On February 25, 2021 CohBar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWBR), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing mitochondria based therapeutics to treat chronic diseases and extend healthy lifespan, reported that its Chief Executive Officer, Steven Engle, will present a company overview at the H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conference, being held virtually March 9 – 10, 2021 (Press release, CohBar, FEB 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234575743]).

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H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conference
Webcast: The presentation may be accessed via webcast on demand using the following link: View Source

On February 25, 2021 Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, reported financial results for the year ended December 31, 2020 and provided a corporate update (Press release, Altimmune, FEB 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234575742]).

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"The past year has been a transformative time for our Company as we made substantial progress in each of our five portfolio programs," said Vipin K. Garg, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "During the year we initiated multiple clinical trials for several of our product candidates (T-COVID, ALT-801 and HepTcell) and completed preparations to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial of AdCOVID, which has begun enrolling volunteers. These achievements have set the stage for a busy and exciting year ahead, as we anticipate multiple data readouts from these programs over the coming months. With two promising technology platforms and five novel product candidates now advancing in clinical development, we believe 2021 has the potential to be a momentous year for Altimmune."

Program Highlights

AdCOVID:

Commenced enrollment in AdCOVID Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating a novel, needle-free intranasal delivery approach for COVID-19 vaccination
Altimmune has commenced enrollment in its Phase 1 clinical trial of AdCOVID, which is designed to evaluate a needle-free intranasal delivery approach for vaccination against COVID-19. Altimmune believes AdCOVID has the potential to become a leading candidate for COVID-19 vaccination based on its ease of administration, and the potential for reduced disease transmission, and cold chain-free vaccine distribution, if the product is demonstrated to have extended stability at room temperature. As demonstrated in the NasoShield and NasoVax clinical trials, the Company believes the expected attributes of AdCOVID make it ideally suited for use in a pediatric setting as the intranasal administration and expected tolerability profile are well suited to meet the needs of children.

The Phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of AdCOVID in up to 180 healthy adult volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55. Subjects will receive AdCOVID at one of three dose levels administered as a nasal spray. In addition to the primary study endpoint of safety and tolerability, the immunogenicity of AdCOVID will be evaluated by serum IgG binding and neutralizing antibody titers, mucosal IgA antibody from nasal samples, and T cell responses. Altimmune anticipates having a full data readout from this Phase 1 study in Q2 2021.

Initiated development of additional AdCOVID vectors targeting emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants is raising concerns about the effectiveness of currently authorized vaccines and prompting vaccine developers to engineer new vaccine candidates to combat these viral mutations. Altimmune has initiated the development of vaccine candidates against several variants as one is likely to become dominant in the population in the coming months. Altimmune plans to have these new vaccine candidates ready for use in upcoming later-stage clinical trials.

Established a consortium of manufacturing partners for potential commercial supply of AdCOVID
Altimmune has executed agreements with three commercial manufacturing partners with significant experience in adenoviral vector production. The Company has also established relationships with leading drug product fill/finish partners with sufficient capacity to meet potential commercial demand. Together, the Company believes that this network of strategic manufacturing partners will ensure Altimmune’s commercial readiness to supply vaccine, assuming the clinical data support this advancement.

Furthered AdCOVID preclinical studies in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Saint Louis University
Based on the promising preclinical data for AdCOVID published on the BioRxiv server, Altimmune continues preclinical studies of AdCOVID in collaboration with UAB and Saint Louis University to evaluate AdCOVID in additional animal models and to further evaluate heterologous prime boost regimens of AdCOVID in support of future clinical development activities. Data from these ongoing preclinical studies are expected in Q1 and Q2 2021.

ALT-801:

Commenced dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial of ALT-801, a novel GLP-1/glucagon dual-agonist being evaluated for the treatment of NASH
Altimmune commenced dosing in a Phase 1 single ascending dose (SAD) and multiple ascending dose (MAD) clinical trial of ALT-801, a GLP-1/glucagon dual-agonist being developed for the treatment of NASH. This trial is being conducted in Australia and is expected to enroll approximately 100 volunteers. The primary pharmacodynamic endpoints in the trial are weight loss and reduction in liver fat, outcomes that have been associated with NASH resolution and fibrosis improvement in advanced clinical studies of other NASH therapeutics. The Company has successfully completed the initial phases of the study and anticipates a data read-out from the 6-week MAD study in Q2 2021, followed by 12-week data in Q3 2021.

Amended clinical trial protocol to extend MAD cohorts to incorporate 12-week Phase 1b study in Australia
Altimmune amended the clinical trial protocol for the ALT-801 Phase 1 clinical development program to incorporate its planned 12-week extension trial in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD within the ongoing Phase 1 SAD/MAD trial in Australia. The Company believes that by incorporating the 12-week extension into this trial, it can avoid any potential impact of COVID-19 and maintain study timelines. Pending the results of this trial, Altimmune plans to transition rapidly to a 52-week, Phase 2, biopsy-trial based on NASH endpoints in early 2022. In parallel with these efforts, Altimmune continues to plan to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for ALT-801 in the United States in mid-2021.

Initiated chronic toxicology studies of ALT-801 to enable 52-week Phase 2 clinical study
Altimmune completed 6-week and 13-week GLP toxicology studies of ALT-801 with no significant toxicity or GI adverse events. The Company has initiated 6-month and 9-month GLP toxicology studies to support the planned 52-week biopsy-driven Phase 2 trial planned for early 2022.

T-COVID:

Completed Cohorts 1 and 2 in the Phase 1/2 trial of T-COVID in patients with early COVID-19
Altimmune, working with the Department of Defense, has completed the two safety cohorts in the EPIC (Efficacy and Safety of T-COVID in the Prevention of Clinical Worsening in COVID-19) study, a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of T-COVID, an investigational intranasally-administered therapeutic for the treatment of early COVID-19 infection. The trial is being overseen by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee, and no significant safety findings have been observed to date.

Cohort 3 is an efficacy and safety cohort that will include patients at higher-risk for severe COVID-19 infection, such as those 65 years or older, or those with one or more risk factors for severe COVID-19 complications. To ensure that a sufficient number of higher risk patients are enrolled, the study protocol was recently modified to require that a minimum number of patients meet one or more of these criteria in this final cohort. Additional enrichments of the study population are currently being evaluated to increase the event rates in the trial. While these modifications could extend the study timeline, the Company believes they could significantly enhance the probability of a meaningful trial outcome. Based on these changes, data from this trial is now expected in Q2 2021.

HepTcell:

Commenced dosing in a multinational Phase 2 clinical trial of HepTcell
In December, Altimmune began a multinational Phase 2 clinical trial of HepTcell, which is being conducted in the United States, Canada and Europe. The trial is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 80 adult patients with HBeAg-negative inactive CHB and HBsAg ≤ 100 IU/mL.

HepTcell will be administered in 6 doses at 4-week intervals for 24 weeks, and patients will be followed for one year to evaluate safety and durability of response. The primary efficacy endpoint is virological response, defined as a 1-log reduction in HBsAg levels from baseline. Secondary efficacy endpoints include reactivation of anti-HBV T cell responses, HBsAg clearance, and other assessments of virologic response. Altimmune anticipates a data read-out from this trial in 1H 2022.

Financial Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

Altimmune had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $216.0 million at December 31, 2020 compared to $37.3 million at December 31, 2019. The increase of $178.7 million is attributable to $213.5 million of net receipts during the year due primarily to its 2020 public offering, full utilization of the at-the-market offering program, and receipts from warrant exercises, offset by $34.4 million of cash used for operating activities.
Revenue was $8.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $5.8 million in the prior year period, an increase of $2.4 million. The change was primarily due to an increase in revenue under the Company’s U.S. government contracts due to timing of manufacturing and clinical trials for the NasoShield and T-COVID programs.
Research and development expenses were $49.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $17.8 million in the prior year period, representing an increase of $32.0 million. The increase was primarily attributable to increased costs related to development of AdCOVID, T-COVID and ALT-801 and an increase in the contingent liability for stock-based milestone payments associated with the acquisition of ALT-801.
General and administrative expenses were $13.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $8.5 million in the prior year period, an increase of $4.7 million. The increase is attributable to additional employee compensation as Altimmune’s workforce grew in 2020 along with an increase in professional costs.
Income tax benefit was $5.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to $59,000 for the same period in 2019. The increase is attributable to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act") passed on March 27, 2020 which made temporary changes regarding the utilization and carry back of net operating losses.
Net loss attributed to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $49.0 million, or $1.91 net loss per share, compared to $21.0 million in the prior year, or $1.60 net loss per share. The difference in net loss is primarily attributable to higher research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses, offset by higher revenue and an increase in income tax benefit.
Conference Call Information

Following the conclusion of the call, the webcast will be available for replay on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at www.altimmune.com. The company has used, and intends to continue to use, the IR portion of its website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

On February 25, 2021 LIDDS reported that Interim report January – December 2020 (Press release, Lidds, FEB 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234575741])

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JANUARY – DECEMBER 2020

Net sales amounted to MSEK 0.3 (0.0)
Operating expenses amounted to MSEK -33.0 (-31.4)
Profit/loss before and after tax amounted to MSEK -32.3 (-31.4)
Earnings per share amounted to SEK -1.20 (-1.34)
Cash flow from operating activities amounted to MSEK -27.4 (-31.2)
Equity amounted to MSEK 42.8 (15.5) and the debt/equity ratio was 79% (72%)
OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2020

Net sales amounted to MSEK 0.3 (0.0)
Operating expenses amounted to MSEK -12.9 (-8.5)
Profit/loss before and after tax amounted to MSEK -12.5 (-8.5)
Earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.42 (-0.36)
Cash flow from operating activities amounted to MSEK -10.1 (-9.8)
Equity amounted to MSEK 42.8 (15.5) and the debt/equity ratio was 79% (72%)
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING THE FORTH QUARTER 2020

Intratumoral injection of NZ-TLR9, NanoZolid formulation of a Toll-Like Receptor 9 (TLR9), results in strong antitumoral efficacy combined with prominent antitumoral immune responses in mouse tumor models. NZ-TLR9 forms an intratumoral depot which releases the TLR9 agonist for least 6 weeks and thus minimizes the need for repeated injections.
The warrants programme was finalized in October 2020 and 0.8 percent of the warrants issued was exercised.
A newly revised guideline from the Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has extended the requirements to a full registration dossier for the conditional market approval (CMA). LIDDS licensee Jiangxi Puheng Pharma is therefore aiming to submit the application for CMA for the prostate cancer drug candidate Liproca Depot in China during Q1, 2021.
A review article in OncoTargets and Therapy journal defines LIDDS as a key player in TLR9 agonist research field and being the only provider having a sustained release product in development.
LIDDS announced that the company will apply for a relisting of its shares from Nasdaq First North to Nasdaq Stockholm Main Market in 2021.
Nina Herne will assume the role of CEO for LIDDS as from April 19, 2021. Monica Wallter will continue in LIDDS as Senior Adviser.
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS FOLLOWING THE END OF THE PERIOD

The Phase I study where NanoZolid is combined with docetaxel continues with dose escalation. New patients are in recruitment to receive injection in solid tumors with new dose of docetaxel.
European Urology Focus has accepted a scientific article describing LIDDS Phase IIb study results with Liproca Depot.
LIDDS has filed a patent application for local intracranial treatment of brain tumors. The NanoZolid technology enables controlled and sustained release of oncology drugs. Preclinical study has showed that NanoZolid injected as a depot in brain is tolerable and safe.
LIDDS has signed a manufacturing agreement for NZ-TLR9 with Pharmidea in Latvia.

The interim report is available on the company’s website, go to View Source

On February 25, 2021 argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a global immunology company committed to improving the lives of people suffering from severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, reported that it will host a conference call and audio webcast on March 4, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. CET (8:30 a.m. ET) to discuss its full year 2020 financial results and provide a fourth quarter business update (Press release, argenx, FEB 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234575740]).

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A webcast of the live call may be accessed on the Investors section of the argenx website at argenx.com/investors. A replay of the webcast will be available on the argenx website for one year following the call.

On February 25, 2021 Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AUPH / TSX: AUP) ("Aurinia" or the "Company") reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2020 (Press release, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, FEB 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234575738]). Amounts, unless specified otherwise, are expressed in U.S. dollars.

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"Over the past year, Aurinia matured into a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company with capabilities spanning R&D, clinical, regulatory, CMC, and commercial. The recent FDA approval and immediate launch of LUPKYNIS underscores the exemplary performance and expertise of the Aurinia team," commented Peter Greenleaf, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aurinia. "During 2020, we made calculated investments following the positive AURORA clinical trial results by building out a world-class commercial team, signing a major ex-US partnership with Otsuka, and ensuring we can meet future market demand for LUPKYNIS by securing our supply chain by expanding our manufacturing agreement with Lonza. After just 30 days, we are pleased by the uptake of LUPKYNIS by the healthcare community and believe we are on track to meet our internal expectations."

"Launching LUPKYNIS within hours of our approval allows us to focus on getting LN patients who need intervention onto therapy as soon as possible," said Max Colao, Chief Commercial Officer at Aurinia. "We look forward to translating years of innovation and development work, and our early preparation and planning for launch, into commercial success for LUPKYNIS."

Recent Highlights

FDA Approval and Commercial Launch of LUPKYNISTM

On January 22, 2021, the FDA approved LUPKYNIS in combination with a background immunosuppressive therapy regimen to treat adult patients with active LN. LUPKYNIS was approved by the FDA under Priority Review and was previously granted Fast Track designation from the Agency in 2016.

Collaboration and Licensing Agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

On December 17, 2020, Aurinia announced it had entered into a collaboration and licensing agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., for the development and commercialization of oral LUPKYNIS for the treatment of LN in the European Union (EU), Japan, as well as the United Kingdom, Russia, Switzerland, Norway, Belarus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Ukraine.

As part of the agreement, Aurinia received an upfront cash payment of $50 million for the license agreement, and has the potential to receive up to an additional $50 million in regulatory milestones. Aurinia will receive tiered royalties on future sales ranging from 10 to 20 percent on net sales upon commercialization, along with additional milestone payments based on the attainment of certain annual sales by Otsuka. In addition, Aurinia will provide LUPKYNIS to Otsuka via a supply agreement under a cost plus arrangement.

Agreement for Dedicated LUPKYNIS Manufacturing Capacity

On December 15, 2020, Aurinia entered into a collaborative agreement with Lonza Ltd. (Lonza) to build a dedicated manufacturing capacity within Lonza’s existing small molecule facility in Visp, Switzerland. The dedicated facility (also referred to as "monoplant") will be equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to provide cost and production efficiency for the manufacture of LUPKYNIS, while expanding existing capacity and providing supply security to meet future commercial demand. Upon completion of the monoplant, Aurinia will have the right to maintain exclusive use of the monoplant by paying a quarterly fixed facility fee. The first capital expenditure payment was made in February 2021.

Financial Liquidity at December 31, 2020

As of December 31, 2020, Aurinia had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $423 million compared to $306 million at December 31, 2019. Net cash used in operating activities was $69.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $63.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The Company believes that it has sufficient financial resources to fund its current plans, which include funding commercial launch activities, manufacturing and packaging of commercial drug supply, conducting our planned R&D programs, and operating activities into at least 2023.

Financial Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2020

For the year ended December 31, 2020, Aurinia recorded a consolidated net loss of $102.7 million or $0.87 per common share.

Revenues were $50.1 million and $0.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase of $49.8 million in 2020 was due to the upfront license payment received from Otsuka of $50 million, recorded as licensing revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Research and development (R&D) expenses decreased to $50.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $52.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The primary driver for the decrease of $2.5 million in R&D spend in 2020 was a decrease in drug manufacturing and supply costs, lower Contract Research Organization (CRO) expenses and other third party clinical trial expenses, partially offset by an increase in regulatory related costs as Aurinia prepared for FDA approval.

Corporate, administration and business development expenses increased to $96 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $22.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The primary driver for the increase of $73.6 million was the build out of commercial infrastructure in advance of approval, which included an increase in salaries and employee benefits, share based compensation expense and professional fees incurred during the year.

Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter Ended December 31, 2020

For the three months ended December 31, 2020, Aurinia recorded a consolidated net loss of $8.1 million or $0.05 per common share.

Revenues were $50 million and $0.03 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase of $50 million in 2020 was due to the upfront payment from Otsuka of $50 million recorded as licensing revenue.

R&D expenses decreased to $13.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020 compared to $13.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2019. The primary drivers for the slight decrease in R&D spend in 2020 was a decrease in drug manufacturing and supply costs, lower CRO expenses and other third party clinical trial expenses, partially offset by an increase in regulatory related costs as Aurinia prepared for FDA approval.

Corporate, administration and business development expenses increased to $38.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020 compared to $7.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2019. The primary driver for the increase of $31.5 million in 2020 was the build out of commercial infrastructure in advance of approval, which included an increase in salaries and employee benefits, share based compensation expense and professional fees incurred during the quarter.

This press release is intended to be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements and the Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2020 in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is accessible on Aurinia’s website at www.auriniapharma.com, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.

Aurinia will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2020 financial results today, Wednesday, February 24, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. ET. This event can be accessed on the investor section of the Aurinia website at www.auriniapharma.com.

About Lupus Nephritis

LN is a serious progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic and complex autoimmune disease. About 200,000-300,000 people live with SLE in the U.S. and approximately one out of three of these individuals have already developed LN at the time of SLE diagnosis. If poorly controlled, LN can lead to permanent and irreversible tissue damage within the kidney, resulting in kidney failure. Black and Asian individuals with SLE are four times more likely to develop LN and individuals with Hispanic ancestry are approximately twice as likely to develop the disease when compared with Caucasian individuals. Black and Hispanic individuals with SLE also tend to develop LN earlier and have poorer outcomes when compared to Caucasian individuals.