On November 12, 2019 Fennec Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:FENC; TSX: FRX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of PEDMARKTM (a unique formulation of sodium thiosulfate (STS)) for the prevention of platinum-induced ototoxicity in pediatric patients, reported its business update and financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 (Press release, Fennec Pharmaceuticals, NOV 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234550950]).

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"We are nearing completion of the NDA for PEDMARK and expect to complete the rolling submission to the FDA in early 2020" said Rosty Raykov, chief executive officer of Fennec. "With the addition of a chief commercial officer during the quarter, we are focused on building the necessary team and infrastructure to support a rapid commercial launch of PEDMARK, if approved, in the second half of 2020."

Financial Results for the Third Quarter 2019

·Cash Position – Cash and cash equivalents were $15.2 million as of September 30, 2019. The reduction in cash balance over the quarter is the result of cash used for operating activities including the manufacturing and regulatory expenses associated with the regulatory submissions of PEDMARKTM.
·R&D Expenses – Research and development (R&D) expenses were $0.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019, compared to $1.8 million for the same period in 2018 as the Company completed a significant part of the activities needed for regulatory approval of PEDMARKTM during the first six months of 2019.
·G&A Expenses – General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $1.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019, and $1.1 million for the same period in 2018.
·Net Loss – Net loss was $1.8 million and $2.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
·Financial Guidance – The Company believes its cash and cash equivalents on hand as of September 30, 2019 will be sufficient to fund the Company’s planned commercial launch of PEDMARKTM in the second half of 2020.

Financial Update

The selected financial data presented below is derived from our audited condensed consolidated financial statements which were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The complete interim unaudited consolidated financial statements for the period ended September 30, 2019 and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations will be available via www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com. All values are presented in thousands unless otherwise noted.

About PEDMARK (Sodium Thiosulfate (STS))

Cisplatin and other platinum compounds are essential chemotherapeutic components for many pediatric malignancies. Unfortunately, platinum-based therapies cause ototoxicity in many patients, and are particularly harmful to the survivors of pediatric cancer.

In the U.S. and Europe there is estimated that over 10,000 children may receive platinum-based chemotherapy. The incidence of hearing loss in these children depends upon the dose and duration of chemotherapy, and many of these children require lifelong hearing aids. There is currently no established preventive agent for this hearing loss and only expensive, technically difficult and sub-optimal cochlear (inner ear) implants have been shown to provide some benefit. Infants and young children at critical stages of development lack speech language development and literacy, and older children and adolescents lack social-emotional development and educational achievement.

STS has been studied by cooperative groups in two Phase 3 clinical studies of survival and reduction of ototoxicity, The Clinical Oncology Group Protocol ACCL0431 and SIOPEL 6. Both studies are completed. The COG ACCL0431 protocol enrolled one of five childhood cancers typically treated with intensive cisplatin therapy for localized and disseminated disease, including newly diagnosed hepatoblastoma, germ cell tumor, osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and medulloblastoma. SIOPEL 6 enrolled only hepatoblastoma patients with localized tumors.