On May 15, 2018 Onconova Therapeutics, Inc.(NASDAQ:ONTX), a Phase 3 stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule drug candidates to treat cancer, with a primary focus on Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), reported financial results for the first quarter of 2018 ended March 31, 2018 (Press release, Onconova, MAY 15, 2018, View Source [SID1234526651]).
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"We have strengthened our balance sheet after completing a $28.75 million upsized underwritten public offering this month. Combined with the funds raised in February, we now have the resources necessary to advance our INSPIRE Phase 3 clinical trial of IV Rigosertib towards complete enrollment, which we expect in the first half of 2019," said Dr. Ramesh Kumar, President and Chief Executive Officer. "After enrollment of our expanded Phase 2 combination therapy trial and the advance of our CDK inhibitor preclinical program towards the clinic, we are well-positioned in our quest to serve the unmet needs of cancer patients."
Recent Highlights
In May, we strengthened our balance sheet with a $28.75 million upsized underwritten public offering. This financing, combined with the $10.0 million offering completed in February, should permit the Company to advance its late stage programs in MDS to key milestones;
We executed a licensing agreement with Pint Pharma to commercialize Rigosertib for treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes in Latin America;
We presented promising Phase 2 data from the expansion study of oral Rigosertib and Azacitidine combination in patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes at the 6th International Bone Marrow Failure Disease Symposium on March 26th;
We completed the Pre-IND consultation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding ON 123300, a dual ARK5+CDK4/6 inhibitor, in collaboration with our partner, HanX Biopharmaceuticals. This guidance will help advance our differentiated compound to the clinic;
We presented data on our first-in-class dual inhibitor of CDK4/6 + ARK5 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2018 on April 19th.
First Quarter 2018 Financial Results
Cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2018, totaled $7.3 million, compared to $4.0 million as of December 31, 2017. This excludes the proceeds from the financing completed in May 2018, in which the Company raised net proceeds of approximately $25.6 million in a public offering, including the exercise in full of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. Based on the Company’s current projections, Onconova expects that cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund ongoing trials and operations into the fourth quarter of 2019.
Net loss was $5.1 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to $8.3 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017, primarily due to a decrease in the fair value of warrant liability, and the recognition of revenue during the quarter from our license and collaborative development agreement with HanX Biopharmaceuticals. Research and development expenses were $4.6 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, and $4.9 million for the comparable period in 2017. General and administrative expenses were $1.9 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, and $2.1 million for comparable period in 2017.
The Company will host a conference call on Tuesday, May 15 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to provide a corporate update and discuss first quarter 2018 financial results. Interested parties may access the call by dialing toll-free (855) 428-5741 from the US, or (210) 229-8823 internationally and using conference ID: 2573768. The call will also be webcast live. Please click here to access the webcast. A replay will be available at this link until August 15, 2018.