Acorda Second Quarter 2021 Update: Webcast/Conference Call Scheduled for August 5, 2021

On July 30, 2021 Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOR) reported that it will host a conference call and webcast in conjunction with its second quarter 2021 update and financial results on Thursday, August 5 at 4:30 p.m. ET (Press release, Acorda Therapeutics, JUL 30, 2021, View Source [SID1234585465]).

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To participate in the Webcast/Conference Call, please use the following pre-registration links:

To register for the Webcast, use the link below: View Source
To register for the Conference Call, use the link below: View Source
**When registering, please type your phone number with no special characters**
Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with Webcast/Conference Call details. For the Webcast, you will receive an email 2 hours prior to the start of the call with the link to join. The presentation will be available on the Investors section of www.acorda.com.

A replay of the call will be available from 7:30 p.m. ET on August 5, 2021 until 11:59 p.m. ET on September 4, 2021. To access the replay, please dial (845) 709 8569 (domestic) or +44 20 3936 3001 (international); reference code 373556. The archived webcast will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Acorda website at www.acorda.com.

Takeda Delivers Solid First Quarter FY2021 Results, Positioning Company to Accelerate Topline Growth and Continued Pipeline Progress

On July 30, 2021 Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK) ("Takeda") reported financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 (period ended June 30, 2021). Based on the solid first-quarter results, the Company also confirmed its fiscal year 2021 management guidance and forecast. Fiscal year 2021 remains a year of inflection with Takeda positioned for topline acceleration and continued pipeline progress, including critical regulatory submissions, potential approvals and additional new molecular entities (NMEs) advancing in pivotal studies.

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Costa Saroukos, Chief Financial Officer, commented:
"With the Shire integration behind us and continued transformation over the last two years, we’ve pivoted towards accelerating topline growth and investing in R&D to fuel our highly innovative pipeline. Takeda’s first-quarter results demonstrate the continued strength of our 14 global brands and, with the business momentum from this strong start to our fiscal year, we remain on track towards our full-year management guidance."

"FY2021 is an inflection year for our pipeline as we ramp up strategic R&D investments and the pipeline starts to deliver. We anticipate having five to six Wave 1 pipeline regulatory submissions by the end of this fiscal year, with the potential for five approvals by end of H1 FY2022. The resilience of Takeda’s business model is a testament to our unwavering commitment to serving patients, our people and the planet. We are focused on discovering and delivering life-transforming treatments to people around the world to create and maximize long-term value for society."

FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

Results for Q1 FY2021 Ended June 30, 2021

(a) Further information on certain of Takeda’s Non-IFRS measures is posted on Takeda’s investor relations website at View Source." target="_blank" title="View Source." rel="nofollow">View Source
(b) Underlying growth compares two periods (quarters or years) of financial results under a common basis and is used by management to assess the business. These financial results are calculated on a constant currency basis and excluding the impact of divestitures and other amounts that are unusual, non-recurring items or unrelated to our ongoing operations.
(c) Core Operating Profit represents net profit adjusted to exclude income tax expenses, the share of profit or loss of investments accounted for using the equity method, finance expenses and income, other operating expenses and income, amortization and impairment losses on acquired intangible assets and other items unrelated to Takeda’s core operations, such as non-recurring items, purchase accounting effects and transaction related costs.
(d) Free Cash Flow represents cash flows from operating activities, excluding acquisition of plant, property and equipment, intangible assets and investments, and any other cash that is not available to Takeda’s immediate or general business use, and including proceeds from sales of property, plant, sales and redemption of investments and businesses, net of cash and cash equivalents divested.
View Source

Reported Revenue increased +18.4% to 949.6 billion yen ($8.6B); Underlying Core Revenue increased +3.8% vs. FY2020 Q1, driven by the 14 global brands

Takeda’s 14 global brands, with an aggregate reported revenue of 335.6 billion yen ($3.0B), posted year-over-year underlying revenue growth of +6.8% despite quarterly phasing headwinds for TAKHZYRO and IG. Takeda’s 5 key business areas with 708.0 billion yen ($6.4B) in reported revenue represented 87% of core revenues1.
GI with 210.5 billion yen ($1.9B) in reported revenue, with underlying revenue growth of +8% spearheaded by gut-selective ENTYVIO.
Rare Diseases with 155.5 billion yen ($1.4 B) in reported revenue declining -3% on an underlying basis, with HAE growth impacted by phasing, but remains in line with the current plan.
Plasma Derived Therapy (PDT) Immunology with 107.2 billion yen ($1.0B) in reported revenue declining -2% on an underlying basis, impacted by quarterly phasing of Immunoglobulin products, with full-year outlook unchanged.
Oncology with 121.4 billion yen ($1.1B) in reported revenue, with underlying revenue growth +9% driven by indication expansion across the portfolio.
Neuroscience with 113.4 billion yen ($1.0B) in reported revenue, with underlying revenue growth +3% driven by strong rebound of Vyvanse following impact of COVID-19 in the prior year.
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1 Percentage of sales are based on Core revenue; adjusted to remove JPY 133.0B from sale of Japan diabetes portfolio recorded in revenue

Reported Operating Profit increased 48.6% Underlying Core Operating Profit Margin was 30.5% for Q1

Reported operating profit increased 48.6% to 248.6 billion yen ($2.2B) compared to FY2020 Q1, driven by a gain on the sale of the diabetes portfolio in Japan, lower purchase price accounting expenses and lower integration costs. These items more than offset a decrease in other operating income due to a one-time gain recorded in FY2020 Q1.
Underlying core operating profit for the current period declined -2.1% reflecting an increase in R&D investment and is expected to recover to "mid-single digit" growth for the full year.
Continued progress in debt pre-payment with approximately 242.9 billion yen toward $2.2 billion paid in FY2021 Q1.
Achieved several critical pipeline milestones to date in FY2021

Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine, approved in Japan for adults in May and expanded age indication to adolescents 12+ years old in July, with distribution underway.
Mobocertinib (TAK-788) filing under review in US, China, and other countries.
Maribavir’s (TAK-620) filing and acceptance in the US and EU, with FDA granting priority review.
Orexin (TAK-994) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for Narcolepsy Type 1.
TAK-999 granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for AATD2 Liver Disease
Collaboration with Frazier Healthcare Partners to launch HilleVax, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company to develop and commercialize TAK-214, Takeda’s norovirus vaccine candidate.
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2 AATD = Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Important recognition in Q1

Two of Takeda’s facilities in Japan and Ireland were recognized by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) with the 2021 Facility Of the Year Awards for the use of digital and innovative technologies to enhance manufacturing capabilities.
FY2021 Guidance

On track towards full-year FY2021 guidance (Unchanged from May 2021)

Key assumptions in FY2021 forecast

Company guidance reflects management’s expectations for continued business momentum across Takeda’s five key business areas, underlying revenue growth of its 14 global brands, and accelerated realization of cost synergies, while continuing to invest in R&D.

FY2021 guidance reflects the following key assumptions, including (1) Takeda expects at least one 505(b)2 competitor for subcutaneous VELCADE to launch in the U.S. around mid FY2021; (2) Takeda does not expect to restart sales of Natpara in the U.S. market in FY2021; and (3) FY2021 guidance does not include the impact of any potential further divestitures beyond what has already been disclosed by Takeda.

To date, Takeda has not experienced a material effect on its financial results as a result of the global spread of the novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19). Based on currently available information, Takeda believes that its financial results for FY2021 will not be materially affected by COVID-19 and, accordingly, Takeda’s FY2021 forecast reflects this belief. However, the situation surrounding COVID-19 remains highly fluid, and future COVID-19-related developments in FY2021, including new or additional COVID-19 outbreaks and additional or extended lockdowns, shelter-in-place orders or other government action in major markets, could result in further or more serious disruptions to Takeda’s business, such as slowdowns in demand for Takeda’s products, supply chain related issues or significant delays in its clinical trial programs. These events, if they occur, could result in an additional impact on Takeda’s business, results of operations or financial condition, as well as result in significant deviations from Takeda’s FY2021 forecast.

For more details on Takeda’s Q1 FY2021 results and other financial information, please visit: View Source

More information on Takeda’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) approach and values-based corporate governance can be found in the 2021 Annual Integrated Report for FY2020, which ended March 31, 2021. This report can be accessed on Takeda’s website at: View Source

Affimed Announces Publication of Comprehensive Preclinical Data Demonstrating the Therapeutic Potential of AFM24 in EGFR-expressing Tumors

On July 30, 2021 Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, reported the publication of a comprehensive preclinical in vitro and in vivo data package of its innate cell engager (ICE) AFM24 (CD16A/EGFR) in mAbs (Press release, Affimed, JUL 30, 2021, View Source [SID1234585476]). The published data were the basis for the Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance for Affimed’s ongoing Phase 1/2a study with AFM24 monotherapy in patients with EGFR expressing solid tumors. The preclinical data demonstrates AFM24’s unique mechanism of action that harnesses the innate immune system to induce tumor cell killing via antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cell phagocytosis (ADCP).

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"These pre-clinical data are encouraging as they demonstrate the potential for AFM24 to effectively target a broad set of tumors expressing varying levels of EGFR, regardless of their mutational status, and with the potential for less pronounced EGFR-related toxicities than current treatment options," said Arndt Schottelius, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Affimed. "This could be highly relevant for many patients with different tumor types despite existing EFGR-targeting therapies as these have limitations in efficacy and safety."

Highlights of the recently published results include:

AFM24 binds with high affinity to CD16A on NK cells and macrophages in vitro.
AFM24 potently induces ADCC via NK cells, and ADCP via macrophages in vitro.
AFM24 is effective against many EGFR-positive tumor cells, regardless of EGFR expression level and KRAS/BRAF mutational status within in vitro studies.
AFM24 is well tolerated up to the highest dose level (75 mg/kg) with no skin and other toxicities in cynomolgus monkeys.
The full manuscript is available here: https://bit.ly/3zLDq3i

About AFM24
AFM24 is a tetravalent, bispecific innate cell engager (ICE) that activates the innate immune system by binding to CD16A on innate immune cells and EGFR, a protein widely expressed on solid tumors, to kill cancer cells. Generated by Affimed’s fit-for-purpose ROCK platform, AFM24 represents a distinctive mechanism of action that uses EGFR as a docking site to engage innate immune cells for tumor cell killing through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis.

Affimed is evaluating AFM24 as a monotherapy for patients with advanced EGFR-expressing solid malignancies whose disease has progressed after treatment with previous anticancer therapies. AFM24-101 is a first-in-human Phase 1/2a open-label, non-randomized, multi-center, multiple ascending dose escalation and expansion study and can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov using the identifier NCT04259450. In addition, Affimed is planning to initiate further studies evaluating AFM24 in combination with Roche’s atezolizumab, an anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor and, separately, an investigation of AFM24 in combination with NKGen Biotech’s autologous NK cell product.

Mersana Therapeutics to Host Conference Call Announcing Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results and Business Updates

On July 30, 2021 Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRSN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing a pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting cancers in areas of high unmet medical need, reported that it will host a conference call and webcast on Friday, August 6, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. ET to report financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 and provide business updates (Press release, Mersana Therapeutics, JUL 30, 2021, https://ir.mersana.com/news-releases/news-release-details/mersana-therapeutics-host-conference-call-announcing-second-2 [SID1234585472]).

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To access the call, please dial 877-303-9226 (domestic) or 409-981-0870 (international) and provide the Conference ID 3876353. A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investors & Media section of the Mersana website at www.mersana.com.

Halozyme to Participate in Canaccord Genuity 41st Annual Growth Conference

On July 30, 2021 Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) reported that Elaine Sun, senior vice president and chief financial officer, will virtually represent the company in a fireside chat at the Canaccord Genuity 41st Annual Growth Conference Securities 2021 Virtual Health Care Conference on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time (Press release, Halozyme, JUL 30, 2021, View Source [SID1234585471]).

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An audio-only direct link of the presentation can be accessed through the "Investors" section of www.halozyme.com, and a recording will be made available for 6 months following the event. To access the link, please visit Halozyme’s website approximately 10 minutes prior to the presentation to register and download any necessary audio software.