin drug-drug interaction study are expected to be available by the end of calendar year 2022.
Priovant: Priovant expects to announce topline results from the potentially registrational trial evaluating brepocitinib for the treatment of patients with SLE in the second half of calendar year 2023.
Hemavant: Hemavant expects to announce data from the ongoing open-label Phase 1/2 trial evaluating RVT-2001 for the treatment of transfusion-dependent anemia in lower-risk MDS patients in calendar year 2023.
Kinevant: Kinevant expects to report topline data from the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of namilumab for the treatment of sarcoidosis in the first half of calendar year 2024.
Matt Gline added: "Finally, I am excited to welcome Melissa Epperly to our Board of Directors. I look forward to working with her as we focus on advancing the discovery, development and commercialization of important medicines for patients. I would like to thank Pat Machado for his contributions to the Board and Roivant over the past six years."

Melissa Epperly has served as Chief Financial Officer at Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage cancer company, since September 2019. She brings extensive experience as a senior financial executive in the life sciences industry. From June 2018 to August 2019, Ms. Epperly served as Chief Financial Officer at PsiOxus Therapeutics Ltd., a clinical-stage gene therapy cancer company, and prior to that, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development at R-Pharm US, a commercial-stage oncology company, from October 2015 to June 2018. Previously, Ms. Epperly was a Director at Anchorage Capital Group, a credit-focused hedge fund; a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in equity research in New York and London; a management consultant with Bain & Company; and a healthcare investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Ms. Epperly currently serves on the boards of directors of Kinnate Biopharma Inc. and Nautilus Biotechnology. Ms. Epperly holds a BA in Biochemistry and Economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2022 Financial Summary

Cash Position

As of March 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $2.1 billion.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development (R&D) expenses were $135.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $74.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The quarter-over-quarter increase was primarily due to increases in program-specific costs and personnel-related expenses, reflecting the progression of our programs and drug discovery. Non-GAAP R&D expenses were $117.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $58.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

R&D expenses were $483.0 million for the year ended March 31, 2022 compared to $236.6 million for the year ended March 31, 2021. The year-over-year increase was primarily due to increases in program-specific costs and personnel-related expenses, reflecting the progression of our programs and drug discovery. Additionally, increased share-based compensation expense compared to the prior year period resulted from a one-time catch-up expense of $22.9 million and ongoing vesting for certain equity instruments following the achievement of the liquidity event vesting condition upon the closing of the business combination with MAAC in September 2021. We did not recognize share-based compensation expense related to these equity instruments during the year ended March 31, 2021 as the liquidity event requirement had not been met and was not deemed probable of being met. Non-GAAP R&D expenses adjusted for non-cash share-based compensation and depreciation and amortization expenses were $416.1 million for the year ended March 31, 2022 compared to $213.5 million for the year ended March 31, 2021.

Acquired In-Process Research and Development Expenses

Acquired In-Process Research and Development (IPR&D) expenses were $1.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $400.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Acquired IPR&D expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was primarily driven by the acquisition of the business of Silicon Therapeutics.

Acquired IPR&D expenses were $139.9 million for the year ended March 31, 2022 compared to $596.1 million for the year ended March 31, 2021. Acquired IPR&D expense for the year ended March 31, 2022 was primarily driven by acquisitions completed by Priovant and Hemavant, as well as a one-time development milestone expense relating to Dermavant’s tapinarof program. Acquired IPR&D expense for the year ended March 31, 2021 was primarily driven by the acquisitions of the business of Silicon Therapeutics and Oncopia Therapeutics as well as a licensing and strategic collaboration agreement with Affimed N.V. Additionally, acquired IPR&D expense included amounts attributed to IPR&D relating to the consolidation of Genevant.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $139.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $81.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The quarter-over-quarter increase was primarily due to increases in share-based compensation expense as a result of the ongoing vesting of certain equity instruments for which the liquidity event vesting condition was met upon the closing of the business combination with MAAC in September 2021. We did not recognize share-based compensation expense related to these equity instruments during the three months ended March 31, 2021 as the liquidity event requirement had not been met and was not deemed probable of being met. Additionally, G&A expenses for Dermavant increased as we prepared for commercial launch. Non-GAAP G&A expenses were $77.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $56.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

G&A expenses were $775.0 million for the year ended March 31, 2022 compared to $259.9 million for the year ended March 31, 2021. The year-over-year increase was primarily due to higher share-based compensation expense as compared to the prior year period, which resulted from a one-time catch-up expense of $350.0 million and ongoing vesting for certain equity instruments following the achievement of the liquidity event vesting condition upon the closing of the business combination with MAAC in September 2021. We did not recognize share-based compensation expense related to these equity instruments during the year ended March 31, 2021 as the liquidity event requirement had not been met and was not deemed probable of being met. Additionally, G&A expenses for Dermavant increased as we prepared for commercial launch. Non-GAAP G&A expenses adjusted for non-cash share-based compensation and depreciation and amortization expenses were $271.1 million for the year ended March 31, 2022 compared to $194.2 million for the year ended March 31, 2021.

Net Loss

Net loss was $291.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $563.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. On a per common share basis, net loss was $0.39 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and $0.80 for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Non-GAAP net loss was $187.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $514.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Net loss for the year ended March 31, 2022 was $924.1 million compared to $900.2 million for year ended March 31, 2021. On a per common share basis, net loss was $1.26 for the year ended March 31, 2022 and $1.28 for the year ended March 31, 2021. Non-GAAP net loss was $784.2 million for the year ended March 31, 2022 compared to $992.5 million for the year ended March 31, 2021.

Notes to non-GAAP financial measures:

(1) Represents non-cash share-based compensation expense.

(2) Represents non-cash depreciation and amortization expense.

(3) Represents the unrealized loss (gain) on equity investments in unconsolidated entities that are accounted for at fair value with changes in value reported in earnings. This is a non-cash loss (gain) that has no direct correlation to the operation of Roivant’s business.

(4) Represents a one-time gain on sale of investment resulting from the merger of Datavant and CIOX Health in July 2021.

(5) Represents the change in fair value of debt and liability instruments, which is non-cash and primarily includes the unrealized loss (gain) relating to the measurement and recognition of fair value on a recurring basis of certain liabilities.

(6) Represents the one-time gain on termination of the options held by Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. to purchase Roivant’s ownership interest in certain Vants (the "Sumitomo Options").

(7) Represents the one-time gain on deconsolidation of a subsidiary and the remeasurement of a previously held interest in an unconsolidated entity upon its consolidation.

(8) Represents the estimated tax effect of the adjustments.

Beginning in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, the Company no longer excludes from its non-GAAP financial measures acquired IPR&D expenses, which include consideration for the purchase of IPR&D through asset acquisitions and license agreements as well as payments made in connection with asset acquisitions and license agreements upon the achievement of development milestones. Previously, these items were excluded from the Company’s non-GAAP financial measures. In conjunction with this change, acquired IPR&D expenses are now reported as a separate line item in its consolidated statements of operations. Prior period amounts have been revised to conform to the current presentation.

For the three months ended March 31, 2022, and March 31, 2021, acquired IPR&D expense was $1.5 million and $400.1 million, respectively. For the year ended March 31, 2022, and March 31, 2021, acquired IPR&D expense was $139.9 million and $596.1 million, respectively.

Investor Conference Call Information

Roivant will host a live conference call and webcast at 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 to report its financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022 and provide a corporate update.

To access the live conference call, please dial +1-844-224-1923 (domestic) or +1-214-989-7105 (international) and use conference ID 1036178. A webcast of the call will also be available under "Events & Presentations" in the Investors section of the Roivant website at https://investor.roivant.com/news-events/events. The archived webcast will be available on Roivant’s website after the conference call.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Indication: VTAMA (tapinarof) Cream, 1% is an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist indicated for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. Adverse Events: The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 1%) in subjects treated with VTAMA Cream were folliculitis (red raised bumps around the hair pores), nasopharyngitis (pain or swelling in the nose and throat), contact dermatitis (skin rash or irritation, including itching and redness, peeling, burning, or stinging), headache, pruritus (itching), and influenza (flu).

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit View Source or call 1-800-FDA-1088.