On August 9, 2019 Fortress Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: FBIO) ("Fortress"), an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, in-licensing and developing high-potential marketed and development-stage drugs and drug candidates, reported financial results and recent corporate highlights for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019 (Press release, Fortress Biotech, AUG 9, 2019, View Source [SID1234538541]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Lindsay A. Rosenwald, M.D., Fortress’ Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are pleased to have achieved several important milestones in the second quarter, including positive data for three of our late-stage product candidates in development across our partner companies: IV tramadol for post-surgical pain management; MB-107 gene therapy for the treatment of X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (XSCID); and cosibelimab, an anti-programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) antibody for the treatment of multiple advanced cancers. Looking ahead to the remainder of 2019, we anticipate multiple potentially value-creating catalysts, including a New Drug Application filing for IV tramadol and additional important clinical data readouts for many of our product candidates. Our world-class business development team continues to focus on expanding our diverse pipeline with additional high-quality biotech and specialty pharmaceutical assets, further de-risking our product portfolio."

Financial Results:

·As of June 30, 2019, Fortress’ consolidated cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments (certificates of deposit), and restricted cash totaled $170.5 million, compared to $137.5 million as of March 31, 2019, and $99.2 million as of December 31, 2018, an increase of $33.0 million for the quarter and an increase of $71.3 million year-to-date.
·Fortress’ net revenue totaled $9.3 million for the second quarter of 2019, compared to $6.8 million for the second quarter of 2018.
· Research and development expenses were $18.5 million for the second quarter of 2019, of which $18.0 million was related to Fortress partner companies. This compares to $17.5 million for the second quarter of 2018, of which $15.1 million was related to Fortress partner companies. Non-cash, stock-based compensation expenses included in research and development were $0.8 million for both the second quarter of 2019 and 2018.
·Research and development expenses from license acquisitions totaled $0.2 million for the second quarter of 2019, compared to a nominal amount for the second quarter of 2018.
·General and administrative expenses were $13.4 million for the second quarter of 2019, of which $9.3 million was related to Fortress partner companies. This compares to $13.1 million for the second quarter of 2018, of which $7.7 million was related to Fortress partner companies. Non-cash, stock-based compensation expenses included in general and administrative expenses were $2.6 million for the second quarter of 2019, compared to $2.4 million for the second quarter of 2018.
·Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $13.1 million, or $0.24 per share, for the second quarter of 2019, compared to a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $21.6 million, or $0.50 per share, for the second quarter of 2018. For the first six months of 2019, net loss attributable to common stockholders was $11.7 million or $0.23 per share, compared to $42.6 million or $0.99 per share for the first six months of 2018.

Recent Corporate Highlights1:

Marketed Dermatology Products

·In the second quarter of 2019, our marketed products generated net revenue of $8.2 million, compared to $6.7 million in the second quarter of 2018.
· We are anticipating the launch of a second prescription oral antibiotic drug for acne during the current quarter, Q3 2019.
·This new asset, coupled with our salesforce expansion to 34 territory managers, will allow us to reach over 5,000 dermatologists across the country. This combination is expected to fuel the growth of our dermatology portfolio in 2019 and beyond.
·Our dermatology products are marketed by our partner company, Journey Medical Corporation.

IV Tramadol

·In June 2019, we announced that our second pivotal Phase 3 trial of IV tramadol achieved the primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in Sum of Pain Intensity Difference over 24 hours (SPID24) compared to placebo in patients with postoperative pain following abdominoplasty surgery. In addition, the trial met all of its key secondary endpoints. The study also included a standard-of-care IV opioid as an active comparator, IV morphine 4 mg. In this study, IV tramadol also demonstrated similar efficacy and safety to that of IV morphine.
·IV Tramadol is currently in development at our partner company, Avenue Therapeutics, Inc.

MB-102 (CD123 CAR T)

·In July 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation to MB-102 (CD123 CAR T) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
·In August 2019, we announced that the FDA has approved the Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial of MB-102 (CD123 CAR T) in AML, blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
·MB-102 is currently in development at our partner company, Mustang Bio, Inc.

MB-108 (Oncolytic Virus C134)

·In May 2019, the FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation to MB-108 (oncolytic virus C134) for the treatment of malignant glioma, a type of brain cancer with a median survival of less than 18 months.
·MB-108 is currently in development at our partner company, Mustang Bio, Inc.