On March 24, 2021 iTeos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITOS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of a new generation of highly differentiated immuno-oncology therapeutics for patients, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2020 and provided recent business highlights (Press release, iTeos Therapeutics, MAR 24, 2021, View Source [SID1234577161]).
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"In 2020, we laid a strong foundation, growing our leadership team and completing an IPO in July that solidified our cash position to support our clinical trials and operations into the second half of 2023. We are making strong progress advancing the Phase 1/2a trials for our two lead clinical candidates, inupadenant, our adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, and EOS-448, our anti-TIGIT antibody. We look forward to reporting initial data for our TIGIT program at the upcoming AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in April, followed by updated data from our expansion cohorts for inupadenant later this year," said Michel Detheux, PhD, president and chief executive officer of iTeos. "As we approach multiple near-term clinical milestones, we also continue to leverage our deep knowledge of the tumor microenvironment to perform rigorous preclinical evaluations to grow our pipeline of highly differentiated immuno-oncology therapeutics and expect to nominate an additional product candidate by year-end."
Program Highlights
Inupadenant (EOS-850): Designed as a highly selective small molecule insurmountable antagonist of the adenosine A2A receptor, or A2AR, to inhibit the adenosine pathway which is a key driver of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment across a broad range of tumors. Currently in a multi-arm Phase 1/2a clinical trial in adult patients with advanced solid tumors.
The company is currently enrolling patients in three distinct cohorts in its Phase 1/2a study as both a monotherapy and in combination. The initial cohort is evaluating inupadenant as a monotherapy in a basket of cancers, and the second cohort is evaluating the safety of inupadenant in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with solid tumors. The final cohort is evaluating inupadenant in combination with chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
Updated single-agent data, including results from tumor biopsy analyses, and initial pembrolizumab combination data are expected to be reported later in 2021.
EOS-448: Antagonistic antibody specifically designed to target TIGIT (T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains), a checkpoint with multiple mechanisms leading to immunosuppression. EOS-448 was also selected to engage the Fc gamma receptor, or FcγR, and enhance the anti-tumor response through a multifaceted immune modulatory mechanism. These mechanisms include the activation of macrophages and dendritic cells and the promotion of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, or ADCC, leading to the selective depletion of cells which express high levels of TIGIT including immunosuppressive regulatory T cells and exhausted T cells. Currently in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial in multiple advanced solid tumors.
Enrollment in the dose escalation portion of the study has now been completed. Following the determination of the recommended Phase 2 dose, the company expects to begin trials in mid-2021 to evaluate EOS-448 in combination with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, in combination with inupadenant, and in other combinations in specific tumor types.
The company will present initial clinical and safety data as part of a late-breaking e-poster at the first session of the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting being held virtually April 10-15, 2021. The poster will go live on Saturday, April 10th at 8:30 a.m. ET, and company management will hold a call on Monday, April 12th at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results.
Abstract Title: CT118 – Preliminary data from Phase I first-in-human study of EOS884448, a novel potent anti-TIGIT antibody, monotherapy shows favorable tolerability profile and early signs of clinical activity in immune-resistant advanced cancers.
Abstract Number: IO-002-Abst-001
Preclinical programs: The company continues to progress research programs focused on additional targets that complement the mechanism of action of A2AR and TIGIT programs or address additional pathways of immunosuppression. The company is optimizing its screening and selection process to identify potential product candidates and expects to nominate an additional product candidate for Investigational New Drug-enabling studies before the end of 2021.
Upcoming Events
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, April 10-15, 2021
Kempen Life Sciences Conference – European Immuno and Targeted Oncology, April 21, 2021
Jefferies Healthcare Conference, June 1-4, 2021
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 Financial Results
Cash Position: The Company’s cash and cash equivalent position was $336.3 million as of December 31, 2020, as compared to $19.9 million as of December 31, 2019. Cash balance provides runway into second half of 2023.
Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: R&D expenses were $9.2 million for the quarter and $29.9 million for the full year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to $6.0 million for the fourth quarter and $19.2 million for the full year of 2019. The increase was primarily due to an increase in activities related to clinical trials for inupadenant and EOS-448.
General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses: G&A expenses were $5.7 million for the quarter and $15.3 million for the full year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to $2.3 million for the fourth quarter and $8.8 million for the full year of 2019. The increase in both periods was primarily due to increased headcount and professional fees associated with becoming a publicly traded company.
Net Loss: Net loss attributable to common shareholders was $14.9 million, or a net loss of $0.43 per basic and diluted share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2020, as compared to $6.6 million, or a net loss of $23.30 per basic and diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2019. Net loss was $43.4 million, or a net loss of $2.88 per basic and diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to $26.5 million, or a net loss of $130.85 per basic and diluted share, for the full year of 2019.