On May 7, 2020 ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("ANI") (NASDAQ: ANIP) reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 (Press release, ANI Pharmaceuticals, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557401]). The Company will host its earnings conference call this morning, May 7, 2020, at 10:30 AM ET. Investors and other interested parties can join the call by dialing (866) 776-8875. The conference ID is 5243607.

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"ANI generated net revenues and non-GAAP earnings that met management’s expectations during a period that was marked by significant uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our performance during this period is a testament to the commitment of our employees and to the strength of the business that we have built. I am proud of the accomplishments that were made during my eleven-year tenure as CEO of ANI. During this time, we have built ANI from a small private company to a thriving public specialty pharmaceutical business with an increasing diverse commercial product offering and an incredibly valuable pipeline opportunity in Cortrophin Gel. As I depart ANI, I am confident that I leave the business in good health, in the hands of a very strong management team, and with its best days ahead of it. I welcome Patrick Walsh from the Board of Directors to the role of interim CEO and trust in his ability to lead the Company until such time as my replacement is identified."

Appoints Interim CEO

As previously announced, Mr. Przybyl will depart as President and CEO on May 10, 2020. The Board of Directors of ANI (BOD) has appointed Patrick D. Walsh interim President and CEO, effective May 11, 2020, until such time that Mr. Przybyl’s permanent replacement is hired. Mr. Walsh has served on the ANI BOD since 2018 and has extensive pharmaceutical industry experience. For Mr. Walsh’s complete bio, please refer to ANI’s proxy statement filed on April 23, 2020. The BOD has retained nationally recognized executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles and is currently conducting the search for a President and CEO.

Continues Expansion of Commercialized Product Portfolio

During the first quarter of 2020, we successfully integrated the Amerigen Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. U.S. product portfolio, which was purchased in January for $52.5 million. This transaction increased our commercialized generic product portfolio by nine products from 35 to 44 and increased our pipeline portfolio by an additional thirteen opportunities. In addition, we launched five generic products during the quarter, further expanding our generic offerings to 49, and our total commercialized offerings including brands to 60.

Generic Pharmaceutical Products

Net revenues for generic pharmaceutical products were $37.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2020, an increase of 19% compared to $31.6 million for the same period in 2019. The primary drivers of the increase are the September 2019 launch of Vancomycin Oral Solution and the January 2020 launch of Miglustat, Mixed Amphetamine Salts, Penicillamine and Paliperidone, all products acquired in January from Amerigen Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. ("Amerigen"). These increases were tempered by decreases in sales of Vancomycin capsules, Esterified Estrogen with Methyltestosterone ("EEMT"), Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate ("EES"), and Ezetimibe Simvastatin.

Branded Pharmaceutical Products

Net revenues for branded pharmaceutical products were $9.2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2020, a decrease of 48% compared to $17.5 million for the same period in 2019. The primary reasons for the decrease were lower unit sales of Inderal XL, Inderal LA and Atacand as well as decreased sales of Arimidex.

Contract Manufacturing

Contract manufacturing revenues were $2.0 million during the three months ended March 31, 2020, a decrease of 19% compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2019, due to the timing and volume of orders from contract manufacturing customers in the period.

Royalty and Other

Royalty and other were $1.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2020, a decrease of $0.2 million from $1.3 million for the same period in 2019, primarily due to a decrease in royalty and laboratory service revenues, tempered by increases in product development revenues earned by ANI Canada during the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses increased to $57.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, from $48.5 million in the prior year period. The increase was primarily due to the following:

– $7.1 million increase in cost of sales, primarily as a result of $2.7 million in cost of sales representing the excess of fair value over cost for inventory acquired in the Amerigen acquisition and subsequently sold during the period, increased volumes related to a shift in product mix towards generic products, current period inventory reserve charges and increased sales of products subject to profit-sharing arrangements,
– $4.6 million in the build of Cortrophin pre-launch commercial inventories (which are expensed for US GAAP); there were no such comparable activities in the first quarter 2019, and
– $2.0 million increase in research and development expense, primarily due to $3.8 million in-process research and development expense from the Amerigen acquisition, partially offset by a decrease in expense related to the Cortrophin re-commercialization project as we begin to complete our development efforts.

These increases were tempered by a $4.9 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense, primarily due to the non-reoccurrence of amortization expense recorded in relation to the January 2019 royalty buy out, partially offset by the amortization of the Abbreviated New Drug Applications and marketing and distribution rights acquired in January 2020 from Amerigen.

Cost of sales exclusive of the $2.7 million net impact related to the excess of fair value over the cost of inventory sold during the period as a percentage of net revenues increased to 38% during the three months ended March 31, 2020, from 28% during same period in 2019, primarily as a result of a shift in product mix to an increased volume of generic products, which have lower average selling prices, inventory reserve charges in the current quarter as well as increased sales of products subject to profit-sharing arrangements during the current quarter.

Net Loss and Diluted Loss per Share

Net loss was $7.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, as compared to net income of $0.4 million in the prior year period. The effective consolidated tax benefit rate for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was 29.7%.

Diluted loss per share for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $0.59, based on 11,902 thousand diluted shares outstanding, as compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.04 in the prior year period. Adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $1.04, as compared to adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.30 in the prior year period. For a reconciliation of adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, please see Table 4.

ANI filed the sNDA for Cortrophin Gel re-commercialization on March 23, 2020, on track with our long-standing publicly projected Q1 2020 target filing date. The FDA initially set a PDUFA goal date of July 23, 2020, however as announced on April 29, 2020, subsequently issued a Refusal to File (RTF) letter. ANI will request a Type-A meeting with the FDA in order to discuss the deficiencies identified in the RTF letter and our plan to address each of them. In addition, significant accomplishments since the fourth quarter 2020 press release (dated February 27, 2020) include:

ANI successfully completed manufacturing for a sixth commercial scale batch of Corticotropin API. All six commercial scale batches have been analytically consistent with each other and have met all API release specifications.
ANI obtained 6 months accelerated and real-time stability on all API registration batches which facilitated sNDA filing by the end of first quarter 2020.
ANI successfully completed three media fill simulations demonstrating sterility assurance for our Cortrophin Gel manufacturing process.
ANI obtained 6 months accelerated and real-time stability on all drug product registration batches which also facilitated sNDA filing by the end of first quarter 2020.
ANI successfully completed full shipping validation which confirmed that the integrity of Cortrophin Gel is fully maintained to support our commercial launch and distribution plan.
In preparation for a future launch, ANI has continued to stockpile porcine pituitaries and corticotropin API to ensure that it can satisfy market demand.
For further details, please see ANI’s Cortrophin Gel Re-commercialization Milestone Update in Table 5.

ANI Guidance for the Full Year 2020

Due to inherent uncertainties regarding the duration and impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, ANI is suspending its previously announced 2020 financial guidance.

ANI Product Development Pipeline

ANI’s pipeline consists of 116 products, addressing a total annual market size of $5.8 billion, based on data from IQVIA. Of these, ANI expects that at least 52 can be commercialized based on either CBE-30s or prior approval supplements filed with the FDA.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA

ANI’s management considers adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA to be an important financial indicator of ANI’s operating performance, providing investors and analysts with a useful measure of operating results unaffected by non-cash stock-based compensation and differences in capital structures, tax structures, capital investment cycles, ages of related assets, and compensation structures among otherwise comparable companies. Management uses adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA when analyzing Company performance.

Adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA is defined as net income, excluding tax expense or benefit, interest expense, depreciation, amortization, the excess of fair value over cost of acquired inventory, stock-based compensation expense, expense from acquired in-process research and development, gains on inventory reserve recoveries, transaction and integration expenses, Cortrophin pre-launch charges, other income / expense and certain other items that vary in frequency and impact on ANI’s results of operations. Adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA should be considered in addition to, but not in lieu of, net income or loss reported under GAAP. A reconciliation of adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is provided in Table 3.

Adjusted non-GAAP Net Income

ANI’s management considers adjusted non-GAAP net income to be an important financial indicator of ANI’s operating performance, providing investors and analysts with a useful measure of operating results unaffected by the excess of fair value over cost of acquired inventory sold, non-cash stock-based compensation, non-cash interest expense, depreciation and amortization, inventory reserve recoveries, Cortrophin pre-launch charges, acquired IPR&D expense, transaction and integration expenses and certain other items that vary in frequency and impact on ANI’s results of operations. Management uses adjusted non-GAAP net income when analyzing Company performance.

Adjusted non-GAAP net income is defined as net income, plus the excess of fair value over cost of acquired inventory sold, stock-based compensation expense, transaction and integration expenses, non-cash interest expense, depreciation and amortization expense, expense from acquired in-process research and development, Cortrophin pre-launch charges and certain other items that vary in frequency and impact on ANI’s results of operations, less the tax impact of these adjustments calculated using an estimated statutory tax rate. Management will continually analyze this metric and may include additional adjustments in the calculation in order to provide further understanding of ANI’s results. Adjusted non-GAAP net income should be considered in addition to, but not in lieu of, net income reported under GAAP. A reconciliation of adjusted non-GAAP net income to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is provided in Table 4.

Adjusted non-GAAP Diluted Earnings per Share

ANI’s management considers adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share to be an important financial indicator of ANI’s operating performance, providing investors and analysts with a useful measure of operating results unaffected by the excess of fair value over cost of acquired inventory sold, non-cash stock-based compensation, non-cash interest expense, depreciation and amortization, inventory reserve recoveries, Cortrophin pre-launch charges, acquired IPR&D expense, transaction and integration expenses and certain other items that vary in frequency and impact on ANI’s results of operations.

Management uses adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share when analyzing Company performance.

Adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share is defined as adjusted non-GAAP net income, as defined above, divided by the diluted weighted average shares outstanding during the period, as adjusted for the dilutive effect of the convertible debt notes (in 2019), when applicable. Management will continually analyze this metric and may include additional adjustments in the calculation in order to provide further understanding of ANI’s results. Adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share should be considered in addition to, but not in lieu of, diluted earnings or loss per share reported under GAAP. A reconciliation of adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is provided in Table 4.

On May 7, 2020 Anavex Life Sciences Corp. ("Anavex" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: AVXL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Rett syndrome and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases, reported financial results for its fiscal 2020 second quarter (Press release, Anavex Life Sciences, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234561603]).

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"We are pleased to report that we are approaching the conclusion of the double-blind Phase 2 Parkinson’s disease dementia trial with ANAVEX2-73 (blarcamesine) and we expect to report top line results by mid-2020," said Christopher U Missling, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anavex. "Both the Alzheimer’s disease Phase 2b/3 trial and clinical Rett syndrome programs are also proceeding as planned. Our focus on Precision Medicine studies for neurological disorders remains persistent."

Program Updates:

Enrollment for the two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 ANAVEX2-73 (blarcamesine) U.S. Phase 2 Rett syndrome trial[1] and the AVATAR Rett syndrome trial[2] each have surpassed the 50% mark and continue to enroll.
Despite the outbreak of COVID-19, all clinical trial programs continue to proceed. While Rett syndrome protocols have always by default allowed at-home visits, Anavex implemented contingency plans as recommended by local regulatory authorities for the Phase 2b/3 ANAVEX2-73 (blarcamesine) Alzheimer’s disease (AD) study[3] and the Phase 2 study in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD) study[4] to ensure remote or virtual assessments for all active patients and all respective extension studies. Because ANAVEX2-73 (blarcamesine) is an oral formulation, study participants are able to receive shipments of their study medication in a controlled and compliant fashion, and direct-to-patient delivery is occurring in multiple countries.
In January 2020, Anavex announced achieving the enrollment target for the ANAVEX2-73 (blarcamesine) Phase 2 study in Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). Topline results from this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study are expected by mid-2020.
In February 2020, Anavex announced a publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neuroimmunology titled "Sigma-1 Receptor Agonists as Potential Protective Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis" featuring preclinical data of ANAVEX2-73 (blarcamesine) relevant to multiple sclerosis.
In April 2020, Anavex announced a publication in the peer-reviewed journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions,entitled, "A precision medicine framework using Artificial Intelligence for the identification and confirmation of genomic biomarkers of response to an Alzheimer’s disease therapy: Analysis of the Blarcamesine (ANAVEX2-73) Phase 2a clinical study" highlights the relevance of phenotypic and genotypic precision medicine analyses of Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) and gene expression (RNAseq) data in drug development and in particular the potential to identify patients’ genetic variants and gene expression changes that may predict increased chances of success of Alzheimer’s disease treatments.
Financial Highlights:

Cash and cash equivalents of $26.6 million at March 31, 2020, compared to $22.2 million at fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.
Research and development expenses of $6.1 million for both the current quarter as well as the comparable quarter in 2019.
General and administrative expenses of $1.7 million for the quarter as compared to $2.1 million for the comparable quarter in 2019.
Net loss of $7.2 million, or $0.12 per share for the quarter, compared to net loss of $7.2 million, or $0.15 per share in the comparable quarter of 2019.
The financial information for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2020 should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated interim financial statements, which will appear on EDGAR, www.sec.gov and will be available on the Anavex website at www.anavex.com.

Conference Call / Webcast Information

Anavex will host a conference call and webcast today at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The live webcast of the conference call can be accessed online at View Source

To join the conference call, live via telephone, interested parties within the U.S. should dial, toll-free, 1 (866) 939-3921 and international callers should dial 1 (678) 302-3550. Please use confirmation number 49673201, followed by the pound sign (#).

A replay of the conference call will also be available on www.anavex.com.

On May 7, 2020 Vivoryon Therapeutics AG (Euronext Amsterdam: VVY, ISIN DE0007921835), which develops first-in-class drugs targeting post-translational modifying enzymes, reported that it will publish its first quarter business update for the period ended March 31, 2020 on Thursday, May 14, 2020, in the form of an interim management report (Press release, Vivoryon Therapeutics, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557205]).

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On May 7, 2020 Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Syndax," the "Company" or "we") (Nasdaq: SNDX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline of cancer therapies, reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. In addition, the Company provided a clinical and business update (Press release, Syndax, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557268]).

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"During the first quarter, we generated significant momentum that we believe will take us through what we expect will be a transformational year for Syndax, with key data readouts expected across the entirety of our portfolio," said Briggs W. Morrison, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Syndax. "We continue to anticipate the final overall survival readout from E2112, our Phase 3 registration trial of entinostat plus exemestane in HR+, HER2- breast cancer later this quarter, with a potential regulatory filing for entinostat in HR+ breast cancer by year end. Supported by the compelling overall survival benefit observed in the Phase 2b ENCORE 301 trial, we believe the combination of entinostat and exemestane has strong potential to serve as a much-needed option in a setting for which existing therapies are inadequate. While we await this final readout, we remain focused on preparations to establish ourselves as a fully integrated oncology company, with a potential launch expected in 2021."

Dr. Morrison added, "Beyond entinostat, we were pleased to recently announce initial Phase 1 data from the AUGMENT-101 trial of SNDX-5613, our oral menin inhibitor, in adults with relapsed/refractory acute leukemias. These data provide the first clinical evidence that inhibition of the menin-MLL1 interaction can induce response in patients with MLL-r acute leukemias. We believe that SNDX-5613 has great potential to serve as an effective intervention for both MLL-r acute leukemias and NPM1 mutant AML, and we look forward to presenting additional data from this trial in the fourth quarter of this year. With a strong balance sheet, which includes proceeds from our recent follow-on offering, we believe we are well positioned to execute on upcoming milestones."

Pipeline Updates

Entinostat

Syndax continues to anticipate that the E2112 trial will reach 410 death events this quarter, which will trigger the final overall survival (OS) analysis. E2112 is the Company’s NCI-sponsored, ECOG-ACRIN-led Phase 3 registration trial of entinostat, a Class I selective HDAC inhibitor, plus exemestane in advanced hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HR+, HER2-) breast cancer. A positive OS assessment would allow the Company to file for full regulatory approval in the U.S.

The E2112 trial design was informed by the Phase 2b ENCORE 301 trial, the results of which led to entinostat’s Breakthrough Therapy designation in HR+ breast cancer, in which patients receiving the entinostat/exemestane combination demonstrated a clinically meaningful OS benefit over treatment with exemestane alone. In preparation for the potential launch of entinostat in the U.S. in 2021, the Company is actively engaged in the expansion of its commercial and medical affairs functions.
SNDX-5613

Syndax recently announced initial clinical data from the Phase 1 portion of its ongoing open-label Phase 1/2 AUGMENT-101 trial of SNDX-5613, the Company’s potent, highly selective oral menin inhibitor. Data presented serve as the first clinical evidence that inhibition of the menin-MLL1 interaction can induce response in patients with mixed lineage leukemia rearranged (MLL-r) acute leukemias. The presentation, which was featured at the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Virtual Annual Meeting I, also highlighted preclinical findings, including data recently published in Cancer Cell and Science magazine, supporting the potential of single-agent menin-MLL inhibition to serve as an effective intervention for both MLL-r acute leukemias and nucleophosmin (NPM1) mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A copy of the presentation is available on Syndax’s website under Publications, Menin-MLLR Inhibitors.

The AUGMENT-101 trial is a Phase 1/2 open-label trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of orally administered SNDX-5613. The Phase 1 dose escalation portion of AUGMENT-101 was recently separated into two cohorts based on concomitant treatment with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor. Arm A will enroll patients not receiving a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor, while Arm B will enroll patients receiving a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor. The Phase 1 dose escalation portion of AUGMENT-101 is currently enrolling adults with relapsed/refractory acute leukemias including MLL-r and NPM1 mutant acute leukemias and is expected to establish a recommended Phase 2 dose for both cohorts by the fourth quarter of 2020. The Phase 2 portion will evaluate efficacy, as defined by complete response rate (per International Working Group response criteria), across three expansion cohorts: MLL-r acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), MLL-r AML and NPM1 mutant AML. The Company expects to present additional results from AUGMENT-101 at a medical conference in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The Company recently announced that SNDX-5613 was granted Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of adult and pediatric AML by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Axatilimab

Enrollment continues across the Company’s Phase 1/2 trial evaluating axatilimab, its anti-CSF-1R monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD). The Phase 1 portion continues to explore alternate dose and schedules, while the Phase 2 expansion is evaluating the benefit of treatment at 1 mg/kg every two weeks. The Company expects to present additional results from the Phase 1/2 trial in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Data from the Phase 1 trials exploring axatilimab, both as a monotherapy and in combination with IMFINZI (durvalumab) in patients with locally-advanced or metastatic solid tumors, were summarized in two oral presentations at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Virtual Annual Meeting I. The data indicate that axatilimab is tolerated well in solid tumor patients and provide evidence of its ability to deplete circulating pro-inflammatory monocytes. A recommended Phase 2 dose of axatilimab for the treatment of patients with solid tumors was determined as monotherapy and in combination with IMFINZI (durvalumab). A copy of each presentation is available on Syndax’s website under Publications, Axatilimab.
Financial Update and Guidance

As of March 31, 2020, Syndax had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $99.0 million and 36.1 million shares and share equivalents issued and outstanding which included 30.2 million shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase 5.8 million shares of common stock.

In May 2020, Syndax closed an underwritten public offering whereby the Company sold 5,555,556 shares of common stock at a price of $18.00 per share. The aggregate net proceeds received by the Company were $93.7 million, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The offering allows for an additional 833,333 shares to be issued pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their option to purchase additional shares of common stock.

In February 2020, Syndax issued 3,036,719 shares of its common stock and 1,338,287 pre-funded warrants to purchase common stock at $8.00 per share, representing a premium of 20% to the share price at market close on Thursday, January 30, 2020. As a result of the offering, Syndax received net proceeds of $34.9 million.

In February 2020, the Company entered into an agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC) for a term loan of up to $30.0 million, consisting of an initial tranche of $20.0 million that was funded at the closing with the potential for a second tranche of $10.0 million subject to satisfaction of certain terms and conditions

First quarter 2020 research and development expenses decreased to $9.6 million from $11.3 million for the prior year period. The first quarter decrease was primarily due to reduced CMC activities and a net decrease in clinical activities.

General and administrative expenses for the first quarter 2020 increased to $5.9 million from $3.9 million for the prior year period. The increase was primarily due to increased pre-commercialization expenses and increased employee related expenses.

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, Syndax reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $19.1 million or $0.56 per share compared to $14.3 million or $0.53 per share for the prior year period.

Financial Guidance

Today the Company provided operating expense guidance for the second quarter of 2020. Financial guidance for the second half of 2020 will be issued after the Company announces the result of the E2112 study. The Company expects operating expenses for the second quarter of 2020 to increase over the quarterly operating expenses reported for the first quarter of 2020. Research and development (R&D) expenses will increase, primarily due to increased development activities for SNDX-5613. Second quarter G&A expenses are expected to be similar to the first quarter G&A expenses. For the second quarter of 2020, R&D expenses are expected to be $12 to $14 million, and total operating expenses are expected to be $18 to $20 million. Given its cash operating expense guidance, the Company expects to end the second quarter of 2020 with approximately $175 million of cash, which provides the financial flexibility to take advantage of key development milestones.

Conference Call and Webcast

In connection with the earnings release, Syndax’s management team will host a conference call and live audio webcast at 4:30 p.m. ET today, Thursday, May 7, 2020.

The live audio webcast and accompanying slides may be accessed through the Events & Presentations page in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.syndax.com. Alternatively, the conference call may be accessed through the following:

Conference ID: 5579109
Domestic Dial-in Number: (855) 251-6663
International Dial-in Number: (281) 542-4259
Live webcast: View Source

For those unable to participate in the conference call or webcast, a replay will be available for 30 days on the Investors section of the Company’s website, www.syndax.com.

On May 7, 2020 Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTPH), a biopharmaceutical company focused on commercializing its novel tetracycline XERAVA to treat serious and life-threatening infections, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 (Press release, Tetraphase, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557284]).

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"In the first quarter, we announced a merger agreement with AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an essential step forward for Tetraphase and more importantly, for XERAVA and the patients with serious life threatening infections in need of this treatment," said Larry Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tetraphase. "In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the continued rise of antibiotic resistance, our conviction in providing patients with different antibiotic treatment options is stronger than ever, and we believe that together with AcelRx we will be able to more effectively bring XERAVA to patients in healthcare institutions. With an approximate 20% growth in XERAVA net sales in the first quarter compared to the fourth quarter of 2019, we look forward to seeing continued success from the combined Tetraphase and AcelRx teams following the planned close of the acquisition this quarter."

First Quarter and Recent Highlights

Entered into Definitive Merger Agreement with AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In March 2020, the Company announced the execution of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACRX) would acquire Tetraphase in a stock for stock transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, Tetraphase stockholders will receive, for each share of Tetraphase common stock, 0.6303 of a share of AcelRx common stock, valued at approximately $14.4 million as of the close of trading on March 13, 2020, and one contingent value right (CVR), which would entitle the holders to receive aggregate payments of up to $12.5 million for the achievement of future XERAVA net sales milestones starting in 2021. The transaction was unanimously approved by both the AcelRx and Tetraphase boards of directors and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020. Concurrently with signing the merger agreement, Tetraphase and AcelRx entered into a co-promotion agreement to market and promote XERAVA for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) and DSUVIA for the treatment of acute pain in medically supervised settings.

Continued to Progress Launch of XERAVA in U.S. Hospitals With High Antibiotic Usage
The Company continues to see increased formulary uptake, with a 99% success rate for all formulary reviews to date and $1.8 million in XERAVA net sales for the first quarter of 2020, an increase of approximately 20% over the fourth quarter of 2019. Tetraphase’s salesforce is focusing on bringing XERAVA to targeted institutions, which are the highest users of antibiotics defined by days of therapy. The reorder rate for XERAVA continues to be strong, with reorder rates as high as 65% for all accounts and approximately 77% within the Tier 1 account segment. XERAVA is on formulary or available at more than 1,239 accounts. XERAVA continues to outperform all recent IV antibiotic launches anywhere from 3 to 10 fold in patient days of therapy (PDOTs).

Completed Equity Financing Totaling Net Proceeds of $15.9 Million
In January 2020, the Company completed a private placement with Armistice Capital, LLC, a healthcare-focused institutional investor, priced at-the-market, that generated gross proceeds of approximately $10 million. In addition, the Company concurrently completed a registered direct offering with certain healthcare-focused institutional investors, priced at-the-market, that generated gross proceeds of approximately $7.5 million. The net proceeds from the concurrent January 2020 private placement and registered direct offering were approximately $15.9 million. The Company issued warrants in connection with each financing.

First Quarter 2020 Financial Results

As of March 31, 2020, Tetraphase had cash and cash equivalents of $26.1 million and 7.3 million shares outstanding.

For the first quarter of 2020, Tetraphase reported a net loss of $12.1 million, or $1.31 per share, compared to a net loss of $19.5 million, or $7.25 per share, for the same period in 2019, driven by increased product revenues, lower operating expenses and an increase in the weighted-average number of shares outstanding.

Total revenues were $1.8 million for the first quarter of 2020, all of which was from sales of XERAVA, compared to $1.3 million for the same period in 2019, of which $0.3 million was from sales of XERAVA and $0.9 million was government contract revenue.

Research and development (R&D) expenses for the first quarter of 2020 were $1.9 million, compared to $6.7 million for the same period in 2019. The decrease in R&D expenses was driven by the completion of XERAVA development and our corporate reorganization in June 2019, which included the cessation of development of our pipeline candidates.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses for the first quarter of 2020 were $10.7 million, compared to $13.3 million for the same period in 2019. The decrease was driven by our 2019 corporate reorganization as well as tight expense control during Q1 2020, offset by increased expenses related to the AcelRX merger transaction announced in March 2020.

About XERAVATM

XERAVA (eravacycline for injection) is a tetracycline class antibacterial indicated for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) in patients 18 years of age and older. XERAVA was investigated for the treatment of cIAI as part of the Company’s IGNITE (Investigating Gram-Negative Infections Treated with Eravacycline) Phase 3 program. In the first pivotal Phase 3 trial in patients with cIAI, twice-daily intravenous (IV) XERAVA met the primary endpoint by demonstrating statistical non-inferiority of clinical response compared to ertapenem and was well-tolerated. In the second Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with cIAI, twice-daily IV XERAVA met the primary endpoint by demonstrating statistical non-inferiority of clinical response compared to meropenem and was well-tolerated. In both trials, XERAVA achieved high cure rates in patients with Gram-negative pathogens, including resistant isolates.

XERAVATM Important Safety Information

XERAVA is a tetracycline class antibacterial indicated for the treatment of complicated intra‑abdominal infections in patients 18 years of age and older.

XERAVA is not indicated for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections.

To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of XERAVA and other antibacterial drugs, XERAVA should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria.

XERAVA is contraindicated for use in patients with known hypersensitivity to eravacycline, tetracycline-class antibacterial drugs or to any of the excipients. Life-threatening hypersensitivity (anaphylactic) reactions have been reported with XERAVA.

The use of XERAVA during tooth development (last half of pregnancy, infancy and childhood to the age of eight years) may cause permanent discoloration of the teeth (yellow-gray-brown) and enamel hypoplasia.

The use of XERAVA during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, infancy and childhood up to the age of eight years may cause reversible inhibition of bone growth.

Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been reported with use of nearly all antibacterial agents and may range in severity from mild diarrhea to fatal colitis.

The most common adverse reactions observed in clinical trials (incidence ≥ 3%) were infusion site reactions, nausea, and vomiting.

XERAVA is structurally similar to tetracycline-class antibacterial drugs and may have similar adverse reactions. Adverse reactions including photosensitivity, pseudotumor cerebri, and anti‑anabolic action which has led to increased blood urea nitrogen, azotemia, acidosis, hyperphosphatemia, pancreatitis, and abnormal liver function tests, have been reported for other tetracycline-class antibacterial drugs, and may occur with XERAVA. Discontinue XERAVA if any of these adverse reactions are suspected.