On April 28, 2023 PureTech Health plc (Nasdaq: PRTC, LSE: PRTC) ("PureTech" or the "Company") reported its results for the year ended December 31, 2022, as well as its cash balance as of the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 (Press release, PureTech Health, APR 28, 2023, View Source [SID1234630676]). The following information represents select highlights from the full UK annual report and accounts, except as noted herein, a portion of which will be filed as an exhibit to PureTech’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022, to be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and is also available at View Source
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Webcast and conference call details
Members of the PureTech management team will host a conference call at 9:00am EDT / 2:00pm BST today, April 28, 2022, to discuss these results. A live webcast and presentation slides will be available on the investors section of PureTech’s website under the Events and Presentations tab. To join by phone, please dial:
United Kingdom (Local): 020 3936 2999
United States (Local): 1 845 213 3398
All other locations: +44 20 3936 2999
Access Code: 661094
For those unable to listen to the call live, a replay will be available on the PureTech website.
Commenting on the annual results, Daphne Zohar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PureTech, said:
"2022 was an exceptional year that has shaped the next phase of PureTech’s development and furthered our mission of giving life to new classes of medicines to change the lives of patients with devastating diseases.
"I’m proud that we continue to have one of the most productive track records in biopharma. Across our Wholly Owned Pipeline and Founded Entities, we’ve developed the platforms and programs resulting in 27 therapeutics and therapeutic candidates. Two have gone from inception at PureTech through FDA and EU regulatory clearances, and a third (Karuna’s KarXT) is expected to be filed soon for FDA approval. Within our Wholly Owned Pipeline alone, we completed five clinical trials in 2022, making this our busiest year in the clinic yet.
"Notably, it is due to the success of our unique model that we have been able to generate non-dilutive funding to support our clinical progress and innovation engine, and we have not needed to raise money from the capital markets in over five years. In the last 8 months alone, we generated approximately $215.4 million from a combination of sale of Founded Entity stock and the upfront payment from Royalty Pharma, which acquired an interest in our royalty in Karuna’s KarXT for up to $500 million.
"Looking ahead to the next 12 months, we anticipate multiple important catalysts. We have also advanced several additional molecules into candidate selection, and we expect to announce progress towards the clinic with these new candidates in due course.
"PureTech is poised for another dynamic year as we enter the next phase of our growth with a promising Wholly Owned Pipeline. We believe we are in a position to move these new medicines forward quickly and efficiently, and we expect to achieve a number of milestones over the course of 2023 and beyond."
Also commenting on the annual results, Christopher Viehbacher, Chair of PureTech’s Board, said:
"As a member of PureTech’s Board of Directors for nearly a decade, I have seen the Company grow as a biopharmaceutical pioneer, and 2022 was the most noteworthy year yet. PureTech’s track record of clinical success is six times the industry average, and the Company has pioneered new classes of medicine that are positioned to impact the lives of millions of patients.
"What also stands out to me is how our disciplined approach to development and financial management has created a focused, well-capitalized organization with a clear mission and differentiated value. I have consistently been impressed by how much PureTech achieves with very little resources, especially relative to many of its peers. Given the current macro-economic conditions, this will only become more imperative for companies and the patients and shareholders they serve.
"I am proud to have worked so closely with such a talented and passionate team as I conclude my tenure as Board Chair. As PureTech embarks on a new phase of clinical expansion, I look forward to the multiple exciting milestones ahead in important areas of medical need. The groundbreaking business model and seasoned management team of PureTech remain standouts in the industry, and I believe this will steer the enterprise through continued success in 2023 and beyond. On behalf of the Board, I thank our shareholders for your continued support of our work to change the treatment paradigm for patients."
As previously noted, Mr. Viehbacher was recently appointed President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB). Given the time commitment required by this new role, Mr. Viehbacher will not stand for re-election at the Company’s 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and accordingly will step down from the Company’s Board of Directors effective from the close of the AGM. The Nomination Committee has initiated a process to identify a new Chair, and, in the interim, Dr. Raju Kucherlapati will serve as Interim Chair to fulfill the leadership requirements and governance obligations of the role. In addition, Dr. John LaMattina will join the Audit Committee of the Board, filling the seat vacated by Mr. Viehbacher. The changes to the Board roles of Drs. Kucherlapati and LaMattina will be effective from the close of the Company’s AGM.
Continued advancement and growth of PureTech’s Wholly Owned Programs5
PureTech’s Wholly Owned Programs advanced rapidly in 2022. Its pipeline includes five therapeutic candidates, four of which are currently clinical stage, including one partnered program. The majority of these candidates are centered around enhancing on-target efficacy, enabling oral administration or improving tolerability to unlock new classes of medicine that have previously been held back by one of these issues. PureTech achieves this by applying unique insights or technology. Several upcoming milestones are anticipated for these candidates, including the following:
· LYT-100 (deupirfenidone) is in development for the potential treatment of conditions involving inflammation and fibrosis, including idiopathic fibrosis (IPF), for which current standards of care are associated with significant tolerability issues, resulting in approximately three out of four patients in the U.S. foregoing treatment with these otherwise efficacious medicines.6 LYT-100 is a deuterated form of one of the two standard of care treatments, pirfenidone, which has proven efficacy and has been shown to improve survival in these patients by approximately three years, but its side effects cause patients to discontinue or dose reduce, thereby limiting its effectiveness.7 LYT-100 has shown a 50% reduction in gastrointestinal tolerability issues in a head-to-head study versus pirfenidone, and it can be dosed at a higher exposure level, but with a lower Cmax, than the FDA-approved dosage of pirfenidone, potentially enabling improved efficacy. PureTech is currently evaluating two doses of LYT-100, one with comparable exposure to the approved dose of pirfenidone and one with a higher level of exposure, in a global, randomized double blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with IPF, which is expected to serve as the first of two registration enabling trials. Topline results are expected in 2024.
· LYT-300 (oral allopregnanolone) is in development for the potential treatment of anxiety disorders and postpartum depression (PPD) where there is a need for more effective treatments that work quickly, have more favorable tolerability and can be administered orally. A placebo-controlled, Phase 2a, proof-of-concept trial using a validated clinical model of anxiety in healthy volunteers is expected to begin in the first half of 2023, with topline results anticipated by the end of 2023. An open-label, Phase 2a, proof-of-concept clinical trial in women with PPD is expected to begin in the second half of 2023.
· LYT-200 (anti-galectin-9 mAb) is in development for the potential treatment of metastatic solid tumors that have poor survival rates as well as hematological malignancies, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), where more than 50% of patients either don’t respond to initial treatment or experience relapse after responding to initial treatment.8 In 2022, PureTech initiated a Phase 1b trial in AML, and initial results from a subset of patients are expected by the end of 2023. In the 2023 post-period, PureTech also initiated a Phase 1b trial of LYT-200 in combination with an anti PD-1 antibody, tislelizumab, in patients with urothelial or head and neck cancer. Topline results are expected in 2024.
· LYT-310 (oral cannabidiol [CBD]) is in development to expand the therapeutic application of CBD across a range of epilepsies and neurological disorders. LYT-310 is designed to enable oral administration of CBD in a capsule or other patient-friendly metho of administration; expand the use of CBD into a broad range of therapeutic areas and patient populations (such as adolescents and adults) where higher doses are required to achieve a therapeutic effect; potentially improve safety and reduce gastrointestinal (GI) tract side effects that are associated with the currently approved CBD-based treatment by reducing GI and liver exposure; and allow for a readily scalable, consistent product in a cost-effective manner. LYT-310 is expected to enter the clinic in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Financial Highlights
· In 2022, PureTech disposed of 602,100 shares of Karuna common stock for cash consideration of approximately $115.4 million.
· PureTech level cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $339.5 million as of December 31, 2022. 1
· Consolidated cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, which includes cash held at the PureTech level and at Controlled Founded Entities, were $350.1 million as of December 31, 2022.2
· PureTech’s Founded Entities raised $1.28 billion in 2022,3 almost entirely from third parties.
· PureTech level cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $389.4 million,4 based on consolidated cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $391.5 million,9 as of March 31, 2023
· PureTech’s operational runway extends into the first quarter of 2026.
Strong Clinical, Commercial and Financial Momentum Across PureTech’s Founded Entities10
For details on the progress of PureTech’s Founded Entities, please see pages 12 to 14 of PureTech’s 2022 UK Annual Report and Accounts.
PureTech Health today released its Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2022. In compliance with the Financial Conduct Authority’s Listing Rule 9.6.3, the following documents have today been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at View Source
· Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended December 31, 2022; and
· Notice of 2023 Annual General Meeting.
Printed copies of these documents together with the Form of Proxy will be posted to shareholders in accordance with applicable UK rules. The Company will provide a hard copy of the Annual Report containing its audited financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders upon request in accordance with Nasdaq requirements. Requests should be directed in writing by email to [email protected]. Copies are also available electronically on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at View Source
PureTech’s 2023 AGM will be held on June 13, 2023, at 11:00am EDT / 4:00pm BST at PureTech’s headquarters, which is located at 6 Tide Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Please note that the Company has decided to hold the AGM in the United States where most of the Directors are resident for reasons of efficiency and savings of travel costs.
Shareholders are strongly encouraged to submit a proxy vote in advance of the meeting and to appoint the Chair of the meeting to act as their proxy. If a shareholder wishes to attend the meeting in person, we ask that the shareholder notify the Company by email to [email protected] to assist us in planning and implementing arrangements for this year’s AGM.
The Company appreciates that a number of its shareholders are not resident or located in the United States and asks shareholders to participate in the AGM by submitting any questions in advance and voting via proxy rather than attending in person. As such, any specific questions on the business of the AGM and resolutions can be submitted ahead of meeting by e-mail to [email protected] (marked for the attention of Dr. Bharatt Chowrira).
Shareholders are encouraged to complete and return their votes by proxy, and to do so no later than 4:00 pm (BST) on June 9, 2023. This will appoint the chair of the meeting as proxy and will ensure that votes will be counted even though attendance at the meeting is restricted and you are unable to attend in person. Details of how to appoint a proxy are set out in the notice of AGM.
PureTech will keep shareholders updated of any changes it may decide to make to the current plans for the AGM. Please visit the Company’s website at www.puretechhealth.com for the most up to date information.