On November 14, 2017 Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBLI) reported financial results and development progress for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017 (Press release, Cleveland BioLabs, NOV 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234522045]).
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Cleveland BioLabs reported a net loss of $(1.3) million, excluding minority interests, for the third quarter of 2017, or $(0.11) per share, compared to net income, excluding minority interests, of $1.1 million, or $0.10 per share, for the same period in 2016. The increase in net loss was primarily due to an increase in the downward non-cash adjustment to our warrant liabilities and decreased revenues and expenses due to the completion of our development contracts with the Russian Federation Ministry of Industry and Trade ("MPT"), which was partially offset by reduced operating costs aligned with our streamlined focus primarily on pursuing a pre- Emergency Use Authorization ("pre-EUA") with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") and a Marketing Authorization Application ("MAA") with the European Medicines Agency ("EMA") for entolimod as a medical radiation countermeasure ("MRC").
As of September 30, 2017, the Company had $10.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, which, based on the Company’s current operational plan, is expected to fund operations for at least one year beyond the filing date of our Form 10-Q.
Yakov Kogan, Ph.D., MBA, Chief Executive Officer, stated, "The pursuit of approval by the FDA and EMA and commercialization for entolimod as a medical radiation countermeasure are continuing to be the company’s most important priorities and goals. Per FDA’s request during the past quarter, we collated and submitted manufacturing information (Module 3) to the agency. We also initiated the in vivo biocomparability study in non-human primates that had been previously requested by the agency as part of its review of our pre-EUA application; this study is ongoing. Following completion of this study and discussion of the study results with the FDA, we expect the agency to resume review of our pre-EUA dossier."
"We are also pleased to announce submission in the European Union of a MAA for use of entolimod as a MRC. Our application was recently validated by the EMA and will now undergo agency review. Filing of the MAA represents a significant milestone for the company and another major step toward making entolimod available worldwide as a life-saving treatment of acute radiation syndrome ("ARS")," continued Dr. Kogan. "I am proud of the dedicated team at CBLI that prepared the MAA and shares the company’s commitment to developing an effective and practical ARS therapy for mass-casualty radiation and nuclear disaster scenarios."
Further Financial Results
Revenue for the third quarter of 2017 decreased to $0.3 million compared to $1.1 million for the third quarter of 2016. The net decrease was primarily attributable to reduced revenue from our development contracts with MPT which completed in 2016 and reduced revenue due to completion of manufacturing activities from our Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program ("JWMRP") contract from the Department of Defense ("DoD") for the continued development of the entolimod as a medical radiation countermeasure.
Research and development costs for the third quarter of 2017 decreased to $0.9 million compared to $1.1 million for the third quarter of 2016. The reduction in research and development costs is due to completion
of a clinical study of the safety and tolerability of entolimod as a neo-adjuvant therapy in treatment-naïve patients with primary colorectal cancer and completion of associated preparatory research studies, offset by an increase in entolimod for biodefense applications for continued preclinical development along with drug manufacturing activities associated with our JWMRP contract and expenses associated with our regulatory activities in support of filing a MAA with EMA.
General and administrative costs for the third quarter of 2017 decreased to $0.6 million compared to $0.8 million for the third quarter of 2016. This decrease was primarily attributable to reductions in personnel and other operating costs in connection with cost savings efforts to streamline operations.