On November 14, 2024 Moleculin Biotech, Inc., (Nasdaq: MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company"), a late-stage pharmaceutical company with a broad portfolio of drug candidates targeting hard-to-treat tumors and viruses, reported it has amended the clinical trial protocol with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") for its Phase 3 pivotal trial protocol evaluating Annamycin in combination with Cytarabine (also known as "Ara-C" and for which the combination of Annamycin and Ara-C is referred to as "AnnAraC") for the treatment of AML patients who are refractory to or relapsed after induction therapy (R/R AML) (MB-108) (Press release, Moleculin, NOV 14, 2024, View Source [SID1234648407]). This Phase 3 "MIRACLE" trial (derived from Moleculin R/R AML AnnAraC Clinical Evaluation) will be a global trial, including sites in the US. Additionally, the Company released a Virtual Investor "What This Means" segment to discuss the amended protocol. Access the segment here.

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"Our team has been thoughtful and strategic with the design of the MIRACLE trial, which may allow for possible accelerated approval of Annamycin in combination with cytarabine for the treatment of relapsed or refractory AML. This amended protocol enables us to share definitive data earlier, which helps to partially de-risk financing the trial and potentially accelerates the timeline for strategic partnering. We believe that the unblinding of data at 45 subjects will enable us to begin assessing all three arms of the study and provide us with a clear path forward in understanding the potential of Annamycin for AML patients. This change now puts us potentially less than 12 months away from definitive unblinded data that could be a strong indicator of our likelihood of approval, and the kind of data that is likely to drive advanced partnering discussions," commented Walter Klemp, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Moleculin.

The MIRACLE study, subject to appropriate future filings with and potential additional feedback from the FDA and their foreign equivalents, is expected to initially utilize an adaptive design whereby the first 75 to 90 subjects will be randomized in Part A of the trial to receive high dose cytarabine (HiDAC) combined with either placebo, 190 mg/m2 of Annamycin, or 230 mg/m2 of Annamycin, such doses were specifically recommended by the FDA in the Company’s end of Phase 1B/2 meeting. The amended protocol will allow for the unblinding of preliminary primary efficacy data (CR) and safety/tolerability of the three arms at 45 subjects. This early unblinding will yield 30 subjects with Annamycin (190mg/m2 and 230/m2) and HiDAC and 15 subjects with just HiDAC. The Company expects to reach 45 subjects in the second half of 2025, in addition to the planned unblinding expected in 2026 of the next 30-45 subjects.

For Part B of the trial, approximately 244 additional subjects will be randomized to receive either HiDAC plus placebo or HiDAC plus the optimum dose of Annamycin. The selection of the optimum dose will be based on the overall balance of safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy, consistent with the FDA’s new Project Optimus initiative. This increase from 240 to 244 subjects represents the statistical "cost" of the additional unblinding.

The amended protocol is currently being reviewed by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Once approved, the amended protocol will be filed with the amendment for the Company’s Initial New Drug (IND) application in the US with the FDA.

Annamycin currently has Fast Track Status and Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, in addition to Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma. Furthermore, Annamycin has Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

On November 14, 2024 GordonMD Global Investments LP reported that its portfolio company, Flare Therapeutics Inc., has entered into a strategic discovery collaboration with Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY). Flare will lead discovery and preclinical activities targeting multiple transcription factor targets in oncology, while Roche will pursue the further preclinical and clinical development and commercialization of potential products from the collaboration, leveraging its industry-leading capabilities in oncology (Press release, Flare Therapeutics, NOV 14, 2024, View Source [SID1234648424]).

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Combining Flare’s advanced proteomic and mass spectrometry platform — powered by its proprietary library of electrophilic compounds — to discover small molecule drugs targeting transcription factors previously deemed yet to be affected by drugs in oncology with Roche’s experience in developing and manufacturing medicines, this collaboration seeks to advance potentially transformative therapies for patients living with cancer.

Flare will receive a US$70 million upfront cash payment and is eligible to receive discovery, development, and commercialization milestone payments potentially exceeding US$1.8 billion and royalties. Additionally, Flare retains a right to co-fund development for one target under the collaboration in exchange for increased royalties in the United States for this target. Flare will retain ownership of its existing pipeline, including its lead clinical-stage program, FX-909, in advanced urothelial cancer, its prostate cancer program entering IND-enabling studies, and other programs in discovery and early development in oncology and other therapeutic areas.

"This collaboration reinforces Flare’s capacity to advance its breakthrough science," said Dr. Craig Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of GordonMD.

"We look forward to our partnership with Roche because we share a commitment to tackling the most challenging disease areas with novel approaches and overcoming the difficulties of drugging transcription factors," said Rob Sims, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder of Flare Therapeutics.

On November 14, 2024 Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) ("Affimed" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, reported financial results and provided an update on clinical and corporate progress for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 (Press release, Affimed, NOV 14, 2024, View Source [SID1234649279]).

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"Our innate cell engager therapies are meeting the critical needs of cancer patients who often come to us after exhausting nearly all other treatment options. The responses we’ve observed, even in the heavily pre-treated populations, give us tremendous confidence," said Dr. Shawn Leland, Chief Executive Officer of Affimed. "With clinical proof of concept established for all our innate cell engagers, the demonstrated activity across both hematological and solid tumors, combined with a strong safety profile, underscores the potential of our platform. We are refining our strategy to focus on clinical priorities and commercial viability, ensuring that our therapies deliver meaningful, long-term impact. I’m also very excited about expanding our efforts to seek collaborations with potential partners who share our vision to drive success for both patients and stakeholders."

Pipeline Highlights:

AFM24 (EGFR / CD16A)
In the AFM24-102 trial (combination with atezolizumab):

The cohort of NSCLC EGFRwt patients who failed chemotherapy and PD-1/PD-L1 has completed enrollment. ORR and safety data for this cohort will be presented on a Company conference call on December 17, 2024.
As previously reported at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2024, in 17 EGFRwt NSCLC patients who failed chemotherapy and PD-1/PD-L1 treatment, 1 complete response (CR), 3 partial responses (PRs) and 8 stable diseases (SDs) had been observed. Disease control was 71%. At the time, 3 of the 4 responses were ongoing for more than 7 months and median progression free survival (PFS) was 5.9 months.
PFS data from the EGFRwt and ORR and PFS data from the EGFR mutant (EGFRmut) cohorts expected to be presented at a major scientific conference in H1 2025.
Acimtamig (AFM13) (CD30 / CD16A)

Updated clinical data from the four cohorts of the run-in phase of the LuminICE-203 study will be shared in a poster session at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) 2024.
As previously reported on the Company’s Q2 2024 earnings call, in the phase 2 LuminICE-203 trial, 12 patients with advanced, treatment-refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma in cohorts 1 and 2, treated with a combination of the CD30-targeting innate cell engager acimtamig (AFM13) and AlloNK, demonstrated high efficacy, with an ORR of 83.3% and a CRR of 50%.
AFM28 (CD123 / CD16A)

An oral presentation at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) 2024 will feature updated clinical data including efficacy and safety data from the AFM28 phase 1 dose escalation study in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
A poster with preclinical data will highlight the in vitro efficacy of AFM28 in combination with both patient-derived autologous NK cells and healthy volunteer-derived allogeneic NK cells against leukemic blasts.
As previously reported, initial data on the six patients treated at dose level 6 at 300 mg in the multi-center phase 1 open-label, dose-escalation study (AFM28-101), of AFM28 monotherapy in CD123-positive r/r AML, showed 1 patient with a CR, 2 patients with a CRi for a composite complete remission (CRc) rate (defined as CR+CRi) of 50% (3/6).
An additional six patients have been enrolled in the 300 mg cohort.
Upcoming Milestones:

LuminICE-203: Efficacy update of four cohorts to be presented at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) 2024.
AFM24-102: ORR and safety data from the EGFRwt cohort to be presented at a Company conference call on December 17, 2024.
AFM28-101: Updated data from the dose escalation to be presented at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) 2024.
AMF24-102: ORR and PFS data from the EGFRmut and PFS data from the EGFRwt cohorts expected to be presented at a major scientific conference in H1 2025.
Third Quarter 2024 Financial Highlights
Affimed’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB). The consolidated financial statements are presented in Euros (€), the Company’s functional and presentation currency.

As of September 30, 2024, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled €24.1 million. Based on current operating and budget assumptions, the Company expects that cash, cash equivalents and investments, together with anticipated proceeds from its ATM program and the sale of AbCheck, will finance its operations into Q4 of 2025.

Net cash used in operating activities for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was €11.1 million compared to €18.3 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. The decline was mainly due to lower research and development expenditure and personnel expenses.

Total revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was €0.2 million compared with €2.0 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. Revenue in 2024 only related to a platform license provided to Genentech and 2023 predominantly related to the Roivant research collaborations for which all work has been completed.

Research and development expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, were €10.1 million compared to €21.5 million in 2023. The decrease was primarily a result of lower expenses associated with the development of acimtamig and AFM24, due to a decrease in procurement of clinical trial material, clinical trial costs and manufacturing costs, decrease in head count due to the corporate restructuring.

General and administrative expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, were €4.3 million compared to €5.4 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. The decrease was due to the decline in headcount, in legal and consulting expenses, insurance expenses and share-based payment expenses.

Net loss for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was €15.1 million, or €0.94 loss per common share compared with a net loss of €24.4 million, or €1.63 loss per common share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2023.

The weighted number of common shares outstanding for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was 16,100,185 shares.

Additional information regarding these results will be included in the notes to the consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2024, included in Affimed’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Conference Call and Webcast Information
Affimed will host a conference call and webcast on November 14, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. EST / 14:30 CET to discuss third quarter 2024 financial results and corporate developments.

The conference call will be available via phone and webcast. The live audio webcast of the call will be available in the "Webcasts" section on the "Investors" page of the Affimed website at View Source To access the call by phone, please use link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BIb9251d6bc6504a4da37a53cdb1b0ac94, and you will be provided with dial-in details and a pin number.

Note: To avoid delays, we encourage participants to dial into the conference call 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. A replay of the webcast will be accessible at the same link for 30 days following the call.

On November 13, 2024 AN2 Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANTX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics derived from its boron chemistry platform reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and provided an update from its ongoing analysis of data from the Phase 2 portion of the EBO-301 trial (Press release, AN2 Therapeutics, NOV 13, 2024, View Source [SID1234648261]).

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"Treatment options for patients with refractory MAC lung disease are extremely limited. Many of these patients are significantly more challenging to convert microbiologically due to the microbial complexity of their infections as well as their very complex lung anatomy, and often experience severe clinical symptoms at this advanced stage of disease. The fact that epetraborole appears to have demonstrated improvements based on two patient reported outcome measures is highly encouraging," said Stephen J. Ruoss, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. "By potentially improving both their quality of life and clinical outcomes, epetraborole represents a potentially significant advancement in treatment possibilities."

"We are encouraged by this recent data analysis, which indicate that epetraborole may provide clinical improvement in patients with treatment-refractory MAC lung disease, as measured by two patient-reported outcome instruments, including the same instrument recently selected for the primary endpoint in the Arikayce TN-MAC pivotal trial," stated Eric Easom, Co-Founder, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of AN2 Therapeutics. "We look forward to engaging with the FDA in the near-term to discuss next steps for the epetraborole program, including the potential reinitiation of a pivotal Phase 3 trial for treatment-refractory MAC lung disease."

Easom continued, "With a strong cash runway and optimized operating plan, we continue to advance our diverse pipeline of boron-based compounds to address unmet patient needs. This includes the recent strategic expansion into oncology, underscoring our dedication to innovating and improving patient outcomes across multiple therapeutic areas."

Third Quarter & Recent Updates:

Ongoing Analysis from Epetraborole Phase 2/3 Clinical Study in TR-MAC Lung Disease

The Company has provided an update from its ongoing analysis of the Phase 2 portion of the EBO-301 Phase 2/3 study. Two PROs evaluated in the trial indicated statistically significant clinical response, the QOL-B Respiratory Domain (Table 1) and MACrO2 (post-hoc analysis, Table 2), using continuous response measures instead of the binary responder methodology previously reported. Patients treated with epetraborole indicated clinical response using the same PRO instrument (QOL-B respiratory domain) and analysis method (least squares mean change from Baseline to Month 6) that was recently reported as the primary endpoint in the Arikayce ENCORE trial, after alignment with FDA. These EBO-301 PRO findings appear to align with FDA’s current recommendation for PRO-based primary endpoints in NTM-MAC trials.

Table 1: Quality of Life – Bronchiectasis (QOL-B respiratory domain) (least squares mean change from Baseline to Month 6)*

EBO-301 prespecified secondary endpoint

Epetraborole + OBR

(n=34)

Placebo + OBR

(n=35)

LS Mean Difference

p-value

Change from Baseline to Month 6

7.20

0.30

6.90

0.0365

*Measures of patient improvement for QOL-B are shown by positive changes in the score measured from baseline.

•
Epetraborole treated patients showed nominally statistically significant improvements in the QOL-B respiratory domain measured from baseline to month 6.
•
The p-value is termed "nominal" because this was not the prespecified primary endpoint in the Phase 2 part of the trial.

Table 2: MACrO2 PRO (least squares mean)*

Post-hoc analysis

Epetraborole + OBR (n=34)

Placebo + OBR

(n=35)

LS Mean Difference

p-value

Change from Baseline to Month 6

-12.91

-7.10

-5.81

0.0433

*Measures of patient improvement for MACrO2 are shown by negative changes in the score measured from baseline. The least squares mean calculation for MACrO2 utilized the same approach as the prespecified QOL-B LSM in the EBO-301 statistical analysis plan.

•
Epetraborole treated patients showed nominally statistically significant improvements in MACrO2 measured from baseline to month 6 in post-hoc analysis.

There was a high rate of MAC resistance to background antimycobacterial therapies at baseline, including approximately one-third of the patients with macrolide resistance and 60% with amikacin resistance, indicators of the complexity of the patient population. Notably, there was no evidence of induced epetraborole resistance in isolates from patients treated with epetraborole.

Further analysis showed no change in the previously reported safety profile; epetraborole was generally well-tolerated, with 2 (5%) discontinuations due to TEAEs in the epetraborole arm.

Epetraborole:Next Steps

The Company believes these findings are particularly noteworthy given the severe refractory status of the patients studied, and that improvements in QOL-B and MACrO2 appear to align with FDA’s current guidance for the primary efficacy endpoint in NTM-MAC studies. The Company will seek an End-of-Phase 2 meeting with FDA in the first half of 2025, with the goal of leveraging insights from the Phase 2 results to evaluate potential reinitiation of a pivotal Phase 3 TR-MAC study. In addition, the Company also plans to seek alignment with the FDA on a statistical analysis plan for the 97 patients who completed six months of treatment in the Phase 3 portion of EBO-301 at the time the Company halted the trial in August 2024. The Company anticipates releasing top-line Phase 3 data from these patients in mid-2025, subject to the timing of discussions with the FDA.

Other AN2 Boron Chemistry Pipeline Programs

Chagas Disease

During the quarter, the Company advanced preclinical activities aimed to initiate clinical studies in chronic Chagas disease, a disease that affects an estimated 6-7 million people worldwide, including approximately 300,000 in the U.S., and causes severe cardiac disease and death. The Company plans to initiate Phase 1 clinical development with AN2-502998 in mid-2025.

Melioidosis

The Company completed enrollment in a 200-patient observational trial for epetraborole in acute melioidosis in October 2024 and these data will inform a Phase 2 proof of concept study that is planned to initiate enrollment in the second half of 2025. Melioidosis is a deadly bacterial infection and global bioterrorism threat with a 90-day mortality rate of approximately 50% using standard of care (SOC) drugs ceftazidime or meropenem. The aim of the program is to meaningfully lower the expected mortality rate by dosing epetraborole on top of SOC.

Boron Chemistry Pipeline

Additional development programs are underway and focused on targets in infectious diseases and oncology with high unmet needs. The Company anticipates delivering up to three development compounds in 2025.

Global Health

In October, the Company announced that it received a second-year continuation of a research grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to discover novel boron containing small molecules for the treatment of tuberculosis and malaria. The Company will continue its efforts to tackle global health disease through non-dilutive funding.

Selected Third Quarter Financial Results

•
Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: R&D expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were $8.3 million compared to $14.4 million for the same period during 2023 due to decreased clinical trial costs, personnel-related expenses, preclinical and research study expenses, consulting and outside services, and other costs, partially offset by an increase in chemistry manufacturing and controls activity.
•
General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses: G&A expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were $3.5 million compared to $3.8 million for the same period during 2023 due to a decrease in professional services.
•
Restructuring Charges: Restructuring charges for the third quarter of 2024 were $2.2 million due to severance payments and other employee termination-related expenses, partially offset by a reduction in stock-based compensation expense as a result of applying modification accounting for consulting agreements entered into with certain terminated employees.
•
Other Income, Net: Other income, net for the third quarter of 2024 was $1.3 million compared to $1.5 million for the same period during 2023 due to lower cash, cash equivalents and investment balances.
•
Net loss: Net loss for the third quarter of 2024 was $12.7 million, compared to $16.7 million for the same period during 2023.

On November 13, 2024 Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRSN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing a pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting cancers in areas of high unmet medical need, reported a business update and announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024 (Press release, Mersana Therapeutics, NOV 13, 2024, View Source [SID1234648282]).

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"During the third quarter of 2024, our team continued its strong execution as we advanced the dose escalation portions of our Phase 1 clinical trials of XMT-1660 and XMT-2056, made further progress in our collaborations and maintained the strength of our balance sheet," said Martin Huber, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Mersana Therapeutics. "In multiple presentations over the course of the past year, we shared data demonstrating the potential for Dolasynthen ADCs to generate anti-tumor activity and avoid many of the toxicities that have limited other ADC platforms. We are looking forward to presenting initial XMT-1660 clinical data later this year. We also are finalizing plans to begin the expansion portion of our trial, with an initial focus on patients with triple-negative breast cancer who have previously been treated with at least one topoisomerase-1 ADC."

Recent Accomplishments, Strategic Priorities and Expected Milestones

XMT-1660: Mersana continues to advance its Phase 1 clinical trial of XMT-1660, the company’s lead Dolasynthen ADC candidate targeting B7-H4. The dose escalation portion of the trial is ongoing, with the company having recently escalated to a dose of 115 milligrams per meter squared administered every four weeks. A maximum tolerated dose has not yet been established. Approximately 75 percent of the patients that have been enrolled in the trial to date have triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) or hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (HR+BC). Among the enrolled patients with TNBC, approximately 90 percent have received a prior topoisomerase-1 (topo-1) ADC, and among the enrolled patients with HR+BC, approximately half have received a prior topo-1 ADC. Last week at World ADC 2024, Mersana presented new preclinical data demonstrating XMT-1660’s anti-tumor activity following topo-1 treatment. By the end of 2024, Mersana plans both to share initial safety, tolerability, efficacy and biomarker data from its Phase 1 dose escalation and backfill cohorts at a company event and to initiate the expansion portion of the trial in patients with TNBC who have previously been treated with at least one topo-1 ADC.

XMT-2056: Mersana continues to escalate dosing in its Phase 1 clinical trial of XMT-2056, the company’s lead Immunosynthen ADC candidate targeting a novel HER2 epitope. GSK plc has an exclusive global license option to co-develop and commercialize XMT-2056. At the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 2024 Annual Meeting last week, Mersana presented new preclinical data demonstrating XMT-2056’s ability to activate STING signaling and inhibit tumor growth at very low doses.

Collaborations: Mersana continues to advance its Johnson & Johnson and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany collaborations. The collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany focuses on discovering novel Immunosynthen ADCs for up to two targets. The collaboration with Johnson & Johnson focuses on discovering novel Dolasynthen ADCs for up to three targets. In the third quarter of 2024, Mersana achieved and received payment for an $8 million development milestone under the Johnson & Johnson collaboration and achieved a $1 million development milestone under the Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany collaboration, for which payment was received in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2024, were $155.2 million. Mersana continues to expect that its capital resources will be sufficient to support its current operating plan commitments into 2026.
Net cash used in operating activities for the third quarter of 2024 was $8.6 million, which reflects the impact of the aforementioned $8 million milestone payment and a $3.5 million payment for manufacturing activities from Johnson & Johnson.
Collaboration revenue for the third quarter of 2024 was $12.6 million, compared to $7.7 million for the same period in 2023. The year-over-year change was primarily related to an increase in revenue recognized under Mersana’s collaboration and license agreements with Johnson & Johnson and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Research and development (R&D) expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were $14.8 million, compared to $30.5 million for the same period in 2023. Included in the third quarter of 2024 R&D expenses were $2.3 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expenses. The year-over-year decline in R&D expenses was primarily related to reduced costs associated with manufacturing and clinical development activities for UpRi, a discontinued ADC candidate, and reduced employee compensation expense following the company’s restructuring in 2023.
General and administrative (G&A) expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were $9.9 million, compared to $12.9 million during the same period in 2023. Included in the third quarter of 2024 G&A expenses were $1.7 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expenses. The year-over-year decline in G&A expenses was primarily related to reduced consulting and professional services fees and reduced employee compensation expense following the aforementioned restructuring.
Net loss for the third quarter of 2024 was $11.5 million, or $0.09 per share, compared to a net loss of $41.7 million, or $0.35 per share, for the same period in 2023.
Conference Call Reminder
Mersana will host a conference call today at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss business updates and its financial results for the third quarter of 2024. To access the call, please dial 833-255-2826 (domestic) or 412-317-0689 (international). A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investors & Media section of the Mersana website at www.mersana.com, and a replay of the webcast will be available in the same location following the conference call for approximately 90 days.