On April 16, 2025 Ipsen (Euronext: IPN; ADR: IPSEY), a global specialty-care biopharmaceutical company, reported sales for the first quarter of 2025 (Press release, Ipsen, APR 16, 2025, View Source [SID1234651945]).

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Q1 2025 % change % change
€m Actual CER1
Oncology 655.0 8.5% 8.0%
Neuroscience 193.5 8.0% 9.6%
Rare Disease 70.3 78.4% 74.6%
Total Sales 918.8 11.7% 11.6%

"Ipsen has delivered a strong start to 2025, building further momentum in the transformation of our company," commented David Loew, Chief Executive Officer, Ipsen. "We continued to execute on our strategy with strong top-line growth and pipeline progression. I am pleased to see the rapid build-up of our Rare Cholestatic Liver disease franchise with two innovate medicines for five indications. 2025 is set to be an important year for Ipsen, with multiple launches underway and several milestones expected across our portfolio."

Full-year guidance

Ipsen is confirming financial guidance for full-year 2025:

Total sales growth greater than 5.0%, at constant currency. Based on the average level of exchange rates in March 2025, a limited effect on total sales from currencies is expected.
Core operating margin greater than 30.0% of total sales, which includes additional R&D expenses from anticipated early and mid-stage external-innovation opportunities.
Guidance includes expected negative impact on Somatuline sales due to increased generic competition in the U.S. and Europe. It excludes any impact from potential late-stage (Phase III clinical development or later) business development transactions.

Upcoming Milestones

Ipsen anticipates several key milestones across its portfolio in 2025, including:

Cabometyx (CABINET trial) – Regulatory decision in the European Union for advanced pancreatic (pNETs) and extra-pancreatic (epNETs) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).
fidrisertib (FALKON trial) – Readout of the pivotal Phase IIb trial in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP).
LANT3 (LANTIC trial) – Proof-of-concept data readout, evaluating its potential in aesthetics.
Q1 pipeline progress

The regulatory filing for tovorafenib was accepted by EMA for review in the European Union, marking an important step forward in the development of this potential treatment for pediatric low-grade glioma and reinforcing Ipsen’s commitment to innovation in rare and difficult-to-treat cancers.

Ipsen also initiated the entry in Phase I of IPN01195, a RAF inhibitor, complementing IPN01194, an ERK inhibitor, and tovorafenib, two other assets targeting the MAPK pathway.

Group refinancing

Ipsen announced on March 19th the successful completion of its inaugural Rated Public Bond of €500 million with a coupon of 3.875%, maturing in March 2032. Following the disclosure of the Investment Grade ratings from S&P and Moody’s, this transaction was very well received and largely oversubscribed by a diversified and solid institutional investor base. This transaction is an important component of Ipsen’s refinancing plan which included the successful renewal of €1,5 billion syndicated Revolving Credit Facility, extending Ipsen’s debt maturity profile.

Conference call

A conference call and webcast for investors and analysts will begin today at 2pm CET. Participants can access the call and its details by registering here; webcast details can be found here.

Calendar

Ipsen intends to publish its half-year results on July 31st, 2025.

Notes

All financial figures are in € millions (€m). The performance shown covers the three-month period to 31 March 2025 (Q1 2025, the quarter), compared to the three-month period to 31 March 2024 (Q1 2024), unless stated otherwise.

On April 16, 2025 Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc (OTCQB:OTLC) ("Oncotelic", the "Company" or "We"), a developer of treatments for rare and orphan indications, including Parkinson’s Disease, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma ("PDAC"), diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma ("DIPG"), and various other cancers, reported its financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 ("FY 2024"), as compared to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 ("FY 2023") (Press release, Oncotelic, APR 16, 2025, View Source [SID1234651963]). The financial results are based on the Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K") as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on April 15, 2025.

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Highlights for FY 2024 and thereafter:

2024 has been a transformational year for us. We made great progress on multiple fronts and this momentum continues in 2025. We individually discuss each of these areas below:

San Diego Facility

Our joint venture ("JV"), GPM Biotechnology Limited, with Dragon Capital Overseas Limited has continued the development of its nanoparticle pipeline at its facility in San Diego ("Facility") since late 2023 / early 2024. In late 2024, just over a year after breaking ground, the Facility became good manufacturing practices certified and was issued a Drug Manufacturing License by the State of California Department of Public Health and Food and Drug Branch. The Facility is planned to primarily manufacture our drug product, including the clinical trial materials, for the clinical programs for each of our compounds.

Nanoparticle Platform

At the Facility, the JV initially identified 5 compounds, including OT-101, for development as nanoparticles. Subsequently, the JV identified an additional compound, bringing the total to 5 new compounds, not including OT-101. Each of the nanoparticle compounds is designed as a next-generation anticancer agents. We believe that each of these new compounds can potentially lead to significant revenue and value for the JV, which in turn could lead to significant value to the Company due to our investment in the JV. Two of the 6 compounds are in late stages of manufacturing, and the Company plans to file INDs for both before the end of the year. Our proprietary nanoparticle platform enables the development of multiple therapeutic candidates, to address various oncology indications.

Investigational New Drug Filing Platform with Shanghai Medicilon

We recently announced that we entered into an agreement to utilize the proprietary rapid investigational new drug ("IND") platform created and owned by Shanghai Medicilon Inc. ("Medicilon") to file up to 20 new INDs. We, and the JV, plan to utilize it to file the 6 compounds identified utilizing the Medicilon IND platform, among and upto 20 total filings.

OT-101 Clinical Program

The primary candidate of our JV, OT-101, which has previously completed multiple clinical trials, is currently undergoing a Phase 3 trial in pancreatic cancer. OT-101 also completed a phase 1 combination trial with IL-2. This will allow us to pursue OT-101 in combination with various checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD-1 blockers.

Artificial Intelligence Platform

Our artificial intelligence ("AI") team has played an increasingly important role in the development of the Company and the Facility. Our proprietary AI technology has been used by our scientists in writing research papers, development reports, and regulatory documents from the data gathered from our Facility and elsewhere. As announced in December 2024, we are leveraging our AI Platform, "PDAOAI", to allow third party researchers and individuals to utilize our platform in their workflow. Unlike standard AI tools, PDAOAI is specifically designed for pharmaceutical regulatory processes and research documentation, streamlining workflows and potentially accelerating development timelines.

Results of Operations

Below is a presentation of our financial results comparing FY 2024 to FY 2023, and are based on our results published in our Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2025.

FY 2024 compared to FY 2023 Financial Results Overview

ONCOTELIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

For the Year Ended December 31,
2024 2023
Service Revenue $ - $ 70,000
Total Revenue - 70,000
Operating expenses:
Research and development $ - $ 61,143
General and administrative 376,013 573,726
Goodwill impairment (See note 2 and 3) 3,200,000 6,083,146
Total operating expenses 3,576,013 6,718,015
Income/(Loss) from operations (3,576,013 ) (6,648,015 )
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net (857,723 ) (1,044,786 )
Reimbursement for expenses – related party 22,937 72,246
Change in fair value of investment in GMP Bio - 12,706
Change in fair value of derivative on debt (280,402 ) (225,074 )
Loss on debt conversion (88,258 ) (373,142 )
Total other income (expense) (1,203,446 ) (1,558,050 )
Net income (loss) before non-controlling interests (4,779,459 ) (8,206,065 )
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests (255,527 ) (302,972 )
Net income (loss) attributable to Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. $ (4,523,932 ) $ (7,903,093 )
Basic net loss per share attributable to common stock $ (0.01 ) $ (0.02 )
Basic weighted average common stock outstanding 404,396,473 384,075,369

We incurred a lower net loss per basic share of $0.01 for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to net loss per basic share of $0.02 for the year ended December 31, 2023. We incurred a significantly lower net loss of approximately $3.4 million between December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The lower net loss was primarily due to lower impairment of goodwill by approximately $2.9 million, lower general and administrative expenses of approximately $0.2 million and lower other expenses, including interest cost, or approximately $0.3 million. All operational costs associated with OT-101 and the nanoparticle platform are substantially covered by the JV, significantly reducing our direct financial burden till such time we make a determination to commence development of our own compounds.

"Our JV is growing rapidly and is moving towards a potential initial public offering, the timing of which is under evaluation. The JV’s product portfolio has the potential to generate significant revenues and value for itself and, consequently, the Company and its shareholders due to our ownership in the JV. That has been the plan for the Company, since we entered into the JV. As reported in our Form 10-K, while we believe that the valuation of the JV has increased, we have opted to revise the fair value of our investment in the JV only upon a triggering event occurring, and justifying the revision to our fair value, such as, but not limited to, a financing, licensing, an IPO, or results of late stage clinical trials such as our Phase 3 pancreatic cancer trial", said Amit Shah, CFO for Oncotelic.

On April 17, 2025 Norgine reported that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved the registration of IFINWIL (eflornithine) for the treatment of adults and paediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB), who have responded to prior multiagent, multimodality therapy (Press release, Norgine, APR 16, 2025, View Source [SID1234651964]).

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Neuroblastoma Australia welcomed the news today:

"On behalf of all families of children impacted by neuroblastoma, we welcome the TGA’s decision to approve IFINWIL. We urgently need treatments for children diagnosed with neuroblastoma and this milestone marks a step in the right direction towards a better future for children and their families. We thank the Federal Government for taking action to ensure access and we look forward to continued support for children with aggressive cancers." said Lucy Jones, CEO Neuroblastoma Australia.

High Risk Neuroblastoma is a rare but aggressive form of cancer, predominantly affecting children and most commonly presenting in the first 5 years of life2. Each year in Australia, approximately 50 children are diagnosed with neuroblastoma, with about half of these cases being classified as high risk neuroblastoma3,4. Neuroblastoma originates in the body’s nerve cells (neuroblasts) and typically presents as a primary tumour in the adrenal glands5. It is considered an aggressive tumour because it often spreads to other parts of the body (metastasizes). In most cases, it has spread by the time it is diagnosed5.

"We are committed to improving the lives of children and their families living with high-risk neuroblastoma" said Gus Rudolph, General Manager, Norgine, Australia. "This rare childhood cancer has devastating consequences for those impacted and while more needs to be done to improve treatment outcomes, we would like to recognise the TGA for their work to-date on this approval. Norgine will continue to engage with the relevant stakeholders to bring IFINWIL to patients as quickly as possible."

"This approval, as part of the Project Orbis initiative, represents a vital step forward in ensuring access to innovative cancer treatments for patients around the world," said Dr. David Gillen, Chief Medical Officer, Norgine. "By working collaboratively with international regulatory partners, we are able to help bring promising therapies to paediatric patients sooner – a goal that is especially important when time is critical. We’re proud to support Project Orbis as we strive to expedite access to high-impact oncology medicines."

Receiving the TGA approval is an important milestone on the path to realising sustainable and equitable access. IFINWIL is not currently included on the PBS.

Please refer to the IFINWIL Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) for full safety information on risks, side effects and precautions including the risk of low red blood cells (anaemia), low neutrophils (blood cells that fight infection), low platelets (clotting cells), increase in liver enzymes, and hearing loss or problems balancing.1

Notes to Editors:

About IFINWIL

IFINWIL has been investigated for use as a post maintenance treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB) in paediatric patients with no active disease (NAD) / no evidence of disease (NED) after first line multiagent, multimodality therapy.6 IFINWIL is a therapy that blocks an enzyme called ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) responsible for producing polyamines, which are important to tumour growth and development 7.

For more information on IFINWIL, find the CMI here: IFINWIL Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) or the Therapeutic Goods Administration at View Source or speak to your healthcare practitioner.

High-Risk Neuroblastoma (HRNB) Treatment Background

Children diagnosed with HRNB undergo an intense treatment regimen that still leaves them vulnerable to relapse and death.8 Although there have been some improvements in survival, children with high risk neuroblastoma still face a 30% chance of recurrence (relapse) within the first 5 years post maintenance, and have an extremely poor prognosis and low likelihood of long term survival9 (e.g. estimates as low as 15% of patients will live for five years after relapsing).10 Avoiding relapse is key to long-term survival, and until now, there have been no approved therapies for the post maintenance treatment period in major markets outside of the United States11.

About Project Orbis

Project Orbis is an initiative (since May 2019) of the US FDA Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) and provides a framework for concurrent submission and collaborative review of innovative oncology products among international regulatory authorities. It was created with the overarching goal to speed worldwide patient access to innovative cancer therapies. Project Orbis is coordinated by the FDA, and its partners include United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products regulatory Agency (UK MHRA), Australia Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Canada (Health Canada), Singapore (Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Switzerland (Swissmedic), Brazil (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA), Israel (Ministry of Health).

In April 2024, Norgine submitted an application for approval of eflornithine in high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB), via Project Orbis in Australia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. This milestone supports Norgine’s efforts to deliver patient access to eflornithine and bring a further treatment option in the field of paediatric oncology.

On April 15, 2025 Leap Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: LPTX), a biotechnology company focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics, reported it will host a virtual key opinion leader (KOL) event featuring Zev A. Wainberg, MD, Professor of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and co-director of the UCLA GI Oncology Program, on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. ET (Press release, Leap Therapeutics, APR 15, 2025, View Source [SID1234651948]).

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Dr. Wainberg will connect with Leap’s Chief Medical Officer, Cynthia Sirard, MD, to discuss the unmet need and how sirexatamab (DKN-01) may improve upon the current treatment landscape for previously treated patients with advanced microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC).

The event will focus on reviewing the positive data from Part B of the Phase 2 DeFianCe study of sirexatamab in second-line patients with advanced MSS CRC. Sirexatamab, Leap’s most advanced clinical program, is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) protein.

A live Q&A will follow the discussion. A replay of the event will be available for a limited time on the Investors page of the Company’s website at View Source

About Zev A. Wainberg, MD
Zev A. Wainberg, MD, is the Professor of Medicine at UCLA and co-director of the UCLA GI Oncology Program. He was trained in medical oncology and hematology at UCLA. He completed his residency training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and received his MD from the Sackler School of Medicine, New York Program at Tel Aviv University. His research involves a variety of clinical trials in multiple gastrointestinal cancers including pancreas, colon, gastric, and esophageal. Dr. Wainberg’s laboratory-based research efforts involve the testing of novel therapeutics against all gastrointestinal cancers. Currently, he is the recipient of several grants focused on the targeting of cancer stem cells and in molecular classification of gastrointestinal cancers.

On April 15, 2025 Accent Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on novel, targeted, small molecule cancer therapeutics, reported that the first patient has been dosed in a first-in-human Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of ATX-295, a potential best-in-class oral KIF18A inhibitor (Press release, Accent Therapeutics, APR 15, 2025, View Source [SID1234651949]). In addition, the company has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ATX-295 for the treatment of adult patients with advanced/metastatic platinum-resistant or refractory ovarian cancer, and for ATX-559, a first-in-class potent and selective inhibitor of DHX9, for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable/metastatic dMMR/MSI-H colorectal cancer post checkpoint inhibitor treatment.

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"Cancers with high chromosomal instability, such as in certain ovarian, breast, and lung cancers, collectively affect a large patient population but have limited treatment options. With ATX-295 entering the clinic, we are excited to translate multiple years of KIF18A research into the development of a potentially best-in-class program," said Jason Sager, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Accent Therapeutics. "With the launch of our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ATX-295, we now have two investigational drugs in the clinic, bringing us closer to achieving our mission of transforming cancer care. Additionally, receiving FDA Fast Track designation for both of our lead assets underscores the power of our approach and the potential for these investigational drugs to urgently address high unmet medical needs."

ATX-295 is a selective inhibitor of KIF18A, a mitotic kinesin motor protein critical for cell division in select tumors with chromosomal instability, but not in healthy cells. Accent has demonstrated that its novel, potent, and selective small molecule KIF18A inhibitor displays selective dose-dependent tumor growth inhibition in preclinical models, including in high grade serous ovarian cancer and triple negative breast cancer, supporting its advancement to the clinic.

The ATX-295 Phase 1/2 open-label, dose-escalation and expansion study (NCT06799065) is designed to evaluate the molecule’s safety profile at multiple dose levels, assessing the tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of orally administered ATX-295. The trial is enrolling patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors, including high-grade serious ovarian cancer.

The initiation of the Phase 1/2 ATX-295 study follows closely after Accent’s initial clinical asset, ATX-559, a first-in-class oral inhibitor of DHX9, entered clinical evaluation in late 2024. Both clinical assets have been granted Fast Track status by the FDA. Fast Track designation is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of novel drug candidates that address serious conditions marked by unmet medical need, with the aim of accelerating patient access to novel treatment options.

Accent will present new preclinical data supporting the continued clinical assessment of ATX-295 and ATX-559 at the 2025 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting taking place April 25-30 in Chicago, Illinois. Accent will also present a trial-in-progress update on the ATX-559 Phase 1/2 clinical trial at the 2025 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting taking place May 30 – June 3 in Chicago, Illinois.

About ATX-559
ATX-559 is a first-in-class potent and selective inhibitor of DHX9, a novel and previously undrugged RNA and DNA/RNA helicase, shown to play a critical role in tumors with high levels of replication stress (including breast, ovarian, colorectal, endometrial, gastric, and others), representing large patient populations with significant unmet medical need. DHX9 has been reported to play important roles in replication, transcription, translation, RNA splicing, RNA processing, and maintenance of genomic stability, making it a compelling novel oncology target. In addition to exploiting key tumor vulnerabilities in DNA repair deficient backgrounds (e.g., BRCA) and hyper-mutated states (e.g., MSI-H/dMMR), Accent is exploring the sensitivity of other tumor types to DHX9 inhibition, and the potential to combine DHX9 inhibitors with other cancer treatments to maximize its full potential for helping patients. Accent retains full worldwide rights to ATX-559, currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT06625515), and the DHX9 program.

About ATX-295
Accent’s second lead program, ATX-295, is a potential best-in-class inhibitor for KIF18A which may address a large patient population across several cancer indications, including ovarian and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). KIF18A is a mitotic kinesin motor protein critical for cell division in select tumors with chromosomal instability, but not in healthy cells. KIF18A inhibitor treatment results in rapid cell death for cancers with an abnormal number of chromosomes (aneuploid) in vitro and in vivo, while cells with normal numbers of chromosomes (euploid) are unaffected. Accent retains full worldwide rights to the KIF18A program, currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial enrolling solid tumor patients (NCT06799065).