On June 10, 2021 Werewolf Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company" or "Werewolf") (NASDAQ: HOWL), an innovative biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of conditionally activated therapeutics engineered to stimulate the body’s immune system for the treatment of cancer, reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 (Press release, Werewolf Therapeutics, JUN 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234583820]).

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"Our recently completed IPO will help us advance our two lead programs to the clinic and will enable us to continue to build our immuno-oncology R&D organization," said Daniel J. Hicklin, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Werewolf Therapeutics. "Despite important recent advances in the treatment of cancer, using the body’s immune system without eliciting off-target side effects remains a challenge. We are leveraging our novel PREDATOR platform to engineer conditionally activated proinflammatory immunomodulators, or INDUKINE molecules, which are delivered systemically but activated only in the tumor microenvironment, with the goal of generating potent anti-tumor response while minimizing toxicities."

Successful Initial Public Offering Completed: On May 4, 2021, Werewolf completed its initial public offering (IPO). In connection with the offering, the Company issued and sold 7,500,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $16.00 per share, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $108.9 million.

First Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

Cash position: As of March 31, 2021, cash and cash equivalents decreased to $84.6 million, compared to $92.6 million as of December 31, 2020. The Company expects that its existing cash and cash equivalents, together with the net proceeds from the IPO, will be sufficient to fund its operations for at least the next twenty-four months.
Research and development expenses: Research and development expenses were $4.8 million for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $2.8 million for the same period in 2020. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily due to manufacturing expenses incurred to support the production of preclinical and future clinical trial materials associated with the Company’s product candidates WTX-124, WTX-330 and WTX-613 and increased employee compensation costs related to increased headcount.
General and administrative expenses: General and administrative expenses were $2.6 million for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $1.1 million for the same period in 2020. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to increased personnel, consulting and recruiting costs in preparation for increased requirements of operating as a public company.
Net loss: Net loss was $7.4 million for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $3.8 million for the same period in 2020.