On August 7, 2018 Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SYRS), a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of medicines to control the expression of genes reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2018 and provided an update on recent accomplishments and upcoming events (Press release, Syros Pharmaceuticals, AUG 7, 2018, View Source [SID1234528484]).
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!
"The second half of 2018 promises to be an important time for Syros," said Nancy Simonian, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Syros. "Over the next several months, we plan to report initial clinical data from our Phase 2 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of SY-1425 in combination with standard-of-care and targeted agents in genomically defined subsets of patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. We plan to open expansion cohorts in the ongoing Phase 1 trial of SY-1365 in multiple patient populations with ovarian and breast cancers, as well as report data from the dose-escalation portion of the trial. Notably, we expect this to be the first-ever reported human clinical data on a selective inhibitor of CDK7, which is gaining increased recognition as an important new drug target in oncology. Together, we believe these clinical results will provide important insights into these programs and hopefully bring us closer to our vision of translating our leadership in gene control into medicines that provide profound benefit for patients."
Upcoming Milestones
Syros plans to report initial clinical data in the fourth quarter of 2018 from cohorts in its Phase 2 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of SY-1425 in combination with azacitidine in RARA and IRF8 biomarker-positive patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are not suitable candidates for standard chemotherapy, and in combination with daratumumab in biomarker-positive patients with relapsed or refractory AML and higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
Syros plans to open expansion cohorts in the fall of 2018 in its Phase 1 trial of SY-1365. These expansion cohorts will evaluate SY-1365 as a single agent and in combination with standard-of-care therapies in multiple patient populations with ovarian and breast cancers.
Syros plans to report clinical data in the fourth quarter of 2018 from the dose escalation portion of its Phase 1 trial of SY-1365 in patients with advanced solid tumors.
Syros plans to select a new development candidate from its preclinical pipeline by the end of 2018.
Recent Pipeline Highlights
In July 2018, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted SY-1425 orphan drug designation for the treatment of AML. The EMA orphan drug designation is granted to medicines being developed for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition with a prevalence of not more than five in 10,000 people in the European Community. EMA orphan drug designation benefits include protocol assistance, access to the EU centralized authorization procedure, reduced EU regulatory filing fees and 10 years of market exclusivity.
In June 2018, Syros presented on the design of its Phase 1 clinical trial of SY-1365 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. Based on preclinical data, which showed robust anti-tumor activity in ovarian and breast cancers, Syros designed the expansion phase of its trial to initially focus on these tumors. Expansion cohorts will evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary clinical activity of SY-1365 in:
Three ovarian cancer patient populations in earlier- and later-stages of disease, as either a single agent or in combination with carboplatin;
Hormone receptor-positive, CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant breast cancer patients, in combination with fulvestrant;
Patients with solid tumors of any histology to evaluate pharmacodynamic endpoints and measures of biological activity in paired tumor biopsies.
Recent Corporate Highlights
In June 2018, Syros announced the appointment of Michael W. Bonney, Chief Executive Officer of Kaleido Biosciences, to its Board of Directors.
Second Quarter 2018 Financial Results
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of June 30, 2018 were $124.4 million, compared with $72 million on December 31, 2017. During the second quarter, Syros sold $16.6 million in common stock under its at-the-market sales facility.
For the second quarter 2018, Syros reported a net loss of $14 million, or $0.43 per share, compared to a net loss of $13.4 million, or $0.52 per share, for the same period in 2017.
Revenues were $0.4 million for the second quarter of 2018, which relate entirely to Syros’ collaboration with Incyte. Syros did not record revenues in the second quarter of 2017.
Research and development (R&D) expenses were $11.1 million for the second quarter of 2018, as compared to $10 million for the same period in 2017. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in costs associated with Syros’ Phase 1 clinical trial of SY-1365 and increased headcount.
General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $3.8 million for the second quarter of 2018, as compared to $3.5 million for the same period in 2017. This increase was primarily attributable to an increase in employee-related costs.
Financial Guidance
Based on its current plans, Syros believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its planned operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2020.
Conference Call and Webcast:
Syros will host a conference call today at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss these second quarter 2018 financial results and provide a corporate update.
The live call may be accessed by dialing (866) 595-4538 for domestic callers or (636) 812-6496 for international callers and referencing conference ID number: 8675009. A live webcast of the conference call will be available online on the Investors & Media section of the Syros website at www.syros.com. An archived replay of the webcast will be available for approximately 90 days.