On August 7, 2019 AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAG) reported unaudited consolidated financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019 and provided a business update (Press release, AMAG Pharmaceuticals, AUG 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234538370]).

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"We are pleased to report both year-over-year and sequential revenue and market share growth in the quarter for each of our key commercial products – Makena subcutaneous (SC) auto-injector, Feraheme and Intrarosa. This strong, consistent execution by our commercial team positions us well for next month’s launch of Vyleesi, our fourth commercial product," said William Heiden, AMAG’s president and chief executive officer. "Despite the strong commercial success of our promoted products, we have lowered our 2019 financial guidance to reflect the impact of Makena intramuscular (IM) supply issues and our changed expectations of milestone payments due to us from a development partner related to ciraparantag."
KEY UPDATES

Makena supply: due to sustained supply disruptions, resulting in loss of market share, and increased generic competition, the company made the decision to exit the IM market and, through mutual agreement, has terminated the arrangement with Prasco, LLC, its authorized generic partner.

Makena PROLONG study: in a recent meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding PROLONG, the Agency informed the company that it plans to hold an Advisory Committee meeting. This meeting is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2019 to facilitate transparent discussions of the PROLONG trial and allow FDA to obtain the necessary input from Advisory Committee members and important stakeholders to inform regulatory decision-making for Makena. In addition to presentations by the company and the FDA, clinical experts, medical society representatives and patients will have the opportunity to provide their perspectives on the clinical importance and medical need for Makena.

Quarterly growth across all promoted products: strong revenue and market share performance in the second quarter

Makena (hydroxyprogesterone caproate (HPC) injection) SC auto-injector achieved 63% market share of all FDA-approved HPC prescription volume in the quarter.

Feraheme (ferumoxytol injection) achieved record market share of 17.2% in the quarter.

Intrarosa (prasterone) exited the quarter at a TRx share of 4.8%, the highest share achievement since launch.

VyleesiTM (bremelanotide injection) on track for national launch in September: June 21 approval generated coverage from more than 300 news outlets across the country, which has helped drive early awareness of Vyleesi alongside the initial marketing campaign.

Development pipeline is progressing: the company expects to initiate a phase 3a study of ciraparantag in the fourth quarter of 2019. AMAG-423 Phase 2b/3a study continues to open new sites and enroll patients.

1 See summaries of GAAP to non-GAAP adjustments at the conclusion of this press release.

COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM UPDATES
Makena
The Makena SC auto-injector was launched in March 2018 and has continued to grow and increase its market share every quarter since launch. Second quarter 2019 revenues increased to $41.0 million, or 8.5%, over the first quarter of 2019. Market share grew 9 percentage points to 63%, compared with 54% in the first quarter of 2019. With no intramuscular product shipped, the $10.0 million of negative revenue for the Makena IM product, for the three months ended June 30, 2019, was the result of changes in estimated Medicaid and commercial liability obligations from prior periods.

As previously disclosed, AMAG’s primary third-party manufacturer failed to timely deliver Makena IM drug product to AMAG, which led to supply disruptions and ultimately an out-of-stock situation. These supply issues hindered AMAG’s ability to provide Makena IM product, which caused Prasco to lose significant market share. Although AMAG received notice of approval from the FDA of an additional manufacturing site for the Makena IM product late in the second quarter, AMAG and Prasco concluded that it was no longer commercially viable to recapture sufficient market share following the out-of stock situation. As such, AMAG made the decision to exit the generic IM market and reached a mutual agreement with Prasco to terminate their distribution and supply agreement on August 6, 2019.

Accordingly, the company recorded a $77.4 million non-cash charge to fully write-off the intangible asset associated with the IM form of Makena and an inventory write-down of $4.8 million. In addition, the company revised its full-year 2019 financial guidance.

Vyleesi
As previously reported, on June 21, 2019 the FDA approved Vyleesi, a melanocortin receptor agonist, to treat acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women. The Vyleesi autoinjector is the first treatment for this patient population that can be self-administered as needed in anticipation of sexual activity. HSDD is characterized by low sexual desire that causes distress or interpersonal difficulty and is not due to a co-existing medical or psychiatric condition, problems within the relationship, or the effects of a medication or other drug substance. AMAG is committed to working with payers and healthcare professionals to help ensure that women with HSDD have access to Vyleesi, as well as minimizing the cost burden to patients through a comprehensive copay assistance program. AMAG plans to launch Vyleesi nationally in September with approximately 125 sales representatives on the company’s women’s and maternal health salesforce who will be calling on an estimated 15,000 healthcare professionals.

Ciraparantag, which has been granted fast track designation by the FDA, is in development as a single-dose, ready-to-use solution for use in patients treated with novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) when reversal of the anticoagulant effect is needed for emergency surgery or serious uncontrolled bleeding. AMAG and Perosphere Technologies (an independent company) recently met with the FDA and Perosphere Technologies is preparing to submit an investigational device exemption (IDE) to enable the use of the automated coagulometer in a Phase 3a clinical study, which AMAG expects to begin in the fourth quarter of 2019. Separately, AMAG was recently informed by a development partner for ciraparantag of its intention to terminate the existing collaboration agreement. Although AMAG does not believe that this partner has grounds for termination, it has removed expected milestone payments from its 2019 financial guidance.

UPDATED 2019 FINANCIAL GUIDANCE
"Although our commercial teams delivered strong results for our promoted products, we are lowering our 2019 financial guidance because we exited the Makena IM market and revised our expectation of ciraparantag development milestone revenue. The changes to our 2019 guidance do not alter our previously-stated preliminary view that we will achieve neutral adjusted EBITDA in 2020," said Ted Myles, AMAG’s chief financial officer. "With strong cash flows from our commercial products and our flexible cost structure, we believe we are well positioned to bring innovative therapies to patients in need and to build a new chapter of durable growth for shareholders. Our updated guidance and our preliminary view of an adjusted EBITDA-neutral 2020 reflects continued strong commercial performance from Makena SC auto-injector, Feraheme and Intrarosa, and includes a fully-funded launch of Vyleesi and our clinical development plans for AMAG-423 and ciraparantag."

2019 Financial Guidance

2 See reconciliations of 2019 GAAP to non-GAAP financial guidance at conclusion of this press release.

SECOND QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30
Revenue
Growth of the company’s key marketed products continued in the second quarter, with strong revenue and market share performance.

Makena SC auto-injector revenue grew to $41.0 million, compared with $13.5 million in the same period last year (launched March 2018).

The company did not ship any Makena IM product during the quarter, therefore the full impact of the $10.0 million change in estimated Medicaid and commercial rebate liabilities from prior period sales appears as negative revenue during the quarter.

Feraheme revenue increased to $42.1 million, an increase of 12% over the same period last year. Feraheme’s average quarterly market share increased to 17.2%, compared with 16.3% in the same period last year and 16.1% in the first quarter of 2019.

Intrarosa revenue totaled $4.9 million, compared with $3.2 million in the same period last year. TRx share increased to 4.5%, compared with 3.2% in the same period last year and 3.9% in the first quarter of 2019.

Operating Expenses

Cost of products sales (CoPS) in the second quarter of 2019 included a $4.8 million write-down of Makena IM inventory; CoPS in the second quarter of 2018 included $61.4 million in amortization expense primarily related to the Makena IM intangible asset.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses in the second quarter of 2018 included an expense reversal of $49.8 million related to the Makena contingent consideration liability because the company no longer believed that it was probable that a sales milestone would be achieved. Excluding this expense reversal, SG&A expenses increased by $11.6 million, or 18%, in the second quarter of 2019, compared with the same period last year, primarily due to increased marketing expenses related to the upcoming launch of Vyleesi.

The intangible asset impairment charge relates to the full impairment of the Makena IM intangible asset (described above).

As of June 30, 2019, the company’s cash and investments totaled $261.0 million.

The FDA approval of Vyleesi triggered a $60.0 million payment obligation to Palatin Technologies, which was paid in July 2019.

Long-term debt totaled $320.0 million (representing the principal amounts outstanding of the 2022 convertible notes).

Operating Loss and Adjusted EBITDA

The impact of the $77.4 million non-cash impairment charge and the related $4.8 million inventory write-down in the second quarter of 2019 contributed to an operating loss of $115.8 million. The company reported negative adjusted EBITDA of $24.4 million in the second quarter of 2019.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST ACCESS
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will host a conference call and webcast today at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss the company’s second quarter 2019 financial results, recent business highlights and 2019 outlook.

DIAL-IN NUMBER
U.S./Canada Dial-in Number: (877) 412-6083
International Dial-in Number: (702) 495-1202
Conference ID: 8573359

Replay Dial-in Number: (855) 859-2056
Replay International Dial-in Number: (404) 537-3406
Conference ID: 8573359

A telephone replay will be available from approximately 11:00 a.m. ET on August 7, 2019 through midnight on August 14, 2019.

The webcast with slides will be accessible through the Investors section of the company’s website at www.amagpharma.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the website for 30 days.

On August 7, 2019 TRACON Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TCON), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel targeted therapeutics for cancer and wet age-related macular degeneration through our license to Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., and utilizing our product development platform to partner with ex-U.S. companies to develop and commercialize innovative products in the U.S., reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019 (Press release, Tracon Pharmaceuticals, AUG 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234538447]).

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Recent Corporate Highlights

In August, our partner Santen announced the completion of enrollment in the randomized Phase 2 AVANTE study of DE-122 in combination with Lucentis (ranibizumab) in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

In July, we initiated dosing of the first patient in a Phase 1 study of TJ004309 (CD73 antibody) as a single agent and in combination with Tecentriq (atezolizumab), a PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor marketed by Roche, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

In June, data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of TRC253 in metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer patients were published in the 2019 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Proceedings. 22 patients who had progressed on prior Xtandi (enzalutamide) or Erleada (apalutamide) treatment were enrolled into one of six cohorts of escalating doses of TRC253. The single patient with a F877L androgen receptor (AR) point mutation at baseline remained on treatment for 49 weeks with a partial response by RECIST. The remaining 21 patients did not have a F877L AR point mutation at baseline, and 48% (10) remained on study for at least 6 months and one patient had a greater than 50% decrease in prostate specific antigen. TRC253 was well-tolerated and no drug-related serious adverse events were reported.
"We are excited to have initiated clinical development of TJ004309 and next look forward to collaborating on up to five bispecific antibodies with I-Mab Biopharma beginning with the first IND in 2020," said Charles Theuer, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of TRACON. "We also continue to evaluate opportunities to establish new corporate partnerships. We are focused on ex-U.S. companies with first-in-class, best-in-class or fast follower clinical stage assets that could benefit from accessing our product development platform, which we believe offers a rapid and capital-efficient U.S. drug development and commercialization solution."

Expected Upcoming Milestones

Top-line data, including the primary endpoint of mean change in best corrected visual acuity at six months, from the randomized Phase 2 AVANTE trial of DE-122 in patients with wet AMD are expected in the first half of 2020.

Presentation of Phase 2 data from Phase 1/2 clinical trial of TRC253 in metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer to Janssen is expected in the second half of 2020, whereupon Janssen will have an exclusive option to reacquire full rights to TRC253 for an opt-in payment of $45 million to TRACON, and obligations to pay regulatory and commercialization milestones totaling up to $137.5 million upon achievement of specified events and a low single-digit royalty on net sales.
Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $26.3 million at June 30, 2019, compared to $39.1 million at December 31, 2018. We expect our current cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to fund operations into the third quarter of 2020.

Research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were $4.3 million compared to $8.1 million for the second quarter of 2018. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower manufacturing expenses due to the discontinuation of the TRC105 program.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were $1.9 million compared to $1.6 million for the second quarter of 2018.

Net loss for the second quarter of 2019 was $6.3 million compared to $9.8 million for the second quarter of 2018.
Investor Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. EDT / 1:30 p.m. PDT to provide an update on corporate activities and to discuss the financial results of its second quarter 2019. The dial-in numbers are (855) 779‑9066 for domestic callers and (631) 485-4859 for international callers. Please use passcode 7498077. A live webcast of the conference call will be available online from the Investor/Events and Presentation page of the Company’s website at www.traconpharma.com.

After the live webcast, a replay will remain available on TRACON’s website for 60 days.

About DE-122 (carotuximab)

DE-122, an ophthalmic formulation of carotuximab, is active in preclinical choroidal neovascularization (CNV) models and designed to enhance the effect of approved VEGF inhibitors used to treat wet AMD. DE-122 is being investigated in the Phase 2 randomized AVANTE trial assessing the efficacy and safety of intravitreal injections in combination with Lucentis (ranibizumab) compared to Lucentis monotherapy in patients with wet AMD.

About TRC253

TRC253 is a novel, orally bioavailable small molecule drug that is a potent, high affinity competitive inhibitor of the androgen receptor (AR) and AR mutations, including the F877L mutation. The AR F877L mutation results in an alteration in the AR ligand binding domain that confers resistance to therapies for prostate cancer. Therapies targeting the AR have demonstrated clinical efficacy by extending time to disease progression, and in some cases, the survival of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, resistance to these agents is often observed and several molecular mechanisms of resistance have been identified, including gene amplification, overexpression, alternative splicing, and point mutation of the AR. TRC253 is currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in prostate cancer. For more information about the clinical trial, please visit TRACON’s website at www.traconpharma.com/clinical_trials.php

About TJ004309

TJ004309 is a novel, humanized antibody against CD73, an ecto-enzyme expressed on stromal cells and tumors that converts extracellular adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to adenosine, which is highly immunosuppressive. TJ004309 is currently being studied in a Phase 1 trial to assess safety and preliminary efficacy as a single agent and when combined with the PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor Tecentriq in patients with advanced solid tumors.

On August 7, 2019 MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ:MNKD) reported financial results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2019 (Press release, Mannkind, AUG 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234538292]).

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"We continue to execute our commercial strategy for Afrezza, which resulted in product growth of 62% versus the second quarter of 2018," said Michael Castagna, Chief Executive Officer of MannKind Corporation. "Our partner in Brazil, Biomm, received marketing approval for Afrezza and expects to launch in the second half of this year. Meanwhile, our partnership with United Therapeutics continues to gain strength as we celebrated the completed construction of a new high-potency manufacturing suite in our Danbury facility in July."

Second Quarter 2019 Results
Total revenues were $15.0 million for the second quarter of 2019, reflecting Afrezza net revenue of $6.1 million and collaboration and services revenue of $8.9 million. Afrezza net revenue increased 62% compared to $3.8 million in the second quarter of 2018, primarily driven by higher product demand, a more favorable mix of Afrezza cartridges and price. Collaboration and services revenue increased $8.9 million compared to the second quarter of 2018, reflecting the licensing and research agreements signed with United Therapeutics in September 2018.

Afrezza gross profit was $1.7 million for the second quarter of 2019, an increase of $3.1 million, or 230%, compared to a gross loss of $1.3 million for the same period in 2018, primarily due to an increase of $2.3 million in net revenue, a $0.4 million decrease in realized currency loss associated with a foreign exchange contract and a $0.2 million decrease in inventory write-offs, partially offset by increased costs due to higher sales.

Research and development (R&D) expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were $1.6 million compared to $3.0 million for the second quarter of 2018. This 45% decrease was primarily attributable to a $0.5 million decrease in clinical trial spending and a $0.5 million decrease in personnel costs.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were $16.6 million compared to $21.7 million for the second quarter of 2018. This decrease of $5.1 million, or 24%, was primarily attributable to a $2.3 million decrease in personnel related costs, a $1.3 million decrease in professional fees and a $1.0 million decrease in marketing spending.

Interest expense on notes (facility financing obligation and senior convertible notes) for the second quarter of 2019 was $0.6 million compared to $1.7 million for the second quarter of 2018. This $1.1 million decrease was primarily due to a reduction in debt principal balances.

The net loss for the second quarter of 2019 was $12.4 million, or $0.07 per share compared to a $22.7 million net loss in the second quarter of 2018 or $0.16 per share. The decrease was primarily the result of total revenues increasing from higher Afrezza commercial demand and from our licensing and research agreements with United Therapeutics.

Six Months Ended June 30, 2019
Total revenues were $32.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, reflecting Afrezza net revenue of $11.1 million and collaboration and services revenue of $21.3 million. Afrezza net revenue increased 56% compared to $7.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018, primarily due to higher product demand, a more favorable mix of Afrezza cartridges and price. Collaboration and services revenue increased $21.2 million compared to the six months ended June 30, 2018, reflecting the licensing and research agreements signed with United Therapeutics in September 2018.

Afrezza gross profit was $2.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $4.7 million or 243% compared to a gross loss of $1.9 million in the same period in 2018, primarily due to an increase of $4.0 million in net revenue, a $0.8 million decrease in inventory write-offs, partially offset by increased costs due to higher sales.

R&D expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2019 were $3.3 million compared to $5.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018. This 41% decrease was primarily attributable to a $1.0 million decrease in personnel related costs and a $0.7 million decrease in clinical trial spending.

SG&A expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and June 30, 2018 were both $42.3 million. The first half of 2019 included a $9.3 million expenditure for a television campaign for Afrezza offset by a $4.5 million decrease in personnel related costs, a $2.0 million decrease in professional fees, a $1.6 million decrease in marketing spending and a $0.4 million decrease in sponsorship expense.

Interest expense on notes (facility financing obligation and senior convertible notes) for the six months ended June 30, 2019 was $1.2 million compared to $3.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018. This $2.3 million decrease was primarily due to a reduction in debt principal balances.

The net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2019 was $27.3 million, or $0.15 per share compared to a $53.1 million net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2018 or $0.41 per share. The lower net loss was mainly attributable to a $25.1 million increase in total revenues.

Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments at June 30, 2019 was $38.2 million compared to $71.7 million at December 31, 2018. The decrease was primarily due to net cash used in operating activities of $31.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, including the receipt of a $12.5 million milestone payment from United Therapeutics, and a principal payment to Deerfield of $2.5 million.

Business Update
On August 6, 2019, MannKind Corporation and MannKind LLC entered into a Credit and Security Agreement with Apollo Investment Corporation, as lender, and MidCap Financial Trust, as lender and agent, which provides a secured term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $75.0 million and which matures on August 1, 2024 (the "MidCap Credit Facility"). MannKind borrowed the first advance of $40.0 million on August 6, 2019. In connection with the MidCap Credit Facility, MannKind also entered into privately negotiated exchange agreements with each of its existing creditors in order to pay off (in the case of Deerfield as a secured creditor) and restructure (in the case of Bruce & Co. and The Mann Group as unsecured creditors) MannKind’s existing debt obligations. When combined with a July 2019 exchange agreement with Deerfield, these exchanges reduced the principal amount of existing debt by $28.4 million and extended the maturity until November 2024 for $75.1 million (out of $80.3 million) of the remaining debt.

Conference Call

MannKind will host a conference call and presentation webcast to discuss these results today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To participate in the live call by telephone, please dial (866) 548-4713 or (323) 794-2093 and use the participant passcode: 8241782. Those interested in listening to the conference call live via the Internet may do so by visiting the Company’s website at View Source under News & Events.

A telephone replay of the call will be accessible for approximately 14 days following completion of the call by dialing (844) 512-2921 or (412) 317-6671 and use the participant passcode: 8241782#. A replay will also be available on MannKind’s website for 14 days.

On August 7, 2019 Arvinas Inc. (Nasdaq: ARVN), a biotechnology company creating a new class of drugs based on targeted protein degradation, reported that the company is scheduled to present at the 2019 Wedbush PacGrow Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, August 14th, at 9:45 a.m. ET (Press release, Arvinas, AUG 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234538308]).

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A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available at www.arvinas.com under the Events & Presentations page. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the Arvinas website for 30 days following the presentation.

On August 7, 2019 Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, reported financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019 (Press release, Affimed, AUG 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234538324]).

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"After reaching agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the study protocol design, we are now in the process of preparing to initiate the AFM13 registration-directed Phase 2 study," said Dr. Adi Hoess, Affimed’s CEO. "The recent positive final and interim results from two clinical studies of AFM13 add to the growing body of evidence supporting AFM13’s activity in CD30-positive lymphoma patients, and give us increased confidence in the potential of AFM13 to demonstrate clinical benefit in CD30-positive peripheral T cell lymphoma. To execute the Phase 2 study and to further advance our internal and partnered CD16A-targeting innate cell engager pipeline, we have significantly strengthened our organization through the addition of multiple key hires in the U.S. and Germany of individuals who have substantial drug development experience."

Corporate Updates

Affimed strengthened its drug development team with the addition of experienced personnel in several key areas, including Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Development and Operations, Drug Safety, Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC), Drug Safety & Pharmacovigilance, Biostatistics and Commercial Strategy. The new hires previously held positions at Novartis, Pfizer Inc., Abbott, Eli Lilly and Company and other large pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies.
In April, Affimed received a payment from Genentech triggered by the achievement of a preclinical milestone under its research collaboration to develop and commercialize novel natural killer (NK) cell engager-based immunotherapeutics based on Affimed’s ROCK platform to treat multiple cancers.
Affimed was added to the Russell 2000, Russell 3000, and Russell Microcap Indexes, effective after the U.S. markets closed on Friday, June 28, 2019 as part of Russell’s annual index rebalance process. Russell U.S. Indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors as the basis for index funds and as benchmarks for active investment strategies.
In June 2019, Affimed’s subsidiary AbCheck entered into a five-year licensing agreement with Icosagen granting AbCheck access to Icosagen’s QMCF protein production technology. Under the terms of the agreement, AbCheck acquires the rights to utilize Icosagen’s QMCF technology platform for its commercial activities in antibody discovery.
Pipeline Updates

CD16A innate cell engager programs

AFM13 (CD30/CD16A)

Affimed reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the design of its planned Phase 2 registration-directed study of AFM13 as monotherapy in relapsed or refractory patients with CD30-positive peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL). The results, if positive, could form the basis for a Biologics License Application (BLA) submission and support an accelerated approval given the unmet medical need for safe and effective new treatments in this hard-to-treat patient population. The study will also enroll a cohort of patients with transformed mycosis fungoides, an aggressive subtype of cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Study start-up activities are under way, with study commencement anticipated in the second half of 2019.
Updated data from an investigator-sponsored translational Phase 1b/2a study of AFM13 in patients with relapsed or refractory CD30-positive lymphoma with cutaneous manifestation led by Columbia University was presented at the International Conference on Malignant Lymphomas (ICML) in Lugano in June 2019. The data confirmed single-agent activity of AFM13 in CD30-positive lymphoma patients, with an objective response rate (ORR) of 50% (5 out of 10 patients). Tumor biopsies showed increased infiltration of NK cells in responders compared to non-responders, and evidence of NK cell-mediated killing.
Affimed reported the final results from the Phase 1b dose escalation study of AFM13 plus pembrolizumab that showed encouraging efficacy in the intent-to-treat (ITT) patient population (n=30) with an ORR of 83%, including complete responses (CR) in 40% and partial responses (PR) in 43% of patients with hard-to-treat Hodgkin lymphoma. At the highest treated dose (n=24), patients showed an ORR of 88% (CR of 46% and PR of 42%) as determined by independent assessment. Overall, the combination of AFM13 and pembrolizumab showed a favorable safety profile in patients, including some patients who did not respond to first-line chemotherapy and a subgroup of patients who were primary refractory to brentuximab vedotin. Importantly, a deepening of responses was reported over time in multiple patients. In addition, patients previously transplant-ineligible transitioned to transplant after achieving an objective response with the combination of AFM13 and pembrolizumab, thus increasing the chance for a cure. These positive results, taken together with data demonstrating single-agent activity of AFM13 in CD30-positive T cell lymphoma patients, form the basis for Affimed to initiate a registration-directed study of AFM13 as monotherapy in patients with PTCL.
The combination of AFM13 with allogeneic NK cells represents a novel approach in order to further improve response rates and durability of responses in patients with relapsed/refractory CD30-positive lymphoma. In a preclinical collaboration with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), AFM13 has been shown to bind to CD16A with much higher affinity than other CD16A binding moieties such as monoclonal antibodies, thus enabling the formation of a stable complex of AFM13 pre-mixed with cord blood-derived allogeneic NK cells. This stable complex showed strong efficacy in in vitro and in vivo experiments, forming the basis for an investigator-sponsored Phase 1 study by MDACC. In the study, MDACC intends to administer this stable complex in different doses (numbers of pre-loaded NK cells) into patients with relapsed/refractory CD30-positive malignancies.
AFM24 (EGFR/CD16A)

AFM24 is a tetravalent, bispecific EGFR- and CD16A-binding innate cell engager from Affimed’s ROCK platform. It is designed to target EGFR-expressing solid tumors by a new mechanism of action that activates innate immunity. This is a differentiated approach from cetuximab and other EGFR targeting approaches that inhibit tumor growth by EGFR-mediated signal transduction. Affimed presented data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2019 Annual Meeting that demonstrated AFM24’s ability to bridge NK cells and macrophages to EGFR expressing tumor cell lines and induce lysis through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), respectively. Due to AFM24’s different mode of action these effects were independent of RAS mutational status. Importantly, AFM24 enhanced tumor infiltration of NK cells and elicited dose-dependent anti-tumor efficacy in in vivo tumor models. AFM24 showed reduced inhibition of EGFR phosphorylation relative to the monoclonal antibody cetuximab. Treatment of cynomolgus monkeys with AFM24 resulted in a favorable safety profile, even when treated at high dose levels, demonstrating AFM24’s potential to have significantly lower toxicities in humans compared to standard of care. Affimed currently anticipates submitting the investigational new drug (IND) application for AFM24 around the end of the third quarter 2019.
Technology Updates

Data describing Affimed’s ROCK antibody platform was published in the mAbs journal, titled, "Redirected optimized cell killing (ROCK): A highly versatile multispecific fit-for-purpose antibody platform for engaging innate immunity." The paper discusses aspects of the modular platform, including the advantages of innate immune cell engagement over monoclonal antibodies and other engager concepts. The article also describes the potential of the ROCK platform to engineer a fit-for-purpose innate immune cell engager format that can be equipped with unique CD16A domains, modules that influence pharmacokinetic properties and molecular architectures that influence the activation of immune effectors, as well as tumor targeting. The article is available at: View Source
Financial Highlights

(Figures for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 are unaudited.)

Cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets totaled €87.7 million as of June 30, 2019, compared to €108.8 million as of December 31, 2018. Based on its current operating and budget assumptions, Affimed anticipates that its cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets as of June 30, 2019 will enable the Company to fund its planned clinical development and early development activities into 2021.

Net cash used in operating activities was €18.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, compared to net cash used in operating activities of €15.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018. The increase is primarily due to higher cash expenditure for research and development efforts.

Total revenue was €4.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 compared to €0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018. The increase in revenue is attributable to the recognition of €3.7 million as revenue from the Genentech collaboration in the second quarter of 2019.

Research and development (R&D) expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were €11.5 million, including accrued termination costs of €1.4 million associated with the wind-down activities for the two Phase 1 studies of AFM11. R&D expenses for the second quarter of 2018 were €7.1 million. The increase was primarily related to higher expenses related to manufacturing activities for clinical study material for AFM13, startup activities for the AFM13 registration study in PTCL, early stage development and discovery activities, and the termination costs for the two AFM11 clinical studies.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses for the second quarter of 2019 were nearly unchanged at €2.3 million compared to €2.2 million for the second quarter of 2018.

Net loss was €10.3 million, or €0.17 per common share, for the second quarter of 2019, compared to a net loss of €8.0 million, or €0.13 per common share, for the second quarter of 2018.

Note on IFRS Reporting Standards
Affimed prepares and reports the consolidated financial statements and financial information in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). None of the financial statements were prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the United States. Affimed maintains its books and records in Euro.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Affimed will host a conference call and webcast today, Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time to discuss the company’s financial results and recent corporate developments. To access the call, please dial +1 (917) 720-0178 for U.S. callers, or +44 (0) 203 0095710 for international callers, and reference conference ID 9396039 approximately 15 minutes prior to the call. An audio webcast of the conference call can be accessed in the "Webcasts" section on the "Investors" page of the Affimed website at View Source A replay of the webcast will be available on Affimed’s website shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived for 30 days following the call.