On May 7, 2020 Guardant Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GH), a leading precision oncology company focused on helping conquer cancer globally through use of its proprietary blood tests, vast data sets and advanced analytics, reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (Press release, Guardant Health, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557282]).
Recent Highlights

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Revenue of $67.5 million for the first quarter of 2020, representing an 84% increase over the corresponding period of 2019

Reported 15,257 tests to clinical customers and 5,266 tests to biopharmaceutical customers in the first quarter of 2020, representing increases of 60% and 40%, respectively, over the first quarter of 2019

Onboarded more than 100 clinical sites for ECLIPSE trial and expanded the target number by 50% to 150 clinical sites

Data published in Nature Cancer demonstrated robust concordance of Guardant360 liquid biopsy with tissue biopsy testing and builds upon the strong clinical evidence from plasmaMATCH for Guardant360’s use in metastatic breast cancer

Strengthened leadership team with the addition of John Saia as Senior Vice President and General Counsel
"During these challenging times, I have even more confidence in the value that liquid biopsy can bring to the cancer treatment paradigm. Cancer treatment is not something that can be delayed for long and we remain unwavering in our commitment to serving patients in the advanced cancer setting," said Helmy Eltoukhy, PhD, co-founder and CEO. "We are operationally, financially, and strategically prepared to navigate through this difficult period and remain focused on the long-term opportunities ahead of us to transform cancer patient care."
"Consistent with our overall belief that earlier detection leads to better outcomes, we are confident that active surveillance testing of COVID-19 would benefit many essential businesses across the country. Given the significant testing gap that currently exists, we are exploring the feasibility of developing our own high throughput diagnostic test for COVID-19 to contribute to this need," continued Dr. Eltoukhy.
First Quarter 2020 Financial Results
Revenue was $67.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, an 84% increase from $36.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. Precision oncology revenue grew 109% driven by increases in testing volume and average selling price. There were 15,257 clinical tests and 5,266 biopharmaceutical tests performed during the first quarter of 2020. Development services revenue decreased 7% primarily related to the timing of achieving project related milestones for companion diagnostic development programs.
Gross profit, or total revenue less cost of precision oncology testing and cost of development services, was $47.0 million for the first quarter of 2020, an increase of $23.9 million from $23.1 million for the corresponding prior year period. Gross margin, or gross profit divided by total revenue, was 69.6%, as compared to 63.1% for the corresponding prior year period.
Operating expenses were $81.9 million for the first quarter of 2020, as compared to $46.8 million for the corresponding prior year period, an increase of 75.1%.
Net loss attributable to Guardant Health, Inc. common stockholders was $27.7 million for the first quarter of 2020, as compared to $26.1 million for the corresponding prior year period. Net loss per share attributable to Guardant Health, Inc. common stockholders was $0.29 for the first quarter of 2020, as compared to $0.30 for the corresponding prior year period.
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $758.3 million as of March 31, 2020.
Withdrawal of 2020 Financial Guidance
Given the rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing uncertainty it has caused for us, our customers and our community, as well the difficulty in predicting the pandemic’s overall impact on its future financial results, Guardant Health is withdrawing its previously announced annual revenue and net loss guidance for 2020, which was provided on February 24, 2020.
Webcast and Conference Call Information
Guardant Health will host a conference call to discuss the first quarter 2020 financial results after market close on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time / 5:00 PM Eastern Time. A webcast of the conference call can be accessed at View Source The webcast will be archived and available for replay for at least 90 days after the event.

On May 7, 2020 Calithera Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CALA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel, small-molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases, reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 (Press release, Calithera Biosciences, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557281]).

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"We continued our positive momentum from 2019 into the first quarter of 2020, further strengthening our cash position and advancing our key clinical development programs," said Susan Molineaux, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Calithera. "This included significant progress toward the initiation of our first clinical trial evaluating telaglenastat in non-small cell lung cancer patients with NRF2/KEAP1 genetic mutations. In addition, we plan to announce top-line results from the randomized CANTATA trial in the fourth quarter."

First Quarter 2020 and Other Recent Program Highlights

CANTATA randomized trial of telaglenastat and cabozantinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The CANTATA trial is a global, randomized, double-blind clinical trial of telaglenastat combined with cabozantinib, in patients with advanced or metastatic RCC who have received one or two prior treatments. The CANTATA trial enrolled 444 patients at multiple centers globally. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS). In light of delays associated with COVID-19, Calithera plans to report top-line efficacy and safety data from the trial in the fourth quarter of 2020.

KEAPSAKE randomized trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a NRF2/KEAP1 genetic mutation. Mutation of the KEAP1/NRF2 pathway is present in approximately 20% of NSCLC and is associated with poor survival and resistance to standard-of-care therapy. Activation of this pathway leads to reliance upon glutaminase activity and sensitizes cells to glutaminase inhibition with telaglenastat. Given the challenges associated with opening new clinical studies during the current stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, Calithera expects to begin enrollment of the first patient in the third quarter of 2020. A trial-in-progress abstract describing the study design has been accepted for presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2020 Virtual Meeting (ASCO20). Calithera plans to present interim data from this trial in 2021.

Pfizer clinical collaboration with the CDK4/6 inhibitor IBRANCE, and the dual-mechanism poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor TALZENNA, each in combination with telaglenastat. In March 2019, Calithera initiated a Phase 1/2 trial of the combination of telaglenastat plus Talzenna in patients with solid tumors including expansion cohorts in renal cell carcinoma and triple-negative breast cancer. In July 2019, the company initiated a Phase 1/2 trial of the combination of telaglenastat plus Ibrance in patients with solid tumors including expansion cohorts in KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer and KRAS-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Dose escalation has been completed for both trials. Dose expansion cohorts have been temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 situation. Calithera expects enrollment to resume in the second quarter of 2020.

INCB001158 program. INCB001158, an internally discovered molecule, is being evaluated in multiple clinical trials for the treatment of patients with solid tumors both as a monotherapy, in combination with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, and in multiple chemotherapy regimens. INCB001158 is being developed as part of a collaboration and license agreement with Incyte. Clinical trials being conducted by Calithera and Incyte evaluating INCB001158 are ongoing as planned.

CB-280 arginase inhibitor program. Calithera has completed a first-in-human Phase 1 trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of oral CB-280 in healthy volunteers. A Phase 1b clinical study in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), which is expected to start enrollment in the third quarter of 2020, given the challenges associated with opening new clinical studies during the current stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, will test multiple doses of CB-280 compared to placebo in approximately 30 adults with CF to determine a safe dose range, and evaluate pharmacodynamic effects of arginase inhibition in this population.

Selected First Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Cash, cash equivalents and investments totaled $138.1 million at March 31, 2020. In April 2020, Calithera completed an underwritten public offering of 5,750,000 shares of common stock. Cash, cash equivalents and investments as of March 31, 2020 exclude the approximately $33.5 million in net proceeds from the April offering.

Research and development expenses were $20.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, compared to $20.2 million for the same period in the prior year. The decrease of $0.1 million was primarily due to a $1.2 million decrease in the INCB001158 program and a decrease of $0.8 million for investment in our early stage research programs, partially offset by an increase of $1.4 million in the telaglenastat program and an increase of $0.5 million in our CB-280 program.

General and administrative expenses were $4.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, compared with $4.2 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase of $0.7 million was primarily related to $0.5 million higher professional services costs mainly for legal and consulting services, and $0.2 million in higher facility costs related to the expiration of our sublease in February 2020.

Interest and other income, net was $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, compared to $0.7 million for the same period in the prior year.

Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $24.4 million, or $0.38 per share.

Conference Call Information

Calithera will host an update conference call today, Thursday, May 7, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time/2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The call may be accessed by dialing (855) 783-2599 (domestic) or (631) 485-4877 and referring to conference ID 7543049. To access the live audio webcast or the subsequent archived recording, visit the Investors section of the Calithera website at www.calithera.com. The webcast will be recorded and available for replay on Calithera’s website for 30 days.

On May 7, 2020 PDL BioPharma, Inc. ("PDL" or "the Company") (Nasdaq: PDLI) reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and provides a business update (Press release, PDL BioPharma, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557280]):

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In March 2020, the Company announced that its Board of Directors (the "Board") approved a Plan of Complete Liquidation and passed a resolution to seek stockholder approval at its next Annual Meeting of Stockholders to dissolve the Company under Delaware state law in the event the Board concludes that the whole Company sale process is unlikely to maximize the value that can be returned to the stockholders. The Company has not set a definitive timeline to file for dissolution and intends to pursue its monetization strategy in a disciplined and cost-effective manner seeking to maximize returns to stockholders. The Company recognizes, however, that accelerating the timeline, while continuing to seek to optimize asset value, could increase returns to stockholders due to reduced general and administrative ("G&A") expenses as well as potentially providing faster returns to stockholders. While the Company cannot provide a definitive timeline for the liquidation process, it has been targeting the end of 2020 for completing the monetization of its key assets. However, the Company recognizes that the duration and extent of the public health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic make it possible, and perhaps probable, that the timing may be delayed. As announced previously, the Company has engaged financial advisors and initiated processes either to sell these assets separately or to transact the Company as a whole.

"We continue to execute on the strategy of monetizing our assets to unlock the full value of the company for our stockholders," said Dominique Monnet, president and CEO of PDL. "Our plan is to follow a disciplined approach with a focus on maximizing net proceeds. We remain confident in the high quality of our assets, and we believe that they are attractive acquisition targets.

"Earlier this week we announced Board of Director approval for a distribution of all of PDL’s shares of Evofem Biosciences common stock via a special one-time dividend to PDL stockholders as our first distribution under the Plan of Complete Liquidation," he added "We previously stated the ambitious goal of completing the monetization of our key assets by the end of 2020. While we are encouraged by our progress, we recognize that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our assets and the businesses of potential buyers of those assets could cause some delays, which makes it possible, and perhaps probable, that the timing of the sale or sales may be delayed. Again, our intent is to pursue monetization in a disciplined and cost-effective manner and to distribute the net proceeds to stockholders in a tax-efficient manner in the form of share repurchases and dividends, or by other means."

Discontinued Operations Classified as Assets Held for Sale

As a result of these decisions and the actions put in place in the first quarter of 2020, at March 31, 2020 the assets held for sale and discontinued operations criteria were met for the Company’s royalty assets and for Noden Pharma, its pharmaceutical segment. The royalty assets are a component of the Income Generating Assets segment.

During the period in which a component meets the assets held for sale and discontinued operations criteria, an entity must present the assets and liabilities of the discontinued operation separately in the asset and liability sections of the balance sheet for the current and comparative reporting periods. The prior period balance sheet is reclassified for the held for sale items. For statements of operations, the current and prior periods report the results of operations of the component in discontinued operations. While the current period and prior period are presented herein on a comparative basis in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), the presentation has changed from the reporting of GAAP financial results in our fourth quarter 2019 earnings release.

First Quarter Financial Highlights

Total revenues were $6.0 million, consisting primarily of LENSAR product revenue.

LENSAR revenues were $6.0 million, a decrease of 11% over the prior-year period, with procedure volume declining 6%.

Net cash from all royalty rights was $13.6 million, up 8% from $12.6 million for the prior-year period.

U.S. market share for branded Tekturna and the authorized generic of Tekturna of approximately 68% at March 31, 2020 declined from 73% as of December 31, 2019.

GAAP net loss was $31.7 million. Non-GAAP net loss was $6.7 million. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial results can be found in Table 4 at the end of this news release.

Revenue Highlights

Total revenues for the first quarter of 2020 were $6.0 million and consisted primarily of LENSAR product revenue.
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Product revenue from LENSAR was $6.0 million, an 11% decrease from the first quarter of 2019. LENSAR procedure volume for the first quarter of 2020 declined 6% from the prior-year period, primarily due to lower system sales and procedures driven by the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated deferral of elective medical procedures, primarily in South Korea and China. While LENSAR U.S. operating results for the first quarter of 2020 were not impacted as significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in late March and into the second quarter of 2020 the pandemic resulted in the cancellation of practically all elective cataract surgeries. LENSAR operating results are expected to improve as elective medical procedures gradually open throughout the remainder of 2020.

Operating Expense Highlights

Operating expenses from continuing operations of the Company include G&A expenses for corporate overhead as these costs have historically not been allocated to individual segments.

Operating expenses for the first quarter of 2020 were $37.9 million, a $23.0 million increase from the first quarter of 2019. The increase was primarily a result of an acceleration of equity awards and the accrual for cash severance and retention payments under our wind-down retention plan totaling $18.7 million, and for increased professional service costs. The vesting of equity awards was accelerated when the Board approved a Plan of Complete Liquidation in February 2020 as this action constituted a change in control.

There were decreases in cost of product revenue and sales and marketing expenses in our Medical Devices segment due to a decline in revenue, while G&A and research and development expenses reflected modest increases.

Net loss from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2020 was $31.8 million, a $23.3 million increase from the first quarter of 2019.

Discontinued Operations Highlights

Discontinued operations consist of the following items:

Net royalty revenues from acquired royalty rights, which include cash royalties received and a change in fair value of the royalty rights assets, were $9.4 million compared with $12.3 million in the prior-year period. The decrease is primarily related to the anticipated decrease in fair value of the royalty rights for the Type 2 diabetes products acquired from Assertio Therapeutics. PDL received $13.6 million in net cash from all its royalty rights in the first quarter of 2020, up from $12.6 million in the prior-year period. See Table 3 for a rollforward of royalty assets for the first quarter of 2020 compared with the comparable period in 2019.

The asset held for sale classification requires the Company to record the estimated cost to sell the asset as a deduction to the carrying value of the asset. In the first quarter of 2020, the Company recorded $6.0 million as the estimated cost to sell the royalty assets.
◦
Product revenue from Noden was $15.0 million compared with $20.0 million in the prior-year period. Revenues for the U.S. and the rest of the world were $3.9 million and $11.1 million, respectively, compared with $12.2 million and $7.8 million, respectively, in the prior-year period. The decline in U.S. revenue is primarily a result of the launch of an authorized generic of Tekturna as well as the launch of a third-party generic form of aliskiren in March 2019. U.S. market share for branded Tekturna and authorized generic of Tekturna of approximately 68% declined from the market share of 73% as of December 31, 2019.

In the first quarter of 2020, the Company recorded $1.9 million as the estimated cost to sell Noden.

Net loss from discontinued operations for the first quarter of 2020 was $0.2 million, a $15.3 million decrease from the first quarter of 2019. The decrease was primarily due to the estimated cost to sell the assets classified as held for sale of $7.9 million and the write down of Noden to reflect fair value upon its reclassification as an asset held for sale.

Other Financial Highlights

As of March 31, 2020, the Company’s investment in Evofem had a market value of $82.6 million, a decrease of $13.8 million from December 31, 2019. The Company acquired its investment in Evofem in two tranches in the second quarter of 2019, for a total of $60.0 million.

On a GAAP basis, the net loss attributable to PDL’s stockholders for the first quarter of 2020 was $31.7 million, or $0.26 per share, compared with GAAP net income attributable to PDL’s stockholders of $6.7 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, for the prior-year period. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to PDL’s stockholders was $6.7 million for the first quarter of 2020, compared with non-GAAP net income of $11.9 million for the first quarter of 2019.

PDL had cash and cash equivalents from continuing operations of $125.5 million as of March 31, 2020, compared with $169.0 million as of December 31, 2019.
◦
The $43.5 million reduction was primarily the result of common stock repurchases of $19.2 million, the net cash used for the repurchase of convertible debt of $18.0 million and net cash used in operations of $14.6 million. This reduction was partially offset by the proceeds from royalty rights of $13.6 million.

Stock Repurchase Programs

In January 2020, PDL began repurchasing shares of its common stock in the open market pursuant to the
10b5-1 program entered into in December 2019. In the first quarter of 2020, the Company acquired 6.3 million shares for $20.3 million, at an average cost of $3.20 per share, including commissions.

Under this same program, in the first quarter of 2020, the Company also repurchased $15.9 million par value of convertible notes.

As of April 30, 2020, the Company had approximately 116.5 million shares of common stock outstanding.

Conference Call and Webcast

PDL will hold a conference call to discuss financial results and provide a business update at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time today. Slides to accompany the conference call will be available in the Investor Relations section of View Source

To access the live conference call via phone, please dial 844-535-4071 from the U.S. and Canada or 706-679-2458 internationally. The conference ID is 7238226. A telephone replay will be available for one week beginning approximately one hour after the completion of the call and can be accessed by dialing 855-859-2056 from the U.S. and Canada or 404-537-3406 internationally. The replay passcode is 7238226.

On May 7, 2020 Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. ("Ziopharm" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: ZIOP), reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 and provided a corporate update (Press release, Ziopharm, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557279]).

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"We anticipate reporting milestones across all of our programs this year, even when factoring in the effects of the pandemic on our global community, and we are working to minimize the uncertainty around some of of our timelines," said Laurence Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer. "We continue to make progress toward initiating our TCR-T clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center based on the Sleeping Beauty platform and look forward to providing an update on the status of this trial later this year. In our Controlled IL-12 platform for recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM), clinicians and healthcare workers continue to treat patients and facilitate patient enrollment and our anticipated milestones in this program are on track. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and MD Anderson have limited nonclinical and clinical research in response to COVID-19 which impacts their partners, and which will temporarily delay the initiation of our clinical trials with each institution. We are working closely with them to undertake our trials once the restrictions ease; however, the timing is not under our control."

"The Company is in a strong financial position, having completed a financing during the first quarter prior to the impact of the pandemic in the United States," added Sath Shukla, Chief Financial Officer. "With over $170 million in cash and investments available to support our programs, we are well positioned to weather this storm and continue executing on our strategic objectives."

Recent Corporate Highlights

Sleeping Beauty TCR-T Program

NCI Phase 2 TCR-T Study. During the quarter, the Ziopharm team worked with the NCI to advance preparations for dosing the first patient, including work on screening patients and final engineering

runs. As a result of COVID-19, the NCI has instituted significant work restrictions which unavoidably impacts research with its partners and have in turn delayed the dosing of the first patient in our TCR-T trial under the CRADA. Ziopharm is able to use its expanded laboratories in Houston to help complete the engineering runs and reduce future delays for this trial. The study is the first-in-human non-viral TCR-T study to be conducted at the NCI and details on the protocol are available on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT0402436).

Personalized and Library TCR-T Clinical Trial with MD Anderson. Based on instructive feedback from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Company continues to make progress toward initiating its TCR-T clinical trial at MD Anderson based on the Sleeping Beauty platform. As previously guided, the Company plans to evaluate both its personalized TCR-T and its library TCR-T therapies and, in preparation for this trial, the Company has increased its R&D footprint at MD Anderson by leasing additional research and development facilities.

Controlled IL-12 Program

Phase 2 Combination Study. Under the Controlled IL-12 program, Ziopharm is actively enrolling patients in a phase 2 combination trial with Regeneron’s Libtayo to treat patients with rGBM. Per the study protocol, the Company expects to enroll at least 36 patients at approximately 10 sites. Enrollment for this study is anticipated to be completed in H1 2020. Accrual to the phase 1 monotherapy expansion protocol (NCT03679754) and combination study with OPDIVO were completed in 2019 (NCT03636477). The Company anticipates providing clinical updates at the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) virtual annual meeting in late May.

Sleeping Beauty CAR-T Program

Eden BioCell CAR-T Study. The Company’s joint venture partner, Eden BioCell, continued to make progress toward filing an IND this year for a clinical trial in Taiwan to assess patient-derived (autologous) CD19-specific CAR-T therapies, produced using a technology we refer to as Rapid Personalized Manufacturing (RPM).

Ziopharm CAR-T Study. The Company’s planned clinical trial infusing donor-derived (allogeneic) CD19-specific CAR-T therapies produced using RPM has been impacted by MD Anderson’s response to COVID-19, which impacts all their partners. This will unavoidably delay the dosing of the first patient in this trial. Institutional and federal regulatory documents are complete, manufacturing has been verified, but the site initiation visit is delayed due to the current work restrictions at MD Anderson. In response to COVID-19 and other considerations, the Company is prioritizing the work with Eden BioCell to develop autologous CAR-T under RPM given Eden BioCell’s technical progress and the favorable work environment in Taiwan, despite the pandemic. This helps conserve the Company’s financial resources while preserving Ziopharm’s rights to advance the technology in the U.S. and leverage clinical data from Greater China. Data from Eden BioCell and Ziopharm will collectively support the development of RPM technology.

Operational

Expanded Team, Board, and Capabilities. Ziopharm selectively expanded its team with new employees in cell therapy, manufacturing and clinical operations to further advance its programs, expand its capabilities and support its growth especially in Houston. The Company is recruiting additional personnel, including a Chief Medical Officer, and strengthening its business development and investor relations capabilities. Ziopharm also plans to selectively add to its Board of Directors, complementing its existing leadership in drug development, financing, and business development.

Strengthened Balance Sheet. The Company successfully raised over $100 million in net proceeds during the first quarter, extending its funding horizon into mid-2022. The additional funding provides for an accelerated buildout of its TCR-T program in Houston and the launch of Ziopharm-led TCR clinical trials for patients with solid tumors. The Company ended the first quarter of 2020 with approximately $171 million in cash, and another $18 million in capital pre-funded by MD Anderson available for the Company’s programs.

First Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Research and development expenses were $12.7 million for the first quarter of 2020, compared to $9.5 million for the first quarter of 2019, primarily reflecting increased clinical trial activity.

General and administrative expenses were $6.0 million for the first quarter of 2020, compared to $4.1 million for the first quarter of 2019. The increase in general and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2020 is primarily due to increased headcount, legal costs associated with its expanded patent portfolio and facility costs.

Net loss for the first quarter of 2020, was $18.3 million, or $(0.09) per share, compared to a net loss of $13.4 million, or $(0.08) per share, for the first quarter of 2019.

Cash and cash equivalents, as of March 31, 2020 were $171.0 million.

A prepayment of approximately $18.0 million remains for work to be conducted by the Company at MD Anderson under the Company’s research and development agreements.

Conference Call and Webcast

Ziopharm will host a conference call and webcast for the investment community today, May 7, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. EDT. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-877-451-6152 (U.S. and Canada) or 1-201-389-0879 (international). The passcode for the conference call is 13701877. To access the live webcast or the subsequent archived recording, click here or visit the "Investors" section of the Ziopharm website at www.ziopharm.com. The webcast will be recorded and available for replay on the company’s website for two weeks.

On May 7, 2020 Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FPRX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing immune modulators and precision therapies for solid tumor cancers, reported results for the first quarter of 2020 in addition to providing an update on the company’s recent activities (Press release, Five Prime Therapeutics, MAY 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234557278]).

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"Five Prime is in a solid position with near-term data readouts for our two lead programs and a strong cash runway, which is a result of our financial discipline," said Tom Civik, Chief Executive Officer of Five Prime Therapeutics. "I am immensely proud of our employees who continue to show resolve and agility during this challenging time of the coronavirus pandemic. The team has kept our clinical trials on track bringing us closer to potentially having a significant impact on some of the most devastating cancers."

First Quarter 2020 Milestones

Clinical Pipeline:

Bemarituzumab (anti-FGFR2b) is a first-in-class isoform-selective antibody with enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) being studied in the FIGHT trial as a targeted cancer therapy for tumors that overexpress FGFR2b.

The FIGHT trial is being converted from a Phase 3 to a randomized, double-blind, Phase 2 trial based on the approximately 150 patients enrolled.

The Phase 2 FIGHT study is expected to have a sufficient number of PFS and OS events to generate clinically meaningful and actionable data by the end of the year or early 2021.

Converting to a Phase 2 trial is the fastest path to generating informative data about bemarituzumab: the first agent to target FGFR2b overexpressing gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer (GEJ).

FPT155 (CD80-Fc) is a first-in-class CD80-Fc fusion protein that directly engages CD28 and binds to CTLA-4, promoting T cell activation in the tumor microenvironment.

In the ongoing Phase 1 dose escalation study, a dose-dependent expansion of memory T-cells has been identified, consistent with the mechanism of action of FPT155 observed in preclinical studies.

In parallel with continued dose escalation, patients with warm/hot tumor types are being enrolled with the aim to generate early clinical evidence of FPT155 single-agent activity by the end of 2020.

An arm has been added in the ongoing trial to test the combination of escalating doses of FPT155 and pembrolizumab in patients with PD-1 treated non-small cell lung cancer. Five Prime expects to begin enrolling patients in this cohort in the third quarter of 2020.

FPA150 (anti-B7-H4) is a first-in-class antibody being studied as a treatment for patients with B7-H4 overexpressing tumors in a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial. Five Prime is in the process of completing the Phase 1a/1b study. The company does not currently plan to independently advance the clinical development of FPA150 as either a monotherapy or in combination with pembrolizumab.

BMS-986258 (anti-TIM-3) is a fully-human monoclonal antibody targeting TIM-3 (T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3), the first clinical candidate from the discovery collaboration between Five Prime and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) that includes targets in three immune checkpoint pathways. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Five Prime is withdrawing its guidance that this trial may advance from Phase 1 to Phase 2 in 2020.

2020 Corporate Highlights

In April 2020, Five Prime announced the appointment of Thomas Civik as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of the company. Mr. Civik joins Five Prime from Foundation Medicine, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to that, Mr. Civik most recently served as Vice President and Oncology Franchise Head at Genentech.

In February 2020, the company announced a global license agreement with Seattle Genetics, Inc. to develop and commercialize novel ADC therapies using monoclonal antibodies, developed by Five Prime, that are directed to a single target. Under the terms of the agreement, the company received a $5 million upfront payment and is eligible to receive progress-dependent development and regulatory milestone payments as well as cumulative commercial milestone payments. Cumulative milestone payments may reach up to $525 million for the first two ADC product candidates.

Summary of First Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Cash Guidance:

Cash Position: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $142.7 million as of March 31, 2020, compared to $157.9 million as of December 31, 2019. The decrease in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities was primarily attributed to quarterly operating expenses that exceeded quarterly revenues.

Revenue: Collaboration and license revenue for the first quarter of 2020 increased by $3.1 million, or 58%, to $8.4 million from $5.3 million for the first quarter of 2019. The increase was primarily related to license revenues earned from the Seattle Genetics license agreement, signed in February 2020, and revenue from the collaboration with Zai Lab. These increases were partially offset by the completion of the immuno-oncology research collaboration with BMS and progress pursuant to the company’s performance obligation under the original cabiralizumab collaboration with BMS.

R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses for the first quarter of 2020 decreased by $13.2 million, or 42%, to $18.6 million from $31.8 million for first quarter of 2019. The decrease was primarily related to lower compensation costs resulting from the October 2019 restructuring, lower clinical services and specialty lab services related to clinical studies of cabiriluzumab and FPA150, reduced companion diagnostics expenses directed toward the bemarituzumab development program and a decrease in miscellaneous research and development expenses. These decreases were partially offset by increased clinical trial expenses primarily related to bemarituzumab.

G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for both the first quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2019 were $10.5 million.

Net Loss: Net loss for the first quarter of 2020 was $20.1 million, or $0.57 per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss of $35.4 million, or $1.02 per basic and diluted share, for the first quarter of 2019.

Shares Outstanding: Total shares outstanding were 35,324,056 as of March 31, 2020.

Cash Guidance: Five Prime expects full-year 2020 net cash used in operating activities to be between $77 and $82 million and affirms previously issued guidance to end 2020 with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities between $77 and $82 million.

Conference Call Information

Five Prime will host a conference call and live audio webcast today at 4:30 p.m. (ET) / 1:30 p.m. (PT) to discuss its financial results and provide a corporate update. To participate in the conference call, please dial (253) 237-1188 (domestic) or (877) 878-2269 (international) and refer to conference ID 5376706. To access the live webcast please visit the "Events & Presentations" page under the "Investors" tab on Five Prime’s website at www.fiveprime.com. An archived copy of the webcast will be available on Five Prime’s website beginning approximately two hours after the conference call. Five Prime will maintain an archived replay of the webcast on its website for at least 30 days after the conference call.