On February 29, 2024 Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company" or "Y-mAbs") (Nasdaq: YMAB), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, radioimmunotherapy and antibody-based therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer, reported financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023 (Press release, Y-mAbs Therapeutics, FEB 29, 2024, View Source [SID1234640669]).
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"Y-mAbs has made significant progress across both the development and commercial fronts of our business resulting in a momentous 2023," said Mike Rossi, President and Chief Executive Officer. "From a development standpoint, we demonstrated proof-of-concept of our Self-Assembly DisAssembly ("SADA") Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy ("PRIT") platform, showing that GD2-SADA targets and binds to tumors in humans in a Phase 1 trial. We continue to expect to present mature data from Part A of our Phase 1 GD2-SADA clinical trial at a medical meeting in the second half of this year. In addition, we look forward to initiating our CD38-SADA Phase 1 trial this year. While we continue to advance our SADA PRIT platform and programs through clinical development, we are supported by the solid commercial performance of DANYELZA (naxitamab-gqgk). We achieved record quarterly and annual net product revenues, and sales continue trending upward as more high-volume centers deploy DANYELZA for their patients. Our strong financial foundation and operational performance continue to fuel our mission of providing better and safe therapies for a variety of cancers and improve the lives of patients and their families."
Fourth Quarter 2023 and Recent Corporate Developments
· In December 2023, Y-mAbs announced that it was added to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ: NBI), effective December 18, 2023.
· On October 18, 2023, Y-mAbs announced that its Board of Directors appointed radiopharmaceutical industry veteran Mr. Rossi as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 6, 2023. Thomas Gad, who founded Y-mAbs in 2015 and has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer since 2022, transitioned to the role of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Business Officer.
· On October 17, 2023, the U.S. FDA cleared Y-mAbs’ IND for CD38-SADA, marking the second clinical development program utilizing the Company’s novel SADA PRIT technology platform.
· On October 16, 2023, Y-mAbs announced the publication of a study of naxitamab-based chemoimmunotherapy ("HITS") study in patients with refractory high-risk neuroblastoma ("HR-NB") in the journal Cancers. The study investigated the HITS combination in patients with HR-NB who did not respond well to induction or refractory therapy. Patients who received HITS immediately after induction had higher response rates (47% vs. 18%) and superior estimated three-year overall survival (85% vs. 29%), compared with those who received the same combination regimen later in the course of treatment. The publication is entitled, "Early Salvage Chemo-Immunotherapy with Irinotecan, Temozolomide and Naxitamab Plus GM-CSF (HITS) for Patients with Primary Refractory High-Risk Neuroblastoma Provide the Best Chance for Long-Term Outcomes."
On October 11, 2023, Y-mAbs showcased three poster presentations, in addition to an online publication, of DANYELZA at the 55th Congress of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology in Ottawa, Canada.
Financial Results
Revenues
DANYELZA net product revenues were $23.4 million and $84.3 million for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2023, which represented increases of 42% and 71%, respectively, over $16.4 million and $49.3 million in the comparable periods of 2022. The DANYELZA net product revenues of $23.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, represented a favorable 17% increase compared to the third quarter of 2023, primarily driven by increased U.S. sales.
As of December 31, 2023, Y-mAbs has delivered DANYELZA to 58 centers across the U.S. since initial launch, with ten new accounts added in 2023.
The Company did not have license revenues in the quarter ended December 31, 2023 and had license revenues of $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company reported license revenues of $15.0 million and $16.0 million for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2022. License revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 arose from the September 2023 achievement of marketing authorization for DANYELZA in Mexico under the Company’s sublicense agreement with Adium. During the quarter and year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized a regulatory-based milestone of $15.0 million from SciClone Pharmaceuticals International Ltd. for the conditional approval of DANYELZA in China.
Operating Costs and Expenses
Cost of Goods Sold
Cost of goods sold was $2.0 million for the quarters ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The cost of goods sold was $11.4 million and $7.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively. The increase in cost of goods sold in both periods was primarily driven by increased product revenues. The Company experienced inventory write-downs of $0.8 million and $1.2 million in the years ended December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, respectively.
The Company’s gross margin, excluding the 2023 and 2022 inventory write-downs, increased in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 91% due to the gross margin increase from higher U.S. revenues. The Company’s gross margin, excluding the 2023 and 2022 inventory write-downs, remained constant at 87% for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, which was the net impact of the gross margin increase from higher U.S. revenues, offset by increased revenues from geographic areas outside the U.S., which were at a lower gross margin. The Company defines gross margin as net product revenues less cost of goods sold divided by net product revenues.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses were $13.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, a reduction of 32% compared to $19.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2022. The $6.4 million decrease was primarily due to decreased spending on deprioritized programs, which resulted in a $3.1 million decrease in outsourced manufacturing, a $2.0 million decrease in personnel-related costs, inclusive of stock-based compensation, and a $2.2 million decrease in outsourced research and supplies, partially offset by a $1.2 million increase in clinical trials expenses.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, research and development expenses were $54.2 million, a reduction of 41% compared to $91.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The $37.4 million decrease was primarily due to decreased spending on deprioritized programs, resulting in a $21.0 million decrease in outsourced manufacturing, a $9.0 million decrease in outsourced research and supplies, a $6.1 million decrease in personnel-related costs, inclusive of stock-based compensation, and a $2.0 million decrease in clinical trials, partially offset by a $3.8 million increase in milestones and license acquisition costs primarily related to a $4.1 million increase in milestones accrued under the Company’s SADA License Agreement, as the Company determined that achievement of certain time-based clinical milestones within the agreement are probable based on the availability of data and the assessment of clinical progress in the year of 2023.
The $2.0 million and $6.1 million decreases in personnel-related costs during the quarter and year ended December 31, 2023, respectively, were driven by the headcount reduction as part of the Company’s restructuring plan announced in January 2023. The expense reduction in the year ended December 31, 2023 was partially offset by severance charges recognized in conjunction with the restructuring plan.
Selling, General, and Administration
Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $11.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, which was a slight increase compared to $10.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2022.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, selling, general, and administrative expenses were $44.9 million, a reduction of 26% compared to $60.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The $16.0 million decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily attributable to a $10.9 million charge in the year ended December 31, 2022 related to contractual severance-related benefits for the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer, and, to a lesser extent, a $3.4 million decrease in commercialization expenses, inclusive of costs of incurred in 2022 in anticipation of a potential omburtamab launch.
Interest and Other Income/(Loss)
Interest and other income/(loss) was relatively unchanged at $2.4 million as compared to $2.3 million during the quarters ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Interest and other income/(loss) was $4.8 million of income as compared to $0.8 million of loss for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The $5.6 million favorable change in interest and other income/(loss), reflects increased interest income for the year ended December 31, 2023, and was driven by increased money market fund investment income. The Company recorded impairment charges totaling $1.4 million related to the write down of two Secured Promissory Notes during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Net Loss
Y-mAbs reported a net loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, of $1.0 million, or ($0.02) per basic and diluted share, compared to net income of $1.2 million, or $0.03 per basic and diluted share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2022. The net income for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, was after $15.0 million of license revenue recognized in the fourth quarter of 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company reported a net loss of $21.4 million, or ($0.49) per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss of $95.6 million, or ($2.19) per basic and diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2022. The favorable decrease in net loss for the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily driven by an increase in U.S. and international DANYELZA product revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as decreased research and development cost, and decreased selling, general and administration cost.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
As of December 31, 2023, Y-mAbs had approximately $78.6 million in cash and cash equivalents which, together with anticipated DANYELZA product revenues, is expected to support operations as currently planned into 2027. This estimate reflects the Company’s current business plan that is supported by assumptions that may prove to be inaccurate, such that Y-mAbs could use its available capital resources sooner than it currently expects.
2024 Financial Guidance
· Anticipated DANYELZA net product revenues of between $95 million and $100 million;
· Anticipated operating expenses of between $115 million and $120 million;
· Anticipated total annual cash burn of between $15 million and $20 million; and
· Cash and cash equivalents anticipated to continue to support operations as currently planned into 2027.
Webcast and Conference Call
Y-mAbs will host a conference call on Friday, March 1, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. ET. To participate in the call, please use the following dial-in information.
Investors (domestic): (877) 407-0792
Investors (international): (201) 689-8263
Conference ID: 13744085
To access a live webcast of the update, please use this link. Prior to the call and webcast, a slide presentation pertaining to our quarterly earnings will be made available in the investor relations section of our website, www.ymabs.com, shortly before the call begins.