IMV Appoints Joanne Schindler, M.D., D.V.M. as Chief Medical Officer

On October 30, 2019 IMV Inc. (Nasdaq: IMV; TSX: IMV), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of immunotherapies, reported the appointment of Joanne Schindler, M.D., D.V.M. as its new Chief Medical Officer, effective November 4, 2019 (Press release, IMV, OCT 30, 2019, View Source [SID1234550056]). Dr. Schindler will succeed Gabriela Rosu, M.D., who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"We are very excited to welcome Dr. Joanne Schindler, who brings a wealth of experience in oncology-focused drug development and clinical trial execution to IMV," said Fred Ors, Chief Executive Officer of IMV. "Over the last few years, our clinical efforts have sought to leverage the potential of our DPX technology to deliver a novel class of immunotherapies for the treatment of patients with hard-to-treat cancers. We expect to benefit greatly from Joanne’s leadership as we near key proof-of-concept readouts from our lead program and as we continue to explore the breadth of our platform across other targets of interest."

Mr. Ors continued, "We also want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Gabriela Rosu for her many contributions to IMV’s clinical program and wish her the best in her future pursuits."

Dr. Schindler brings over 15 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, primarily in early-stage oncology drug development. Most recently, she served as Vice President, Clinical Development and Executive Medical Director at H3 Biomedicine, overseeing the company’s clinical development efforts. Previously, she worked as Vice President, Clinical Development at Constellation Pharmaceuticals, and earlier held various clinical development leadership roles at SynDevRx, ImmunoGen, Novartis, Fresenius Biotech and GlycoGenesys. Over the course of her career, Dr. Schindler has played an instrumental role in advancing novel programs into the clinic, as well as the development and execution of clinical strategy. She holds an M.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, a D.V.M. from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and a B.A. in biology from Brandeis University.

"I am delighted to join IMV at this critical stage in the company’s growth," said Dr. Schindler. "Immunotherapy is at the forefront of novel treatments for cancer and I have been deeply impressed with IMV’s sophisticated science and data produced to date. Targeted T-cells born out of IMV’s DPX platform have exhibited the potential to elicit a more rapid, robust and sustained immune response over other therapies, particularly when paired with a highly prevalent tumor-associated target like survivin. I look forward to working with the team to advance its clinical portfolio, to unlock the promise of this technology and to bring these important benefits to cancer patients in need."

McKesson Reports Fiscal 2020 Second-Quarter Results

On October 30, 2019 McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) reported results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2019 (Press release, McKesson, OCT 30, 2019, View Source [SID1234550055]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Represents continuing operations attributable to McKesson

Represents a non-GAAP financial measure; refer to the reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures included in accompanying schedules

"McKesson’s second-quarter results reflect continued momentum across the business as well as further progress against our cost savings initiatives," said Brian Tyler, chief executive officer. "As we look forward to the second half of our fiscal year, we remain confident in the strength of our broad set of solutions and capabilities, delivering execution against our strategic imperatives as we become a more focused and efficient organization."

Revenues increased 9% year-over-year, primarily driven by growth in the U.S. Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment, largely due to branded pharmaceutical price increases and higher volumes from a retail national account customer.

Loss per diluted share of $(3.99) included charges of approximately $1.4 billion, or $5.73 per diluted share, primarily related to an impairment in connection with McKesson’s planned exit of its investment in Change Healthcare. Adjusted Earnings per diluted share of $3.60 was flat year-over-year, as a lower share count and growth in the Medical-Surgical and McKesson Prescription Technology Solutions (MRxTS) businesses were offset primarily by the lapping of a prior year pre-tax benefit of $90 million, or $0.33 per diluted share, related to a reversal of a contractual liability associated with McKesson’s investment in Change Healthcare. Excluding the prior year benefit of $0.33 per diluted share from Adjusted Earnings, second-quarter results per diluted share increased 10%.

During the first half of the fiscal year, McKesson returned $1.6 billion of cash to shareholders via $1.4 billion of common stock repurchases and $148 million of dividend payments. For the first half of the fiscal year, McKesson used cash from operations of $159 million, and invested $184 million internally, resulting in negative free cash flow of $343 million.

U.S. Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions Segment

Revenues were $46.0 billion, up 10%, driven primarily by branded pharmaceutical price increases and increased specialty pharmaceutical volume from the company’s largest retail national account customer, partially offset by branded to generic conversions.
Operating profit was $639 million and operating margin was 1.39%. Adjusted operating profit was $641 million, up 1%, due to continued growth in the specialty businesses, partially offset by customer and product mix. Adjusted operating margin was 1.39%, down 14 basis points, primarily resulting from the higher volume of specialty pharmaceuticals.
European Pharmaceutical Solutions Segment

Revenues were $6.6 billion, down 1% on a reported basis and up 4% on an FX-adjusted basis, driven primarily by growth in the pharmaceutical distribution business.
Operating profit was $1 million and operating margin was 0.02%. Adjusted operating profit was $41 million, down 23%, and adjusted operating margin was 0.62%. On an FX-adjusted basis, adjusted operating profit was $43 million, down 19%, and adjusted operating margin was 0.62%, down 18 basis points, driven by the challenging retail pharmacy environment in the U.K.
Medical-Surgical Solutions Segment

Revenues were $2.1 billion, up 6%, driven primarily by growth in the Primary Care business, largely due to the increase in volume of pharmaceutical products.
Operating profit was $129 million and operating margin was 6.27%. Adjusted operating profit was $166 million, up 20%, and adjusted operating margin was 8.07%, up 99 basis points. The year-over-year growth primarily reflects growth in the Primary Care business and the lapping of bad debt expense in the prior year.
Other remaining businesses

Revenues were $3.0 billion, up 4% on a reported basis and up 5% on an FX-adjusted basis, driven by growth in the Canadian and MRxTS businesses.
Operating loss was $(1.3) billion driven by charges of approximately $1.4 billion, primarily related to an impairment in connection with McKesson’s planned exit of its investment in Change Healthcare. Adjusted operating profit was $221 million, down 26% on both a reported and FX-adjusted basis, primarily due to the lapping of the $90 million contractual liability reversal in the prior year and lower contribution from the company’s investment in Change Healthcare, partially offset by higher volumes in the MRxTS business.
Company Updates

On October 21, 2019, the company announced an agreement in principle to settle all claims against the company in the first track of the multi-district opioid litigation, related to two Ohio counties. As a result, McKesson recorded a pre-tax charge of $82 million within operating expenses for the second quarter of fiscal 2020.
McKesson recently published its FY19 Corporate Responsibility Report, describing how the company continues to work to use its economic, environmental, social and governance resources thoughtfully and responsibly. This global report puts emphasis on three topics: product quality and patient safety; eco-efficient transportation and operations; and better health for employees and communities.
McKesson opened a new distribution center in the Seattle area, an eco-friendly facility featuring the latest in supply chain technology and state-of-the-art automation.
Maria Martinez joined McKesson’s Board of Directors as a new independent director effective October 18, 2019.
Fiscal 2020 Outlook

McKesson reaffirmed fiscal 2020 Adjusted Earnings per diluted share guidance range of $14.00 – $14.60.
Conference Call Details

The company has scheduled a conference call for today, Wednesday, October 30th, at 8:00 AM ET to discuss the company’s financial results. A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on McKesson’s Investor Relations website at View Source The conference call can also be accessed by dialing 786-815-8297. The password is ‘McKesson’. A telephonic replay of this conference call will be available for 14 calendar days. For individuals wishing to listen to the replay, the dial-in number is 404-537-3406 and the pass code is 6206708. An archive of the conference call will also be available on the company’s Investor Relations website at View Source

Upcoming Investor Events

McKesson management will be participating in the following investor conference:

38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, January 13-16, 2020, in San Francisco, CA.
Audio webcasts will be available live and archived on the company’s Investor Relations website at View Source A complete listing of upcoming events for the investment community is available on the company’s Investor Relations website.

Adjusted Earnings

McKesson separately reports financial results on the basis of Adjusted Earnings. Adjusted Earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as GAAP income from continuing operations, excluding amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, transaction-related expenses and adjustments, LIFO inventory-related adjustments, gains from antitrust legal settlements, restructuring, impairment and related charges, and other adjustments as well as the related income tax effects for each of these items, as applicable. A reconciliation of McKesson’s GAAP financial results to Adjusted Earnings is provided in Schedules 2 and 3 of the financial statement tables included with this release.

The company does not provide forward-looking guidance on a GAAP basis prospectively as McKesson is unable to provide a quantitative reconciliation of this forward-looking non-GAAP measure to the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP measure, without unreasonable effort, because McKesson cannot reliably forecast LIFO inventory-related adjustments, gains from antitrust legal settlements, restructuring, impairment and related charges, and other adjustments, which are difficult to predict and estimate. These items are inherently uncertain and depend on various factors, many of which are beyond the company’s control, and as such, any associated estimate and its impact on GAAP performance could vary materially.

FX-Adjusted

McKesson also presents its financial results on an FX-adjusted basis. The company conducts business worldwide in local currencies, including the Euro, British pound and Canadian dollar. As a result, the comparability of the financial results reported in U.S. dollars can be affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. FX-adjusted information is presented to provide a framework for assessing how the company’s business performed excluding the effect of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. The supplemental FX-adjusted information of the company’s GAAP financial results and Adjusted Earnings (Non-GAAP) is provided in Schedule 3 of the financial statement tables included with this release.

Free Cash Flow

McKesson also provides free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure. Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less payments for property, plant and equipment and capitalized software expenditures, as outlined in the company’s condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

DURECT Corporation to Announce Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results and Provide Business Update on November 4

On October 30, 2019 DURECT Corporation (Nasdaq: DRRX) reported that it will report third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2019 financial results and host a conference call after the market close on Monday, November 4, 2019 (Press release, DURECT, OCT 30, 2019, https://investors.durect.com/news-releases/news-release-details/durect-corporation-announce-third-quarter-2019-financial-results?field_nir_news_date_value[min]=2019 [SID1234550054]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Monday November 4 @ 4:30pmET/1:30 p.m. Pacific Time

Toll Free:

877-407-0784

International:

201-689-8560

Conference ID:

13695661

Webcast:

View Source

NantHealth to Report 2019 Third-quarter Financial Results and Host Conference Call on Thursday, November 7

On October 30, 2019 NantHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ-GS: NH), a next-generation, evidence-based, personalized healthcare company, reported that it will report financial results for its 2019 third quarter on Thursday, November 7, 2019, after market close (Press release, NantHealth, OCT 30, 2019, View Source [SID1234550053]). NantHealth management will host a conference call that same day at 1:30 p.m. PT (4:30 p.m. ET) to review the company’s performance.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The conference call will be available to interested parties by dialing 844-309-3709 from the U.S. or Canada, or 281-962-4864 from international locations, passcode 3294717. The call will be broadcast via the Internet at www.nanthealth.com.

argenx to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences

On October 30, 2019 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 management will participate in several upcoming investor conferences in November (Press release, argenx, OCT 30, 2019, View Source [SID1234550052]):

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

2019 Wolfe Research Healthcare Conference. Company presentation on Wednesday, November 6, 2019 at 12:55 p.m. ET in New York.

28th Annual Credit Suisse Healthcare Conference. Management will participate in investor meetings on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 in Scottsdale, AZ.

Guggenheim Healthcare Talks | Idea Forum | Neuro / Immunology Day. Company presentation on Monday, November 18, 2019 at 3:15 p.m. ET in New York.

Stifel 2019 Healthcare Conference. Company presentation on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 10:55 a.m. ET in New York.

Live webcasts of each presentation will be available on the Company’s website at www.argenx.com. Replays of the webcasts will be available for 90 days following each presentation on the argenx website.