On March 25 2020 Oncocyte Corporation (NYSE American: OCX), a molecular diagnostics company with a mission to provide actionable answers at critical decision points across the cancer care continuum, reported financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2019, and provided a corporate update (Press release, Oncocyte, MAR 25, 2020, View Source [SID1234555826]).
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"We started 2020 in a strong position with significant accomplishments that support our strategy to provide actionable answers to physicians and their patients with the goal of improving outcomes and survival," said Ron Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of Oncocyte. "I am incredibly proud to have officially transitioned to a commercial stage company with the launch of DetermaRxTM, the first test for chemotherapy benefit prediction in patients with NSCLC. We have successfully onboarded all 7 of our early access partners and they have started sending patient samples to our lab and, notably, all physicians have re-ordered the test, a very important indicator of future utilization. To date, we have identified 7 "high-risk" patients and believe we are already saving lives by identifying high-risk patients whose treatment course will now include adjuvant chemotherapy instead of surgical resection alone. This is a remarkable advancement for early NSCLC patients, and we are honored to be able to provide clarity for these patients and their physicians when making critical decisions after surgery. We look forward to receiving our final coverage decision from CMS and our continued progress in widespread adoption of this important test."
Mr. Andrews continued, "While we are doing our part to minimize the COVID-19 situation in our local communities, we have been able to continue lab operations in compliance with applicable orders and mandates, and have made great strides in expanding our suite of important tests with the acquisition of Insight Genetics which includes DetermaIOTM, our immunotherapy response prediction test. With the recently announced CLIA validation of DetermaIOTM, and the subsequent commercial launch for research use in academic and biopharma settings, we are poised to provide a valuable and potentially transformative test that we believe, based on recently published clinical data, outperforms currently available PD-L1 and TMB immunotherapy response prediction tests. We also have continued our progress in advancing DetermaDxTM , and we were pleased to announce the completion of CLIA validation in early January, consistent with our previous guidance, and believe we are now are on track with clinical validation and preparations for commercial availability. Taken together, it is clear that Oncocyte is transforming into a leader for early lung content. While cancer surgeries are being impacted by the current COVID-19 situation, our discussions with surgeons indicate that these patients will still be getting treated and surgeries will restart soon, so our focus is on being ready when that moment happens. We look forward to continued execution across our commercialization and development efforts for a milestone rich 2020."
Recent Corporate Highlights
●Successfully completed acquisition of Insight Genetics
oAcquisition broadens Oncocyte’s portfolio of molecular diagnostic tests with addition of DetermaIOTM, a potentially transformative immunotherapy response prediction test demonstrated to outperform PD-L1 and TMB tests
oCompleted CLIA validation of DetermaIOTM, enabling research use launch of the test as a reliable and robust option for academic research and biopharma companies
oUnlocks significant pharma services opportunity including immunotherapy trials and development of companion diagnostics in lung cancer and other solid tumors
oAcquisition significantly expands Oncocyte’s suite of proprietary tests to manage key decision points potentially across multiple stages and types of cancer, as immunotherapies are currently approved for thirteen solid tumor types
●Transformed into a commercial stage company with launch of DetermaRxTM
oAnnounced commercial availability of DetermaRxTM in early January, transforming Oncocyte to a commercial stage company. With multiple sites already onboarded and testing beginning, the commercial team is focused on driving rapid adoption across specialty physicians
oDetermaRxTM, a CLIA-validated lung cancer treatment stratification test, broadens Oncocyte’s capabilities with an extensively validated and published molecular test that enables the identification of early-stage lung cancer patients at high risk for recurrence that are likely to benefit from chemotherapy. OncoCyte acquired the rights to commercialize this test from Razor Genomics in September 2019
oReceived regulatory approval to begin distribution of DetermaRxTM in Canada
oProvided an educational grant in support of an accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) Activity: Advances in Diagnostic Testing: Assessing Your Patient’s Risk of Recurrence to Inform Treatment Decisions in Early-Stage NSCLC
●Successful Completion of CLIA Validation Study of DetermaDxTM
oDemonstrates the successful transfer of the research assay to the rigorous environment of Oncocyte’s commercial CLIA laboratory
oOncocyte has commenced Clinical Validation, which is expected to be completed in Q2 2020. Upon successful completion of Clinical Validation and establishment of performance parameters, Oncocyte will begin preparations for commercial availability
●Presented data at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2019 on the Immune Response for Nodule Evaluation (IRENE) clinical cohort used for the development and validation of DetermaDxTM. IRENE is one of the largest reported clinical study cohorts in lung nodule management with 62 sites in the U.S. and over 3,000 enrolled patients. IRENE is uniquely representative across clinical settings with a focus on community practices, where most lung cancer patients are diagnosed and treated
●Successfully completed a $7.6 million registered offering of common shares, priced at the market, directly with fundamentally driven, healthcare focused institutional investors. The proceeds strengthened Oncocyte’s balance sheet, which will support the strategic commercial launch of the DetermaRxTM lung cancer stratification test and the continued development of DetermaDxTM
●Moved Oncocyte’s administrative and executive headquarters to Orange County, California, in January 2020. Plans to construct a clinical diagnostic laboratory and a research laboratory at the new location are being implemented. The move best suited Oncocyte’s need to find talented individuals to join its growing team and provides opportunities to engage with oncology patients in the community setting, as well as potentially reduce overall operating costs associated with our CLIA Lab Service
Fourth Quarter and Annual 2019 Financial Highlights
At December 31, 2019, Oncocyte had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $22.5 million as compared to $8.5 million at December 31, 2018. On March 20, 2020 Oncocyte put in place an at-the-market (ATM) offering for access to additional working capital.
For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019, Oncocyte reported a net loss of $8.0 million, or $(0.15) per share, as compared to $4.5 million, or $(0.11) per share, for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018.
For 2019, Oncocyte reported a net loss of $22.4 million, or $(0.44) per share, compared to $15.8 million, or $(0.42) per share for 2018.
Operating expenses, as reported, for the three months ended December 31, 201,9 were $7.5 million, an increase of $3.5 million as compared to the same period in 2018. Operating expenses, as adjusted, for the three months ended December 31, 2019, were $6.7 million, an increase of $3.1 million as compared to the same period in 2018.
Operating expenses, as reported, for the year ended December 31, 2019, were $22.2 million, an increase of $7.0 million as compared to the same period 2018. Operating expenses, as adjusted, for the year ended December 31, 2019, were $18.6 million, an increase of $6.1 million as compared in 2018.
The reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP operating expenses is provided in the financial tables included with this earnings release.
Research and development expenses for fourth quarter of 2019 were $2.3 million as compared to $1.2 million for the same period in 2018, an increase of $1.1 million. The increase was primarily attributable to personnel and laboratory related expenses for the completion of CLIA validation of DetermaDxTM. Research and development expenses for 2019 were $6.8 million as compared to $6.5 million for 2018, remained relatively unchanged.
General and administrative expenses for the fourth quarter of 2019 were $4.2 million, as compared to $2.6 million for the same period in 2018, an increase of $1.6 million. General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019, were $13.3 million, as compared to $7.0 million for 2018, an increase of $6.3 million. The increases were primarily attributable to personnel and related expenses, including management transition costs; investment banking expenses; legal, business development, investor relations, recruiting, audit and accounting related expenses; and noncash stock-based compensation expense due to additional equity grants. As Oncocyte transitioned from Lineage Cell Therapeutics ("Lineage" formerly BioTime, Inc.) Shared Services by the second half of 2019, Oncocyte hired its own administrative, human resources, legal, finance and accounting functions and teams. This transition also included the termination of the Shared Facilities agreement with Lineage as of December 31, 2019, in which Oncocyte leased its own facilities and laboratories and moved into its Irvine, California, headquarters in January 2020.
Sales and marketing expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2019, were $1.0 million, as compared to $0.3 million for the same period in 2018, an increase of $0.7 million. Sales and marketing expenses for 2019 were $2.2 million, as compared to $1.7 million for 2018, an increase of $0.5 million. The increases were primarily due to sales and marketing efforts, including key hires and ramp-up in activities for commercialization of DetermaRxTM.
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call today, March 25, 2020, at 4:30 pm EDT / 1:30 pm PDT to discuss the results along with recent corporate developments.
The dial-in number in the U.S./Canada is 877-407-9716; for international participants, the number is 201-493-6779. For all callers, please refer to Conference ID 13700598. To access the live webcast, go to the investor relations section on the Company’s website, or by clicking here: View Source