GILEAD SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THIRD QUARTER 2017 FINANCIAL RESULTS

On October 26, 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) reported its results of operations for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017 (Press release, Gilead Sciences, OCT 26, 2017, View Source [SID1234521213]).

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The financial results that follow represent a year-over-year comparison of the third quarter 2017 to the third quarter 2016. Total revenues were $6.5 billion in 2017 compared to $7.5 billion in 2016. Net income was $2.7 billion or $2.06 per diluted share in 2017 compared to $3.3 billion or $2.49 per diluted share in 2016. Non-GAAP net income, which excludes amounts related to acquisition-related, up-front collaboration, stock-based compensation and other expenses, was $3.0 billion or $2.27 per diluted share in 2017 compared to $3.7 billion or $2.75 per diluted share in 2016.

Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
September 30, September 30,
(In millions, except per share amounts) 2017 2016 2017 2016
Product sales $ 6,402 $ 7,405 $ 19,825 $ 22,737
Royalty, contract and other revenues 110 95 333 333
Total revenues $ 6,512 $ 7,500 $ 20,158 $ 23,070

Net income attributable to Gilead $ 2,718 $ 3,330 $ 8,493 $ 10,393
Non-GAAP net income* $ 2,990 $ 3,677 $ 9,311 $ 12,128

Diluted earnings per share $ 2.06 $ 2.49 $ 6.44 $ 7.59
Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share*
$ 2.27 $ 2.75 $ 7.06 $ 8.87
* Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share exclude acquisition-related, up-front collaboration, stock-based compensation and other expenses. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP financial information is provided in the tables on pages 7 and 8.

Product Sales

Total product sales for the third quarter of 2017 were $6.4 billion compared to $7.4 billion for the same period in 2016. Product sales for the third quarter of 2017 were $4.5 billion in the United States, $1.2 billion in Europe and $663 million in other locations. Product sales for the third quarter of 2016 were $5.1 billion in the United States, $1.4 billion in Europe and $931 million in other locations.

Antiviral Product Sales

Antiviral product sales, which include sales of our HIV, chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and chronic hepatitis C (HCV) products, were $5.8 billion for the third quarter of 2017 compared to $6.8 billion for the same period in 2016.

HIV and HBV product sales were $3.6 billion compared to $3.5 billion for the same period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the continued uptake of our tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) based products, Genvoya (elvitegravir 150 mg/cobicistat 150 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 10 mg), Descovy (emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg) and Odefsey (emtricitabine 200 mg/rilpivirine 25 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg).
HCV product sales, which consist of Harvoni (ledipasvir 90 mg/sofosbuvir 400 mg), Sovaldi (sofosbuvir 400 mg), Epclusa (sofosbuvir 400 mg/velpatasvir 100 mg) and Vosevi (sofosbuvir 400 mg/velpatasvir 100 mg/voxilaprevir 100 mg), were $2.2 billion compared to $3.3 billion for the same period in 2016. The decline was due to lower sales of Harvoni and Sovaldi across all major markets, partially offset by sales of Epclusa, which was approved in the United States and Europe in June and July 2016, respectively, and sales of Vosevi, which was approved in the United States and Europe in July 2017.
Other Product Sales

Other product sales, which include Letairis (ambrisentan), Ranexa (ranolazine) and AmBisome (amphotericin B liposome for injection), were $559 million for the third quarter of 2017 compared to $564 million for the same period in 2016.

Operating Expenses

Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
September 30, September 30,
(In millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016
Research and development expenses (R&D) $ 789 $ 1,141 $ 2,584 $ 3,890
Non-GAAP R&D expenses* $ 745 $ 981 $ 2,446 $ 2,790

Selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) $ 879 $ 831 $ 2,626 $ 2,406
Non-GAAP SG&A expenses* $ 806 $ 780 $ 2,440 $ 2,256
* Non-GAAP R&D and SG&A expenses exclude acquisition-related, up-front collaboration, stock-based compensation and other expenses. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP financial information is provided in the tables on pages 7 and 8.

During the third quarter of 2017, compared to the same period in 2016:

R&D expenses decreased primarily due to the 2016 impacts of a $200 million milestone expense associated with Nimbus Apollo, Inc. (Nimbus) and a $117 million impairment charge related to in-process R&D.
Non-GAAP R&D expenses* decreased primarily due to the 2016 impact of a $200 million milestone expense associated with Nimbus.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities

As of September 30, 2017, Gilead had $41.4 billion of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities compared to $36.6 billion as of June 30, 2017. This increase was primarily due to the issuance of $3.0 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes in September 2017 to partially fund the purchase of Kite Pharma, Inc. (Kite). The acquisition was completed in October 2017. Cash flow from operating activities was $2.7 billion for the quarter. During the third quarter of 2017, Gilead paid cash dividends of $682 million and utilized $153 million on stock repurchases.

Revised Full Year 2017 Guidance

Gilead revises its full year 2017 guidance, initially provided on February 7, 2017 and revised on July 26, 2017:

(In millions, except percentages and per share amounts) Initially Provided
February 7, 2017
Reiterated
May 2, 2017
Updated
July 26, 2017
Updated
October 26, 2017
Net Product Sales $22,500 – $24,500 $24,000 – $25,500 $24,500 – $25,500
Non-HCV Product Sales $15,000 – $15,500 $15,500 – $16,000 $16,000 – $16,500
HCV Product Sales $7,500 – $9,000 $8,500 – $9,500 $8,500 – $9,000
Non-GAAP*
Product Gross Margin 86% – 88% 86% – 88% 86% – 87%
R&D Expenses $3,100 – $3,400 $3,200 – $3,400 $3,300 – $3,400
SG&A Expenses $3,100 – $3,400 $3,200 – $3,400 $3,300 – $3,400
Effective Tax Rate 25.0% – 28.0% 25.0% – 28.0% 25.0% – 27.0%
Diluted EPS Impact of Acquisition-related, Up-front Collaboration, Stock-based Compensation and Other Expenses $0.84 – $0.91 $0.86 – $0.93 $1.02 – $1.17

* Non-GAAP Product Gross Margin, R&D and SG&A expenses and effective tax rate exclude acquisition-related, up-front collaboration, stock-based compensation and other expenses. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP full year 2017 guidance is provided in the tables on page 9.

Corporate Highlights

In August, Gilead and Kite announced that the companies had signed a definitive agreement under which Gilead would acquire all of Kite’s outstanding shares of common stock for $180 per share in cash. The acquisition was completed in early October 2017 for approximately $11.2 billion, excluding $0.7 billion relating to the portion of stock-based compensation attributable to the post combination period.
Product and Pipeline Updates announced by Gilead during the Third Quarter of 2017 include:

Antiviral and Liver Diseases Programs

Announced that the China Food and Drug Administration has approved Sovaldi for the treatment of HCV infection. Sovaldi was approved for the treatment of adults and adolescents (aged 12 to 18 years) infected with HCV genotype 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 as a component of a combination antiviral treatment regimen. Sovaldi is the first Gilead HCV medicine approved in China.
Announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review for Gilead’s new drug application (NDA) for an investigational, fixed-dose combination of bictegravir (50 mg) (BIC), an integrase strand transfer inhibitor, and emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (200/25 mg) (FTC/TAF), a dual-NRTI backbone, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Gilead filed the NDA for BIC/FTC/TAF with a priority review voucher on June 12, 2017, and FDA has set a target action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act of February 12, 2018.
Announced that FDA has approved expanded labeling for Epclusa, the first all-oral, pan-genotypic, once-daily single-tablet regimen for the treatment of adults with HCV infection, to include use in patients co-infected with HIV.
Announced that the European Commission and FDA approved Vosevi, a once-daily single-tablet regimen for the treatment of HCV infection in adults with genotypes 1-6. Vosevi is the first and only single-tablet regimen for patients who have previously failed therapy with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments and is the latest regimen in Gilead’s portfolio of sofosbuvir-based HCV DAA treatments.
Announced detailed 48-week results from two Phase 3 studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of BIC/FTC/TAF for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naïve adults. In the ongoing studies, BIC/FTC/TAF was found to be statistically non-inferior to regimens containing dolutegravir (50 mg). The data was presented in two late-breaker sessions at the 9th International AIDS Conference in Paris. In addition, our marketing authorization application for BIC/FTC/TAF has been fully validated and is now under evaluation by the European Medicines Agency.
Non-GAAP Financial Information

The information presented in this document has been prepared by Gilead in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), unless otherwise noted as non-GAAP. Management believes non-GAAP information is useful for investors, when considered in conjunction with Gilead’s GAAP financial information, because management uses such information internally for its operating, budgeting and financial planning purposes. Non-GAAP information is not prepared under a comprehensive set of accounting rules and should only be used to supplement an understanding of Gilead’s operating results as reported under GAAP. Non-GAAP measures may be defined and calculated differently by other companies in the same industry. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP financial information is provided in the tables on pages 7, 8 and 9.

Conference Call

At 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time today, Gilead’s management will host a conference call and a simultaneous webcast to discuss results from its third quarter 2017 and a general business update. To access the webcast live via the internet, please connect to the company’s website at www.gilead.com/investors 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be needed to hear the webcast. Alternatively, please call 1-877-359-9508 (U.S.) or 1-224-357-2393 (international) and dial the conference ID 89229005 to access the call.

A replay of the webcast will be archived on the company’s website for one year, and a phone replay will be available approximately two hours following the call through October 28, 2017. To access the phone replay, please call 1-855-859-2056 (U.S.) or 1-404-537-3406 (international) and dial the conference ID 89229005.

BICYCLE THERAPEUTICS TO PRESENT PRECLINICAL DATA ON LEAD MOLECULE BT1718 AT THE AACR-NCI-EORTC INTERNATIONAL CANCER CONFERENCE

On October 26, 2017 Bicycle Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering a new class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) product platform, reported that the company will present data describing the mechanism of action of BT1718, Bicycle’s lead molecule, which is being developed to target cancers of high unmet need including triple negative breast cancer and non small cell lung cancer (Press release, Bicycle Therapeutics, OCT 26, 2017, View Source [SID1234521249]). The data will be presented 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), held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from October 26 – 30, 2017.

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EndoPredict (EPclin) Shown in Second Study to be More Effective than Oncotype DX® (RS) in Women with Intermediate Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence

On October 26, 2017 Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYGN), a leader in molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine, reported new positive results for EndoPredict, a second-generation prognostic gene expression test for breast cancer (Press release, Myriad Genetics, OCT 26, 2017, View Source [SID1234521201]). The study found that EndoPredict (EPclin) was superior to the first-generation Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score (RS) in predicting breast cancer recurrence in women determined to be at intermediate clinical risk by Nottingham Prognostic Index. The data will be presented at the 3rd World Congress on Controversies in Breast Cancer (CoBrCa) being held Oct. 26-28, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.

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This is the second head-to-head study to show that EndoPredict significantly outperformed the first-generation prognostic test for breast cancer, especially for predicting the distant recurrence of breast cancer, and underscores Myriad’s unwavering commitment to advancing precision medicine for women with breast cancer. The first study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) in July 2016.

“This new study is further evidence that compared to the first generation test, EndoPredict more effectively predicts the recurrence of breast cancer up to 10 years after diagnosis in women with ER+, HER2- breast cancer,” said Ivana Sestak, Ph.D., principal investigator, Centre for Cancer Prevention, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London. “These findings will help physicians personalize treatment for women with an intermediate clinical risk of recurrence by identifying those patients who need adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery.”

Oral Presentation.
Title: Comparison of prognostic performance of Oncotype Dx Recurrence Score versus EndoPredict (EPclin) in women with intermediate risk of recurrence by Nottingham Prognostic Index.
Presenter: Ivana Sestak, Ph.D.
Date: Friday, Oct. 27 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Programme Number: OR01.

The analysis included 387 women with ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer and who were determined to be at intermediate risk of recurrence as defined by the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI). The primary endpoint was distant recurrence and the primary objective was to assess the value of EndoPredict (EPclin) for the prediction of (late) distant recurrence and compare the results to Oncotype Recurrence Score (RS).

This study showed that EndoPredict markedly outperformed Oncotype across the 10-year follow-up period with prognostic power more than two times higher (EPclin: LRX2= 14.1; RS: LRX2=5.9).

In this analysis, EndoPredict stratified 149 (38.5 percent) women into the low risk group and 238 (61.5 percent) into the high risk group. A highly significant separation between the groups was observed. The 10-year distant recurrence (DR) was 12.5 percent for the low risk group vs. 25.9 percent for the high risk group (HR=2.42). However, for Oncotype, the DR rate was 16.3 percent for the low risk group and no clear separation between intermediate and high risk groups was observed, with similar 10-year distant recurrence risks (24.2 vs. 27.3 percent, respectively).

Additionally, for the prediction of late distant recurrence (5-10 years), EndoPredict provided significant prognostic value in this time period and identified 136 (40.2 percent) patients as low risk and 202 (59.8 percent) as high risk, while the first generation test did not provide prognostic value for late metastasis for women deemed intermediate risk of recurrence by NPI. These results confirm the importance of the inclusion of clinicopathological data to achieve best prognostication in this patient group.

Follow Myriad on Twitter via @MyriadGenetics and stay informed about symposium news and updates by using the hashtag #CoBrCa.

About EndoPredict
EndoPredict is a second-generation, multigene prognostic test for patients diagnosed with breast cancer. The test provides physicians with information to devise personalized treatment plans for their patients. EndoPredict has been validated in approximately 4,000 patients with node-negative and node-positive cancer and has been used clinically in over 13,000 patients. In contrast to first-generation multigene prognostic tests, EndoPredict detects the likelihood of late metastases (i.e., metastasis formation after more than five years) and, therefore, can guide treatment decisions regarding the need for chemotherapy, as well as extended anti-hormonal therapy. Accordingly, therapy decisions backed by EndoPredict confer a high level of diagnostic safety. For more information, please visit: www.endopredict.com.

Incyte and MacroGenics Announce Global Collaboration and Licensing Agreement for Anti-PD-1 Monoclonal Antibody MGA012

On October 25, 2017 Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ:INCY) and MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MGNX) reported that the companies have entered into an exclusive global collaboration and license agreement for MacroGenics’ MGA012, an investigational monoclonal antibody that inhibits programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) (Press release, MacroGenics, OCT 25, 2017, View Source [SID1234521156]). Incyte has obtained exclusive worldwide rights for the development and commercialization of MGA012 in all indications, while MacroGenics retains the right to develop its pipeline assets in combination with MGA012.

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"Anti-PD-1 therapy is becoming a mainstay of cancer treatment across multiple tumor types, and we believe the addition of MGA012 to our clinical pipeline is important to fulfilling our long-term development strategy in immuno-oncology. This collaboration with MacroGenics will allow us to rapidly explore the potential clinical benefit of developing MGA012 as a monotherapy and also combining anti-PD-1 therapy with several of our existing portfolio assets," said Steven Stein, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Incyte.

"We believe Incyte is the ideal partner for MGA012, given its immuno-oncology portfolio and dedication to researching and developing innovative and transformative cancer therapies and we hope that the combined resources of both companies will be able to significantly expand and accelerate the current development efforts for this promising molecule," said Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of MacroGenics. "Furthermore, we look forward to exploring the combination of MGA012 with multiple molecules in our own portfolio, including DART molecules for redirected T-cell killing, antibodies with enhanced effector function and ADCs, potentially to provide improved patient benefit."

Enrollment in the dose escalation portion of the Phase 1 study of MGA012 has been completed and the molecule is currently being evaluated as monotherapy across four solid tumor types in the dose expansion portion of the study. Data from the dose escalation portion of the Phase 1 study have been accepted for poster presentation at the upcoming Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 32nd Annual Meeting in November 2017.

Terms of the Collaboration

Upon closing, Incyte will pay MacroGenics an upfront payment of $150 million. Incyte will receive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize MGA012 in all indications.

Per the terms of the collaboration, MacroGenics will also be eligible to receive up to $420 million in potential development and regulatory milestones, and up to $330 million in potential commercial milestones. If MGA012 is approved and commercialized, MacroGenics would be eligible to receive royalties, tiered from 15 percent to 24 percent, on future sales of MGA012 by Incyte.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Incyte will lead global development of MGA012. MacroGenics retains the right to develop its pipeline assets in combination with MGA012, with Incyte commercializing MGA012 and MacroGenics commercializing its asset(s), if any such potential combinations are approved.

In addition, MacroGenics retains the right to manufacture a portion of both companies’ global clinical and commercial supply needs of MGA012. MacroGenics intends to utilize its commercial-scale GMP facility, which is expected to be fully operational in 2018.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017, subject to the early termination or expiration of any applicable waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and customary closing conditions.

Geron Announces Conference Call to Discuss Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results

On October 25, 2017 Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:GERN) reported that it will announce its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017, on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, after the market close (Press release, Geron, OCT 25, 2017, View Source [SID1234521151]). Geron’s management will also host a conference call for analysts and investors on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the company’s third quarter results and recent events.

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Participants can access the conference call live via telephone by dialing 877-303-9139 (U.S.); 760-536-5195 (international). The conference ID is 1056465. If accessing the conference call by telephone, please dial in at least 10 minutes early to minimize any delay in joining the call. A live audio-only webcast is also available at View Source or at www.geron.com on the Investors pages, under Events. The audio webcast of the conference call will be available for replay approximately one hour following the live broadcast through December 1, 2017.