On August 1, 2024 Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) reported second quarter 2024 financial results (Press release, Biogen, AUG 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234645248]). Commenting on the quarter, President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher A. Viehbacher said:

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"Biogen delivered strong financial performance in the second quarter thanks to solid execution against our business strategy, which is aimed at transforming the Company to deliver sustainable growth. We saw continued positive momentum across new product launches and are pleased with the trends we see with key products going into the third quarter. We believe we have created a strong mid- to late-stage development pipeline thanks to reprioritization efforts made last year and key acquisitions like HI-Bio, which was announced in the quarter. Our Fit for Growth program announced in early 2023 continues to deliver significant savings, allowing us to strategically reinvest a portion back into product launches and the pipeline."
Financial Highlights
Q2 ’24 Q2 ’23 △
r (CC*)
Total Revenue (in millions) $2,465 $2,456 0% 1%
GAAP diluted EPS $4.00 $4.07 (2)% —%
Non-GAAP diluted EPS $5.28 $4.02 31% —%

Note: Percent changes represented as favorable/(unfavorable) versus the prior year period.
* Percentage changes in revenue growth at constant currency (CC) are presented excluding the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and hedging gains or losses. Foreign currency revenue values are converted into U.S. Dollars using the exchange rates from the end of the previous calendar year.

A reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP financial measures can be found in Table 4 at the end of this news release.
Revenue Summary
(in millions) Q2 ’24 Q2 ’23 △
r (CC*)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) product revenue(1)
$1,150 $1,209 (5)% (5)%
Rare disease revenue(2)
$534 $438 22% 25%
Biosimilars revenue $198 $195 2% 1%
Other product revenue(3)
$18 $3 431% 441%
Total product revenue $1,900 $1,846 3% 4%
Revenue from anti-CD20 therapeutic programs $445 $433 3% 3%
Contract manufacturing, royalty and other revenue $121 $177 (32)% (32)%
Total revenue $2,465 $2,456 0% 1%

Note: Percent changes represented as favorable/(unfavorable) versus the prior year period. Numbers may not foot or recalculate due to rounding.
(1) Multiple sclerosis includes TECFIDERA, VUMERITY, AVONEX, PLEGRIDY, TYSABRI and FAMPYRA.
(2) Rare disease includes SPINRAZA, SKYCLARYSand QALSODY.
(3) Other includes ADUHELM, FUMADERM and ZURZUVAE.
•Second quarter 2024 ZURZUVAE revenue was approximately $15 million.
Expense Summary
(in millions) Q2 ’24 Q2 ’23 △
GAAP cost of sales*
$546 $593 8%
% of Total Revenue 22% 24%
Non-GAAP cost of sales*
$504 $593 15%
% of Total Revenue 20% 24%
GAAP R&D expense $514 $584 12%
Non-GAAP R&D expense $464 $584 21%
GAAP SG&A expense $554 $548 (1)%
Non-GAAP SG&A expense $542 $534 (1)%

Note: Percent changes represented as favorable/(unfavorable) versus the prior year period
* Excluding amortization and impairment of acquired intangible assets

•There were no idle capacity charges in the second quarter of 2024. Second quarter 2023 GAAP and Non-GAAP cost of sales includes approximately $34 million of idle capacity charges. The decrease in second quarter 2024 GAAP and Non-GAAP cost of sales as a percentage of total revenue was driven primarily by product mix, particularly the year-over-year increase in revenue from new product launches and decrease in contract manufacturing revenue, as well as less idle capacity charges.

•In the second quarter 2024 as compared to the second quarter of 2023, the decrease in GAAP and Non-GAAP R&D of approximately $70 million and $120 million, respectively, was primarily due to savings achieved from the Company’s R&D portfolio prioritization and Fit for Growth initiatives.

•In the second quarter 2024 as compared to the second quarter of 2023, the increase in GAAP and Non-GAAP SG&A expense of approximately $6 million and $8 million, respectively, was primarily due to increased commercialization spend related to new product launches, partially offset by savings achieved from the Company’s Fit for Growth initiative.
Other Financial Highlights

•Second quarter 2024 GAAP and Non-GAAP collaboration profit sharing was a net expense of $62 million, which includes $56 million related to Biogen’s collaboration with Samsung Bioepis, and $6 million to Sage Therapeutics related to the commercialization of ZURZUVAE in the U.S.

•Second quarter 2024 GAAP and Non-GAAP priority review voucher gain on sale, net was approximately $89 million.

•Second quarter 2024 GAAP other expense was $85 million, primarily driven by net interest expense and net unrealized losses on strategic equity investments of $30 million. Second quarter 2024 Non-GAAP other expense was $55 million, primarily driven by net interest expense.

•Second quarter 2024 GAAP and Non-GAAP effective tax rates were 16.5% and 15.9%, respectively. Second quarter 2023 GAAP and Non-GAAP effective tax rates were 16.2% and 15.7%, respectively.
Financial Position

•Second quarter 2024 net cash flow from operations was $626 million. Capital expenditures were $34 million, and free cash flow, defined as net cash flow from operations less capital expenditures, was $592 million.

•As of June 30, 2024, Biogen had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities totaling approximately $1.9 billion and approximately $6.3 billion in total debt, resulting in net debt of approximately $4.4 billion. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, Biogen utilized $1.15 billion of cash to acquire HI-Bio, which is not included in these figures.

•As of June 30, 2024, the $1.0 billion 2023 Term Loan which was put in place at the time of the Reata acquisition has been repaid.

•No shares of the Company’s common stock were repurchased in the second quarter of 2024. As of June 30, 2024, there was $2.1 billion remaining under the share repurchase program authorized in October 2020.

•For the second quarter of 2024 the Company’s weighted average diluted shares were 146 million.

Full Year 2024 Financial Guidance

For the full year 2024, Biogen now expects a Non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance range as follows:
Prior FY 2024 Guidance Updated FY 2024 Guidance
Non-GAAP diluted EPS
$15.00 to $16.00
Reflecting growth of ~5% at the mid-point*
$15.75 to $16.25
Reflecting growth of ~9% at the mid-point*

*Versus reported full year 2023

Biogen now expects total revenue to decline by a low-single digit percentage (previously low to mid-single percentage), with core pharmaceutical revenue, defined as product revenue plus Biogen’s 50% share of net LEQEMBI product revenue and cost of sales, including royalties, to be relatively flat for 2024 compared to 2023 as further declines in multiple sclerosis product revenue are expected to be offset by increases in revenue from new product launches.

Biogen continues to expect an improvement in the cost of sales as a percentage of total revenue for 2024 compared to 2023 driven by product mix and significantly lower idle capacity charges.

Biogen expects to reinvest the proceeds from the sale of one of the Company’s two priority review vouchers in growth initiatives in 2024.

For 2024 compared to 2023, Biogen now expects operating income to grow at a mid- to high-teen percentage with mid-single digit percentage point operating margin improvement. This is expected to be driven by improved cost of sales as a percentage of revenue, as well as lower operating expenses as a result of the Company’s Fit for Growth and R&D prioritization programs.

This financial guidance does not include any impact from potential acquisitions or large business development transactions or pending and future litigation, as all are hard to predict, or any impact of potential tax or healthcare reform. Biogen may incur charges, realize gains or losses, or experience other events or circumstances in 2024 that could cause any of these assumptions to change and/or actual results to vary from this financial guidance.

This guidance also assumes that foreign exchange rates as of July 26, 2024, will remain in effect for the remainder of the year, net of hedging activities. Other modeling considerations will be provided on the conference call and webcast.

Biogen does not provide guidance for GAAP reported financial measures (other than revenue) or a reconciliation of forward-looking Non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP reported financial measures because the Company is unable to predict with reasonable certainty the financial impact of items such as the transaction, integration, and certain other costs related to acquisitions or large business development transactions; unusual gains and losses; potential future asset impairments; gains and losses from our equity security investments; and the ultimate outcome of pending or future significant litigation without unreasonable effort. These items are uncertain, depend on various factors, and could have a material impact on GAAP reported results for the guidance period. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the significance of the unavailable information, which could be material to future results.

Key Recent Events

•Today Biogen announced the termination of the Antibody Transport Vehicle (ATV): Amyloid beta program (ATV:Aβ) with Denali Therapeutics.

The Company’s earnings conference call for the second quarter will be broadcast via the internet at 8:30 a.m. ET on August 1, 2024 and will be accessible through the Investors section of Biogen’s website, www.biogen.com. Supplemental information in the form of a slide presentation is also accessible at the same location on the internet and will be subsequently available on the website for at least 90 days.