On December 7, 2023 Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:APDN) ("Applied DNA" or the "Company"), a leader in PCR-based DNA technologies, reported consolidated financial results for its fourth quarter ended September 30, 2023 (Press release, Applied DNA Sciences, DEC 7, 2023, View Source [SID1234638262]).
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"Our fiscal fourth quarter concludes a productive year during which we took a number of critical steps that place us firmly in the execution phase of our pivot to a biotherapeutic manufacturing-first growth strategy," stated Dr. James A. Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA. "We closed on the strategic acquisition of Spindle Biotech that empowered the launch of our Linea IVT platform, initiated the build-out of an initial GMP manufacturing footprint to produce critical mRNA starting materials, acquired what we believe to be an enviable base of early-phase customers for both our Linea DNA and Linea IVT platforms, and affirmed our capacity for the rapid production of multi-gram quantities of Linea DNA. Cumulatively, these steps expand our relevance into the growing and diverse value chain of genetic medicine manufacturing with a near-term focus on enabling our customers to produce better mRNA faster.
"At our ADCL clinical lab and supply chain traceability segments, progress has been slower than hoped for due to the ongoing review of our pharmacogenomics assay and testing service by New York State Department of Health’s and as we pursue initiatives to migrate our seasonal cotton tagging business into a year-around revenue stream, respectively."
Continued Dr. Hayward, "Looking ahead to fiscal 2024, we believe that continued biotherapeutics segment momentum and anticipated continued expansion in genetic medicine manufacturing demand, particularly for mRNA, can drive segment growth in the coming fiscal year. Our optimism is founded in our proprietary Linea IVT platform that enables the cell-free, enzymatic production of critical mRNA starting materials with unprecedented flexibility, speed, scale, and costs. We believe that this platform offers the industry the ability to outperform conventional mRNA production processes at the exact time the industry is seeking differentiation and is embracing next-generation, fully enzymatic workflows."
"Furthermore, our planned GMP capacity for critical mRNA starting materials is expected to now come online in the first half of calendar 2024, subject to the availability of financing, that will for the first time enable us to support current and new customers’ migration to the clinic with mRNA drug candidates. We believe this capacity will be a catalyst for our procurement of larger-scale supply agreements for our platforms. Additionally, we will continue to invest for the future with a focus on platform optimization and data generation to enhance Linea DNA’s standing as an alternative source of DNA for all genetic medicines. While we expect fiscal 2024 to be a milestones-driven year for us given the biotherapeutics industry’s ongoing investment in mRNA, longer term, we believe the future of our Linea DNA platform is not constrained to critical starting materials for mRNA production and have already secured research use only orders and are starting to build a backlog for in vitro diagnostics, gene editing/therapy and adoptive cell therapy applications."
Summary Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2023 Financial Results:
Total revenues were approximately $780 thousand for the three-month period September 30, 2023, compared to $3.6 million for the same period in the prior fiscal year. The decrease in revenue of approximately $2.8 million was due to an expected decline in COVID-19 testing services revenue of $2.4 million driven primarily by cancellation of the testing contract with City University of New York (CUNY) in June 2023. The decrease was also due to a reduction in product revenue of $341 thousand. The decline in product revenues is primarily related to a decrease in the textiles market due to a decline year-over-year in cotton DNA tagging revenue.
Gross profit for the three-month period ended September 30, 2023, was $79 thousand, compared to $417 thousand for the three-month period ended September 30, 2022. The gross profit percentage was 10% and 12% for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively. The decline in gross profit year-over-year is due to a higher percentage of COVID-19 surveillance testing services revenue in the three-months ended September 30, 2022, that generated a higher gross profit compared to the same period in the current fiscal year.
Operating loss decreased to $4.2 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2023, as compared to $4.3 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. The decrease in operating loss is the result of lower operating expenses during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 by $419 thousand, offset by the decline in revenue discussed above. The decrease in operating expenses was primarily due to a decrease in payroll and insurance expenses.
Net loss was $3.6 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2023, compared to $665 thousand for the fourth quarter of 2022.
Excluding non-cash expenses, Adjusted EBITDA was a negative $3.5 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2023, compared to a negative $3.4 million for the same period in fiscal 2022.
Cash and cash equivalents stood at $7.2 million on September 30, 2023, compared with $10.8 million as of June 30, 2023.
Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2023 Conference Call Information
The Company will hold a conference call and webcast to discuss its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023 financial results on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at 4:30 PM ET. To participate in the conference call, please follow the instructions below. While every attempt will be made to answer investors’ questions on the Q&A portion of the call, not all questions may be answered.
To Participate, please ask to be joined to the ‘Applied DNA Sciences’ call:
Domestic callers (toll free): 844-887-9402
International callers: 412-317-6798
Canadian callers (toll free): 866-605-3852
Live and replay of webcast: View Source