On March 12, 2020 CTI BioPharma Corp. (Nasdaq: CTIC) reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2019 (Press release, CTI BioPharma, MAR 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234555486]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"In the latter half of 2019 and beginning of 2020, we further advanced our pacritinib development program, including presenting data at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting that reinforced the clinical and scientific rationale for our ongoing PAC203 Phase 3 PACIFICA trial evaluating pacritinib at 200 mg BID in severely thrombocytopenic myelofibrosis patients." said Adam R. Craig, M.D., Ph.D. "Severely thrombocytopenic myelofibrosis patients have limited, and often ineffective, therapeutic options. In an effort to advance pacritinib as quickly as possible to these patients, we established an accelerated approval pathway with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") by amending the PACIFICA pivotal Phase 3 trial protocol to allow for the primary analysis of Spleen Volume Reduction ("SVR") rates on the first 168 patients, with an end-of-study analysis of Total Symptom Score ("TSS") and Overall Survival ("OS") following the full enrollment of 348 patients. If the primary endpoint of SVR is met following the planned review of data from the first 168 patients, we intend to submit a New Drug Application ("NDA") under the FDA’s subpart H regulations. We expect to report primary SVR data by the end of 2021, with a potential NDA filing in early 2022. Additionally, we recently raised an additional $59.3 million in a rights offering, which provides us with additional cash runway into Q1 2022 as we continue to develop pacritinib."

Fourth Quarter Financial Results
Operating loss was $9.5 million and $40.7 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2019, respectively, compared to operating income of $0.2 million and operating loss of $32.9 million for the respective periods in 2018. The operating loss during the three-month period ended December 31, 2019 as compared to the operating income for the comparable period in 2018 resulted primarily from the decrease in license and contract revenue as discussed below, partially offset by a decrease in operating expenses. The increase in operating loss for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018 resulted primarily from a decrease in license and contract revenues between periods as discussed below, partially offset by a decrease in operating expenses. As of December 31, 2019, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $33.7 million, compared to $67.0 million as of December 31, 2018. In March 2020, we completed our rights offering and received approximately $59.3 million in net proceeds. We expect current cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments,

when combined with the net proceeds we received from the rights offering, will enable us to fund our operations into the first quarter of 2022.

License and contract revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2018 were $14.1 million while no revenues were recognized during the three months ended December 31, 2019. License and contract revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2018 were primarily related to milestone revenues recognized upon the achievement of a regulatory milestone under the license and collaboration agreement for PIXUVRI with Les Laboratoires Servier and Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier as well as the attainment of a worldwide net sales milestone of TRISENOX (arsenic trioxide) under the agreement with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. ("Teva"). License and contract revenues for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were $3.3 million and $26.3 million, respectively. The decrease between periods primarily resulted from milestone revenues recognized in 2018 from Teva related to the achievement of a milestone for FDA approval of TRISENOX for first-line treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia, in addition to the license and contract revenues recognized during the three months ended December 31, 2018, as discussed above.

Net loss attributable to common stockholders for the three months ended December 31, 2019 was $8.2 million, or $(0.14) for basic and diluted loss per share, compared to net income attributable to common stockholders of $0.8 million, or $0.01 for basic and diluted income per share, for the same period in 2018. Net loss attributable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $40.0 million, or $(0.69) for basic and diluted loss per share, compared to net loss attributable to common stockholders of $29.4 million, or $(0.52) for basic and diluted loss per share, for the same period in 2018.

On March 12, 2020 Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:RUBY) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is genetically engineering red blood cells to create an entirely new class of cellular medicines, reported fourth quarter and full-year 2019 financial results and announced its plan to focus on the development of its oncology and autoimmunity pipeline (Press release, Rubius Therapeutics, MAR 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234555501]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

This strategic decision allows Rubius to focus on the areas in which its RED PLATFORMÒ may offer the greatest potential to benefit patients. Development in these therapeutic areas is enabled by the Company’s investment in internal manufacturing at its Smithfield, RI facility, which is now cGMP ready to produce clinical supply for its lead oncology program, RTX-240, a broad immunostimulatory Red Cell Therapeutic for the treatment of solid tumors. The Investigational New Drug (IND) application for RTX-240 has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the Company plans to announce when the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1 clinical trial. As previously announced, Rubius is on track to file an IND for RTX-321, its first artificial antigen-presenting cell for the treatment of HPV-positive cancers, by year-end. The company also expects to manufacture RTX-321 clinical supply at its fully owned manufacturing facility.

"Over the past two years, we have generated exciting oncology preclinical data, demonstrating the ability of our Red Cell Therapeutics to both broadly activate the immune system, and induce tumor-specific responses by activating and expanding antigen-specific T cells with our artificial antigen-presenting cells. By focusing on the development of our oncology and autoimmune pipeline, we believe we will have the greatest opportunity to bring life-saving therapies to patients, enhance shareholder value and extend our cash runway into 2022," said Pablo J. Cagnoni, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Rubius Therapeutics. "With our internal cGMP manufacturing established, we are well positioned to advance this entirely new class of allogeneic cellular medicines."

RTX-240 for the Treatment of Solid Tumors

RTX-240 is an allogeneic cellular therapy that is engineered to broadly stimulate the adaptive and innate immune systems to generate an antitumor response. RTX-240 expresses 4-1BBL and IL-15TP, a fusion of IL-15 and IL-15 receptor alpha, on the cell surface with the goal of improving antitumor activity and overcoming resistance to immunotherapy in patients with solid tumors. RTX-240 may provide a differentiated approach to treating solid tumors or hematologic malignancies in immunotherapy-naïve patients or in patients whose disease has become resistant or refractory to immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibitors.

RTX-134 Program Update

As a result of the decision to focus on oncology and autoimmunity, the Company is deprioritizing the RTX-134 program for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU) and its other rare disease programs. Multiple factors contributed to this decision, including unanticipated delays in the RTX-134 program, primarily due to continued manufacturing challenges at the Company’s contract manufacturing organization (CMO), the anticipated high cost associated with producing chronic, high-dose therapy for enzyme deficiencies and the continued momentum of the Company’s oncology pipeline. Future capital investments and improvements in manufacturing efficiency, together with enhancements to the RED PLATFORM, may enable Rubius to revisit chronic, high dose-dependent conditions in the future.

As previously announced, the first patient was dosed in the Phase 1b PKU clinical trial of RTX-134 in January 2020. While there were no reported adverse events and RTX-134 administration was well tolerated, the results from the first patient were uninterpretable possibly due, in part, to the low dose of cells administered and the sensitivity of the flow cytometry assay used to detect circulating cells. As a result of the deprioritization, the current Phase 1b clinical trial in PKU will be discontinued.

Autoimmune Program Update

Rubius’ autoimmune Red Cell Therapeutics are engineered to express specific autoimmune disease-associated antigens either within the cell or on the cell surface to take advantage of how the body normally maintains self-tolerance, thereby retraining the immune system to no longer see self-antigens as foreign. Red Cell Therapeutics are designed to specifically modulate complex counter-regulatory immune responses, potentially enabling greater efficacy with lower toxicity, and, in some cases, even cures, when compared to currently available non-specific immunosuppressive treatments. Rubius is focusing on T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases and is pursuing Type 1 diabetes, along with a number of other undisclosed programs. The Company expects to provide an update on its preclinical autoimmune pipeline in the future.

Extension of Cash Runway

With the cost savings from the discontinuation of the RTX-134 clinical trial and deprioritization of the other rare disease programs and a reallocation of capital and personnel resources, Rubius’ cash runway will be extended into 2022.

Additional Business Updates

Rubius strengthened its leadership team and board of directors by appointing:

·Internationally recognized autoimmunity and translational leader Laurence Turka, M.D., as chief scientific officer;
·Trained oncologist and immunologist, Christina Coughlin, M.D., Ph.D., as chief medical officer, who has extensive experience leading clinical development and translational medicine teams and has a track record of building successful drug development organizations with a particular focus in cellular therapy and oncology; and
·Anne Prener, M.D., Ph.D., to its board of directors, who has significant experience in drug development and commercialization.

Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $44.5 million or $0.56 per common share, compared to $27.2 million or $0.35 per common share in the fourth quarter of 2018.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, Rubius invested $30.5 million in research and development (R&D) related to its novel RED PLATFORM and towards expanding and advancing its product pipeline, as compared to $16.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. This year-over-year increase was driven primarily by $3.9 million in incremental R&D program spending related to the Company’s Phase 1b clinical trial for RTX-134 and towards preclinical and IND-enabling activities for Rubius’ lead oncology programs, including RTX-240. In addition, $6.0 million in incremental R&D spending was driven by increased R&D headcount, a move into larger facilities and purchasing lab supplies to support expanded research activities. Contract research and development costs increased by $3.3 million and R&D stock-based compensation also increased by $0.8 million.

G&A expenses were $14.9 million during the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $12.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2018. The higher costs were primarily driven by a $1.0 million increase in personnel and facility costs due to increased headcount in the general and administrative function, as well as increases in professional fees and infrastructure costs to support the Company’s growth.

Full Year 2019 Financial Results

Net loss for the full year 2019 was $163.5 million or $2.08 per common share, compared to $89.2 million or $2.27 per common share for the full year 2018.

For the full year 2019, Rubius invested $112.4 million in R&D related to its novel RED PLATFORM and towards expanding and advancing its product pipeline, compared to $51.8 million for the full year 2018. This year-over-year increase was largely due to an additional $31.8 million in R&D personnel, contract research and development, facilities and lab supplies to support the Company’s pipeline expansion and platform investments and $23.7 million in R&D program spending, including costs related to the Company’s RTX-134 Phase 1b clinical trial as well as preclinical and IND-enabling activities for Rubius’ lead oncology programs, including RTX-240. R&D stock-based compensation also increased by $5.2 million.

G&A expenses were $57.2 million during the twelve months of 2019, as compared to $39.9 million for the same period in 2018. The higher costs were primarily driven by an $8.5 million increase in stock-based compensation and $8.8 million increase in personnel costs, professional and facility fees to support the Company’s growth and to operate as a public company.

Cash Position

As of December 31, 2019, cash, cash equivalents and investments were $283.3 million as compared to $404.1 million as of December 31, 2018, providing Rubius with a cash runway into 2022. During the year, the Company used $110.4 million of cash to fund operations and $40.7 million to fund capital expenditures, including work related to the buildout of Rubius’ manufacturing facility. In addition, the Company drew down a second tranche of $25.0 million from its $75.0 million loan agreement with Solar Capital in June 2019, which leaves a third tranche of $25.0 million that can be drawn through June 2020, subject to the satisfaction of certain financial covenants.

Conference Call Details

The company will host a conference call and webcast at 8:00 a.m. EST to discuss this update. The audio webcast will be available on the Events and Presentations page within the Investors and Media section of the Rubius Therapeutics website. The update may also be accessed by dialing 1-800-289-0045 (domestic) or 1-615-622-8086 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call and providing the passcode 6394385. An archived webcast will be accessible for 90 days after the event.

On March 12, 2020 INOVIO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INO), a biotechnology company focused on rapidly bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat, cure, and protect people from diseases associated with HPV, cancer, and infectious diseases, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2019 (Press release, Inovio, MAR 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234555518]). INOVIO’s management will host a live conference call and webcast at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time today to discuss financial results and provide a general business update.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

INOVIO Highlights

VGX-3100: Cervical, vulvar, and anal HSIL

REVEAL 2 Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating VGX-3100 for treatment of HPV-related cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) has a total of 43 sites opened globally for recruitment, which includes newly opened sites in Brazil and South Africa, along with four new U.S.-based sites. Top-line efficacy data from REVEAL 1 Phase 3 clinical trial is expected to be reported by the fourth quarter of 2020.

INOVIO is also evaluating VGX-3100 in two Phase 2 trials for the treatment of vulvar HSIL and anal HSIL. Preliminary efficacy and safety data are planned to be presented later this month at The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) 2020 Scientific Meeting on Anogenital & HPV-Related Diseases.

INO-3107: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP)

In February 2020, INOVIO announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to evaluate INO-3107 in a Phase 1/2 trial for treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). The Phase 1/2 trial is expected to enroll approximately 63 subjects in the United States and will evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of INO-3107 in subjects with HPV 6 and/or 11-associated RRP who have required at least two surgical interventions per year for the past three years for the removal of associated papilloma(s). As RRP is a rare, orphan disease, INOVIO plans to work with the FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) in an effort to attain Orphan Disease designation for INO-3107.

INOVIO and its collaborators published data from a pilot, compassionate use clinical trial for the treatment of RRP in the scientific journal Vaccines (MDPI). The article, entitled "Immune Therapy Targeting E6/E7 Oncogenes of Human Papillomavirus Type 6 (HPV-6) Reduces or Eliminates the Need for Surgical Intervention in the Treatment of HPV-6 Associated Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis," detailed the clinical efficacy observed in the pilot study of two patients with RRP.

INO-4800: COVID-19

In January 2020, INOVIO was awarded a grant of up to $9 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This initial CEPI funding is anticipated to support INOVIO’s preclinical and clinical development through a Phase 1 clinical trial of INO-4800, INOVIO’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in the United States.

Subsequent to the grant from CEPI, INOVIO announced a collaboration agreement with Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology Co. to advance the development of INO-4800 in China. The goal of this collaboration is to leverage Beijing Advaccine’s expertise to run a Phase 1 trial in China in parallel with INOVIO’s ongoing clinical development efforts in the United States.

In March 2020, INOVIO received a new $5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation anticipated to fund accelerated testing and scale up of INOVIO’s CELLECTRA 3PSP proprietary smart device for the intradermal delivery of INO-4800, in order to support large scale manufacturing of INO-4800 doses by end of 2020.

INO-5401: Newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)

In November 2019, INOVIO reported positive interim data for INO-5401 from its ongoing Phase 2 trial in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 2019 Annual Meeting. The Phase 2 trial is evaluating INO-5401, a T cell-activating immunotherapy candidate encoding for three tumor-specific antigens (hTERT, WT1, and PSMA), and INO-9012, an immune activator encoding IL-12, in combination with Libtayo, a PD-1 blocking antibody produced by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with Sanofi.

Key interim data from the 52-patient clinical trial showed that 80% (16 of 20) of MGMT gene promoter methylated patients and 75% (24 of 32) of unmethylated patients were progression-free at six months measured from the time of their first dose, substantially exceeding historical standard-of-care data (approximately 60% of MGMT promoter methylated patients and 40% of unmethylated patients historically were progression-free at six months). INOVIO expects to report 12-month overall survival data in June 2020, followed by 18-month overall survival data in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Dr. J. Joseph Kim, INOVIO’s President & CEO, said, "The company remains well-positioned for 2020 to be a transformational year for INOVIO. Following our very encouraging, albeit early, positive data for INO-5401 in our GBM study, we look forward to presenting 12-month overall survival data next quarter. We also continue to expand our capabilities in treating HPV-associated diseases, with IND acceptance from the FDA for a Phase 2 trial evaluating INO-3107 for the rare, orphan disease RRP. We also look forward to sharing interim efficacy and safety data from our Phase 2 study in HPV-associated vulvar HSIL and anal HSIL at ASCCP later this month."

"The evolving situation following the outbreak of COVID-19 has allowed us to further showcase INOVIO’s technology capabilities and versatility in fighting emerging infectious diseases. We are very grateful for both the financial and moral support from CEPI to take steps toward tackling this global pandemic. Our DNA medicine platform has been selected among a small group of important vaccine technologies for rapidly impacting emerging infectious diseases outbreaks such as COVID-19, having already advanced INO-4700, our vaccine candidate against MERS-CoV, another coronavirus, to a Phase 1/2a clinical trial. We look forward to sharing more on INO-4800’s development along with our broader pipeline initiatives and achievements in the future."

Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Total revenue was $279,000 and $4.1 million for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019, respectively, compared to $2.5 million and $30.5 million for the same periods in 2018, respectively. Total operating expenses were $30.7 million and $115.2 million for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019, respectively, compared to $32.0 million and $124.6 million for the same periods in 2018, respectively.

INOVIO’s net loss for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019 was $37.7 million, or $0.38 per basic and diluted share, and $119.4 million, or $1.21 per basic and diluted share, respectively, as compared to $33.0 million, or $0.34 per basic and diluted share, and $97.0 million, or $1.05 per basic and diluted share, for the same periods in 2018, respectively.

Revenue

The year-over-year decrease in revenue under collaborative research and development (R&D) arrangements was primarily due to the recognition of a one-time upfront payment of $23.0 million form ApolloBio during the second quarter of 2018.

Operating Expenses

R&D expenses for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019 were $22.0 million and $88.0 million, respectively, compared to $26.4 million and $95.3 million for the same periods in 2018, respectively. The year-over-year decrease in R&D expenses was primarily due to decreases in employee compensation expense and drug manufacturing expense related to our partnership with AstraZeneca, among other variances. These decreases were offset by an increase in expenses related to clinical trials and a personnel-related restructuring charge in connection with the one-time employee termination costs incurred during the third quarter of 2019.

General and administrative expenses were $8.7 million and $27.2 million, respectively, for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019 versus $5.6 million and $29.3 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2018.

Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2019, cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were $89.5 million compared to $93.8 million as of September 30, 2019. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had 101.4 million common shares outstanding and 132.1 million common shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis, after giving effect to outstanding options, restricted stock units and convertible preferred stock.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company sold 3,340,678 shares of common stock under its "at-the-market" (ATM) common stock sales agreement for aggregate net proceeds of $9.1 million.

From January 1, 2020 through March 11, 2020, the Company sold 43,148,952 shares of common stock under its ATM agreement for net proceeds of $208.2 million. The sales were made at a weighted average price of $4.92 per share. As of March 11, 2020, there is no remaining capacity under the ATM agreement.

INOVIO’s balance sheet and statement of operations are provided below. Additional information is included in INOVIO’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which can be accessed at: View Source

Conference Call / Webcast Information

INOVIO’s management will host a live conference call and webcast at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time today to discuss INOVIO’s financial results and provide a general business update.

The live webcast and a replay may be accessed by visiting INOVIO’s website at View Source Telephone replay will be available approximately one hour after the call at 877-344-7529 (US toll-free) or 412-317-0088 (international toll) using replay access code 10139836.

On March 12, 2020 X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: XFOR), a leader in the discovery and development of novel therapies targeting diseases resulting from dysfunction of the CXCR4 pathway, provided a corporate update and reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2019 (Press release, X4 Pharmaceuticals, MAR 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234555458]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"2019 was a remarkable year for X4, with significant achievements across the entire organization," said Paula Ragan, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "We made important progress advancing our lead therapeutic candidate mavorixafor into pivotal Phase 3 development for patients with WHIM syndrome, while also initiating two proof-of-concept clinical trials in SCN and Waldenström’s, and strengthening both our leadership team and Board of Directors. We’re now well positioned for the years ahead as we focus on near-term clinical trial execution and prepare for key value creation events in our quest to bring new transformative therapies to patients with rare diseases."

Key 2019 Program Achievements and Upcoming Milestones

•Initiated Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Mavorixafor for the Treatment of WHIM Syndrome – June 2019: The 4WHIM trial is a pivotal Phase 3 global clinical trial of mavorixafor for the treatment of WHIM (Warts, Hypogammaglobulinemia, Infections, and Myelokathexis) syndrome, a rare, inherited, primary immunodeficiency disease.
◦Top-line data from the trial are expected in the second half of 2021.
◦Company to hold Analyst Day, which will also be webcast, on April 7, 2020 to discuss strategic focus on WHIM.
◦Phase 2 open-label extension study data update expected in mid-2020.
•Received Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission for Mavorixafor for the Treatment of WHIM Syndrome – July 2019
◦Received Scientific Advice from the European Medicines Agency to align the Phase 3 registration trial globally.
•Announced Positive Data from Phase 2a Trial of Mavorixafor in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) Patients – September 2019: Data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) demonstrated that mavorixafor, in combination with axitinib yielded clinically meaningful improvements in median progression-free survival (mPFS) in a heavily pretreated advanced ccRCC patient population, and was generally well tolerated.

•Initiated Phase 1b Clinical Trial of Mavorixafor in Patients with Severe Congenital Neutropenia (SCN) – November 2019: The Phase 1b trial is a 14-day, proof-of-concept trial designed to assess the safety and tolerability of daily, oral mavorixafor in up to 45 patients with SCN and other selected congenital neutropenia disorders. The trial will evaluate the neutrophil response and genetic profiles in this patient population as an independent agent or in combination with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).
◦Initial data from this trial are expected in the second half of 2020.
•Received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from U.S. FDA for Mavorixafor for the Treatment of WHIM Syndrome – November 2019: Highlighting the severity of the disease and the relevance of mavorixafor’s Phase 2 clinical trial data to support the drug’s role as a potential disease-modifying therapeutic option to this underserved patient population, Breakthrough Therapy Designation could expedite the development and regulatory review of mavorixafor.
•Initiated Phase 1b Clinical Trial of Mavorixafor in Combination with Ibrutinib in Patients with Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia – December 2019: The Phase 1b multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation clinical trial is designed to assess the safety and tolerability of mavorixafor in combination with ibrutinib as well as to obtain certain efficacy signals in patients with Waldenström’s, a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, who have acquired a "gain of function" mutation in CXCR4 in addition to the MYD88 mutation, which is a hallmark of Waldenström’s.
◦Initial data from this trial are expected in the second half of 2020.
•Granted New Composition of Matter Patent by U.S. PTO for Mavorixafor – February 2020: Patent expected to provide exclusivity through 2038.

Key 2019 Corporate Highlights

•Shares of X4 Pharmaceuticals Began Trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market Under the Symbol "XFOR" — March 2019
•Completed Two Public Stock Offerings that Raised Gross Proceeds of $150.8 Million: The first offering was completed in April and the second offering was completed in November.
•Announced Multiple Development and Collaboration Agreements:
◦Announced Collaboration with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) – May 2019: Mavorixafor selected for LLS’ Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP), a strategic initiative creating an alliance to develop mavorixafor for patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia.
◦Announced Partnership with Invitae to Provide No-Cost Genetic Testing to Patients – June 2019: The collaborative PATH4WARD program provides greater access to faster and earlier diagnosis for individuals who may carry genetic mutations known to be associated with WHIM syndrome and SCN.
◦Entered into Oncology Development and Commercialization Agreement with Abbisko for Mavorixafor in Greater China – July 2019: Provided Abbisko Therapeutics with the exclusive rights in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau to develop and commercialize mavorixafor in combination with checkpoint inhibitors or other agents in solid tumor oncology indications.
•Strengthened Leadership Team and Board of Directors Throughout the Year: Appointed E. Lynne Kelley, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Murray W. Stewart, M.D., to Board of Directors in April 2019; appointed Renato Skerlj, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President of Research and Development and William E. Aliski to Board of Directors in September 2019; appointed Derek Meisner, J.D., as General Counsel in November 2019.

Financial Results

•Cash, Cash Equivalents & Restricted Cash: X4 had $128.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, as of December 31, 2019. We expect that our cash and cash equivalents will fund our operations into early 2022.
•Research and Development Expenses were $7.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, and $30.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $4.7 million and $20.3 million for the comparable periods in 2018, respectively.
•General and Administrative Expenses were $3.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, and $17.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $3.4 million and $8.7 million for the comparable periods in 2018, respectively.
•Net Loss: X4 reported a net loss of $10.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, and a net loss of $52.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to a net loss of $11.3 million and a net loss of $33.3 million for the comparable periods in 2018, respectively. Net loss of $52.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 includes $3.9 million of non-cash losses related to the sale of in-process research and development intangible assets.

Conference Call and Webcast
The Company will host a webcast and conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2019 results and provide an update on recent corporate activities today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The webcast will be accessible under "Events & Presentations" in the Investors page of the Company’s website at www.x4pharma.com. Individuals can participate in the conference call by dialing (866) 721-7655 (domestic) or (409) 216-0009 (international), followed by the conference ID: 3816258.

About Mavorixafor
Mavorixafor is an investigational, oral, targeted therapy that antagonizes the chemokine receptor CXCR4 via allosteric inhibition. The CXCR4 receptor plays a key role in enabling the trafficking of immune cells and effective immunosurveillance. Over-stimulation of CXCR4 results in various immune-system deficiencies. X4 Pharmaceuticals is currently investigating mavorixafor as a once-daily treatment in a global Phase 3 pivotal trial in patients with WHIM syndrome, a rare, inherited, primary immunodeficiency disease caused by genetic mutations in the CXCR4 receptor gene. The FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to mavorixafor for the treatment of WHIM syndrome. Mavorixafor is being developed in two proof-of-concept Phase 1b clinical trials – as monotherapy in patients with Severe Congenital Neutropenia (SCN), a group of rare blood disorders characterized by abnormally low levels of white blood cells, and in combination with ibrutinib in patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, who have acquired mutations in the CXCR4 receptor.

On March 12, 2020 Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HARP), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a novel class of T cell engagers, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2019 and provided a corporate update (Press release, Harpoon Therapeutics, MAR 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234555487]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"In the fourth quarter of 2019, Harpoon closed a potentially transformational option and license transaction and expanded an existing discovery collaboration with AbbVie that further validates our proprietary TriTAC technology," said Gerald McMahon, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Harpoon Therapeutics. "We are expecting continued clinical milestone progress throughout 2020 with data updates for HPN424 potentially at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) and proof of concept data for HPN536 in the second half of the year."

Fourth Quarter 2019 Business Highlights and Other Recent Developments

In November, Harpoon and AbbVie announced an exclusive worldwide development and option agreement for HPN217, which targets BCMA. Under the terms of the development and option agreement, Harpoon granted to AbbVie an option to license worldwide exclusive rights to HPN217 for BCMA. AbbVie may exercise its option after completion of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial, which Harpoon expects to initiate in the first half of 2020. The development and option agreement represents a potential transaction value of up to $510 million in upfront, option and milestone payments, plus royalties on global commercial sales, of which a $30 million upfront payment was received in December 2019 and up to $50 million for dosing the first patient in the HPN217 clinical trial, which we expect to occur in the first half of 2020.

In November 2019, Harpoon and AbbVie also announced the expansion of its existing discovery collaboration for up to six additional targets. The expanded discovery collaboration represents a deal transaction value of up to $1.86 billion, with an upfront payment of $20 million received in December 2019.

In October, Harpoon presented preclinical data on HPN328 for the treatment of small cell lung cancer at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC AACR-NCI-EORTC (Free AACR-NCI-EORTC Whitepaper) International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (EORTC-NCI-AACR) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) in Boston. The presentation demonstrated that HPN328 has the potential to be an efficacious, well-tolerated and convenient therapeutic for patients with DLL3-expressing malignancies. HPN328 was well-tolerated in cynomolgus monkeys at 1 and 10 mg/kg and pharmacokinetic data support the potential for once weekly dosing. Harpoon expects to initiate a Phase 1/2a trial in the second half of 2020.

Patient enrollment and dose escalation continues in the Phase 1 trial for HPN424 in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer and the Phase 1/2a trial for HPN536, initially for ovarian cancer. Harpoon has submitted an abstract and to plans to present a clinical trial update with interim HPN424 results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2020 Annual Meeting and plans to present preliminary data for HPN536 in second half of 2020.

Anticipated Milestones

HPN424 – present interim data from the dose escalation phase of our Phase 1 trial at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2020 and initiate expansion cohort in 2020

HPN536 – present interim data from Phase 1/2a trial in the second half of 2020

HPN217 – initiate Phase 1/2 trial in the first half of 2020

HPN328 – initiate Phase 1/2a trial in the second half of 2020

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Financial Results

Harpoon ended 2019 with $155.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities compared to $89.5 million as of December 31, 2018. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $71.6 million, primarily comprised of approximately $70.7 million in net proceeds from Harpoon’s initial public offering, completed in February 2019, partially offset by cash used in operations. Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $69.3 million, primarily related to the purchase and maturities of marketable securities. Net cash used in operations for the year ended December 31,2019 was $2.9 million.

Revenue for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019 was $2.2 million compared to $1.1 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $5.8 million, compared to $4.8 million for the prior year. The increase in revenue for both comparative periods was primarily due to collaboration and license revenue recognized from the upfront payment under the Development and Option Agreement with AbbVie, which occurred during the fourth quarter of 2019. During both the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2019, revenue primarily consisted of the revenue recognized related to research and development services performed under the Collaboration Agreement and the Development and Option Agreement with AbbVie.

Research and development expense for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019 was $12.2 million compared to $8.7 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018. R&D expense for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $41.6 million, compared to $26.4 million for the prior year. The increases over both comparative periods primarily arose from clinical development expenses and an increase in personnel-related expenses, which included conducting preclinical studies, the continuation of the clinical trials for HPN424 and HPN536, and manufacturing activities for four TriTAC product candidates in various stages of development.

General and administrative expenses for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 was $4.4 million compared to $2.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. General and administrative

expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 were $22.4 million, compared to $6.1 million for the prior year. The increases over both comparative periods were due to higher expenses primarily related to legal fees associated with ongoing Maverick litigation, consulting and accounting services, an increase in headcount, and other professional services to support our ongoing operations as a public company.

Net loss for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019 was $14.3 million compared to $9.7 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018. Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $55.6 million, compared to $27.4 million for the prior year.

Conference Call Information

Harpoon will host a conference call and live audio webcast this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss the fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial results and provide a corporate update. The live call may be accessed by dialing 866-951-6894 for domestic callers and 409-261-0624 for international callers and using conference ID: 5468929. A live webcast of the call will be available online from the investor relations section of the Harpoon Therapeutics website at View Source

An archived replay of the webcast will be available on Harpoon Therapeutics’ website shortly after the conference call.