Acorda Therapeutics Reports First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

On May 11, 2022 Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOR) reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 (Press release, Acorda Therapeutics, MAY 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234614214]).

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"Although Q1 over Q1 net sales decreased, we believe that this is not reflective of a trend for either Inbrija or Ampyra. We were pleased to see that as the Omicron wave waned, net sales of both products rebounded substantially. In particular, Inbrija sales, which were similar in January and February, increased by approximately 85% in March over February and continued to increase through April," said Ron Cohen, M.D., Acorda’s President and Chief Executive Officer. "In addition, while we historically have seen Q4 to Q1 declines due to patient overstocking in Q4 and insurance resetting in January, the decline was exacerbated this year due in part to a significantly higher estimate for discounts and allowances, or D&A, in Q1 2022 compared to Q1 2021. We expect D&A charges to be lower over the remainder of the year, and we are reiterating our 2022 guidance of $68M-$78M in Ampyra net sales."

INBRIJA Ex-US
Today Acorda announced distribution and supply agreements with Biopas Laboratories to commercialize INBRIJA in nine countries within Latin America, including Brazil and Mexico. Under the terms of the agreements, Acorda will receive a significant, double-digit, tiered percentage of the selling price of INBRIJA in Latin America in exchange for supply of the product. Acorda will also receive sales-based milestones.

Esteve plans to launch INBRIJA in Germany in June 2022. Germany is the largest pharmaceutical market in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world.

First Quarter 2022 Financial Results
For the quarter ended March 31, 2022, the Company reported INBRIJA net revenue of $3.7 million, compared to $5.0 million for the same quarter in 2021.

The Company reported AMPYRA net revenue of $14.9 million, compared to $20.3 million for the same quarter in 2021. As previously disclosed, AMPYRA lost its exclusivity and generics entered the market in 2018, and the Company expects AMPYRA revenue to continue to decline.

Research and development (R&D) expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 were $1.7 million, including negligible share-based compensation expenses, compared to $4.7 million, including $0.2 million of share-based compensation for the same quarter in 2021.

Sales, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 were $26.9 million, including $0.5 million of share-based compensation, compared to $34.0 million, including $0.5 million of share-based compensation for the same quarter in 2021.

Change in fair value of derivative liability for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 was negligible, compared to $0.2 million for the same quarter in 2021.

Provision for income taxes for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 was $0.2 million, compared to a benefit from income taxes of $3.2 million for the same quarter in 2021.

The Company reported a GAAP net loss of $25.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, or $1.93 per diluted share. GAAP net loss in the same quarter of 2021 was $33.5 million, or $3.53 per diluted share.

Non-GAAP net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 was $22.0 million, or $1.66 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net loss in the same quarter of 2021 was $23.3 million, or $2.46 per diluted share. This quarterly non-GAAP net loss measure, more fully described below under "Non-GAAP Financial Measures," excludes share-based compensation charges, non-cash interest charges on our debt, changes in the fair value of acquired contingent consideration, changes in the fair value of derivative liability related to our 2024 convertible senior secured notes, and expenses that pertain to non-routine corporate restructurings. A reconciliation of the GAAP financial results to non-GAAP financial results is included with the attached financial statements.

At March 31, 2022, the Company had cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash of $51.5 million, compared to $65.2 million at year end 2021. Restricted cash includes $18.6 million in escrow related to the 6% semi-annual interest portion, payable in cash or stock, of the convertible note exchange completed in December 2019. If the Company elects to pay interest due in stock, a corresponding amount of the restricted cash will be released from escrow.

Financial Guidance
For the full year 2022, Acorda continues to expect AMPYRA net revenue to be $68 – $78 million, and operating expenses to be $110 – $120 million. The operating expense guidance is a non-GAAP projection that excludes restructuring costs and share-based compensation as more fully described below under "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

Webcast
To participate in the Webcast, please use the following pre-registration link:

View Source
If you register for the Webcast, you will have the opportunity to submit a written question for the Q&A portion of the presentation. Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with Webcast details. You will receive an email 2 hours prior to the start of the webcast with the link to join. The presentation will be available on the Investors section of www.acorda.com.

A replay of the call will be available from 7:30 p.m. ET on May 11, 2022 until 11:59 p.m. ET on June 10, 2022. To access the replay, please dial 1 866 813 9403 (domestic) or +44 204 525 0658 (international); reference code 258745. The archived webcast will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Acorda website at www.acorda.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release includes financial results prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) and also certain historical and forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures. In particular, Acorda has provided non-GAAP net income (loss), adjusted to exclude the items below, and has provided 2022 operating expense guidance on a non-GAAP basis. Non-GAAP financial measures are not an alternative for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. However, the Company believes that the presentation of non-GAAP net income (loss), when viewed in conjunction with actual GAAP results, provides investors with a more meaningful understanding of our ongoing and projected operating performance because this measure excludes (i) non-cash compensation charges and benefits that are substantially dependent on changes in the market price of our common stock, (ii) non-cash interest charges related to the accounting for our convertible debt which are in excess of the actual interest expense owing on such convertible debt, as well as non-cash interest related to the Fampyra royalty monetization and acquired Biotie debt, (iii) changes in the fair value of acquired contingent consideration which do not correlate to our actual cash payment obligations in the relevant periods, (iv) expenses that pertain to corporate restructurings which are not routine to the operation of the business, and (v) changes in the fair value of derivative liability relating to the 2024 convertible senior secured notes, which is a non-cash charge and not related to the operation of the business. The Company believes its non-GAAP net income (loss) measure helps indicate underlying trends in the Company’s business and is important in comparing current results with prior period results and understanding projected operating performance. Also, management uses this non-GAAP financial measure to establish budgets and operational goals, and to manage the Company’s business and to evaluate its performance.

In addition to non-GAAP net income (loss), we have provided 2022 operating expense guidance on a non-GAAP basis, as the guidance excludes restructuring costs and share-based compensation charges. Due to the forward looking nature of this information, the amount of compensation charges needed to reconcile this measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is dependent on future changes in the market price of our common stock and is not available at this time. Non-GAAP financial measures are not an alternative for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. However, the Company believes that the presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure, when viewed in conjunction with actual GAAP results, provides investors with a more meaningful understanding of our ongoing and projected operating performance because it excludes (i) expenses that pertain to corporate restructurings not routine to the operation of our business, and (ii) non-cash charges that are substantially dependent on changes in the market price of our common stock. We believe this non-GAAP financial measure helps indicate underlying trends in the Company’s business and is important in comparing current results with prior period results and understanding expected operating performance. Also, management uses this non-GAAP financial measure to establish budgets and operational goals, and to manage the Company’s business and to evaluate its performance.

Molecular Partners to Participate in Upcoming Healthcare Investor Conferences

On May 11, 2022 Molecular Partners AG (SIX: MOLN; NASDAQ: MOLN), a clinical-stage biotech company developing a new class of custom-built protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics, reported that members of its management team will participate in two upcoming investor events (Press release, Molecular Partners, MAY 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234614232]). In addition, the Company will publish its Q1 2022 earnings report on May 12, after the close of trading at the NASDAQ exchange.

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Conference Details:

2022 RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference, in-person, May 17-18, 2022

Fireside chat – Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at 9:00am ET

BioEquity Europe 2022 – virtual 1×1 meetings, Monday-Tuesday, May 23-24, 2022
Virtual presentation made available on-demand
Presentations will be made available through the Molecular Partners website.

Enveric Biosciences Announces Plans to Spin-off and Dividend its Cannabinoid Pipeline to Shareholders

On May 11, 2022 Enveric Biosciences (NASDAQ: ENVB) ("Enveric" or the "Company"), a neuroscience-focused biotechnology company developing next-generation, psychedelic-inspired mental health medicines, reported plans to transfer and spin-off its cannabinoid clinical development pipeline assets to a wholly-owned subsidiary, Acanna Therapeutics Inc. ("Acanna"), by way of dividend to Enveric shareholders (Press release, Enveric Biosciences, MAY 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234614276]). The spin-off transaction will be subject to various conditions, including Acanna meeting the qualifications for listing on The Nasdaq Stock Market, and if successful, would result in two standalone public companies.

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Dr. Joseph Tucker, CEO of Enveric Biosciences, commented, "In these challenging markets, the Board and Management team have spent considerable time evaluating the best way to create additional value for all stakeholders – patients, shareholders, and employees. We believe it would be in the best interest of our shareholders to spin-off 100% equity ownership of our cannabinoid clinical development pipeline. Upon completion of the proposed transaction, each resulting public company would be able to focus all its resources on the development of its respective pipeline assets, enabling, we anticipate, greater opportunity for product development success."

Acanna has secured an initial $1MM from an investor in a Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and Warrant financing. Under the terms of the investment, Acanna will, subject to certain other conditions, receive an additional $4MM upon completion of the spin-off into an independent, separately traded public company listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market. Following the spin-off and the investment of an aggregate of $5MM, that investor is expected to hold 25% of Acanna and warrants to acquire additional shares. Palladium Capital Group acted as a financial advisor to Enveric. Please see the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Enveric on May 11, 2022, for further details.

Dr. Tucker continued, "For Enveric and Acanna, this spin-off transaction would allow each company to commit 100% of its efforts and capabilities towards developing its respective drug candidate portfolio. For Enveric, going forward, we intend to focus on mental health. We believe that Enveric’s achievements in the last year, including preparations for a clinical trial, positive preclinical data, and ongoing expansion of our drug candidate portfolio, the Psybrary, position us well for the future."

Strategic Rationale for Spinoff
The Company believes that spinning off the cannabinoid assets will allow Enveric and Acanna to maximize long-term value for all stakeholders. Following the proposed transaction, both Enveric and Acanna intend to:

Have separate, focused management teams with the knowledge and skills to deploy appropriate strategies and meet the unique requirements for each company’s operations.
Allocate capital more efficiently and strategically to develop their respective assets further.
Provide unique investment characteristics of interest to the capital markets.

CTI BioPharma Announces Presentation at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting

On May 10, 2022 CTI BioPharma Corp. (Nasdaq: CTIC) reported one poster presentation from the Company’s pacritinib program at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, being held in Chicago and virtually, June 3-7, 2021 (Press release, CTI BioPharma, MAY 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234614024]).

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The details of the poster presentation are as follows:

Abstract Title: Risk-adjusted safety analysis of pacritinib (PAC) in patients (pts) with myelofibrosis (MF)
Abstract Number: 7058
Session Name: Hematologic Malignancies—Leukemia, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, and Allotransplant
Session Date: Saturday, June 4, 2022
Presentation Time: 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. CDT (11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET)
Presenter: Dr. Naveen Pemmaraju

About Pacritinib
Pacritinib is an oral kinase inhibitor with activity against wild type Janus Associated Kinase 2 (JAK2), mutant JAK2V617F form and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3), which contribute to signaling of a number of cytokines and growth factors that are important for hematopoiesis and immune function. Myelofibrosis is often associated with dysregulated JAK2 signaling. Pacritinib has higher inhibitory activity for JAK2 over other family members, JAK3 and TYK2. At clinically relevant concentrations, pacritinib does not inhibit JAK1. Pacritinib exhibits inhibitory activity against additional cellular kinases (such as CSF1R and IRAK1), the clinical relevance of which is unknown.

Prelude Therapeutics Announces First Quarter 2022 Financial Results and Operations Update

On May 10, 2022 Prelude Therapeutics Incorporated ("Prelude") (Nasdaq: PRLD), a clinical-stage precision oncology company, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, and provided an update on recent clinical and development pipeline progress (Press release, Prelude Therapeutics, MAY 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234614058]).

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"Prelude continues to make great progress in discovering and advancing a diverse pipeline of differentiated small molecules, and with our current cash runway, we have the opportunity to deliver on numerous meaningful milestones. I’m delighted to have Jane onboard and am confident in her leadership to guide focused clinical development of our pipeline and organizational growth," said Kris Vaddi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer.

"I’m excited to be a part of Prelude’s continued progress," said Jane Huang, M.D., President and Chief Medical Officer. "Looking ahead, we remain on track with ongoing development of our PRMT5 program, that will drive strategic decisions in the second half of the year. In parallel, we are focused on rapidly progressing our MCL1 candidate, PRT1419, into expansion and combination cohorts, and identifying a Phase 2 dose for PRT2527, our CDK9 inhibitor. We are also on track for Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions for both our SMARCA2 degrader and PRT3645, our brain penetrant CDK4/6 inhibitor, in the second half of the year. It’s clear that Prelude’s discovery engine, depth and breadth of the pipeline, coupled with an experienced management team, will position us to deliver potential medicines for patients with underserved cancers."

Recent Highlights and Upcoming Objectives

2022 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting: During the quarter, Prelude participated in the 2022 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. Four posters and one oral presentation providing data on Prelude’s clinical and preclinical pipeline molecules, with highly potent, selective and differentiated properties, were presented as part of the scientific conference.

PRMT5 Inhibitor Program: As previously announced, Prelude has prioritized PRT811 for clinical development in select expansion cohorts. Prelude intends to complete the data analyses of the ongoing expansion cohorts and expects to announce next steps for the PRMT5 program in 2H2022.

MCL1 Inhibitor Program: As previously announced, Prelude has prioritized development of the intravenous formulation of PRT1419, which demonstrated a desirable pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and safety profile, with potential for differentiation from competitor compounds. Prelude remains on track to begin evaluating combinations with PRT1419 by mid-year.

CDK9 Inhibitor Program: Prelude remains on track to complete enrollment in the Phase 1 dose escalation study of PRT2527 and identify a recommended Phase 2 dose by 2H2022.

CDK4/6 Inhibitor Program: Prelude continues to expect to file an IND application mid-year, with the initiation of a Phase 1 trial of PRT3645 to follow in 2H2022.

SMARCA2/BRM Protein Degrader Program: Prelude remains on track to complete IND-enabling studies and submit an IND application by year-end 2022.
Corporate Update

In March 2022, Prelude announced the appointment of Jane Huang, M.D., effective April 4, 2022, to the newly created position of President and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Huang joins Prelude from BeiGene Ltd., where she served as Chief Medical Officer, Hematology. Currently, Dr. Huang serves as an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in Thoracic Oncology at Stanford University.
First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities: Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as of March 31, 2022, were $266.2 million. Prelude anticipates that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will fund Prelude’s operations into the second half of 2024.

Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: For the first quarter of 2022, R&D expense increased to $22.8 million from $16.5 million for the prior year period. Included in research and development expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, was $3.2 million of non-cash expense related to stock-based compensation expense, including employee stock options, as compared to $1.8 million for the prior year period. The increase in research and development expense was primarily due to an increase in discovery-stage program expenses and from the growth and advancement of our clinical pipeline. We expect our research and development expenses to vary from quarter to quarter, primarily due to the timing of our clinical development activities.

General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses: For the first quarter of 2022, G&A expense increased to $7.5 million from $5.5 million for the prior year period. Included in the G&A expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, was $3.6 million of non-cash expense related to stock-based compensation expense, including employee stock options, as compared to $2.0 million for the prior year period. The increase in G&A expense was primarily due to an increase in our non-cash stock compensation expense along with professional fees as we expanded our operations to support our research and development efforts.

Net Loss: For the three months ended March 31, 2022, net loss was $29.5 million, or $0.63 per share of common stock, basic and diluted compared to $21.3 million, or $0.47 per share, respectively, for the prior year period. Included in the net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, was $6.8 million of non-cash expense related to the impact of expensing share-based payments, including employee stock options, as compared to $3.9 million for the prior year period.