HARPOON THERAPEUTICS TO PARTICIPATE IN TWO UPCOMING INVESTOR CONFERENCES

On February 20, 2020 Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HARP), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a novel class of T cell engagers, reported that Gerald McMahon, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, will participate in two upcoming investor conferences (Press release, Harpoon Therapeutics, FEB 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234554570]):

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A fireside chat at the SVB Leerink 9th Annual Global Healthcare Conference in New York on February 26, 2020 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT; and

A presentation at the Cowen and Company 40th Annual Health Care Conference in Boston on March 2, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT.
A live audio webcast of the fireside chat and presentation will be available in the Investors section of Harpoon Therapeutics’ website at www.harpoontx.com.

argenx to report full year 2019 financial results and fourth quarter business update on February 27, 2020

On February 20, 2020 argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, reported that it will host a conference call and audio webcast on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 3:00 pm CET (9:00 am ET) to discuss its 2019 financial results and provide a fourth quarter business update (Press release, argenx, FEB 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234554569]).

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To participate in the conference call, please select your phone number below and use the confirmation code 2484158. The webcast may be accessed on the homepage of the argenx website at www.argenx.com or by clicking here.

A replay of the webcast will also be available at the argenx website.

Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Financials and Provides an Update on Development Programs

On February 20, 2020 Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RETA) ("Reata," the "Company," or "we"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2019, and provided an update on the Company’s business and product development programs (Press release, Reata Pharmaceuticals, FEB 20, 2020, View Source;source=gmail&ust=1582354855075000&usg=AFQjCNHkerl-gpEGVj67JhlxLel2BJQtHw [SID1234554566]).

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"In 2019, we made significant progress toward our goal of becoming a global, fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company," said Warren Huff, Reata’s Chief Executive Officer and President. "We announced positive, pivotal data from our lead franchises, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and neurology, and are actively preparing for commercial launch in the United States and abroad for bardoxolone methyl (bardoxolone) in CKD caused by Alport syndrome, and omaveloxolone in Friedreich’s ataxia, two severe and life-threatening diseases without approved therapies. We also successfully capitalized the Company to fund the development of our pipeline assets and advance our lead drug candidates and early-stage drug candidates into new indications with high unmet need."

Reata 2019 Pipeline Highlights

Reported positive data from the pivotal part 2 portion of the Phase 2 MOXIe study of omaveloxolone in patients with Friedreich’s ataxia.
Reported positive data from year one of the pivotal Phase 3 portion of the CARDINAL study of bardoxolone in patients with CKD caused by Alport syndrome.
Launched the pivotal, global Phase 3 FALCON study of bardoxolone in patients with CKD caused by autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
Completed enrollment in the pivotal Phase 3 CATALYST study of bardoxolone in patients with connective tissue disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH).
Reata 2019 Corporate Highlights

Reacquired the development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights concerning our proprietary Nrf2 activator product platform, including bardoxolone and omaveloxolone, originally licensed to AbbVie, Inc. (AbbVie) for territories outside of the United States and excluding, for bardoxolone, certain Asian countries previously licensed to Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (KKC).
Completed an underwritten public offering of 2,760,000 shares of Class A common stock at a price to the public of $183.00 per share, resulting in gross proceeds of $505 million.
Fourth Quarter Financial Highlights

Cash and Cash Equivalents

At December 31, 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents of $664.3 million, as compared to $337.8 million at December 31, 2018.

GAAP and Non-GAAP Net Loss

The net loss according to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP) for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $186.9 million, or $5.91 per share, on both a basic and diluted basis, as compared to a GAAP net loss of $25.6 million, $0.86 per share, on both a basic and diluted basis, for the same period of the year prior. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, the GAAP net loss was $290.2 million, or $9.54 per share, on both a basic and diluted basis, as compared to a GAAP net loss of $80.5 million, or $2.91 per share, on both a basic and diluted basis, for the same period of the year prior.

The increase in GAAP net loss is driven primarily by a Reacquired license right expense of $124.4 million related to the amended and restated license agreement we entered into with AbbVie in October 2019 (Reacquisition Agreement) to reacquire the development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights concerning our proprietary Nrf2 activator product platform, as well as increases in stock based compensation expense related to the growth of our personnel.

The non-GAAP net loss for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $50.3 million, or $1.59 per share on both a basic and diluted basis, as compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $22.8 million, $0.77 per share, on both a basic and diluted basis, for the same period of the year prior. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, the non-GAAP net loss was $139.4 million, or $4.58 per share, on both a basic and diluted basis, as compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $70.0 million, or $2.53 per share, on both a basic and diluted basis, for the same period of the year prior.

The non-GAAP net loss excludes stock-based compensation and reacquired license rights expense. See "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for a description of non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP net loss appearing later in the press release.

Revenue

Revenue was $2.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared $8.5 million for the same period of the year prior. Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2019 included $0.7 million from the AbbVie collaboration agreement, $1.2 million from the KKC license agreement, and $0.8 million from other sources. Revenue was $26.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $53.6 million, for the same period of the year prior. Revenue for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 included $20.6 million from the AbbVie collaboration agreement, $4.7 million from the KKC license agreement, and $1.2 million from other sources.

GAAP and Non-GAAP Research and Development (R&D) Expenses

GAAP R&D expenses were $40.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $25.3 million, for the same period of the year prior. GAAP R&D expenses were $128.1 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $97.3 million, for the same period of the year prior.

Non-GAAP R&D expenses were $36.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $24.3 million, for the same period of the year prior. Non-GAAP R&D expenses were $119.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $93.3 million, for the same period of the year prior.

The non-GAAP R&D expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense. See "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for a description of non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP R&D expenses appearing later in the press release.

GAAP and Non-GAAP General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses

GAAP G&A expenses were $22.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $7.9 million, for the same period of the year prior. GAAP G&A expenses were $58.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $32.7 million, for the same period of the year prior.

Non-GAAP G&A expenses were $13.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $6.2 million, for the same period of the year prior. Non-GAAP G&A expenses were $40.6 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $26.1 million, for the same period of the year prior.

The non-GAAP G&A expenses excludes stock-based compensation expense. See "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for a description of non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP G&A expenses appearing later in the press release.

Operating Capital Requirements

We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to enable us to fund our operations through the end of 2021.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains non-GAAP financial measures, including non-GAAP R&D expenses, non-GAAP G&A expenses, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP net loss and non-GAAP net loss per common share – basic and diluted. These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative to, GAAP, and may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.

The Company defines non-GAAP R&D expenses as GAAP R&D expenses less stock-based compensation expense, non-GAAP G&A expenses as GAAP G&A expenses less stock-based compensation expense, non-GAAP operating expenses as GAAP operating expenses less stock-based compensation expense and reacquired license rights expense, non-GAAP net loss as GAAP net loss plus stock-based compensation expense and reacquired license rights expense and non-GAAP net loss per common share – basic and diluted as GAAP net loss per common share – basic and diluted plus stock-based compensation expense and reacquired license rights expense. The Company has excluded the impact of stock-based compensation expense, which may fluctuate from period to period based on factors including the variability associated with performance-based grants for stock options and restricted stock units and changes in the Company’s stock price, which impacts the fair value of these awards. The Company has excluded the impact of reacquired license rights expense because the Company believes its impact makes it difficult to compare its results to prior periods and anticipated future periods.

Because management believes certain items such as stock-based compensation expense and reacquired license rights expense can distort the trends associated with the Company’s ongoing performance, the following measures are often provided, excluding special items, and utilized by the Company’s management, analysts, and investors to enhance consistency and comparability of year-over-year results, as well as to industry trends, and to provide a basis for evaluating operating results in future periods: non-GAAP net loss; non-GAAP net loss per common share – basic and diluted; non-GAAP R&D expenses; non-GAAP G&A expenses; and non-GAAP operating expenses.

The Company believes the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to management and investors regarding the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. When GAAP financial measures are viewed in conjunction with these non-GAAP financial measures, investors are provided with a more meaningful understanding of the Company’s ongoing operating performance and are better able to compare the Company’s performance between periods. In addition, these non-GAAP financial measures are among those indicators the Company uses as a basis for evaluating performance, allocating resources and planning and forecasting future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation between these non-GAAP measures and the most directly comparable GAAP measures is provided later in this press release.

Bavarian Nordic Announces Annual Report 2019

On February 20, 2020 Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA, OTC: BVNRY) reported its Annual Report for 2019 (Press release, Bavarian Nordic, FEB 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234554565]). Below is a summary of business progress, financial performance for the year and financial outlook for 2020. The full report is attached as a PDF file and can be found on the company’s website, www.bavarian-nordic.com.

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A year of transformation
Paul Chaplin, President & Chief Executive Officer of Bavarian Nordic said: "2019 was a decisive year for Bavarian Nordic with several important events that have reshaped the Company towards fulfilling our vision. In particular, the FDA approval of JYNNEOS and our acquisition of Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur from GlaxoSmithKline were two significant game-changers for us as we are now transitioning into a commercial vaccine company with a solid cash flow generation, allowing us to continue investments in our pipeline to bring additional life-saving products to the market. By establishing commercial operations, we will become a full-fledged company leveraging our existing strengths in R&D and manufacturing with an ambition to deliver sustainable profitability. To succeed in this endeavor, we have strengthened our leadership team with experienced people in commercial and R&D and will also be inviting many new colleagues to join us on this exciting journey."

Important events after the balance sheet date

In January 2020, we completed the sale of the Priority Review Voucher, granted by the FDA in connection with the approval of JYNNEOS in 2019. Net proceeds from the sale were DKK 620 million.
In November 2019, we strengthened our leadership team with the appointment of Jean-Christophe (JC) May as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, who took up his position in January 2020. Based in a newly established office in Zug, Switzerland, he is heading our commercial organization, which is being ramped up to secure a successful transition of sales and marketing responsibilities for the acquired vaccines, as well to grow the market for our monkeypox vaccine.
Our leadership team was further strengthened with the appointment in January 2020 of Laurence De Moerlooze as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, who will take up her position in April 2020. She is joining the Company from Takeda Vaccines where she currently serves as Vice President and Global Program Lead for vaccines against Zika virus and Norovirus and has previously worked at GSK for more than 15 years, holding various leading roles in medical affairs and vaccine development working with numerous life-saving vaccines including Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur.
During the first quarter of 2020, we will transfer our headquarters to Hellerup near Copenhagen in order to allow for the further expansion of the manufacturing facility in Kvistgaard, as we scale up and expand our manufacturing activities to incorporate the acquired vaccines, as well as launch our new fill and finish facility.
Strategy and short-term goals
By 2025, we aspire to be one of the largest pure play vaccines companies, improving and saving lives by excelling in R&D innovation, manufacturing and commercialization. To drive forward our ambitions for growth, we have outlined the following three strategic pillars along with our mid- to long-term goals in the annual report:

A company driven by Commercial excellence
Develop Innovative and lifesaving vaccines
Best-in-class vaccine Manufacturer
The key strategic activities and milestones in 2020 for each strategic area include:

A company driven by Commercial excellence

Assume full sales and marketing responsibility for Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur from GlaxoSmithKline
Establish a full commercial organization to support Rabipur/RabAvert, Encepur and JYNNEOS for the monkeypox indication
Take over physical distribution of Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur in selected markets
Increase awareness and establish a new market for the monkeypox indication
Develop Innovative and lifesaving vaccines

Continue preparations for initiation of the Phase 3 trial of MVA-BN RSV in the elderly in 2021
Advance the Phase 3 trial of smallpox MVA-BN freeze-dried formulation
Obtain successful marketing authorization of Ebola vaccine MVA-BN Filo in the EEA (partnered with Janssen)
Establish proof-of-concept for BN-Brachyury in chordoma
Explore intra-tumoral/intravenous administration within immunotherapy
Best-in-class vaccine Manufacturer

Complete the qualification and validation of the newly built fill and finish facility
Commence investment in expansion of vaccine bulk manufacturing
Commence the manufacturing technology transfer of Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur
Financial performance
Bavarian Nordic achieved its planned goals for 2019 and outperformed compared to guidance on revenue and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT).

Revenues were DKK 662 million, compared to a guidance of DKK 600 million as more revenue was recognized on the BARDA funding to support qualification and validation of the new fill and finish facility. Revenue from product sales was DKK 324 million and revenue from ongoing development contracts was DKK 338 million.

The result before interest and tax (EBIT) was a loss of DKK 328 million, compared to a guided loss of DKK 360 million.

The cash preparedness at year-end was DKK 716 million, compared to a guidance of DKK 700 million, and was composed of DKK 472 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments in securities and DKK 244 million in undrawn credit lines.

For a detailed financial review, see the annual report.

DKK million USD million*
2019 guidance actual guidance actual
Revenue 600 662 90 99
EBIT (360) (328) (54) (49)
Cash preparedness, year-end** 700 716 105 107

* Danish kroner (DKK) is the Company’s reporting currency. The USD figures provided above are based upon an assumed exchange rate of DKK 6.68 per 1.00 USD, which was the exchange rate as of December 31, 2019.
** Cash preparedness includes cash, cash equivalents, investments in securities and the aggregate amount of undrawn credit lines.

Outlook for 2020
The acquisition of Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur will have a significant positive impact on Bavarian Nordic’s revenue, as the vaccines will become the primary revenue driver. In 2019, GlaxoSmithKline posted revenues of approximately DKK 1,490 million from combined sales of the vaccines, compared to Bavarian Nordic’s estimate of approximately DKK 1,300 million. The higher revenue is primarily ascribed to better performance for Rabipur/RabAvert, which has benefitted from competitor stock-outs during 2019 and is not considered to reoccur in the short term. Bavarian Nordic does not anticipate stock-outs to affect the sales in 2020 and thus maintain expectations to grow combined sales of the new products by a low-to-mid single digit rate annually from the previous estimated 2019 level.

2020E (all numbers are approximate) DKK million USD million
Revenue 1,900 288
EBITDA 675 102
Cash and cash equivalents, year-end 1,350 205
In addition to sales from Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur the guidance also assumes revenue from our smallpox vaccine business, a milestone payment from Janssen related to expected EMA approval of the Ebola vaccine and other revenue from contract work. The smallpox revenue mainly relates to sales from uncommitted contracts, but also includes committed contract work related to the ongoing Phase 3 study of the freeze-dried smallpox vaccine and validation of the new fill and finish facility. The revenue assumptions are based on currency exchange rates of DKK 6.60 per 1 USD and DKK 7.45 per 1 EUR.

Net proceeds of DKK 620 million from the sale of the Priority Review Voucher, granted to the Company by the FDA in connection with the approval of JYNNEOS in 2019, were received in January 2020 and will be recognized as other operating income in the consolidated financial statements for 2020.

Research and development costs of approximately DKK 500 million are expected for 2020, of which approximately DKK 150 million are expected to be recognized as production costs as the investment is deployed towards contract work.

See the annual report for a full description of assumptions for the 2020 guidance.

Rights issue in first half 2020
To support the acquisition of Rabipur/RabAvert and Encepur, including repayment of the bridge financing provided by Citi and Nordea, the Company is planning a rights issue on Nasdaq Copenhagen in the first half of 2020. The rights issue, which has been approved by the Company’s shareholders, is fully underwritten by Citi and Nordea as Joint Global Coordinators.

Conference call and webcast
The management of Bavarian Nordic will host a conference call today at 2 pm CET (8 am EST) to present the annual results followed by a Q&A session. A listen-only version of the call can be accessed via View Source To join the Q&A session, use one of the following dial-in numbers: Denmark: +45 32 72 80 42, UK: +44 (0) 844 571 8892, USA: +1 631-510-7495. Participant code is 9168708.

Galectin Therapeutics Appoints Seasoned Biopharmaceutical Executive Pol F. Boudes, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer

On February 20, 2020 Galectin Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:GALT), a leader in the field of NASH therapeutics, reported the appointment of Pol F. Boudes, M.D. to the position of Chief Medical Officer (Press release, Galectin Therapeutics, FEB 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234554564]). In this position, Dr. Boudes will oversee Galectin’s global advanced clinical development of belapectin (GR-MD-02) for NASH cirrhosis, as well as all other company clinical and scientific initiatives. Dr. Boudes brings more than 25 years of experience in clinical drug development in liver-related diseases — most recently NASH — and immunology, endocrine, metabolic and orphan diseases.

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"Strengthening our executive team is a key development for the company, enhancing our future growth trajectory as we near launch of our NASH-RX trial, an adaptively-designed Phase 3 trial in NASH cirrhosis," said Dr. Harold H. Shlevin, CEO. "Dr Boudes’s diverse background in drug development, especially his experience in NASH and in related diseases, adds an important layer of expertise in relevant therapeutic areas and bolsters our ability to advance the development of our galectin-3 product assets. We are excited to have him join our team."

Chairman of Galectin, Mr. Richard E. Uihlein said, "On behalf of myself and the entire board, we are extremely pleased to have such a high quality Chief Medical Officer joining our excellent team. We believe the hiring of Dr. Boudes demonstrates the continued optimism and focus we collectively have on advancing our drug candidate through the planned upcoming trial in an effective and efficient manner."

Dr. Boudes will report directly to Galectin’s CEO Harold Shlevin, PhD. and serve as a member of the company’s executive management team.

"I am very excited to join at such an important moment," said Dr. Boudes. "The team at Galectin has done a remarkable job to advance the belapectin program with the planned initiation of a well-designed and innovative late-stage adaptive study. The drug candidate is anchored on a well-understood mechanism of action, and its effect in preventing the development of esophageal varices, if confirmed, could constitute a breakthrough for patients suffering from NASH cirrhosis and; potentially, other types of liver cirrhosis and other organ fibrosis." Dr. Boudes added, "It will also be an honor to work under the guidance of such an experienced and supportive board of directors."

Most recently, Dr. Boudes was CMO at CymaBay Therapeutics, where he worked on the company’s proprietary NASH compound and was instrumental in inventing and launching programs in rare liver diseases. Prior to CymaBay, Dr. Boudes was CMO at Amicus Therapeutics, a company focusing on rare lysosomal storage disorders. Following this experience, Dr. Boudes became a board member of Protalix BioTherapeutics, a company developing plant cell expressed recombinant proteins with improved therapeutic profiles, notably for lysosomal disorders. Additionally, he’s held positions of increased responsibilities in clinical development at Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Research, Hoffman-La Roche and Pasteur Merieux. Dr. Boudes has contributed to the approval of multiple drugs, both in the US and globally, across a variety of therapeutic indications.

A dual citizen of the US and France, Dr. Boudes earned his MD at the University of Marseilles, France. He completed his internship and residency in Marseilles and Paris and was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Paris. In this capacity he also participated in multiple clinical research programs as an investigator. He is certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (US) and board-specialized in endocrinology and metabolic diseases, internal medicine, as well as in geriatric diseases (Paris).

Dr. Boudes holds several records of invention and has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications, notably on improving the clinical development process. He served on the editorial review board for La Revue Prescrire, a leading European Drug Therapeutic Bulletin, and on several scientific advisory boards for drug development. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, the European Association for the Study of Liver (Geneva, Switzerland), the American Diabetes Association, the Royal Society of Medicine (London, U.K.), and the American Medical Association.