On May 14, 2024 Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Citius" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CTXR), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of first-in-class critical care products, reported business and financial results for the fiscal second quarter 2024 ended March 31, 2024 (Press release, Citius Pharmaceuticals, MAY 14, 2024, View Source [SID1234643213]).
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Second Quarter 2024 Business Highlights and Subsequent Developments
- LYMPHIR (denileukin diftitox) biologics license application (BLA) accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with August 13, 2024, assigned as Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date;
- Data analysis underway for completed Mino-Lok Pivotal Phase 3 trial with topline results anticipated in calendar 2Q 2024;
- Continued engagement with FDA following end of Phase 2b meeting to determine next phase in the development of Halo-Lido for the treatment of hemorrhoids;
- Merger of our wholly owned subsidiary with TenX Keane Acquisition (Nasdaq: TENK) to form publicly listed Citius Oncology, Inc. is progressing and pending review by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and TENK shareholder approval;
- Robert Smith elected to the Citius Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders; and,
- Completed $15 million registered direct offering in April 2024 extending the Company’s cash runway.
Financial Highlights
- Cash and cash equivalents of $12.6 million as of March 31, 2024;
- $15 million in gross proceeds from a registered direct offering on April 30, 2024, extends the Company’s cash runway through December 2024;
- R&D expenses were $3.6 million and $6.2 million for the three and six months ended March 31, 2024, respectively, compared to $4.7 million and $8.2 million for the three and six months ended March 31, 2023, respectively;
- G&A expenses were $4.3 million and $7.9 million for the three and six months ended March 31, 2024, respectively, compared to $4.8 million and $7.4 million for the three and six months ended March 31, 2023, respectively;
- Stock-based compensation expense was $3.1 million and $6.1 million for the three and six months ended March 31, 2024, respectively, compared to $1.2 million and $2.4 million for the three and six months ended March 31, 2023, respectively; and,
- Net loss was $8.5 million and $17.8 million, or ($0.05) and ($0.11) per share for the three and six months ended March 31, 2024, respectively, compared to a net loss of $10.5 million and $14.1 million, or ($0.07) and ($0.10) per share for the three and six months ended March 31, 2023, respectively.
"I am pleased to share that we made solid progress this quarter as we focused on execution and managing our finances. The data analysis of our late-stage asset, Mino-Lok, the only treatment of its kind in development to salvage infected catheters, remains on track. We look forward to reporting the topline results later this quarter. Once we review the results, we plan to engage with the FDA to determine the optimal next steps in the program and look forward to advancing this much-needed alternative to the current standard of care, which often involves painful and costly catheter removal and replacement," stated Leonard Mazur, Chairman and CEO of Citius.
"Importantly, the BLA submission for LYMPHIR, our novel IL-2 receptor targeted oncology therapy, was accepted by the FDA, and assigned a late summer 2024 PDUFA target action date. In anticipation of potential approval, we continue to align the organization for a successful launch," added Mazur.
"Despite a tough capital market environment for pre-revenue companies, we successfully completed a $15 million registered direct offering, expanding our cash runway and providing capital to support the execution of our strategic plan. We believe that the merger of our oncology subsidiary with TenX to form a publicly listed company will make our company more attractive to investors and increase the value of our assets. This transaction is progressing, and we expect it to be completed in the coming months as we finalize SEC review and await approval by TENK shareholders. As we continue to meet our goals, we believe additional opportunities to strengthen our capital structure will become available," concluded Mazur.
SECOND QUARTER 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS:
Liquidity
As of March 31, 2024, the Company had $12.6 million in cash and cash equivalents.
As of March 31, 2024, the Company had 159,094,781 common shares outstanding.
Based on our cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2024, and after giving effect to a capital raising that closed on April 30, 2024, we expect to have sufficient funds to continue our operations through December 2024. We expect to raise additional capital in the future to support our operations beyond December 2024.
Research and Development (R&D) Expenses
R&D expenses were $3.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, compared to $4.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. For the six months ended March 31, 2024, R&D expenses were $6.2 million as compared to $8.2 million during the six months ended March 31, 2023, a decrease of $1.9 million. The decrease primarily reflects incremental costs related to the completion of the Mino-Lok Phase 3 trial and remediation activities for the LYMPHIR BLA resubmission, offset by lower costs in the current period due to the completion of the Halo-Lido Phase 2b trial.
We expect that research and development expenses will stabilize at current levels in fiscal 2024 as we focus on the commercialization of LYMPHIR, complete our Phase 3 trial for Mino-Lok, and analyze the data from our Phase 2b trial and begin planning our Phase 3 trial for Halo-Lido
General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses
G&A expenses were $4.3 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, compared to $4.8 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to lower costs for pre-launch and market research activities associated with LYMPHIR during the period.
For the six months ended March 31, 2024, G&A expenses were $7.9 million as compared to $7.4 million during the six months ended March 31, 2023. The primary reason for the increase was higher costs for pre-launch and market research activities associated with LYMPHIR.
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation costs, professional fees for legal, regulatory, accounting, and corporate development services, and investor relations expenses.
Stock-based Compensation Expense
For the quarter ended March 31, 2024, stock-based compensation expense was $3.1 million as compared to $1.2 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. For the six months ended March 31, 2024, stock-based compensation expense was $6.1 million as compared to $2.4 million for the six months ended March 31, 2023. The increase is primarily due to the Citius Oncology stock plan.
Net loss
Net loss was $8.5 million, or ($0.05) per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, compared to a net loss of $10.5 million, or ($0.07) per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. The $2 million decrease in the net loss was due to decreases of $1.1 million in research and development expenses and $0.5 million in general and administrative expenses, and the increase in other income of $2.3 million, being partially offset by the increase in stock-based compensation expense of $1.9 million.
Net loss was $17.8 million, or ($0.11) per share for the six months ended March 31, 2024, compared to a net loss of $14.1 million, or ($0.10) per share for the six months ended March 31, 2023. The increase in the net loss was primarily due to the increase in stock-based compensation expense.