On May 5, 2022 Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGIO), a leader in the field of cellular metabolism pioneering therapies for genetically defined diseases, reported business highlights and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 (Press release, Agios Pharmaceuticals, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613667]).

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"The U.S. approval of PYRUKYND in adults with PK deficiency was Agios’ first step toward changing treatment paradigms for people with genetically defined diseases, starting with developing the first disease-modifying therapy for a rare, debilitating, lifelong hemolytic anemia," said Jackie Fouse, Ph.D., chief executive officer at Agios. "We are now poised to expand our impact for many more patients, including adults with PK deficiency in the EU, pediatric PK deficiency patients and people living with thalassemia, sickle cell disease and low- to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. I am tremendously proud of our team’s incredible work on the U.S. launch of PYRUKYND, ongoing regulatory interactions in the EU, five pivotal clinical trials planned or underway, the expansion of our PK activation portfolio with AG-946 and our innovative research engine. We continue to execute in each of these arenas, motivated and inspired by our connections to patients."

First Quarter 2022 & Recent Highlights

Received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for PYRUKYND, the first therapy for the treatment of hemolytic anemia in adults with PK deficiency and Agios’ first genetically defined disease medicine.
Executed commercial launch of PYRUKYND and generated approximately $0.8 million in net U.S. revenue for the first partial quarter following launch.
Published results from the ACTIVATE Phase 3 clinical study evaluating PYRUKYND in adults with PK deficiency who do not receive regular transfusions in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Completed the single ascending dose and multiple ascending dose healthy volunteer cohorts of the Phase 1 study of novel PK activator AG-946 and identified doses for the Phase 1 sickle cell disease cohort and Phase 2a study in low- to intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
Initiated the sickle cell disease cohort of the Phase 1 study of AG-946.
Published 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report disclosing ESG initiatives and metrics aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and the standards for the Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals industry set by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).
Key Upcoming Milestones & Priorities

Agios expects to execute on the following key milestones and priorities in 2022:

Adult PK Deficiency: Receive European Medicines Agency (EMA) regulatory decision for PYRUKYND in adults with PK deficiency by year-end.
Pediatric PK Deficiency: Initiate Phase 3 ACTIVATE-kids and ACTIVATE-kidsT studies of PYRUKYND in not regularly transfused and regularly transfused pediatric patients with PK deficiency, respectively, in mid-2022.
Thalassemia: Enroll a meaningful portion of patients in the Phase 3 ENERGIZE and ENERGIZE-T studies of PYRUKYND in not regularly transfused and regularly transfused adults with thalassemia, respectively, by year-end.
Sickle Cell Disease: Complete enrollment in the Phase 2 portion of the RISE UP study of PYRUKYND in sickle cell disease by year-end.
Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Initiate Phase 2a study of AG-946 in adults with low- to intermediate-risk MDS by year-end.
Data Presentations

Submitted new clinical and translational data to the European Hematology Association (EHA) (Free EHA Whitepaper) congress, to be held June 9-12 in Vienna and virtually, including:
New patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data from ACTIVATE Phase 3 study of PYRUKYND
Data demonstrating the normalization of hemoglobin levels with long-term treatment of PYRUKYND in adults with PK deficiency
Additional PK deficiency comorbidities and complications data from the PEAK registry
Continue to publish clinical and translational data supporting the utility of PK activators across key disease areas and elucidating the burden of disease for PK deficiency, thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

The financial results discussion compares Agios’ continuing operations. All periods have been adjusted to exclude discontinued operations related to the divested oncology business.

Revenue: Net U.S. product revenue from sales of PYRUKYND for the first quarter of 2022 was $0.8 million. This revenue reflects the first partial quarter of PYRUKYND launch, following FDA approval on February 17, 2022.

Cost of Sales: Cost of sales for the first quarter of 2022 were $0.3 million.

Non-Operating Income: Non-operating income included approximately $2.7 million from TIBSOVO (ivosidenib) royalties for the first quarter of 2022.

Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: R&D expenses were $70.1 million for the first quarter of 2022 compared to $57.7 million for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year increase in R&D was driven primarily by start-up costs for the PYRUKYND pivotal studies in thalassemia and sickle cell disease and planned increases in research activities, offset by closeouts of the ACTIVATE and ACTIVATE-T studies.

Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Expenses: SG&A expenses were $31.5 million for the first quarter of 2022 compared to $33.6 million for the first quarter of 2021. The year-over-year decrease in SG&A expenses was primarily attributable to lower workforce expenses.

Net Loss from Continuing Operations: Net loss from continuing operations was $94.8 million for the first quarter of 2022 compared to a net loss of $90.9 million for the first quarter of 2021.

Cash Position and Guidance: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2022, were $1.2 billion compared to $2.4 billion as of March 31, 2021. The year-over-year decrease is attributable to operating expenses and 16.2 million shares of common stock that the company repurchased for $802.5 million during the second through fourth quarters of 2021. Agios expects that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable the company to execute its operating plan through major catalysts and to cash-flow positivity without the need to raise additional equity.

Conference Call Information
Agios will host a conference call and live webcast with slides today at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss first quarter 2022 financial results and recent business activities. To participate in the conference call, please dial 1-877-377-7098 (domestic) or 1-631-291-4547 (international) and refer to conference ID 5738266. The live webcast can be accessed under "Events & Presentations" in the Investors section of the company’s website at www.agios.com. The archived webcast will be available on the company’s website beginning approximately two hours after the event.

On May 5, 2022 Ashvattha Therapeutics, ("Ashvattha"), a clinical stage company developing novel hydroxyl dendrimer therapeutics, reported that Jeffrey Cleland, Ph.D., Chairman, CEO & President of Ashvattha, will provide a corporate overview followed by a moderated Q&A at the UBS Global Healthcare Conference 2022 taking place in New York, NY, May 23-25, 2022 (Press release, Ashvattha Therapeutics, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613683]).

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Additional details can be found below:

A webcast from the presentation may be accessed on the "News" page of the Ashvattha website following the event.

On May 5, 2022 Aeglea BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AGLE), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new generation of human enzyme therapeutics as innovative solutions for rare metabolic diseases, reported that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain institutional investors providing for the purchase and sale of registered securities of the Company in a registered direct offering for gross proceeds to Aeglea of approximately $45 million, prior to deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses (Press release, Aeglea BioTherapeutics, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613699]). The financing includes participation from Bain Capital Life Sciences, LP, Great Point Partners, LLC, clients of Nantahala Capital Management, Sio Capital Management, LLC and other institutional investors.

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The financing includes 10,752,688 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $1.60 per share and pre-funded warrants to purchase 17,372,397 shares of common stock, at a price of $1.5999 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share offering price for the common stock less the $0.0001 exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. The offering is expected to close on or about May 9, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC is acting as placement agent for the registered direct offering.

The shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants were offered pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-239706), which was declared effective by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on July 14, 2020. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the offering, together with its existing cash resources, to fund the Company’s activities related to our ongoing Biologics License Application submission for pegzilarginase and its potential commercialization in the United States for patients with Arginase 1 Deficiency, advance the clinical development of AGLE-177 through its Phase 1/2 clinical trial and prepare for a potential Phase 3 trial for the treatment of patients with Homocystinuria, and to advance AGLE-325 for Cystinuria through IND-enabling activities, and the remainder to fund continued research and development, manufacturing, working capital and general corporate purposes. The Company expects the net proceeds from this offering, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, to fund operations through the second quarter of 2023.

A prospectus supplement relating to the shares of common stock will be filed by the Company with the SEC. When available, copies of the prospectus supplement, together with the accompanying prospectus, can be obtained at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or from JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC at [email protected].

On May 5, 2022 Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBYI), a biopharmaceutical company, reported that financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 (Press release, Puma Biotechnology, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613714]). Unless otherwise stated, all comparisons are for the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021.

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Product revenue, net consists entirely of revenue from sales of NERLYNX, Puma’s first commercial product. Product revenue, net in the first quarter of 2022 was $40.7 million, compared to product revenue, net of $45.8 million in the first quarter of 2021.

Based on accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP), Puma reported net loss of $3.4 million, or $0.08 per basic and diluted share, for the first quarter of 2022, compared to net income of $16.5 million, or $0.41 per basic share and $0.40 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2021.

Non-GAAP adjusted net loss was $0.3 million, or $0.01 per basic and diluted share, for the first quarter of 2022, compared to non-GAAP adjusted net income of $22.4 million, or $0.56 per basic share and $0.55 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2021. Non-GAAP adjusted net income excludes stock-based compensation expense. For a reconciliation of GAAP net income (loss) to non-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) and GAAP net income (loss) per share to non-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) per share, please see the financial tables at the end of this news release.

Net cash used in operating activities for the first quarter of 2022 was $26.9 million, compared to $15.7 million provided by operating activities in the first quarter of 2021. At March 31, 2022, Puma had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $73.9 million, compared to cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $82.1 million at December 31, 2021.

"2021 was an important year for Puma as we made operational changes to maximize the efficiency of the Puma team and the environment with which we operate," said Alan H. Auerbach, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Puma. "We remain committed to increasing awareness of and access to NERLYNX as an option to reduce the risk of recurrence for patients battling HER2-positive breast cancer; the inclusion of NERLYNX in the updated NCCN guidelines is an important step to expanding the awareness and utilization of neratinib for high-risk patients."

Mr. Auerbach added, "We anticipate the following key milestones over the next 12 months: (i) reporting Phase II data from the cohort of patients in the SUMMIT basket trial of neratinib in HER2-mutated HR-positive breast cancer (H1 2022); (ii) reporting Phase II data from the cohort of patients in the SUMMIT basket trial of neratinib in HER2-mutated biliary tract cancer (H1 2022); (iii) reporting Phase II data from the cohort of patients in the SUMMIT basket trial of neratinib in non-small cell lung cancer patients with EGFR exon 18 mutations (H2 2022); (iv) conducting a pre-NDA meeting with the FDA to discuss the potential for an accelerated approval pathway of neratinib in HER2-mutated HR-positive breast cancer (H2 2022); (v) conducting a meeting with the FDA to discuss the potential for an accelerated approval pathway for neratinib in non-small cell lung cancer patients with EGFR exon 18 mutations who have previously been treated with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (2022); (vi) reporting Phase II TBCRC-022 trial data from Cohort 4B and 4C of the combination of Kadcyla plus neratinib in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer with brain metastases who have previously been treated with Kadcyla (H2 2022); and (vii) reporting Phase II data from the SUMMIT trial of neratinib in cervical cancer patients with HER2 mutations (H2 2022)."

Revenue

Total revenue consists of product revenue, net from sales of NERLYNX, Puma’s first commercial product, license revenue from Puma’s sub-licensees and royalty revenue. For the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, total revenue was $45.7 million, of which $40.7 million was net product revenue and $5.0 million was royalty revenue. This compares to total revenue of $98.2 million in the first quarter of 2021, of which $45.8 million was net product revenue, $50.0 million was license revenue and $2.4 million was royalty revenue.

Operating Costs and Expenses

Total operating costs and expenses were $46.4 million for the first quarter of 2022, compared to $78.0 million for the first quarter of 2021.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales was $10.8 million for the first quarter of 2022, compared to $29.6 million for the first quarter of 2021. Cost of sales in the first quarter of 2021 included $20.0 million for a termination fee paid to a former sub-licensee for the return of commercial rights to NERLYNX in Greater China, partially offset by higher royalties due on increased non-U.S partner sales.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses were $20.4 million for the first quarter of 2022, compared to $28.2 million for the first quarter of 2021. The $7.8 million decrease resulted primarily from decreases of approximately $3.1 million in professional fees and expenses, primarily related to a decrease in consulting costs for marketing and commercialization support; $2.9 million in payroll and related costs due to reduced headcount; and $1.4 million in stock-based compensation also due to reduced headcount.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses were $15.2 million for the first quarter of 2022, compared to $20.2 million for the first quarter of 2021. The $5.0 million decrease resulted primarily from decreases of $2.5 million in internal R&D costs related primarily to reduced payroll costs; $1.3 million in stock-based compensation due to the impact of headcount reductions in 2021; $0.7 million in consultants and contractors due to the close of the CONTROL study and the winding down of the SUMMIT study; and $0.5 million in clinical trial expenses due to reduced study costs as noted above.

Total Other Income (Expenses)

Total other expenses were $2.7 million for the first quarter of 2022, compared to total other expenses of $3.7 million for the first quarter of 2021. The $1.0 million decrease in other expenses resulted primarily from lower interest expense on the milestone installment payments to Pfizer as well as lower costs related to our outstanding debt.

Conference Call

Puma Biotechnology will host a conference call to report its first quarter 2022 financial results and provide an update on the Company’s business and outlook at 1:30 p.m. PDT/4:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 5, 2022. The call may be accessed by dialing (866) 682-6100 (domestic) or (862) 298-0702 (international). Please dial in at least 10 minutes in advance and inform the operator that you would like to join the "Puma Biotechnology Conference Call." A live webcast of the conference call and presentation slides may be accessed on the Investors section of the Puma Biotechnology website at View Source A replay of the call will be available approximately one hour after completion of the call and will be archived on Puma’s website for 90 days.

On May 5, 2022 Insilico Medicine ("Insilico"), a clinical-stage end-to-end artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, reported that the company has nominated a preclinical candidate (PCC) targeting methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A) from AI-designed molecules for the treatment of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP)-deleted cancers (Press release, Insilico Medicine, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613731]). The PCC is part of Insilico’s growing portfolio of synthetic lethality assets in development.

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MTAP deletion is one of the most common gene deletions seen in cancers including lung, bladder, and pancreatic cancer, and is associated with poor prognosis. MAT2A is defined as a synthetic lethality target in MTAP-deleted cancers and plays an essential role in producing S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), a molecule involved in cell function and survival. Inhibitors of MAT2A lead to a selective anti-proliferative effect on MTAP-deleted cancer cells by reducing the level of SAM to affect PRMT5-Dependent mRNA splicing, inducing DNA damage.

Insilico’s PCC is a potent and selective MAT2A inhibitor. It demonstrated excellent drug-likeness with good solubility and permeability, good activity at low doses in animal models, and a favorable safety profile in preclinical studies. Insilico is progressing the PCC in IND-enabling studies and anticipates IND filing in early 2023.

"Powered by AI, the MAT2A program team was able to discover the PCC molecule with high selectivity of MTAP-deleted cancer cells over wide-type cells, which we believe provides key differentiation compared to reported MAT2A inhibitors," said Feng Ren, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine. "This is the second PCC in our growing synthetic lethality pipeline, and we are progressing the molecule in IND-enabling studies towards clinical trials for the treatment of MTAP-deleted cancers."

Insilico has built a strong portfolio of synthetic lethality assets supported by scientists with deep drug discovery expertise and its AI-driven small molecule design and generation engine, Chemistry42. The company announced its first synthetic lethality PCC, which targets USP1 for tumors with homologous recombination deficiency, in mid-April. Continuing this success, Insilico delivered the PCC for the MAT2A program approximately 12 months after its initiation.

"This PCC continues the expansion of our synthetic lethality portfolio, driven by our end-to-end AI drug discovery platform," said Insilico founder and CEO Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD. "With this latest discovery, we continue to utilize the power of AI to treat the most aggressive cancers with the highest unmet needs."

Insilico is developing a growing portfolio in frontier areas. In just over 12 months, it has delivered 7 PCCs, including AI-discovered therapeutics of novel targets with novel structures and AI-designed therapeutics of known targets with desired properties. It also successfully completed a Phase 0 microdose trial and entered a Phase I clinical trial with its first internally developed program for fibrosis.