On May 6, 2021 Catalent, the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs, biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products, and Promethera Biosciences, the leader in advanced therapy development for severe liver diseases, reported that Catalent has acquired Promethera’s cell therapy manufacturing subsidiary, Hepatic Cell Therapy Support SA (HCTS), including its 32,400 square-foot (3,010 square-meter) facility in Gosselies, Belgium (Press release, Catalent, MAY 6, 2021, https://www.catalent.com/catalent-news/catalent-acquires-additional-facility-at-its-gosselies-belgium-campus-for-commercial-scale-plasmid-dna-manufacturing/ [SID1234579491]). The facility will accommodate Catalent’s new commercial-scale plasmid DNA (pDNA) manufacturing and will provide the opportunity for the immediate growth of Catalent’s pDNA service offering, which was recently acquired from Delphi Genetics to support the growing cell and gene therapy pipeline.

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The HCTS facility houses an existing cleanroom infrastructure, process development and quality control laboratories as well as warehouse space, and will be equipped to provide pDNA manufacturing up to a 500-liter scale. This new facility is located on Catalent’s existing campus in Gosselies, adjacent to the Delphi Genetics building. Since the purchase of MaSTherCell in March of 2020, this acquisition is the third that Catalent has made at its Gosselies location, and further expands its cell and gene therapy European Center of Excellence.

Fitting out the facility is expected to begin immediately, and will create more than 200 technical, scientific, and operational new employment positions over the next five years.

Alongside this new expansion in Gosselies, Catalent will also offer commercial-scale pDNA production capabilities at its Rockville, Maryland, facility with the addition of 500-liter scale bioreactor capacity.

"Plasmid DNA manufacturing is a critical component to many biological therapeutics, including viral vectors, mRNA, and cellular therapies. This investment allows Catalent to support these programs from development through to CGMP commercial production, offering the full horizontal supply chain," said Manja Boerman, Ph.D., President, Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy. She added, "The Center of Excellence we have established in Belgium brings critical experience and expertise together on one campus, allowing for key synergies to best support our customers."

"Promethera is thrilled to divest its HCTS facility to Catalent, alongside its new strategy to concentrate activities on its core expertise and breakthrough approach using advanced therapies to restore liver health in patients with life-threatening liver diseases," explained professor Etienne Sokal, President of Promethera.

On May 6, 2021 Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTLA), a leading genome editing company focused on developing curative therapeutics using CRISPR/Cas9 technology both in vivo and ex vivo, reported operational highlights and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 (Press release, Intellia Therapeutics, MAY 6, 2021, View Source [SID1234579269]).

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"Intellia continues to build momentum as we progress our full-spectrum pipeline towards key upcoming milestones this year. In mid-2021, we anticipate reporting initial clinical data for NTLA-2001 for ATTR, the first-ever systemically delivered CRISPR-based therapy. The company also plans on submitting first-in-human regulatory filings for NTLA-5001 for AML and NTLA-2002 for HAE, and remains on track to nominate at least one additional development candidate from our research efforts," said Intellia President and Chief Executive Officer John Leonard, M.D. "During the first quarter, we shared important advancements that expanded the breadth of our modular platform, such as introducing our proprietary base editor and establishing preclinical proof-of-concept for systemic in vivo editing in bone marrow. We believe our platform innovations will drive future pipeline growth and expand our ability to develop potentially curative treatments for patients with a range of severe diseases."

First Quarter 2021 and Recent Operational Highlights

NTLA-2001 for ATTR: NTLA-2001 is the first systemically delivered CRISPR-based therapy dosed in a patient and could potentially be a curative treatment for ATTR. By applying the Company’s in vivo lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology, NTLA-2001 offers the possibility of halting and reversing the disease with potent, lifelong transthyretin (TTR) protein reduction after a single administration. NTLA-2001 is part of a co-development/co-promotion agreement between Intellia, the lead party, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Regeneron).

The Company anticipates reporting interim clinical data from the ongoing single ascending dose portion of the Phase 1 study evaluating NTLA-2001 in adults with hereditary ATTR with polyneuropathy (hATTR-PN) at a scientific or medical meeting in mid-2021. The data are expected to characterize the emerging safety and activity profile of NTLA-2001 at the initial dose levels.
In March, Intellia announced that the European Commission (EC) granted NTLA-2001 orphan drug designation. Orphan drug designation is granted to therapies that are intended for the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of life threatening or chronically debilitating rare diseases where there are either no treatments or no satisfactory therapeutic options in the European Union.
Intellia intends to evaluate NTLA-2001 in a broader ATTR population of both polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy patients following its Phase 1 safety assessment and dose optimization.
NTLA-5001 for AML: NTLA-5001 is a potential best-in-class engineered T cell therapy designed to treat all genetic subtypes of AML. This investigational candidate is an autologous T cell receptor (TCR)-T cell therapy targeting the Wilms’ Tumor 1 (WT1) antigen utilizing Intellia’s proprietary cell engineering process.

Intellia expects to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application or equivalent regulatory application for NTLA-5001 in mid-2021. This first-in-human trial is expected to evaluate the safety and activity of NTLA-5001 in patients with persistent or recurrent AML who have previously received first-line therapies.
The Company is evaluating the potential of NTLA-5001 to treat WT1-positive solid tumors in preclinical studies.
NTLA-2002 for HAE: NTLA-2002 aims to prevent attacks for people living with HAE after treatment consisting of a single administration. Intellia is applying its modular LNP delivery system to develop NTLA-2002 to knock out the KLKB1 gene in the liver to permanently reduce plasma kallikrein activity. This approach is expected to provide continuous suppression of kallikrein activity and eliminate the significant treatment burden associated with currently available therapies for HAE patients.

The Company expects to submit an IND or equivalent regulatory application for NTLA-2002 in the second half of 2021. Intellia is leveraging insights gained from the development of NTLA-2001 to expedite clinical development of NTLA-2002. The first-in-human trial is expected to evaluate safety, tolerability and activity in patients with HAE.
In March, Intellia presented preclinical results confirming greater reductions in serum kallikrein protein levels and activity versus the current standard of care for HAE, sustained over 17 months following a single dose in an ongoing non-human primate study of its cyno-specific LNP formulation for NTLA-2002. Additionally, the Company presented data from a humanized KLKB1 mouse model of bradykinin-mediated vascular permeability, establishing that a single administration of NTLA-2002 prevented captopril-induced vascular leakage. These results, which affirm NTLA-2002’s therapeutic hypothesis of preventing HAE attacks, were presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) 2021 Annual Meeting.
Modular Platform and Pipeline Expansion: Intellia is advancing its modular platform technologies to broaden the in vivo and ex vivo applications of genome editing. This includes progressing capabilities for innovative CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted transgene insertion, in vivo editing in multiple tissue types and an allogeneic approach for the development of "off-the-shelf" T cell therapies. These efforts will support new therapeutic candidates for genetic diseases, requiring removal and/or restoration of a protein, and next-generation engineered cell therapies for cancers and autoimmune diseases.

Intellia remains on track to nominate at least one additional development candidate in 2021.
The Company plans to present preclinical data at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) 24th Annual Meeting, taking place virtually May 11 – 14, 2021, highlighting research advancements and platform innovations.
In March, the Company presented preclinical data introducing Intellia’s novel, proprietary cytosine deaminase base editing technology. The data demonstrated the technology’s potential for enhanced cell engineering, with multiple simultaneous gene knockouts achieving >90% T cell editing efficiency and no detectable increase in translocation above background levels. These results, which expand Intellia’s modular ex vivo capabilities, were presented at the seventh Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) virtual scientific meeting on Nucleic Acid Therapies.
In March, the Company presented preclinical data establishing proof-of-concept for systemic, in vivo genome editing in a tissue outside the liver. Intellia’s non-viral delivery platform achieved dose-dependent, therapeutically meaningful editing of bone marrow and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), lasting one year following a single dose in mice. These results, which extend Intellia’s modular in vivo capabilities to treat inherited blood disorders such as sickle cell disease, were presented at the Keystone eSymposium: Precision Engineering of the Genome, Epigenome and Transcriptome.
Board of Directors:

In April, Intellia appointed Georgia Keresty, Ph.D., M.P.H., to the Company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Keresty has held key global roles in pharmaceutical research and development, operations, manufacturing and distribution, quality, compliance and regulatory affairs. Most recently, Dr. Keresty served as chief operating officer and global head, medical sciences and development operations for Takeda Research and Development, a division of Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
Upcoming Events

The Company will participate in the following events during the second quarter of 2021:

ASGCT 24th Annual Meeting, May 11–14, Virtual
Jefferies Healthcare Conference, June 2, Virtual
Upcoming Milestones

The Company has set forth the following for pipeline progression:

ATTR: Report initial clinical data from Phase 1 study of NTLA-2001 in mid-2021
AML: Submit an IND or IND-equivalent for NTLA-5001 in mid-2021
HAE: Submit an IND or IND-equivalent for NTLA-2002 in 2H 2021
Nominate at least one new development candidate in 2021
First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Cash Position: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $600.8 million as of March 31, 2021, compared to $597.4 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase was driven by $45.3 million of net equity proceeds raised from the Company’s "At the Market" (ATM) agreement, $13.3 million in proceeds from employee-based stock plans and $2.4 million from the Regeneron collaboration. These increases were offset in part by cash used to fund operations of approximately $57.6 million.
Collaboration Revenue: Collaboration revenue decreased by $6.5 million to $6.4 million during the first quarter of 2021, compared to $12.9 million during the first quarter of 2020. The decrease was primarily driven by the $5.0 million milestone payment earned from Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc. (Novartis) for the IND submission of OTQ923 in 2020.
R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses increased by $4.6 million to $39.3 million during the first quarter of 2021, compared to $34.7 million during the first quarter of 2020. This increase was primarily driven by the advancement of our lead programs, research personnel growth to support these programs, and expansion of the development organization.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses increased by $2.3 million to $13.6 million during the first quarter of 2021, compared to $11.3 million during the first quarter of 2020. This increase was primarily related to employee related expenses, including stock-based compensation of $0.9 million.
Net Loss: The Company’s net loss was $46.2 million for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $31.8 million during the first quarter of 2020.
Financial Guidance

Intellia expects that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2021 will enable the Company to fund its robust R&D plans, anticipated operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements at least through the next 24 months. This expectation excludes any strategic use of capital not currently in the Company’s base-case planning assumptions.

Conference Call to Discuss First Quarter Earnings

The Company will discuss these results on a conference call today, May 6, 2021, at 8 a.m. E.T.

To join the call:

U.S. callers should dial 1-833-316-0545 and international callers should dial 1-412-317-5726, approximately five minutes before the call.
All participants should ask to be connected to the Intellia Therapeutics conference call.
A replay of the call will be available through the Events and Presentations page of the Investors & Media section on Intellia’s website at www.intelliatx.com beginning on May 6, 2021 at 12 p.m. E.T.

On May 6, 2021 Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: DVAX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel vaccines, reported financial results for the first quarter of 2021 (Press release, Dynavax Technologies, MAY 6, 2021, View Source [SID1234579341]).

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"The first quarter of 2021 continued to build on our successful execution in 2020. With the combined strength of opportunities from HEPLISAV-B and CpG 1018, we believe 2021 will be a transformational year for Dynavax," commented Ryan Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of Dynavax. "HEPLISAV-B continues to take market share in accounts targeted by our field sales team, reaching a new high this quarter, which reinforces our belief that it will become the standard of care in the U.S. for adult hepatitis B vaccination."

Mr. Spencer continued, "Dynavax is making progress on numerous collaborations for its proven vaccine adjuvant CpG 1018 across multiple indications, including COVID-19, pertussis, and universal flu. Our COVID-19 collaborations have advanced significantly in recent months with multiple partners targeting emergency or conditional authorization in the second half of 2021. Importantly, these collaborations are now generating significant revenue for Dynavax, with first quarter CpG 1018 revenue of $74.6 million. Additionally, last week we expanded our agreement with CEPI whereby they fund manufacturing of CpG 1018 for future sales to CEPI grantees, providing the opportunity for additional revenue in 2021 from COVID-19 collaborations. The emerging portfolio of product opportunities with CpG 1018 has the potential to drive significant revenue growth beyond this year."

HEPLISAV-B [Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted]

Net product revenue for HEPLISAV-B during the first quarter 2021 was $8.3 million compared to $10.5 million for the first quarter 2020, driven by increased market share offset by a reduction in vaccine utilization due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Market share in accounts targeted by the field sales team increased to 27%, up from 21% market share in the first quarter of 2020.
Final immunogenicity and interim safety results of the ongoing clinical trial (HBV-24) evaluating HEPLISAV-B in patients undergoing hemodialysis evaluating a new 4-dose regimen of HEPLISAV-B demonstrated a seroprotection rate of 89.3%. Interim safety data showed HEPLISAV-B is well tolerated and no safety concerns were observed. Full safety data are expected by the end of 2021.
Positive results from the post-marketing observational surveillance study (HBV-25) in over 69,000 patients demonstrated the study met the primary endpoint and showed no evidence of an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction associated with vaccination with HEPLISAV-B compared to Engerix-B.
CpG 1018 (ADVANCED VACCINE ADJUVANT)

Net product revenue for CpG 1018 during the first quarter 2021 was $74.6 million.
In February, Dynavax initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of Tdap-1018, its tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster vaccine product candidate adjuvanted with CpG 1018.
In March, Clover Biopharmaceuticals dosed the first participant in SPECTRA, a global Phase 2/3 clinical trial for its trimeric SARS-CoV 2 spike (S) protein vaccine adjuvanted with CpG 1018.
In April, Valneva reported positive initial results for Part A of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of its VLA2001 COVID-19 vaccine candidate adjuvanted with CpG 1018 and subsequently initiated a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial.
In April, Medigen published positive Phase 1 clinical study data demonstrating neutralizing antibody titers 1.8 to 3.9 times that of human convalescent sera for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate adjuvanted with CpG 1018 and has completed enrollment of over 4,000 participants in its on-going Phase 2 clinical trial.
In April, CEPI expanded its agreement with the Company to provide funding to manufacture CpG 1018 for its COVID-19 vaccine grantees, increasing total funding under the loan agreement from $99 million to $176 million.
2021 MILESTONES

Multiple data readouts from our CpG 1018 COVID-19 collaboration partners throughout the year
Data from the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of Tdap-1018 in the fourth quarter
Launch HEPLISAV-B in the EU in the fourth quarter
FINANCIAL RESULTS
Total Revenue. Total revenues for the first quarter of 2021 were $83.3 million, including $82.9 million of net product revenue, an increase from total revenue for the first quarter of 2020 of $10.9 million.

Product Revenue, Net. HEPLISAV-B product revenue, net was $8.3 million in the first quarter of 2021 compared to $10.5 million in the same period in 2020. CpG 1018 product revenue, net was $74.6 million in the first quarter of 2021 compared to $0.0 million in the same period in 2020.

Cost of Sales – Product. Cost of sales – product for the first quarter 2021 increased to $24.6 million, compared to $2.4 million for the first quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily due to manufacturing costs for CpG 1018.

Research and Development Expenses (R&D). R&D expenses for the first quarter of 2021 increased to $7.8 million, compared to $4.7 million for the first quarter of 2020. The increase is primarily due to development activities related to process improvements at our Dusseldorf facility and higher headcount, partially offset by a decrease in business travel due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. In addition, non-cash stock-based compensation in the first quarter of 2020 included reversal of expenses related to cancellation of certain equity grants.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (SG&A). SG&A expenses for the first quarter of 2021 increased to $22.4 million, compared to $20.9 million for the first quarter of 2020. Compensation and related personnel costs increased due to higher headcount and an accrual of benefits for a former executive in connection with his retirement, offset by the decrease in business travel due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Non-cash stock-based compensation increased due to higher headcount.

Income from Operations and Net Income. Income from operations for the first quarter of 2021 was $28.5 million compared to a loss of $19.3 million in the first quarter of 2020. Net income for the first quarter of 2021 was $0.9 million compared to a net loss of $12.6 million for the first quarter of 2020. Basic and diluted net income per share was $0.01 for the first quarter of 2021, compared to a basic net loss of $0.15 per share and diluted net loss per share of $0.25 in the first quarter of 2020.

Cash Position. Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $232.7 million at March 31, 2021.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION
Dynavax will hold a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT. The live audio webcast may be accessed through the "Events & Presentations" page on the "Investors" section of the Company’s website at www.dynavax.com. Alternatively, participants may dial (866) 420-4066 or (409) 217-8237 and refer to conference ID 4533398. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the live event.

Please see Important Safety Information below.

For more information about HEPLISAV-B, visit View Source

About Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a viral disease of the liver that can become chronic and lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. The hepatitis B virus is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV,I and transmission is on the rise. There is no cure for hepatitis B, but effective vaccination can prevent the disease.

In adults, hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected blood and through unprotected sex with an infected person. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends vaccination for those at high risk for infection due to their jobs, lifestyle, living situations and travel to certain areas.II Because people with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to infection, the CDC recommends vaccination for adults age 19 to 59 with diabetes as soon as possible after their diagnosis, and for people age 60 and older with diabetes at their physician’s discretion.III Approximately 20 million U.S. adults have diabetes, and 1.5 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year.IV

About HEPLISAV-B
HEPLISAV-B is an adult hepatitis B vaccine that combines hepatitis B surface antigen with Dynavax’s proprietary Toll-like Receptor (TLR) 9 agonist CpG 1018 to enhance the immune response. Dynavax has worldwide commercial rights to HEPLISAV-B.

Important U.S. Product Information
HEPLISAV-B is indicated for prevention of infection caused by all known subtypes of hepatitis B virus in adults age 18 years and older.

Safety and effectiveness of HEPLISAV-B have not been established in adults on hemodialysis.

For full U.S. Prescribing Information for HEPLISAV-B, click here.

Important U.S. Safety Information (ISI)
Do not administer HEPLISAV-B to individuals with a history of severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) after a previous dose of any hepatitis B vaccine or to any component of HEPLISAV-B, including yeast. Appropriate medical treatment and supervision must be available to manage possible anaphylactic reactions following administration of HEPLISAV-B. Immunocompromised persons, including individuals receiving immunosuppressant therapy, may have a diminished immune response to HEPLISAV-B. Hepatitis B has a long incubation period. HEPLISAV-B may not prevent hepatitis B infection in individuals who have an unrecognized hepatitis B infection at the time of vaccine administration. The most common patient reported adverse reactions reported within 7 days of vaccination were injection site pain (23% to 39%), fatigue (11% to 17%) and headache (8% to 17%).

Important EU/EEA Product Information
HEPLISAV B is indicated for active immunisation against hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) caused by all known subtypes of hepatitis B virus in adults 18 years of age and older.
The use of HEPLISAV B should be in accordance with official recommendations.
It can be expected that hepatitis D will also be prevented by immunisation with HEPLISAV B as hepatitis D (caused by the delta agent) does not occur in the absence of hepatitis B infection.

For full EU/EEA. Prescribing Information for HEPLISAV-B, click here.

Important EU/EEA Safety information
Do not receive HEPLISAV B if you have had a sudden life-threatening, allergic reaction after receiving HEPLISAV B in the past, or if you are allergic to any of components of this vaccine, including yeast. Signs of an allergic reaction may include itchy skin, rash, shortness of breath and swelling of the face or tongue.
Appropriate medical treatment and supervision should be readily available in case of rare anaphylactic reactions following the administration of the vaccine.
The administration of HEPLISAV B should be postponed in subjects suffering from acute severe febrile illness.
Immunocompromised persons may have a diminished immune response to HEPLISAV B.
Because of the long incubation period of hepatitis B, it is possible for unrecognised HBV infection to be present at the time of immunisation. HEPLISAV B may not prevent HBV infection in such cases.
There are very limited data on the immune response to HEPLISAV B in individuals who did not mount a protective immune response to another hepatitis B vaccine.
As a precautionary measure, it is preferable to avoid the use of HEPLISAV B during pregnancy. Vaccination during pregnancy should only be performed if the risk-benefit ratio at the individual level outweighs possible risks for the fetus.
The most common patient-reported side effects reported within 7 days of vaccination were pain, swelling or redness at the injection site, feeling tired, headache, muscle aches, feeling unwell and fever.

About CpG 1018 Adjuvant
CpG 1018 is the adjuvant used in HEPLISAV-B. Dynavax developed CpG 1018 adjuvant to provide an increased vaccine immune response, which has been demonstrated in HEPLISAV-B. CpG 1018 adjuvant provides a well- developed technology and a significant safety database, potentially accelerating the development and large-scale manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine.

On May 6, 2021 IGM Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: IGMS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on creating and developing engineered IgM antibodies, reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 and provided an update on recent developments (Press release, IGM Biosciences, MAY 6, 2021, View Source [SID1234579357]).

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Pipeline Updates

IGM-2323

Recommended Phase 2 dose expected in 2021. IGM continues to advance the clinical development of IGM-2323, the Company’s IgM-based CD20 x CD3 bispecific antibody, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and potentially other CD20-expressing hematologic malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). IGM has cleared the titration dose cohorts of 50/100 mgs, 50/300 mgs and 50/600 mgs in the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of IGM-2323, and is currently enrolling patients in what is expected to be its top titration dose cohort, 50/1000 mgs. IGM is also currently enrolling patients in the expansion dose cohorts of 50/100 mgs, 50/300 mgs and 50/600 mgs. IGM expects to complete enrollment in the dose escalation portion of the Phase 1 clinical trial and select a recommended Phase 2 dose in 2021.
IGM-8444

Phase 1 data expected in the second half of 2021. IGM also continues to advance the clinical development of IGM-8444, the Company’s IgM Death Receptor 5 (DR5) agonist, for the treatment of a potentially broad range of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. IGM has cleared its second dose escalation dose cohort, 1 mg/kg, in the ongoing Phase 1 trial, and is currently dosing patients in its third dose escalation cohort, 3 mg/kg, with every two week dosing. IGM has also begun dosing patients in its first combination with FOLFIRI dose cohort and its first weekly dosing cohort. IGM expects to report initial data from the dose escalation portion of the Phase 1 trial in the second half of 2021.
Clinical testing of birinapant in combination with IGM-8444 expected to begin this year. As previously announced, during the first quarter of 2021, IGM entered into an exclusive license agreement with Medivir AB, by which IGM received global, exclusive development and commercialization rights for birinapant. IGM remains on track to begin clinical testing of birinapant in combination with IGM-8444 this year.
IGM-7354

Investigational New Drug (IND) application expected to be filed this year. IGM also plans to file an IND application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for IGM-7354, the Company’s IL‑15 x PD‑L1 bispecific IgM antibody, before the end of 2021 in order to begin clinical testing initially in solid tumors, followed by hematologic malignancies.
Corporate Updates

George Gauthier appointed to the newly created position of Chief Commercial Officer. Gauthier brings twenty years of experience in global commercial strategy, marketing and product development. Most recently, Mr. Gauthier was Vice President of Global Product Strategy for Breast and Gynecological Cancers at Genentech, where he led a global team in the creation and execution of commercial and product development strategies.
First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Cash and Investments: Cash and investments as of March 31, 2021 were $331.7 million, compared to $366.3 million as of December 31, 2020.
Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: For the first quarter of 2021, R&D expenses were $23.6 million, compared to $14.6 million for the same period in 2020.
General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses: For the first quarter of 2021, G&A expenses were $8.1 million, compared to $4.0 million for the same period in 2020.
Net Loss: For the first quarter of 2021, net loss was $31.6 million, or a loss of $0.95 per share, compared to a net loss of $17.6 million, or a loss of $0.58 per share, for the same period in 2020.
2021 Financial Guidance

IGM reiterates its previously issued financial guidance expecting full year GAAP operating expenses to be between $175 million and $185 million including estimated non-cash stock-based compensation expense of approximately $25 million. IGM expects to end 2021 with a balance of over $200 million in cash and investments.

On May 6, 2021 Bicycle Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: BCYC), a biotechnology company pioneering a new and differentiated class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) technology, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 and discussed recent corporate updates (Press release, Bicycle Therapeutics, MAY 6, 2021, View Source [SID1234579374]).

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"We’ve had a great start to 2021, as we advance multiple Bicycle Toxin Conjugates (BTCs) in the clinic, prepare for BT7480, our lead tumor-targeted immune cell agonist, to enter the clinic later this year and continue to expand the use of our platform outside of oncology, while also significantly strengthening our balance sheet," said Kevin Lee, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bicycle Therapeutics. "We plan to build on this momentum during the year, and our presentation of preclinical data at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) serves to highlight the potential therapeutic benefits that Bicycles may offer toward improving the treatment paradigms for people living with cancer and other serious diseases."

First Quarter 2021 and Recent Highlights

Presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021. In April 2021, Bicycle presented new preclinical data describing the discovery of BT7480, a novel Nectin-4/CD137 Bicycle tumor-targeted immune cell agonistTM (Bicycle TICA) during a "New Drugs on the Horizon" session. The Company expects BT7480 to enter the clinic in the second half of 2021. Additionally, the Company presented five posters and one presentation highlighting preclinical data across multiple programs in Bicycle’s oncology pipeline. The posters and presentations are available on the Publications section of bicycletherapeutics.com.

Provided Pipeline Progress Update Across Multiple Therapeutic Programs Beyond Oncology. In March 2021, Bicycle announced progress updates for its Bicycle programs outside of oncology:

Achieved first milestone in the collaboration with Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) and the University of Oxford’s Alzheimer’s Research UK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute (ODDI): The Company identified and optimized nM affinity Bicycles to transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), a molecular shuttle. The three parties are collaborating to identify and characterize Bicycles that bind to and activate TREM2, a genetically validated dementia target.

Advanced the platform in multiple anti-infective areas, including antimicrobials and antivirals: Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) awarded the Company funding to advance a Bicycle inhibitor for a key cell wall biosynthesis target in Enterobacterales, Penicillin Binding Protein 3 (PBP3). Bicycle, working with investigators at the University of Warwick, intends to progress these PbP3 inhibitors, potentially the first novel class of antibiotics identified in decades, to candidate and initial toxicology testing. Additionally, under a specific Innovate UK program targeting key technologies to rapidly respond to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bicycle received funding to support its efforts to discover new healthcare solutions to SARS-CoV-2.

Made significant progress through partnerships: Bicycle successfully discovered and advanced targets outside of oncology through its ongoing collaboration with AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company, to discover novel agents for the treatment of respiratory and cardiometabolic diseases. Two assets were transitioned to AstraZeneca’s pipeline for further development. Bicycle also identified targets in its collaboration with Bioverativ (acquired by Sanofi) for the treatment of rare hematological diseases. The collaborations successfully identified nM multi-valent inhibitors to P-Selectin, which inhibited neutrophil binding and rolling, with potential applications in sickle cell disease and other inflammatory diseases. The Bioverativ collaboration also identified the first small molecule Factor VIII mimetic for the potential treatment of Hemophilia A. Upon termination of the collaboration in 2019, these "lead stage" assets have been returned to Bicycle.

Appointed Jose-Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors: In March 2021, Bicycle announced the appointment of industry veteran Dr. Gutierrez-Ramos to its Board of Directors. Dr. Gutierrez-Ramos previously served as Chair of Bicycle’s Scientific Advisory Board and has extensive experience in leading biopharmaceutical companies and in academia.

Continued to Strengthen the Balance Sheet in 2021. Since January 2021, Bicycle has completed the sale of $75.0 million through its at-the-market (ATM) offering program. Gross proceeds during the first quarter of 2021 totaled $60.6 million, with an additional $14.4 million in gross proceeds recognized in April 2021. Also during the second quarter of 2021, the Company received $2.0 million from Genentech for achieving specified criteria under the collaboration research plan. Cash as of March 31, 2021 does not include the April 2021 ATM proceeds or Genentech proceeds. In addition, in March 2021, the Company drew an additional $15.0 million available under its debt facility with Hercules Capital, Inc. and amended the loan and security agreement to extend the interest-only payment period until the second half of 2023, with the potential to further extend it into 2024, contingent on the satisfaction of performance milestones.
Financial Results

Cash was $195.9 million as of March 31, 2021, compared to $136.0 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase in cash was primarily due to net proceeds of $58.8 million from the ATM offering and net proceeds of $15.0 million from the debt facility with Hercules Capital Inc., offset by cash used in operating activities. Cash at March 31, 2021 does not include net proceeds from the ATM offering received in April 2021. Cash of $195.9 million at March 31, 2021 is expected to provide financial runway through multiple clinical milestones and into 2024.
Research and development expenses were $9.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to $7.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase in expense of $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in the prior year was primarily due to increased clinical program expenses for BT8009, a second-generation Bicycle Toxin Conjugate (BTC) targeting Nectin-4, and increased other unallocated discovery and platform related expenses due to the timing of development activities, and increased personnel-related expenses, including $0.5 million of incremental non-cash share-based compensation expense.
General and administrative expenses were $8.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to $5.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase of $3.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in the prior year was primarily due to an unfavorable effect of foreign exchange rates and an increase in personnel-related costs, including $1.2 million of incremental non-cash share-based compensation expense for the three months ended March 31, 2021.
Net loss was $16.2 million, or $(0.73) basic and diluted net loss per share, for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to net loss of $11.3 million, or $(0.63) basic and diluted net loss per share for three months ended March 31, 2020.