On March 8, 2018 Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative and effective therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2017 (Press release, Curis, MAR 8, 2018, View Source [SID1234524538]).

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"2017 exemplified Curis’s business strategy, marking the Company’s first time with three anti-cancer drug candidates in clinical development" said Ali Fattaey, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Curis. "We are excited about CUDC-907 treatment providing durable responses in nearly 1 in 4 DLBCL patients whose cancers have MYC alterations. We are working closely with regulatory authorities to define a pivotal path to register CUDC-907 in this patient population, which has no viable treatment options."

"Our progress with testing CA-170, the first and only oral small molecule checkpoint inhibitor, has now extended beyond the Phase 1 trial, with our partner Aurigene having initiated a Phase 2 trial in India. This will greatly accelerate access to select populations of patients that have not experienced prior immunotherapy."

"As noted, with initiation of patient enrollment in CA-4948’s Phase 1 lymphoma study, for the first time, Curis has 3 different cancer drugs in clinical testing at the same time. We are excited about the prospects for these drugs and their value to Curis’s success in 2018."

Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2017 Financial Results

For the year ended December 31, 2017, Curis reported a net loss of $53.3 million, or $(0.36) per share on both a basic and diluted basis, as compared to a net loss of $60.4 million, or $(0.45) per share on both a basic and diluted basis in 2016. For the fourth quarter of 2017, Curis reported a net loss of $8.0 million or $(0.05) per share on both basic and diluted basis, as compared to a net loss of $11.3 million, or $(0.08) per share on both basic and diluted basis for the same period in 2016. The net loss for the year ended December 31, 2016, includes a non-cash in-process research and development charge of $18.0 million related to the amendment of Curis’s license agreement with Aurigene.

Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017 were $9.9 million, as compared to $7.5 million for the same period in 2016. Revenues for both periods comprise primarily royalty revenues recorded on Genentech and Roche’s net sales of Erivedge. Revenues for the fourth quarters of 2017 and 2016 were $3.3 million and $2.4 million, respectively.

Operating expenses were $59.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $65.6 million for the same period in 2016. Operating expenses for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $10.4 million, as compared to $13.1 million for the same period in 2016, and comprised the following:

Costs of Royalty Revenues. Costs of royalty revenues, primarily amounts due to third-party university patent licensors in connection with Genentech and Roche’s Erivedge net sales, were $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $0.4 million for the same period in 2016. Cost of royalty revenues were $0.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, as compared to $0.1 million for the same period in 2016.

In-Process Research and Development Expense. The Company recorded a one-time in-process research and development expense of $18.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, related to the issuance of common stock to Aurigene. These shares were issued as consideration for the rights granted under the terms of the September 2016 amendment to the collaboration agreement.

Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses were $45.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $31.6 million for the same period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to two payments to Aurigene for $3.8 million each, for an exclusivity option which were paid in January 2017 and September 2017 as well as increased costs related to ongoing clinical activities for CA-170. Employee-related expenses increased over the prior year period primarily due to higher stock based compensation and personnel costs. Research and development expenses were $6.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, as compared to $9.2 million for the same period in 2016.

General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses were $14.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $15.6 million for the same period in 2016. The decrease in general and administrative expenses was driven primarily by lower legal, professional and consulting services and other administrative expenses, offset slightly by higher stock-based compensation for the period. General and administrative expenses were $3.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, as compared to $3.8 million for the same period in 2016.

Other expense, net was $3.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, as compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2016. Other expense, net primarily consisted of interest expense related to the debt obligations of Curis Royalty (a wholly owned subsidiary of Curis). The increase in interest expense in the current year was related to a higher principal balance of Curis Royalty’s outstanding debt with HealthCare Royalty, which was refinanced in the first quarter of 2017. Other expense, net was $0.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, as compared to $0.6 million for the same period in 2016.

As of December 31, 2017, Curis’s cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and investments totaled $60.2 million and there were approximately 164.2 million shares of common stock outstanding.

Recent Operational Highlights

Precision oncology, CUDC-907:

In December 2017, investigators presented results from the combined analysis of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 trial results of CUDC-907 in patients with relapsed/refractory DLBLC, including those with MYC-altered disease, at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper)’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
Precision oncology, CA-4948 (IRAK4 Kinase Inhibitor; Aurigene collaboration):

In December 2017, Curis scientists presented non-clinical results demonstrating significant anti-tumor activity when CA-4948 was combined with the BCL2 antagonist drug venetoclax, at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper)’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
In January 2018, Curis announced initiation of patient dosing in a Phase 1 trial of CA-4948 for treatment of patients with lymphoma. CA-4948 was discovered at Aurigene and is the second licensed program from the Curis-Aurigene collaboration to enter the clinic.
Immuno-oncology, CA-170 (PDL1 / VISTA antagonist; Aurigene collaboration):

In November 2017, investigators presented preliminary results from the dose escalation stage of the Phase 1 trial of CA-170 in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas, at the annual meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper), in National Harbor, Maryland.
Curis collaborator, Aurigene, initiated patient enrollment of cancer patients in a Phase 2 clinical study of CA-170 at trial sites in India.
Immuno-oncology, CA-327 (PDL1 and TIM3 antagonist; Aurigene collaboration):

In November 2017, Curis scientists presented non-clinical results demonstrating CA-327’s ability to modulate tumor immune profile in mouse models, as well as its anti-cancer activity as a single agent or in combination with CA-170, at the annual meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper), in National Harbor, Maryland.
Upcoming Activities

Curis expects that it will make presentations at the following conferences through April 2018:

Cowen & Company 38th Annual Health Care Conference (March 12-14) in Boston
Conference Call Information

Curis management will host a conference call today, March 8, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. EST, to discuss these financial results, as well as provide a corporate update.

To access the live conference call, please dial (877) 870-4263 from the United States or (412) 317-0790 from other locations, shortly before 8:30 a.m. EST. The conference call can also be accessed on the Curis website at www.curis.com in the Investors sectio