On August 6, 2019 Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALDR), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of migraine, reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019 (Press release, Alder Biopharmaceuticals, AUG 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234538253]).

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"We continue to make significant progress toward the potential launch of eptinezumab in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2020. We have our commercial leadership team in place, with experienced personnel leading sales, marketing and market access. The team is sharpening our go-to-market strategy and expects to complete our commercial footprint later this year. We recently presented additional data further confirming eptinezumab’s differentiated clinical profile and benefits in patient-reported outcomes at the 2019 American Headache Society and American Academy of Neurology Annual Meetings," said Bob Azelby, Alder’s president and chief executive officer. "Looking forward, we believe there is a large opportunity to build value at Alder in the latter half of the year, with the initiation of eptinezumab’s acute study and the advancement of our product candidate, ALD1910, into the clinic. These collective activities align with our mission to forever change the migraine treatment landscape and give people with migraines their lives back."

Second Quarter 2019 Highlights and Recent Developments

Commercial readiness activities ongoing under the leadership of recently appointed chief commercial officer, Nadia Dac: As Alder prepares for the potential commercial launch of eptinezumab in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2020, the company has conducted new market research that further confirms eptinezumab’s differentiated profile and is prepared to begin account-level engagement with payers. The company plans to focus its marketing efforts on the high-prescribing headache specialist population and accounts, where eptinezumab fits well into their treatment protocols of quarterly patient visits with its short, 30-minute IV administration and its well-tolerated safety profile, as demonstrated in the company’s clinical trials. The company plans to utilize a specialty sales organization sized between 75 and 100 sales representatives.

New migraine-free months, migraine severity and quality of life data presented at AHS Annual Meeting: In July 2019, Alder presented new data from post-hoc analyses from its PROMISE 1 and PROMISE 2 Phase 3 clinical trials for eptinezumab at the American Headache Society’s (AHS) 61st Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia, PA from July 11-14, 2019. Key highlights from the new data presented show 18.1% of episodic migraine patients treated with 100 mg of eptinezumab experienced no migraine days for at least half of the study period (≥six months), compared with 12.6% of placebo-treated patients, and 14.0% of chronic migraine patients treated with 100 mg of eptinezumab experienced no migraine days for at least half of the study period (≥three months), compared with 4.9% of placebo-treated patients. Data presented from PROMISE 2 also showed consistent clinically significant improvements in migraine severity in chronic migraine patients, a large contributor to impact on quality of life, starting at Month 1. Eptinezumab treatment resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) scores in chronic migraine patients as early as Month 1 after treatment, which were maintained or further improved throughout the six-month study period, compared to placebo, which did not achieve a clinically meaningful improvement until Month 6. In addition, eptinezumab treatment resulted in clinically meaningful improvements greater than placebo in the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores in chronic migraine patients as early as Month 1 after treatment and through the six-month study period. From a safety perspective, longer-term exposure has demonstrated no change in the overall safety profile for eptinezumab.

Data showing consistency of rapid onset of migraine prevention and improvements in most bothersome migraine symptoms and patient reported outcomes data presented at AAN Annual Meeting: In May 2019, Alder presented efficacy data highlighting the consistency of the rapid onset of migraine prevention across four clinical trials with eptinezumab at the 71st American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA from May 4-10, 2019. Across the Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials, it was observed that eptinezumab, with its 100% bioavailability at the end of infusion, showed a rapid onset of migraine prevention. The rapid response observed on both Day 1 and through Month 1 in PROMISE 1 and PROMISE 2 was also sustained through the first quarter following a single eptinezumab infusion, and was maintained or further increased through subsequent infusions. Alder also presented a new analysis of patient-reported outcomes data from the PROMISE 2 Phase 3 clinical trial of eptinezumab for the prevention of chronic migraine, showing improvements in the most bothersome migraine symptoms and patients’ global impression of change in their migraine status by Month 1 after treatment, with improvements sustained in overall response through the first and second quarterly infusions.

Upcoming Anticipated Milestones

Eptinezumab PDUFA target action date set for early 2020: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the Biologics License Application (BLA) filing for eptinezumab in April 2019, and set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of February 21, 2020. If approved, eptinezumab will be the first-to-market IV therapy for migraine prevention, providing rapid and sustained prevention that begins on Day 1.

Acute study for eptinezumab to begin in 2H 2019: Alder plans to initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating eptinezumab as a treatment for acute migraine in patients who are candidates for prevention therapy in the second half of 2019. The trial will seek to leverage eptinezumab’s 100% bioavailability and rapid onset of prevention demonstrated in clinical testing, with the objective of securing an indication for the acute treatment of migraine for patients and positioning eptinezumab as the first anti-CGRP monoclonal antibody for both the treatment and prevention of migraine, if approved for both these indications.

ALD1910 to enter clinical development in 2019: Alder continues to advance its preclinical candidate, ALD1910, a monoclonal antibody targeting PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide) for migraine prevention. ALD1910 is currently undergoing Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling preclinical studies. Alder expects to initiate a first in-human clinical study by the end of 2019.

Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results

As of June 30, 2019, Alder had $440.7 million in cash, cash equivalents, investments and restricted cash, compared to $412.4 million as of December 31, 2018.

Research and development expenses for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019 totaled $34.1 million, compared to $52.8 million for the same period in 2018. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to a decrease in process development costs and a decrease in clinical trial costs due to the completion of patient treatments for several of the company’s clinical trials.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019 totaled $21.6 million, compared to $11.9 million for the same period in 2018. The year-over-year increase reflects efforts to support commercial readiness activities for eptinezumab.

Net loss applicable to common stockholders for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019 totaled $59.9 million, or $0.72 per share, compared to net loss of $70.7 million, or $1.04 per share on a fully-diluted basis, for the same period in 2018.

Financial Outlook

Alder continues to expect that full-year 2019 net cash used in operating activities and purchases of property and equipment will be in the range of $285 to $315 million. The majority of the spend is focused on ensuring that Alder is prepared for the potential launch of eptinezumab in the first quarter of 2020, including advancing eptinezumab’s supply chain, building commercial inventory, continuing to build out Alder’s commercial footprint and other pre-launch market readiness activities.

Alder believes its available cash, cash equivalents, investments and restricted cash will be sufficient to meet its projected operating requirements through the anticipated launch of eptinezumab and into the latter part of 2020.

Conference Call and Webcast

Alder will host a conference call today at 5:00 p.m. ET to discuss these financial results and recent corporate highlights. The live call may be accessed by dialing (877) 430-4657 for domestic callers or (484) 756-4339 for international callers, and providing conference ID number 6561825. The webcast will be broadcast live and can be accessed from the Events & Presentations page in the Investors section of Alder’s website at www.alderbio.com. The webcast will be available for replay following the call for at least 30 days.

On August 6, 2019 Evelo Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:EVLO), a biotechnology company developing oral biologics that act on cells in the small intestine with systemic therapeutic effects, reported positive interim Phase 1b clinical data and provided second quarter 2019 financial results (Press release, Evelo Biosciences, AUG 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234538196]).

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"Evelo is harnessing the therapeutic potential of cells in the small intestine which play a central role in governing the immune, metabolic, and nervous systems. Our platform has generated a diversified portfolio of oral biologic candidates that act on these cells to drive systemic effects relevant to the potential treatment of a broad range of diseases," said Simba Gill, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Evelo. "Today’s positive interim data show, for the first time in patients, clinical and biomarker responses that support our core scientific hypothesis and our vision of developing effective, oral, safe, and affordable medicines for people with major chronic diseases and cancer. We look forward to advancing into later stage trials and continuing to expand our clinical portfolio."

Inflammation: Interim Clinical Data Highlights and Anticipated Milestones

About the EDP1815 and EDP1066 Phase 1b clinical trials
Each of EDP1815 and EDP1066 are in ongoing signal-finding Phase 1b clinical trials in mild to moderate psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Patients in these trials are randomized 2:1 to receive daily, oral administration of active drug, or placebo, for 28 days. The primary endpoint of these trials is safety and tolerability. Prospectively defined secondary and exploratory endpoints include clinical measures of disease, cellular histological biomarkers and blood immune cell biomarkers taken from biopsies and blood samples, respectively, at the start and end of the 28-day dosing period.

EDP1815 – positive interim Phase 1b clinical data at low dose in mild to moderate psoriasis patients

In a separate press release this morning Evelo reported positive EDP1815 clinical data from an initial 12-patient cohort in its ongoing trial in mild to moderate psoriasis.

EDP1815 was well tolerated with no overall difference reported from placebo.

Patients dosed once per day for 28 days with 550mg (1x dose) of the enteric capsule formulation of EDP1815 showed a statistically significant (p>0.05) reduction in mean lesion severity score (LSS) at 28 days of 2 points, compared to a mean increase of 0.25 points in patients who received placebo. LSS reductions over the dosing period of patients dosed with EDP1815 ranged from 0-67 percent. LSS, a secondary endpoint, is a component of the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score and measures redness, thickness, and scaling of an individual psoriatic lesion across the dosing period and is a sensitive clinical measure for patients with mild to moderate disease.

Analysis of the basal epithelium mitotic count, a secondary endpoint and cellular driver of psoriasis pathology, showed a mean reduction over the dosing period of 2.25 cells/mm2 in patients who received EDP1815 compared to no change in patients receiving placebo. Lower basal epithelium mitotic counts indicate a reduction of psoriasis pathology.

In an analysis of the change over the dosing period of blood immune cell cytokine production following stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, an exploratory endpoint, the EDP1815 dosed patient group showed a reduction in cytokine production indicative of a systemic anti-inflammatory response, compared to no reduction in the placebo group.

Based on these data, Evelo plans to advance EDP1815 into Phase 2 in early 2020. This placebo-controlled dose and formulation optimization trial will investigate daily dosing of EDP1815 in mild to moderate psoriasis patients over 24 weeks.

Enrollment is underway in the ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial of an additional cohort of mild to moderate psoriasis patients to be dosed at a 2.76g (5x) dose of the enteric capsule formulation. Data from this cohort are expected in the fourth quarter of 2019.

EDP1066 – positive interim Phase 1b biomarker data at high dose in mild to moderate psoriasis patients

Today, Evelo reports positive EDP1066 biomarker data at the high dose from its ongoing Phase 1b trial in patients with mild to moderate psoriasis.

EDP1066 was well tolerated with no overall difference reported from placebo.

In an analysis of the change over the dosing period of blood immune cell cytokine production following stimulation by lipopolysaccharide, an exploratory endpoint, patients who received a 3.3g (5x) dose of EDP1066 showed a reduction in cytokine production consistent with a pharmacodynamic effect. No reduction was observed in patients receiving a 660mg (1x) dose of EDP1066 or placebo.

No effects were observed in the secondary endpoints of clinical measures of disease or cellular histological biomarkers at either the 660mg or 3.3g dose of EDP1066.

Evelo is focusing the current EDP1066 Phase 1b trial on investigating the activity of a new formulation, which was up to 30-fold more potent in preclinical models, in a cohort of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis patients. Evelo expects to report data from this cohort in the first quarter of 2020.

Given the EDP1815 data, Evelo will not develop EDP1066 any further in psoriasis.

Oncology: Clinical Studies and Anticipated Milestones

EDP1503 – Phase 1/2

Evelo is conducting a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of EDP1503 in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, and patients with other tumor types that have relapsed on prior PD-1/L1 inhibitor treatment. Initial clinical data is expected in the first half of 2020.

EDP1503 – Phase 2a

The University of Chicago is conducting a Phase 2a investigator-sponsored clinical trial of EDP1503 in combination with KEYTRUDA in naive melanoma patients and melanoma patients who have relapsed on prior PD-1/L1 inhibitor treatment. Evelo will no longer be providing guidance as to timing related to this investigator-sponsored trial.

Business Highlights

In June 2019, Evelo appointed Jose-Carlos Gutiérrez-Ramos, Ph.D. to its board of directors. Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos brings to the board significant experience in research, clinical development and company building over a long career in senior leadership roles at major pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos has served as chief executive officer and president of Cogen Immune Medicine, Inc., a biotechnology company, since August 2018. Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos has also served as a venture partner at Flagship Pioneering since 2018. From 2015 to May 2018 he served as chief executive officer and president of Synlogic, Inc. Prior to joining Synlogic, Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos was group senior vice president of Worldwide Research and Development and global head of Biotherapeutics Research and Development at Pfizer, Inc. Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos received a B.S. from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and his Ph.D. in immunochemistry from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid.

In July 2019, Evelo entered into a loan and security agreement with K2 HealthVentures (K2HV). Under the terms of the agreement, Evelo can borrow up to $45 million subject to certain time conditions and clinical development milestones. On closing, Evelo borrowed $20 million; the funds were used to fully repay its $15 million loan facility with Pacific Western Bank and for general corporate purposes.

In July 2019, Evelo entered into a collaboration agreement with Sacco S.r.l. (Sacco), an existing contract manufacturing partner. Under the terms of this 5-year agreement, Sacco will manufacture and supply single strain, non-genetically modified microbes for oral delivery or oral use in pharmaceutical products exclusively for Evelo, with the exception of pre-existing products for pre-existing customers. This collaboration is consistent with Evelo’s manufacturing strategy of combining best-in-class manufacturing partners with internal manufacturing capacity and deep internal expertise in process development and formulation.

Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Cash Position: As of June 30, 2019, cash, cash equivalents and investments were $113.5 million, as compared to $178.9 million as of June 30, 2018 and $129.4 million as of March 31, 2019. This decrease was due to cash used to fund operating activities and capital expenditures. Evelo expects that its cash, cash equivalents and investments will enable it to fund its planned operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements, including the planned EDP1815 Phase 2 clinical trial, into the fourth quarter of 2020.

Research and Development Expenses: R&D expenses were $15.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to $10.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018. The increase of $5.3 million was due primarily to increases in costs related to Evelo’s inflammation and oncology clinical development programs, and research platform expenses, as well as increased personnel costs.

General and Administrative Expenses: G&A expenses were $5.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to $5.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018. The increase of $0.8 million was due primarily to increased personnel costs and professional and consulting fees necessary to support Evelo’s growing organization and corporate operational activities.

Net Loss: Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $20.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, or $(0.65) per basic and diluted share, as compared to a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $16.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018, or $(0.85) per basic and diluted share.

Conference Call
Evelo will host a conference call and webcast to discuss these data and the second quarter financial results today at 8:30 a.m. ET. To access the call please dial 866-795-3242 (domestic) and 409-937-8909 (international) and provide the passcode 6380636. A live webcast of the call, including an accompanying slide presentation, will be available on the Investors sections of the Evelo website at www.evelobio.com. The archived webcast will be available approximately two hours after the conference call and will be available for 30 days following the call.

On August 6, 2019 Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc., (Nasdaq: ONCT) a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing potential first-in-class product candidates for cancers with critical unmet medical need, reported that it has opened for enrollment its randomized Phase 2 study of cirmtuzumab, a ROR1-targeted monoclonal antibody, combined with ibrutinib in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (Press release, Oncternal Therapeutics, AUG 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234538212]). The decision to open Phase 2 of the company’s ongoing Phase 1/2 CIRLL (Cirmtuzumab and Ibrutinib targeting ROR1 for Leukemia and Lymphoma) clinical trial was triggered by favorable outcomes from the Part 1 dose-finding and Part 2 dose-confirming cohorts of the clinical trial, including an observed interim objective response rate (ORR) of 100% for the first 9 CLL patients with evaluable data receiving the recommended dosing regimen who have completed 12 weeks of cirmtuzumab plus ibrutinib treatment in Part 2, and a well-tolerated safety profile consistent with that seen with ibrutinib treatment alone.

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In June, the company presented data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual meeting, reporting that results from the first 12 patients with CLL treated in Part 1 of the Phase 1 portion of the study showed an observed interim objective response rate (ORR) of 91.7% for the combination of cirmtuzumab plus ibrutinib, including three patients with clinical or confirmed complete responses, and a well-tolerated safety profile consistent with that seen for ibrutinib treatment alone.

Included in the results presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) were preliminary results from six patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), who were treated in a separate cohort of the CIRLL study. Data from this cohort will be presented at a future medical conference. One patient with MCL who had relapsed following an allogeneic stem cell transplant experienced a confirmed complete response (CR) after 3 months of cirmtuzumab plus ibrutinib treatment, including complete resolution of a large mediastinal mass. This CR appears to be durable, and has been confirmed after 6, 9 and 11 months of cirmtuzumab plus ibrutinib treatment.

The CIRLL clinical trial is supported by a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and is being conducted in collaboration with the University of California at San Diego (UC San Diego).

"We are very pleased to be opening the randomized Phase 2 portion of the CIRLL study for patients with CLL and continue to be encouraged by the interim results from the study for both patients with CLL and patients with mantle cell lymphoma," said James Breitmeyer, M.D., Ph.D., Oncternal’s President and CEO.

About the Study
The CIRLL Study (CIRM-0001) is a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating cirmtuzumab in combination with ibrutinib in patients with CLL or MCL. Part 1 of the study was a Phase 1 dose-finding portion designed to determine the Phase 2 dose, or recommended dosing regimen (RDR). Part 2 was a Phase 1b expansion cohort to confirm the RDR. Interim analyses were specified for Part 1 and Part 2. Part 3 of the study, which is now open for enrollment, is a Phase 2 study in which approximately 90 patients with CLL will be randomized to receive either ibrutinib alone or ibrutinib plus cirmtuzumab, with a primary endpoint of complete response rate. An interim assessment of the first 12 patients with CLL enrolled in Part 1 of the study was presented as a poster at the 2019 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. Additional information about the CIRM-0001 study and other clinical studies of cirmtuzumab may be accessed at ClinicalTrials.gov.

About Cirmtuzumab
Cirmtuzumab is an investigational, potentially first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting ROR1, or Receptor tyrosine kinase-like Orphan Receptor 1. Cirmtuzumab is currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in combination with ibrutinib for the treatment of CLL and MCL, in a collaboration with the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. In addition, an investigator-initiated Phase 1 clinical trial of cirmtuzumab in combination with paclitaxel for women with metastatic breast cancer is being conducted at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. CIRM has also provided funding to support development programs for cirmtuzumab and a CAR-T product candidate that targets ROR1, which is currently in preclinical development as a potential treatment for hematologic cancers and solid tumors.

When expressed by hematologic malignancies such as CLL and MCL, ROR1 acts as a receptor for the tumor growth factor Wnt5a. Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine discovered that targeting a critical epitope on ROR1 was key to inhibiting Wnt5a activation, specifically targeting ROR1 expressing tumors, and this finding led to the discovery of the potent and highly selective antitumor activity of cirmtuzumab observed in preclinical studies. Oncternal believes ROR1 is an attractive target for cancer therapy because it is an oncofetal antigen – a protein not normally expressed in adults, but which confers a survival and fitness advantage when reactivated and expressed by tumor cells. Preclinical data indicate that when cirmtuzumab binds to ROR1, it blocks Wnt5a signaling, induces differentiation of the tumor cells, and inhibits tumor cell proliferation, migration and survival. Cirmtuzumab is in clinical development and has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for any indication.

On August 6, 2019 Cellular Biomedicine Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CBMG) ("CBMG" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical firm engaged in the drug development of immunotherapies for cancer and stem cell therapies for degenerative diseases, reported its financial results and business highlights for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2019 (Press release, Cellular Biomedicine Group, AUG 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234538228]).

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"During the second quarter of 2019, we made strides in advancing CBMG’s clinical pipeline in China. This includes expansion to multiple sites, dose escalation and robust patient recruitment for our B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) CAR-T program targeting multiple myeloma (MM). We have finished enrolling patients for the first cohort in a dose escalation study and currently are enrolling patients for the second cohort. We are also expanding the study into multiple sites. We are moving the alpha-fetoprotein T-cell receptor (AFP-TCR-T) program forward and will start to screen and enroll patients in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We are actively preparing for a multisite trial for our AlloJoin therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA)," commented Tony (Bizuo) Liu, Chief Executive Officer of CBMG.

Mr. Liu continued, "We continue to leverage the investigator initiated trial (IIT) process in China and plan to initiate these cancer clinical trials in the U.S. when we see positive proof of concept signals in the IIT studies in China. This allows us to prioritize and focus on developing clinical assets with the most potential and best chance to win both in China and globally."

Business Highlights for the Second Quarter and First Half 2019:

Advanced myriad of our immune-oncology (I/O) and regenerative medicine assets for the next stage in the translational medicine process, comprised of fine-tuning process development, multiple sites trial, increases in patient recruitment, and dose escalation;
Preparing to bring our I/O assets to the U.S. market.
Upcoming Clinical Milestones:

Present update of clinical data for CBMG’s anti-BCMA CAR-T in the fourth quarter of 2019
Financial Results for the Second Quarter and First Half 2019:

Net loss allocable to common stock holders for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2019 was $12.1 million and $21.4 million respectively, compared to $9.2 million and $17.7 million for the same periods in 2018.
General and administrative expenses for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2019 were $3.2 million and $6.6 million, respectively, compared to $3.1 million and $6.3 million for the same periods in 2018.
Research and development expenses for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2019 were $9.1 million and $15 million respectively, compared $6.2 million and $11.4 million for the same periods in 2018, primarily due to the increased clinical development for our leading cell therapy targets.
Net cash used in operating activities for first half of 2019 was $18.7 million, compared $13.7 million for the same period in 2018.
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash was $56.7 million as of June 30, 2019, compared to $62.0 million as of March 31, 2019.
Conference Call and Webcast Information
The Company will host a conference call and webcast with the investment community on Tuesday, August 6th at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time featuring remarks by Tony Liu, Executive Director, CEO and CFO of CBMG.

Live Call:

Toll-Free: 1-855-327-6838

International: 1-604-235-2082

Webcast:

View Source

Replay:

Toll-Free: 1-844-512-2921

International: 1-412-317-6671

Conference ID: 10007371

(Available approximately two hours after the completion of the live call until 11:59 p.m. ET on August 20, 2019)

On August 6, 2019 Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:CNAT) reported financial results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2019, and provided updates on its development programs (Press release, Conatus Pharmaceuticals, AUG 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234538254]).

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Program Updates
During the second quarter, Conatus announced that top-line results from the company’s ENCORE-LF clinical trial of emricasan did not meet its primary endpoint, results from the 24-week extension in the company’s ENCORE-PH clinical trial of emricasan did not meet predefined objectives, and the company is discontinuing further treatment of patients enrolled in the ENCORE-LF trial. Consequently, Conatus and its partner, Novartis, have no further development plans for emricasan. Conatus plans to complete its ongoing clinical trials of emricasan for which the company is responsible under the collaboration agreement and is in discussions with Novartis for the wind-down of the collaboration.

In June 2019, Conatus announced that the company was implementing a restructuring plan in order to extend its resources, which included reducing staff and suspending development of its inflammasome disease candidate, CTS-2090. The company also announced that it had engaged Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., as its financial advisor to assist in the exploration and evaluation of strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value. There can be no assurance of a successful outcome from these efforts, or of the form or timing of any such outcome.

Financial Results
The net loss for the second quarter of 2019 was $0.7 million compared with $4.5 million for the second quarter of 2018. The net loss for the first six months of 2019 was $5.4 million compared with $9.5 million for the first six months of 2018.

Total revenues consisted of collaboration revenue related to the company’s collaboration with Novartis. Total revenues were $10.8 million for the second quarter of 2019 compared with $8.8 million for the second quarter of 2018. The increase of $2.0 million was primarily due to a net cumulative catch-up in revenue recognized under the Novartis agreement, partially offset by lower revenues under the Novartis agreement due to lower emricasan-related research and development expenses.

Total revenues were $17.8 million for the first six months of 2019 compared with $18.5 million for the first six months of 2018. The decrease of $0.7 million was primarily due to lower revenues under the Novartis agreement due to lower emricasan-related research and development expenses, partially offset by a net cumulative catch-up in revenue recognized under the Novartis agreement.

Research and development expenses were $8.6 million for the second quarter of 2019 compared with $10.7 million for the second quarter of 2018. Research and development expenses were $17.9 million for the first six months of 2019 compared with $22.8 million for the first six months of 2018. These decreases were primarily due to lower emricasan-related research and development expenses and lower personnel costs, partially offset by recognition of severance and noncash stock compensation costs for research and development employees related to the restructuring plan announced in June 2019.

General and administrative expenses were $3.1 million for the second quarter of 2019 compared with $2.6 million for the second quarter of 2018. General and administrative expenses were $5.6 million for the first six months of 2019 compared with $5.3 million for the first six months of 2018. These increases were primarily due to recognition of severance and noncash stock compensation costs for general and administrative employees related to the restructuring plan announced in June 2019.

Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $28.7 million at June 30, 2019, compared with $40.7 million at December 31, 2018. The company is projecting a year-end 2019 net balance of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of between $10 million and $15 million.