On August 16, 2016 Delcath Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: DCTH), a specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company focused on oncology with an emphasis on the treatment of primary and metastatic liver cancers, reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 (Press release, Delcath Systems, AUG 16, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2195645 [SID:1234514611]).

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Highlights for the second quarter of 2016 and recent weeks include:

Issuance of $35 million in senior convertible notes to support Melphalan/HDS Phase 3 Focus Trial enrollment and CHEMOSAT European commercialization through the end of 2017;
Presentation of data from a large single hospital experience conducted at Southampton University Hospital in the United Kingdom at the 6th European Post-Chicago Melanoma/Skin Cancer Meeting, which demonstrated overall survival benefit using Delcath’s CHEMOSAT to treat metastatic uveal melanoma;
Acceptance of abstracts from two studies conducted in Germany using Delcath’s CHEMOSAT to treat patients with liver metastases for presentation as posters at the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe (CIRSE) Annual Meeting in September 2016;
Acceptance of a review of clinical research treatment outcomes using Melphalan Hydrochloride for Injection with the Delcath Hepatic Delivery System (Melphalan/HDS) in patients with hepatic metastases for publication in the prestigious journal, Cancer Control;
Promotion of John Purpura to Executive Vice President, Global Head of Operations from Executive Vice President-Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance; and
Launch of CHEMOSAT at the HM Sanchinarro University Hospital in Madrid.
"Throughout the second quarter we made considerable clinical and commercial progress advancing CHEMOSAT as an innovative new treatment option for primary and metastatic liver cancers," noted Jennifer K. Simpson, Ph.D., MSN, CRNP, President and Chief Executive Officer of Delcath. "Importantly, we secured $35 million in committed financing that provides us with the resources to advance our clinical development plan through to key inflection points while also supporting our commercialization programs in Europe.

"We were particularly pleased to have real-world data from Southampton University Hospital’s experience presented at the Melanoma/Skin Cancer meeting as the progression free and overall survival benefits observed in this study are dramatic, especially given the limited treatment options for patients suffering with these life-threatening cancers. These supportive data provide us with considerable confidence that similar results may be formally validated by our FOCUS Phase 3 Trial in hepatic dominant ocular melanoma that is currently underway in the U.S. and Europe. We look forward to additional presentations and publication of data in support of CHEMOSAT in the treatment of cancers of the liver during the second of half of the year.

"The addition of CHEMOSAT to centers in Spain and Turkey highlight our continued progress commercializing the system in Europe. We continue with negotiations to determine reimbursement levels for CHEMOSAT under the ZE national system in Germany and expect coverage levels to be defined later this year. We believe that favorable reimbursement levels will enhance growth in procedure volumes in Germany and provide important validation for reimbursement appeals in other markets in Europe.

"The advances we made during the first half of 2016 have positioned us to achieve important clinical inflection points in our FOCUS trial and our global Phase 2 program in HCC and ICC, as we work to expand global access to our CHEMOSAT for the benefit of patients suffering with primary and metastatic liver cancers," concluded Dr. Simpson.

Second Quarter Financial Results

Total revenues for the second quarter of 2016 and 2015 were $0.5 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2016 were $2.3 million, compared with $2.5 million for the same period in 2016, primarily attributable to a reduction in depreciation and corporate expenses. Research and development expenses increased to $1.9 million for the 2016 second quarter from $1.5 million for the same period in 2015, primarily due to increased investment in clinical development initiatives, specifically the global Phase 3 FOCUS clinical trial.

Total operating expenses for the second quarter of 2016 increased to $4.2 million from $4.0 million for the same period in 2015. This reflects an increase in clinical development initiatives, partially offset by reductions in depreciation and corporate expenses.

The Company recorded a net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2016 of $6.7 million, an increase of $3.0 million from a net loss of $3.7 million for the same period in 2015. This was primarily driven by amortization of debt discounts related to the convertible note issued in June 2016 and a change in the fair value of the warrant liability, a non-cash item.

First Half Financial Results

Total revenues for the first half of 2016 and 2015 were $0.9 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the first six months of 2016 were $4.7 million, an improvement of $0.8 million or 15% from $5.5 million reported for the same period in 2015, primarily attributable to a reduction in facility expenses related to the lease restructurings. Research and development expenses during the first half of 2016 increased to $3.3 million compared with $2.4 million for the same period in 2015, primarily due to increased investment in clinical development initiatives.

Total operating expenses for the first half of 2016 were $8.0 million compared with $8.0 million for the same period in 2015.

The Company recorded a net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2016 of $8.5 million, an increase of $1.3 million from a net loss of $7.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. This was primarily driven by amortization of debt discounts related to the convertible note issued in June 2016 and a change in the fair value of the warrant liability, a non-cash item.

Balance Sheet Highlights

As of June 30, 2016, Delcath had cash and cash equivalents of $7.5 million, compared with $12.6 million as of December 31, 2015. During the first half of 2016, the Company used $7.0 million in cash to fund its operating activities. In June 2016, Delcath issued $35.0 million of senior convertible notes and related common stock purchase warrants. As a result, Delcath believes it has sufficient capital to fund its operating activities through the end of 2017.

On August 16, 2016 Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) reported that it will report financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2017, on Thursday, August 25, 2016 (Press release, Medtronic, AUG 16, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2195681 [SID:1234514612]). A news release will be issued at approximately 5:45 a.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) and will be available at View Source The news release will include summary financial information for the company’s first quarter of fiscal year 2017, which ended on Friday, July 29, 2016.
Medtronic will host a webcast at 7:00 a.m. CDT to discuss financial results for its first quarter of fiscal year 2017. The webcast can be accessed at View Source on August 25, 2016.

Within 24 hours of the webcast, a replay and transcript of the prepared remarks will be available by clicking on the Investor Events link at View Source.
Looking ahead, Medtronic plans to report its 2017 fiscal year second, third, and fourth quarter financial results on Tuesday, November 22, 2016, Tuesday, February 21, 2017, and Thursday, May 25, 2017, respectively. Additional details will be provided closer to the specific quarterly earnings release date.

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On August 16, 2016, OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Company) announced results from the final analysis of AFFINITY, the Phase 3 trial of custirsen in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) whose disease has progressed after treatment with docetaxel (Filing, 8-K, OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, AUG 16, 2016, View Source [SID1234515887]). The trial did not meet the primary endpoint of demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in overall survival for patients treated with custirsen in combination with cabazitaxel/prednisone compared to cabazitaxel/prednisone alone. The median overall survival for the custirsen arm was 14.2 months versus 13.4 months for the control arm with a hazard ratio of 0.946. Safety data were consistent with those observed in previous trials of custirsen in CRPC.

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As a result of these data and previous custirsen findings, the Company plans to initiate discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to evaluate options related to an early analysis of the Phase 3 ENSPIRIT trial investigating custirsen in combination with docetaxel as second-line chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. In the Company’s proposal to the FDA, the trial’s hypothesized hazard ratio of 0.75 and the p-value for the final survival analysis will remain the same, with a minimal reduction in power and a small change in the critical hazard ratio from 0.84 to 0.83. The ENSPIRIT trial is over 90% enrolled and more than 80% of the events have occurred. The Company believes this is sufficient to assess the potential effect of custirsen in non-small cell lung cancer.

The Company has also engaged MTS Health Partners, LP as its advisor to assist with the exploration of strategic alternatives.

A copy of the Company’s press release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

On August 15, 2016 Moleculin Biotech, Inc., (NASDAQ: MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company"), a preclinical and clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of anti-cancer drug candidates, some of which are based on license agreements with The University of Texas System on behalf of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center ("MD Anderson"), reported its financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016 (Press release, Moleculin, AUG 15, 2016, View Source [SID:1234514576]).

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During the second quarter and year to date, key activities included:
Successful initial public offering and closing of transactions conditioned upon its IPO, including the acquisition of worldwide rights relating to its WP1066 drug portfolio;
Validation of Annamycin in an engineering run with a new combination of suppliers, paving the way for supply of Annamycin for our planned Phase IIb clinical trial;
Presentation of patented prodrug of a glucose decoy, WP1122, discovered at MD Anderson and licensed to Moleculin, with potential to target a wide variety of solid tumors highly dependent on glucose to survive, at the 28th Annual International Carbohydrate Symposium; and
Expansion of its research sponsorship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, facilitating access to grant funding and cutting edge research capabilities.
Planned activities and milestones for the remainder of 2016 include:
Apply for Orphan Drug status and validate the potential for accelerated approval pathway for Annamycin which could include the potential for approval on the basis of a pivotal Phase IIb clinical trial;
Prepare for Phase IIb clinical trial for liposomal Annamycin, an anthracycline for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia;
Strengthen license and IP portfolio; and
Continue development of pipeline assets, including Annamycin and other molecular portfolios.
Walter Klemp, Chairman and CEO of Moleculin, stated: "We are excited with our prospects and programs ahead in both the short and longer terms and are proud of our achievements to date. With our recent successful capital raise complete and sufficient funds to pursue our planned operations for the next twelve months from the offering date, our near term goal and potential catalyst includes the commencement of our Phase II registration trial for Annamycin. We believe Annamycin represents a potentially game-changing advancement in the treatment of acute leukemia and we are focused on advancing and bringing to market this and other potentially life saving therapies in the most expeditious, safe and efficient manner while also capitalizing on value enhancing and strategic opportunities."
Financial Results for the Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2016
Research and development expense was $361,728 for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and mainly represents amortization of capitalized license costs of approximately $257,000, accrued license fees to MD Anderson for approximately $39,000, and approximately $33,000 related to MD Anderson sponsored research.
Research and development expense was $376,728 for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and mainly represents amortization of capitalized license costs of approximately $257,000, accrued license fees to MD Anderson for approximately $54,000, and approximately $33,000 related to MD Anderson sponsored research. We expect to incur increased research and development costs in the future as our product development activities expand.
General and administrative expense was $618,001 for the three months ended June 30, 2016. The expense mainly included payroll, travel, insurance, professional fees to our consultants, attorneys and accountants for services related to our becoming a publicly traded company and related filing fees.
General and administrative expense was $923,572 for the six months ended June 30, 2016. The expense mainly included payroll, travel, insurance, professional fees to our consultants, attorneys and accountants for services related to our becoming a publicly traded company and related filing fees. We expect to incur increased general and administrative expenses over time as the Company increases its product development activity.
Interest expense included expense accrued on our convertible promissory notes issued in 2015 and 2016 bearing interest at the rate of 8% per annum.
The Company’s net loss for the three month period ended June 30, 2016 was $995,616 and was $1,327,857 for the six month period ended June 30, 2016.
As of June 30, 2016, we had $7,244,684 in cash. During the period from January 1, 2016 through May 2, 2016, we sold 234,296 common shares for $702,888. On May 31, 2016, we completed our initial public offering, pursuant to which we sold 1,540,026 shares of our common stock at $6.00 per share for net proceeds of $8,464,183 after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and direct offering expenses payable by us.
Net cash used in operating activities was $1,645,901 for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and mainly included payments made for payroll, travel, insurance and professional fees to our consultants, attorneys and accountants for services related to our becoming a publicly traded company and related filing fees, along with payments made to MD Anderson for license and maintenance fees. Additionally, prepayments were made for directors and officers insurance.
Net cash provided by investing activities was $362 for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and represents the cash amount acquired through the acquisition of Moleculin, LLC.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $8,862,132 for the six months ended June 30, 2016. We received $8,464,183 net proceeds from our IPO stock issuance, $702,888 from issuance of common shares at $3 per share, and $165,000 from issuance of convertible notes. Net cash used in financing activities included approximately $470,000 for payments of notes payable.

On August 15, 2016 Mirna Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:MIRN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of microRNA-based oncology therapeutics, reported financial results for the second quarter of 2016 and provided an update on recent developments (Press release, Mirna Therapeutics, AUG 15, 2016, View Source [SID:1234514553]).

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MRX34 CLINICAL PROGRAM AND SECOND QUARTER UPDATE

Presented clinical data of MRX34 at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2016. In an oral presentation, investigators reported on the final dose-escalation results from the first-in-human Phase 1 trial of MRX34, highlighting the safety profile, pharmacodynamic evidence of activity, and multiple clinical responses in cancer patients with a variety of advanced solid tumors.
Data highlights included four confirmed partial responses for up to 50+ weeks in duration in patients with late-stage, metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma cancer or HCC (liver cancer), renal cell carcinoma or RCC (kidney cancer) and acral melanoma (a rare and difficult-to-treat form of skin cancer). Stable disease was also observed in an additional 15 patients for more than four cycles (approximately three months) of therapy, including a small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patient who showed stable disease for more than one year on MRX34 as fourth line therapy.

As of the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) presentation, three patients had experienced possible immune-mediated serious adverse events (SAEs) after receiving MRX34. These previously reported events included enterocolitis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and pneumonitis/colitis. The first two patients recovered; the patient experiencing pneumonitis/colitis subsequently died.

Clinical Update. In early August, a recently enrolled acral melanoma patient experienced an SAE of increased ALT and AST liver function tests, determined likely to be due to acute hepatitis, with subsequent liver failure leading to death. The event was deemed possibly related to MRX34 and reported to the FDA and Korean regulatory authority.
The timing and pattern of response to treatment with MRX34 and the associated safety profile suggest a potential immune component to MRX34 activity.

Plan to continue the expansion phase of the ongoing Phase 1 study. Enrollment efforts are focused on patients with cancer types where confirmed responses have been observed as well as others where miR-34 has shown biological relevance. The Company had planned to initiate Phase 2 trials in RCC and melanoma by the end of 2016. However, it is now planned to let the results from the Phase 1 expansion cohorts and the translational medicine study guide the next steps in development of MRX34.
Preparing to launch translational medicine trial in late 2016. This study is intended to develop deeper insights into the mechanism of action of MRX34 in metastatic melanoma patients and identify potential biomarkers of drug activity and treatment response. The study is planned to include serial tumor biopsies as well as liquid biopsies for cell-free DNA and exosomal RNA analysis.
Preclinical studies underway, evaluating potential of combination regimens to enhance effectiveness of standard cancer therapies. Mirna researchers presented in vitro findings at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2016 annual meeting demonstrating the synergistic anticancer effects between MRX34 and platinum and other commonly used cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs across a range of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. Synergistic anticancer effects were also shown between MRX34 and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, suggesting the potential for combination therapies that include MRX34 with other standard of care cancer therapeutics.
CORPORATE UPDATES

Appointed Dr. Vincent J. O’Neill as the Company’s Chief Medical Officer. Dr. O’Neill, a medical oncologist, joined Mirna with 15 years of therapeutic and diagnostic product development experience, most recently serving as Chief Medical Officer at Exosome Diagnostics. Previous roles included senior leadership positions at Sanofi, Genentech and GlaxoSmithKline.
Appointed Dr. Perry Nisen to the Board of Directors. Dr. Nisen is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Donald Bren Chief Executive Chair of the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Science and Innovation at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he was integral to the discovery, development, and commercialization of a vast portfolio of oncology drugs. Earlier roles included Senior Vice President and Oncology Therapy Area Head at GSK and Divisional Vice President of Cancer Research and Oncology Development at Abbott Laboratories.
SECOND QUARTER 2016 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Cash Position and Guidance: Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities totaled $72.6 million as of June 30, 2016, compared to $89.7 million as of December 31, 2015. The Company has no debt. Based on the current operating plan, the Company expects that current cash resources will be sufficient to meet operating requirements into 2018.
Research and development expenses: Research and development expenses in the second quarter of 2016 were $3.7 million and $8.2 million, respectively, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $4.5 million and $7.9 million during the comparable periods in 2015. The decrease for the three months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 was primarily attributable to higher costs associated with our Phase 1 clinical trial for our lead product candidate MRX34, specifically adding additional sites and upfront drug costs which were incurred in 2015. This decrease in 2016 was partially offset by an increase in employee compensation, benefits and stock compensation.
The increase for the six months ended June 30, 2016 is primarily attributable to higher compensation, benefits and stock compensation expense due to a higher headcount. The increase was largely offset by higher costs associated with our Phase 1 trial in the prior year.

General and Administrative Expenses: General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2016 were $2.0 million and $4.2 million, respectively, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $1.2 million and $2.1 million during the comparable periods in 2015. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily attributable to increased employee compensation expense due to a higher headcount and higher outside professional and consulting costs, the majority of which were costs to comply with public company operating and reporting requirements.
Net Loss: Net loss was approximately $5.6 million for the second quarter of 2016 and $12.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to a net loss of $5.7 million and $10.0 million for the comparable periods in 2015. The results included non-cash, stock-based related compensation charges of $243,000 and $689,000 for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2016 and $217,000 and $351,000 for the comparable periods in 2015.