On November 11, 2020 Repare Therapeutics Inc. ("Repare" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: RPTX), a leading clinical-stage precision oncology company enabled by its proprietary synthetic lethality approach to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020, as well as recent business highlights (Press release, Repare Therapeutics, NOV 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234570677]).

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"Since the closing of our IPO in June, we have made substantial and consistent progress to advance the development of our lead RP-3500 program, entering the clinic in July following the opening of a Phase 1/2 US IND for use as a monotherapy and in combination with talazoparib, all in patients with solid tumors," said Lloyd M. Segal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Repare. "We also expect to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial for RP-6306 in the third quarter of 2021, ahead of our previously conveyed timeline where we anticipated an IND filing in the second half of 2021. We believe that our work in advancing a first-in-class product candidate into the clinic further validates our progress in identifying new synthetic lethal pairs and developing potent and selective inhibitors."

Third Quarter 2020 Review and Operational Updates:

Advanced CCNE-1 synthetic lethal inhibitor (now designated RP-6306) program into Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) toxicology studies ahead of original timeline. The Company anticipates initiating a Phase 1 clinical trial for RP-6306 in the third quarter of 2021, which is ahead of its original guidance of an IND filing in the second half of 2021.
Initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating RP-3500 as a monotherapy and in combination with Pfizer’s PARP inhibitor, talazoparib, in patients with solid tumors. In July 2020, the Company began dosing in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of RP-3500, a potent and selective oral small molecule inhibitor of ATR (Ataxia-Telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein kinase) for the treatment of solid tumors in patients with specific genome instability-related genetic alterations, including those in the ATM gene (ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase). RP-3500 will be evaluated as a monotherapy and in combination with Pfizer’s PARP inhibitor, talazoparib. Topline results are expected to be reported in the second half of 2021.
Inaugurated a newly expanded laboratory and office facility in Montreal, Quebec. In September 2020, the Company materially expanded its research footprint with the addition of 17,000 square feet of combined laboratory and office space in a newly built facility. The new facility more than doubled the Company’s laboratory capacity for its CRISPR-enabled genome-wide synthetic lethal target platform, SNIPRx, including dedicated space for work related to accelerating all of Repare’s preclinical assets, including those under its research collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb.
Appointed new executive officer. In October 2020, Repare appointed Dr. Laurence F. Akiyoshi as its Executive Vice-President, Organizational and Leadership Development. Dr. Akiyoshi has joined Repare’s executive team after having served as an independent consultant to the Company for the past two years. In addition to his work with Repare, Dr. Akiyoshi has operated a private organizational development consulting practice that has advised numerous companies on scaling their organizations to support rapid growth. His clients have included leadership teams at Apple, LinkedIn, CrowdStrike and Box. Dr. Akiyoshi will be principally focused on organization design, leadership development, and attracting and retaining key team members necessary for Repare’s achievement of its corporate objectives.
Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results:

Cash and restricted cash: Cash and restricted cash as of September 30, 2020 were $348.1 million.
Research and development expenses, net of tax credits (Net R&D): Net R&D expenses were $10.1 million and $27.7 million for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2020, respectively, as compared to $5.6 million and $14.2 million in the same periods in the prior year, respectively. Increases in R&D for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2020 were primarily due to increases in development costs related to Repare’s RP-3500 and RP-6306 programs, as well as increases in personnel-related expenses and certain other R&D expenses.
General and administrative (G&A) expenses: G&A expenses were $4.0 million and $9.6 million for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2020, respectively, as compared to $1.3 million and $3.4 million in the same periods in the prior year, respectively. Increases in G&A for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2020 were due to increases in payroll and personnel costs as well as increases in legal, professional and D&O insurance costs in connection with preparations for becoming and now operating as a public company.
Net loss: Net loss was $13.8 million, or $0.37 per share in the third quarter of 2020 and $38.2 million, or $2.63 per share, in the first nine months of 2020.
About Repare Therapeutics’ SNIPRx Platform

Repare’s SNIPRx platform is a genome-wide CRISPR-based screening approach that utilizes proprietary isogenic cell lines to identify novel and known synthetic lethal gene pairs and the corresponding patients who are most likely to benefit from the Company’s therapies based on the genetic profile of their tumors. Repare’s platform enables the development of precision therapeutics in patients whose tumors contain one or more genomic alterations identified by SNIPRx screening, in order to selectively target those patients most likely to achieve clinical benefit from resulting product candidates.