Alexion Shareholders Approve Acquisition by AstraZeneca

On May 11, 2021 Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN) reported that its shareholders have voted to adopt and approve the previously announced agreement to be acquired by AstraZeneca at a special meeting of shareholders held today (Press release, Alexion, MAY 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234579655]).

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Ludwig Hantson, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Alexion, said: "We’re very pleased with today’s affirmative shareholder vote, which brings us one step closer to completing a transaction that will accelerate the combined company’s ability to develop and provide access to life-changing medicines for patients with rare and devastating diseases around the world."

Subject to receipt of additional regulatory clearances, the acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.

VolitionRx Limited Announces First Quarter 2021 Financial Results and Business Update

On May 11, 2021 VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN: VNRX) ("Volition") reported financial results and a business update for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 (Press release, VolitionRX, MAY 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234579670]). Volition management will host a conference call tomorrow, May 12 at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time to discuss these results. Conference call details may be found below.

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"We have made significant progress on many fronts during 2021 on all four of the Company’s key pillars: Nu.Q, Nu.Q Vet, Nu.Q NETs and Nu.Q Capture," commented Cameron Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volition. "We have also significantly strengthened our balance sheet, our intellectual property portfolio, and our executive team to drive commercial focus."

View Source

An interview with Cameron Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer and Terig Hughes, Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Reynolds continued, "Silver One, our manufacturing facility and service lab, is proving to have been an excellent addition to Volition’s commercialization efforts and is now producing finished product and components at commercial scale for our anticipated product launches. I am delighted that the Nu.Q Vet beta launch has not only provided revenue but also invaluable real-world learnings allowing us to move ahead soon with our expected national U.S. and international launches. We are also seeing a high level of interest in both the licensing and distribution of our products and are actively negotiating multiple agreements."

Company Highlights

Financial

Cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2021 totaled approximately $33.1 million compared with $19.4 million as of December 31, 2020.
During the first quarter of 2021, added an aggregate of approximately $20.3 million in cash mostly through an underwritten public offering of our common stock that closed in February, as well as through periodic sales of common stock under Volition’s at-the-market equity distribution program.
Secured a further $4 million in non-dilutive funding consisting of a cash grant of $1.3 million and loans totalling $2.7 million from the Walloon Regional Government and associated agencies.
Continued to manage expenditures carefully with a cash burn rate of approximately $2 million per month.
Personnel

As Volition transitions from a research and development company to a commercial company, it strengthened the leadership team with the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Terig Hughes, as well as the appointment of Mr. Gael Forterre as Chief Commercial Officer. In addition, Volition promoted Dr. Gaetan Michel to Chief Operating Officer and Dr. Mark Eccleston to Chief Technology Officer.
Volition announced the appointment of two Independent Directors to its main Board – Kim Nguyen, an HR executive with global expertise at Google, and Richard Brudnick, a pharmaceutical business executive with extensive commercial know-how.
As of May 1, Dr. Tom Butera, a seasoned veterinary executive with an extensive commercial track record, joined the team as Chief Executive Officer of Volition’s Veterinary subsidiary to drive its product launches.
Intellectual Property

28 patent families covering both human and animal use of Volition’s Nucleosomics platform.
64 granted patents (ten in the U.S., 14 in Europe and 42 rest of world).
93 patents pending.
Continued focus on filings during the first quarter and expect portfolio to grow in the quarters and years ahead.
Publications

Volition’s list of publications and abstracts is growing.
Year to date data for Nu.Q has been presented at two international conferences and Volition has collaborated on three clinical paper publications.
These publications are another very important step forward for the Company.
Nu.Q Vet Cancer Screening Test Beta Launch

Beta launch of the Nu.Q Vet Cancer Screening Test in late November 2020 in Texas. This beta launch is facilitating real-world learnings to help shape the marketing mix before Volition’s planned launch nationally across the U.S. expected in the next few months.
Volition has received strong indications of interest in the whole Nu.Q Vet platform, from a range of small and very large companies, and it is progressing potential licensing discussions with several well-known major players in the veterinary space around the world.
In addition to the Texas beta launch, Volition is finalizing beta launch planning in both Asia and Europe.
Nu.Q Capture

The clinical paper published in Nature’s Scientific Reports in March highlighted for the first time that histone H2A1R3 citrulline is, in plasma, upregulated in colorectal cancer patients and so could be a biomarker Volition targets for future Nu.Q immunoassay development.
It showed that the use of Nu.Q Capture may open up the possibility of using mass spectrometry not only for biomarker discovery but also as a high throughput platform for screening and/or diagnostics.
Volition aims for Nu.Q Capture to be an important enabling technology in the liquid biopsy space and expects to launch its first product with this technology in 2022.
Clinical – NETosis including COVID-19

Volition believes that the versatility of the Nu.Q platform and the range of applications for which these assays can be leveraged may help increase diagnostic power and monitor disease progression and potentially treatment response across a broad range of diseases that involve the over production of NETs, such as COVID-19, pneumonia, influenza and sepsis.
From a sepsis product development perspective, to date Volition has completed animal studies in the monitoring of disease progress and treatment efficacy which have demonstrated the effective use of Nu.Q NETs.
Human studies in the monitoring of disease progress and treatment efficacy in sepsis are now underway at a leading UK hospital.
From a COVID-19 product development perspective, Volition has conducted studies of serial testing of COVID-19 patients at leading UK hospitals to determine the predictive value of its test, with further data due to be presented at upcoming conferences and potentially additional studies and collaborations as well.
Clinical – Cancer

As previously reported, due to the pandemic collection for the U.S. EDRN study for colorectal cancer has been paused, and collection for the blood cancer studies in the U.S. have been delayed with an updated timeline expected in the near future.
In Asia, Volition has reached its target patient cohorts for both colorectal cancer studies and the lung cancer study, all collected in conjunction with the National Taiwan University, notwithstanding the pandemic. Volition expects to run the assays and finalize the analysis over the coming months with data due to be reported at future conferences.
Volition has installed a Service Lab in Silver One, which will undertake sample processing for external parties such as pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies and academic researchers. This service, branded as Nu.Q Discover, has already generated interest, and Volition expects to see initial revenue from this during 2021.
Volition is producing recombinant nucleosomes in-house and at large-scale, building a library for sale through Nu.Q Discover and also for internal R&D use.
Volition is still in active discussions on its first potential licensing deal with a large healthcare company.
Upcoming Milestones

Volition expects to achieve the following milestones during 2021 and beyond, pandemic permitting:

National launch of the Nu.Q Vet Cancer Screening Test in the U.S.
Beta launches of the Nu.Q Vet Cancer Screening Test in Asia and Europe.
Continue to focus on driving revenue in the coming quarters in four key areas:
– Nu.Q Vet products,
– Disease monitoring tests (e.g. Nu.Q NETs for COVID-19, sepsis),
– Nu.Q Discover, and
– Licensing of its technology for others to commercialize in both humans and animals.

Continue to progress the research program for the use of Nu.Q in NETosis, in monitoring disease progression of COVID-19, sepsis and potentially other diseases and as a possible companion diagnostic for a treatment for sepsis.
Continue to advance its previously announced large-scale blood, lung and colorectal cancer trials in Europe, Asia and the U.S.
Publish several abstracts and peer-reviewed scientific papers with clinical results showing the robustness and utility of its Nu.Q platform.
Advance the development of Nu.Q Capture.
Continue to file patents to expand and extend its intellectual property portfolio.
VolitionRx Limited First Quarter 2021 Financial Results and Business Update

Cameron Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volition, will host the call along with Terig Hughes, Chief Financial Officer and Scott Powell, Executive Vice President, Investor Relations.

A live audio webcast of the conference call will also be available on the investor relations page of Volition’s corporate website at View Source

In addition, a telephone replay of the call will be available until May 26, 2021. The replay dial-in numbers are 1-844-512-2921 (toll-free) in the U.S. and Canada and 1-412-317-6671 (toll) internationally. Please use replay pin number 13719633.

Beam Therapeutics Presents LNP Formulation Data at ASGCT and Reports First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

On May 11, 2021 Beam Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: BEAM), a biotechnology company developing precision genetic medicines through base editing, reported recent business highlights and pipeline updates, as well as first quarter 2021 financial results (Press release, Beam Therapeutics, MAY 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234579686]).

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"As Beam prepares to enter the clinic, we also continue to extend our leadership position in the field of base editing by expanding our platform and delivery capabilities," said John Evans, chief executive officer of Beam. "The data presented at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) on our proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation show efficient in vivo base editing in hepatocytes of non-human primates (NHPs), while our novel analytical assays confirm specificity and efficiency of base editing to directly correct disease-causing mutations. As we look to the rest of 2021, we are on-track with our plans to submit our first Investigational New Drug (IND) application for BEAM-101 and initiate IND-enabling studies for BEAM-102 and BEAM-201, as well as nominate our first development candidate from our liver portfolio. We are well positioned today to advance our base editing platform and pipeline and remain focused on achieving our vision of providing life-long cures for patients suffering from serious diseases."

"We are pleased to share our development of a proprietary LNP formulation for non-viral in vivo delivery to the liver at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper)," said Giuseppe Ciaramella, Ph.D., president and chief scientific officer of Beam. "These data demonstrate that our LNPs are well tolerated in NHPs and can achieve levels of editing of hepatocytes that we expect would be therapeutic for many genetic diseases. Initial data also demonstrated the stability of our LNPs at -20 degrees Celsius after 8 weeks, which is important for enabling broad clinical and commercial development. We are continuing to work on optimizing our LNP formulations and are on track to nominate our first development candidate from our liver portfolio in the second half of 2021."

Base Editing Progress

Data Demonstrating Optimization of LNP-mRNA Formulation for Liver Editing Presented at the 24th American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) Annual Meeting: Beam’s approach to developing a novel lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation for in vivo liver editing will be presented during a poster session titled, "Using Base Editing and LNP Delivery to Correct Disease-Causing Mutations Underlying Genetic Liver Diseases" at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper). Using an mRNA-encoding adenine base editor (ABE) and guide RNA to target the ALAS1 gene, a surrogate payload for genetic liver diseases, Beam evaluated various LNP formulations and mRNA production processes to improve in vivo editing in the livers of NHPs from less than 10% initially to 52% at a total RNA dose of 1.5 mg/kg. These formulations were also well tolerated by NHPs at 1.5 mg/kg with mild and transient liver enzyme elevations, and showed promising interim stability, maintaining potency after 8 weeks at -20⁰C.
Data Highlighting Beam’s Approach to Confirming Precision Correction Using Novel Analytical Assays Presented at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper): Base editing is emerging as a powerful next-generation editing technology; however, developing adequate analytical assays to confirm precise base editing at the protein level is critical and has proven historically challenging. In an oral presentation at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) titled, "LC-MS Confirmation of Single Amino Acid Correction by Base Editing," Beam will describe its approach to using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for multiple analytical assays to confirm the precise correction of disease-causing mutations at the amino acid level, providing a unique solution for confirmation and quantitation of single amino acid corrections after base editing.
Data Highlighting Ability to Rationally Design Base Editors for Precise Editing Published in The CRISPR Journal: In April 2021, work describing Beam’s approach to developing inlaid base editors (IBEs) was published in The CRISPR Journal. IBEs are architectural variants of base editors that demonstrate enhanced specificity and altered activity windows relative to foundational base editors. The work highlights Beam’s application of its IBEs for BEAM-102, one of its base editing programs in development for the treatment of sickle cell disease.
First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Cash Position: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $503.5 million as of March 31, 2021, compared to $253.4 million as of March 31, 2020.
Research & Development (R&D) Expenses: R&D expenses were $190.1 million for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $21.5 million for the first quarter of 2020. R&D expenses for the first quarter of 2021 includes $155.0 million of expense related to in-process research and development acquired from of Guide Therapeutics, Inc.
General & Administrative (G&A) Expenses: G&A expenses were $10.3 million for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $6.8 million for the first quarter of 2020.
Net Loss: Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $201.6 million, or $3.35 per share, for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $31.7 million, or $1.03 per share, for the first quarter of 2020.

Takeda Delivers Resilient FY2020 Results With Strong Margins & Robust Cashflow; Underlying Revenue Growth Expected to Accelerate in FY2021

On May 11, 2021 Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) (NYSE:TAK) ("Takeda") reported financial results for fiscal year 2020 (period ended March 31, 2021) (Press release, Takeda, MAY 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234579702]).

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TAKEDA PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER CHRISTOPHE WEBER commented:

"Over the course of FY2020, Takeda remained resilient as we operated in new ways through the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a testament to the dedication of our employees, and Takeda’s unwavering commitment to serving patients, our people, and the planet to bring better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We maintained business continuity, ensured patient access to our medicines and safeguarded the health and well-being of our employees while helping to address the pandemic.

"This focus enabled us to deliver on our full-year management guidance, with underlying revenue growth driven by our 14 global brands, and the acceleration of cost synergies contributed to strong margins and a robust cashflow. Furthermore, we continued to experience growth momentum in our pipeline, including receiving 12 approvals across Takeda’s key markets.

"With FY2021 anticipated to serve as a critical inflection year, we remain focused on leveraging our expected topline growth to ramp up our R&D investment and further fuel our transformative pipeline. We are well-positioned to reach our goal of mid-single-digit revenue growth over the next decade amounting to JPY5 trillion ($47 billion) by FY2030.1

"As we celebrate Takeda’s 240th anniversary next month, I am extremely proud of our progress and confident in our outlook for the future. We will advance on our growth trajectory, maximize value creation for all of our stakeholders, and continue to position the company for long-term success."

FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

Results for FY2020 Ended March 31, 2021

(a) Further information on certain of Takeda’s Non-IFRS measures is posted on Takeda’s investor relations website at View Source
(b) Underlying growth compares two periods (quarters or years) of financial results under a common basis and is used by management to assess the business. These financial results are calculated on a constant currency basis and excluding the impact of divestitures and other amounts that are unusual, non-recurring items or unrelated to our ongoing operations.
(c) Core Operating Profit represents net profit adjusted to exclude income tax expenses, the share of profit or loss of investments accounted for using the equity method, finance expenses and income, other operating expenses and income, amortization and impairment losses on acquired intangible assets and other items unrelated to Takeda’s core operations, such as purchase accounting effects and transaction related costs.
(d) Free Cash Flow represents cash flows from operating activities, excluding acquisition of plant, property and equipment, intangible assets and investments, and any other cash that is not available to Takeda’s immediate or general business use, and including proceeds from sales of plant, property and equipment, as further adjusted to exclude the acquisition of intangible assets and the acquisition of investments, and to include the proceeds from sales of property, plant, sales and redemption of investments and businesses, net of cash and cash equivalents divested.

FY2020 RESULTS DEMONSTRATE TAKEDA’S RESILIENT PORTFOLIO

Reported revenueat JPY 3,197.8 billion (~$28.9B)2, declined by 2.8% impacted primarily by foreign exchange and divestitures. Underlying revenue growth in FY2020 was +2.2% driven by the growth of Takeda’s 14 global brands, up 16% year-on-year.
Takeda delivered reported operating profit of JPY 509.3 billion (~$4.6B)2, which grew 407.2% with gains from non-core asset sales and acquisition-related expenses. Core operating profit, which adjusts for purchase price accounting ("PPA") and non-recurring items (including gains on sales of assets), increased year-on-year to JPY 967.9 billion (~$8.8B)2. The core operating profit margin was 30.3%. Underlying core operating profit, which further adjusts for the impact of foreign exchange and divestitures, grew 13% year-on-year. The underlying core operating profit margin was 30.2%.
Takeda’s reported net profit was JPY 376 billion, a 749.9% increase compared with the same period in the prior year.
Operating cash flow increased by 50.9% to JPY 1,010.9 billion. There was an increase in other financial liabilities of JPY 175.5 billion primarily attributable to an increase of deposits restricted to certain vaccines operations.
Free cash flow, which adjusts out deposits restricted to certain vaccine operations and reflects capital expenditures and proceeds from asset sales, was JPY 1,237.8 billion (~$11.2B)2. This represented an increase of 27.9% versus the prior year, comfortably covering the full year dividend, debt repayment and interest. Robust cash flow enabled further de-leveraging in Q4.
The overall impact of the global spread of COVID-19 on Takeda’s consolidated financial results for the twelve-month period ended March 31, 2021, was not material, with several offsetting factors. There were adverse effects due to COVID-19 observed in certain therapeutic areas, especially in Neuroscience when stay-at-home restrictions reduced patient visits to medical care providers. This trend has fluctuated throughout the twelve-month period. These adverse effects have been partially offset by benefits from prescribing trends during the pandemic, such as an expansion of certain products with a more convenient administration profile. Regarding operating expenses, voluntary suspension of certain business activities such as business travel and events in response to COVID-19 led to lower spending. As a result of these factors, the impact on Takeda’s profit was immaterial.

For the latest Takeda communications regarding COVID-19, please click here to visit the COVID-19 Information Center on Takeda’s website.

COMMERCIAL UPDATES ACROSS FIVE KEY BUSINESS AREAS

Takeda’s five key business areas — Gastroenterology, Rare Diseases, Plasma-Derived Therapies, Oncology and Neuroscience — with JPY 2,623.7 billion of reported revenue representing approximately 82% of total FY2020 revenues – delivered year-on-year underlying revenue growth of 4.7%. Takeda’s 14 global brands, with reported revenue of JPY 1,215.3 billion (~$11.0B) 2 in aggregate, delivered a 16% increase in FY2020 underlying revenue growth compared to a year before.

Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology with JPY 777.8 billion in reported revenue represented 24% of sales, with underlying revenue growth of 14%. This was spearheaded by continued exceptional growth through expanded first line share of gut selective ENTYVIO in the U.S., EU and Japan.

Rare Diseases

Rare Diseases with JPY 591.7 billion in reported revenue represented 19% of sales, with underlying revenue declining 2% driven by a decline in rare hematology that was in line with expectations. The hereditary angioedema (HAE) portfolio saw 10% underlying revenue growth, driven by continued excellent performance from TAKHZYRO, which continues to expand the hereditary angioedema prophylaxis market, as well as launching into additional geographies. Rare Metabolic increased 2% on an underlying basis but excluding NATPARA the portfolio saw 8% underlying growth.

PDT Immunology

PDT Immunology with JPY 420.4 billion in reported revenue represented 13% of sales, with underlying revenue growth of 10% driven by strong Gammagard-Liquid demand in the U.S. and subcutaneous IG worldwide. Albumin underlying revenue declined 13% in FY2020, mostly due to H2 sales impact caused by temporary interruption in submitting batches of Albumin Glass for release in China, and in some part due to phasing and supply dynamics in China in FY2019. COVID-19 has impacted plasma collections industry-wide, but operational excellence, implementation of digital initiatives and ongoing center expansion helped limit plasma collection volume decline to only -11%.

Oncology

Oncology with JPY 416.5 billion in reported revenue represented 13% of sales, with underlying revenue growth of 1% driven by NINLARO, ADCETRIS and ALUNBRIG. Takeda’s strong oncology portfolio continues to expand indications as growth brands offset the decline of older products in the portfolio.

Neuroscience

Neuroscience with JPY 417.3 billion in reported revenue represented 13% of sales, declining 2% on an underlying basis. The portfolio experienced a slowdown in momentum attributable to COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions that reduced patient visits and diagnoses. A recovery of prescribing trends has been noted, but new patient starts are not yet back to pre-COVID levels.

COST SAVINGS AND DIVESTITURES

Synergy deliverables and operational efficiencies supported margin performance, as Takeda delivered an underlying core operating profit margin of 30.2%. Takeda is also deleveraging rapidly, with a net debt/adjusted EBITDA ratio of 3.2x at the end of Q4, down from 3.8x in March 2020. Net debt has decreased by JPY 1,668.5 billion in two years since March 31, 2019 (the Shire Acquisition closed on January 8, 2019), and Takeda is on course to meet its medium-term deleveraging goal of 2x (low-twos) within FY2021-FY2023.

Takeda exceeded its $10B non-core asset divestiture target and has announced 12 deals since January 2019 to date for a total aggregate value of up to ~$12.9 billion3, most recently including:

The completion of the previously announced sale of a portfolio of four type 2 diabetes products to Teijin Pharma Limited for a total value of JPY 133.0 billion.4 (Press Release)
The completion of the previously announced sale of a portfolio of approximately 130 select over the counter and prescription products, and two manufacturing sites to Orifarm for a total value of up to $670 million USD. (Press Release)
The completion of the previously announced sale of Takeda Consumer Healthcare Company Limited to Oscar A-Co KK, a company controlled by funds managed by The Blackstone Group Inc. and its affiliates, for a total value of JPY 227.7 billion.5 (Press Release)
Takeda has also exceeded its original $700 million target for incremental cash from sales of real estate and marketable securities in FY2020, receiving a total of ~$1.4B.

PIPELINE UPDATE: FY2021 – ANTICIPATED TO BE AN INFLECTION YEAR WITH FIVE TO SIX WAVE 1 NMES SUBMITTED AND UNDER REGULATORY REVIEW BY THE FDA WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR FOUR APPROVALS

Takeda’s world-class R&D engine is fueled by leveraging internal research capabilities and actively engaging with innovative ecosystems around the world. This efficient R&D model has enabled us to focus on more targeted patient populations where there is potential for greater therapeutic benefit, smaller and less costly development programs, and faster tracks to registration with enhanced patent protection and marketing rights. We plan to increase our R&D investment to 522 billion JPY to further advance our 40+ prioritized NMEs and new partnerships, as well as building additional capabilities in oncology, clinical trial initiation and data and digital sciences. In FY2020, we obtained 12 global and regional brand approvals with the U.S., EU, China and Japan, demonstrating our drive to develop best-in-class therapies for patients with high unmet needs around the world. FY2021 is expected to be an inflection year for Takeda as we anticipate up to six regulatory submissions by year-end FY2021, with the potential for four approvals.

Takeda’s pipeline portfolio has the potential to contribute significantly to its growth over the next decade, with recent highlights including:

TAK-003:Takeda’s tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate, has completed its first regulatory submissions with possible approval in the EU and some endemic countries in FY2021. (Press release)
Mobocertinib (TAK-788): A potential new oral standard of care for adult patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) Exon20 insertion mutation-positive (insertion+) metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC), has completed its New Drug Application (NDA) submission with a potential approval in FY2021. (Press release)
Maribavir (TAK-620): A robust primary analysis from the Phase 3 trial showed significantly more patients achieved cytomegalovirus (CMV) clearance versus conventional therapies in transplant recipients with CMV infection. Met key secondary endpoints, maintaining superior CMV viremia clearance, on track for NDA submission. Takeda continues to investigate Maribavir in the ongoing 302 Phase 3 study for First-Line Treatment of CMV in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients. (Press release)
Soticlestat (TAK-935): Takeda recently re-acquired global rights from Ovid Therapeutics to develop and commercialize this potential first-in-class therapy, with a novel mechanism of action for the treatment of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies. We intend to initiate Phase 3 studies of soticlestat in children and young adults with Dravet syndrome (DS) and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in FY2021. If successful, it has the potential to bring new treatment options that provide greater seizure control, tolerability and function to DS and LGS patients around the world. (An Inflection Year for Our Wave 1 Pipeline)
Orexin (TAK-994): Potentially the first therapy to treat orexin deficiency, Takeda plans to move this asset into registrational trials, first in narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) — a rare, underdiagnosed and undertreated condition caused by an orexin deficiency which disrupts the sleep awake cycles, with narcolepsy type 2 (NT2) and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) to follow as potential additional indications. (An Inflection Year for Our Wave 1 Pipeline)
TAK-186: A conditionally active T-cell engager, first in its class to enter the clinic with recent phase 1/2 study initiation in EGFR-expressing solid tumors. TAK-186 is one of the latest additions to our pipeline through the acquisition of Maverick Therapeutics. In addition to TAK-186, Takeda also obtained Maverick’s T-cell engager COBRA platform and TAK-280 which is expected to enter the clinic in the second half of FY2021 for the treatment of patients with B7H3-expressing solid tumors. (Press release)
KEY CORPORATE INITIATIVES

Several recent examples of Takeda’s corporate achievements in FY2020 demonstrate Takeda’s progress toward its purpose of "better health for people, brighter future for the world":

Patients:

Launched R&D Center for Health Equity and Patient Affairs to identify and address health inequities.
Developed the Health Outcomes Observatory (H20) project, which brings together diverse public and private partners to amplify the patient voice in Europe.
Awarded the 2021 Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) in two categories. Takeda’s new solid pharmaceutical packaging building in Hikari, Japan, was recognized with the 2021 "Process Intelligence and Innovation" category award and the end-to-end high potent drug facility in Grange Castle, Ireland, was selected as "Facility Integration" category winner.
Earned an industry-leading position within the 2021 Access to Medicine (AtM) Index where the company ranked sixth overall and led the pharmaceutical industry in Governance of Access.

People:

Launched our first Global DE&I Council, led by members of the Takeda Executive Team, to further embed DE&I into our culture.
Achieved global Top Employer certification for fourth consecutive year and was named as a Top Employer in four regions and 38 countries.
Preparing for post-pandemic ways of working with new hybrid working models that foster a flexible working culture, aligned to local business needs, that optimize employee engagement.
Planet:

Achieved carbon neutrality in the value chain for fiscal year 2019.
Named to Corporate Knights Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World (Global 100) for the sixth consecutive year.
Governance:

Takeda recently announced candidates for its Board of Directors that will be proposed at the 145th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 29, 2021. As part of its commitment to exercising strong corporate governance practices, Takeda decided that all members of the Audit and Supervisory Committee will be external directors (as defined under the rules of the Tokyo Stock Exchange) to further enhance the independence of the Committee. This change will promote the long-term interests of shareholders and all its stakeholders as well as strengthening its Board of Directors and management accountability. (Press release)
COVID-19 UPDATE

Guided by its values, Takeda’s response to COVID-19 has focused on protecting the health and safety of employees, striving to ensure its medicines are available to patients who rely on them and playing a part to reduce transmission and support the communities where its employees live and work.

While the results of our CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance clinical trial were not favorable, the effort strengthened relationships within and outside the industry, enabled a renewed perspective toward pragmatic regulation based on scientific evidence and need, and provided a well-defined, legally compliant framework for future collaborative opportunities to address urgent public health needs. Takeda has also undertaken several efforts to help the world respond to COVID-19, and our most recent accomplishments include:

Takeda is making two COVID-19 vaccines available in Japan, by manufacturing Novavax’ recombinant vaccine candidate and distributing Moderna’s mRNA vaccine candidate, with the support of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). Pending regulatory approval, Takeda intends to start distributing TAK-919 (Moderna) in the first half of 2021 and aims to start distributing TAK-019 (Novavax) in late 2021 or early 2022. (Press Release)
Takeda and IDT Biologika GmbH (IDT) have a mutual agreement to support manufacturing of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for three months utilizing capacity previously reserved for Takeda’s dengue vaccine candidate. (Press Release)

FY2021 GUIDANCE: Growth Momentum Expected to Continue

Takeda has solid growth momentum heading into FY2021 and expects underlying revenue growth to accelerate to "mid-single-digit" driven by continued momentum of Takeda’s 14 global brands.

Reported revenue is forecast to be 3,370 billion JPY, a year-on-year increase of 172.2 billion JPY or +5.4% from FY2020, with underlying revenue momentum and a one-time gain from the sale of diabetes portfolio in Japan fully offsetting impacts from divestitures completed in FY2020.

Underlying Core Operating Profit and Underlying Core EPS are expected to also grow at "mid-single-digit", reflecting revenue growth and continued cost efficiencies, whilst also incorporating a significant increase in R&D expenses to support Takeda’s innovative pipeline.

Reported Operating Profit is expected to be 488 billion JPY, a decrease of 21.3 billion JPY, or -4.2%, impacted by a significant increase in R&D expenses as well as lower one-time gains on asset sales. Core Operating Profit is expected to decrease by 37.9 billion JPY, or -3.9%, to 930 billion JPY, reflecting a significant increase in R&D expenses. Reported net profit for the year is expected to be 250 billion JPY, a decrease of 126 billion JPY, or -33.5%, reflecting the impacts on reported operating profit as well as an expected increase in the effective tax rate.

Key Assumptions in FY2021 Forecast

Company guidance reflects management’s expectations for continued business momentum across Takeda’s five key business areas, underlying revenue growth of its 14 global brands, and accelerated realization of cost synergies.

FY2021 guidance also reflects the following key assumptions: (i) The gain on sale of a diabetes portfolio in Japan is booked as revenue (JPY 133 billion), and adjusted out of Core Operating Profit for FY2021; (ii) Takeda expects at least one 505(b)2 competitor for subcutaneous VELCADE to launch in the U.S. around mid FY2021; (iii) Takeda does not expect to restart sales of NATPARA in the U.S. market in FY2021; (iv) FY2021 guidance does not include the impact of any potential further divestitures beyond what has already been disclosed by Takeda.

Based on currently available information, Takeda believes its financial results for FY2021 will not be materially affected by COVID-19 and, accordingly, Takeda’s FY2021 forecast reflects this belief. However, the situation surrounding COVID-19 remains highly fluid, and future COVID-19-related developments in FY2021, including new or additional COVID-19 outbreaks and additional or extended lockdowns, shelter-in-place orders or other government action in major markets, could result in further or more serious disruptions to Takeda’s business, such as slowdowns in demand for Takeda’s products, supply chain related issues or significant delays in its clinical trial programs. These events, if they occur, could result in additional impacts on Takeda’s business, results of operations or financial condition, as well as resulting in significant deviations from Takeda’s FY2021 forecast.

For more details on Takeda’s FY2020 results and other financial information, please visit: View Source

Further Information

Takeda will share details regarding its commercial strategies in oncology and finance at its upcoming Oncology Strategic Update Call in June 2021 and Finance Strategy Day in June/July 2021, respectively (dates to be confirmed). Additionally, Takeda will share details regarding COVID-19 efforts, the current state of the business, and the short- and long-term outlook of the Company at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders​ on June 29, 2021.

Biodesix Announces First Quarter 2021 Results

On May 11, 2021 Biodesix, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDSX), a leading data-driven diagnostic solutions company with a focus in lung disease, reported financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 and provided a corporate update (Press release, Biodesix, MAY 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234579719]).

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"We were pleased with our strong operating and financial performance in the first quarter and believe we are off to a solid start in 2021," said Scott Hutton, Chief Executive Officer. "We are encouraged by the trends in our core lung diagnostic testing. Additionally, Biodesix continues to innovate as demonstrated through our announcement of two new products and we are well-positioned for the future."

First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Successfully secured additional liquidity and deferred principal repayments through February 2024 by closing a new $30.0 million term loan and retiring the prior term loan for $25.9 million;
Total revenue of $28.9 million, an increase of 466% over first quarter 2020 and 7% over fourth quarter 2020;
COVID-19 testing revenue of $23.2 million, an increase of 8% over fourth quarter 2020;
Lung diagnostic revenue of $4.0 million, representing continued recovery and growth of 10% over first quarter 2020 and 8% over fourth quarter 2020;
Services revenue of $1.7 million, an increase of 12% over first quarter 2020 and 12% decline over fourth quarter 2020;
Gross profit of $10.6 million and gross margin percentage of 37%, both aligned with management expectations, primarily as a result of growth in COVID-19 testing;
Operating expenses (excluding direct costs and expenses) of $16.2 million, which includes an investment in the planned expansion of our salesforce, increased 36% over first quarter 2020 and 8% over fourth quarter 2020;
Non-cash stock compensation expense of $1.8 million, $0 and $3.7 million recognized during first quarter 2021, first quarter 2020 and fourth quarter 2020, respectively; and
Net loss of $7.0 million, an improvement of 28% over first quarter of 2020 and a 54% increase over fourth quarter 2020.
Business Highlights

Biodesix continues to make significant progress in lung diagnostics testing, including the addition of a new test to the lung cancer testing portfolio as well as new data that continues to support the value and utility of the Biodesix lung diagnostics portfolio. As a result of on-going progress, the Company was pleased to announce the following:

Plans to add a blood-based 52-gene next generation sequencing (NGS) test to the portfolio were announced in April 2021. The NGS test has unprecedented turnaround time of only 72-hours, according to data presented in a recent publication in Diagnostics. The NGS test will complement the improved 36-hour turnaround time that the GeneStrat ddPCR and VeriStrat tests currently offer, providing expanded coverage of 52-genes and broader molecular markers. The test will be used for advanced, late-stage, or recurrent cancer mutation detection in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is expected to begin to be offered to physicians in the first half of 2022.
The issuance of two U.S. patents in April 2021 that enhance the Company’s ability to develop blood-based immunotherapy and other pipeline testing strategies for cancer patients.
Presentation of data from three studies at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in April 2021, including data from VeriStrat and the Primary Immune Response (PIR) test that further demonstrate the utility of protein biomarker data from blood-based proteomic testing to support targeted and immunotherapy treatment strategies for NSCLC patients.
Beyond advancements in the lung diagnostic portfolio, the Company continued to expand and progress its partnerships and services related to COVID-19 testing, including the following:

In April 2021, announced a partnership with GenScript Biotech to conduct performance verification of the cPassTM SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection test in our laboratory, with expected commercial launch in mid-year 2021. The test is the first and only surrogate neutralizing antibody test with FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to date and uses ELISA technology to qualitatively detect circulating neutralizing antibodies to the receptor binding domain (RBD) in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 that are produced in response to vaccination or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.
In February 2021, announced a partnership with the Chicago Public Schools to provide antigen and Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) testing for Chicago Public School teachers and staff.
In January 2021, collaborated with the Purdue University Protect Purdue Health Center, to test students taking classes on the West Lafayette, Indiana Campus living off-campus during the Spring 2021 semester.
Conference call and webcast information

Management will host an investor conference call and webcast today, May 11, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.