On August 12, 2024 Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Citius Pharma" 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 third quarter 2024 ended June 30, 2024 (Press release, Citius Pharmaceuticals, AUG 12, 2024, View Source [SID1234645725]).

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Third Quarter 2024 Business Highlights and Subsequent Developments

- Announced FDA Approval of LYMPHIR (denileukin diftitox-cxdl), an immunotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL);

- Completed the merger of our wholly owned subsidiary with TenX Keane to form publicly listed Citius Oncology, Inc. on August 12, 2024; trading of Citius Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTOR) stock expected to begin on August 13, 2024;

- Achieved primary and secondary endpoints in Phase 3 Pivotal Trial of Mino-Lok, designed to salvage central venous catheters in patients with catheter-related bloodstream infections;

- Onboarded National Sales Director to recruit and lead the sales organization in preparation for the anticipated launch of LYMPHIR;

- Continued engagement with the FDA following end of Phase 2b meeting to determine next steps in the development of Halo-Lido for the treatment of hemorrhoids; and,

- Completed $15 million registered direct offering in April 2024, extending the Company’s cash runway.

Financial Highlights

- Cash and cash equivalents of $17.9 million as of June 30, 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 $2.8 million and $9.0 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2024, respectively, compared to $3.8 million and $11.9 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2023, respectively; - G&A expenses were $4.8 million and $12.8 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2024, respectively, compared to $3.7 million and $11.1 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2023, respectively;

- Stock-based compensation expense was $3.1 million and $9.2 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2024, respectively, compared to $1.2 million and $3.5 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2023, respectively; and,

- Net loss was $10.6 million and $28.7 million, or ($0.06) and ($0.17) per share for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2024, respectively, compared to a net loss of $8.5 million and $22.6 million, or ($0.06) and ($0.15) per share for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2023, respectively.

"We continued to achieve multiple value-driving milestones during and since the end of the quarter. Last week, LYMPHIR was approved by the FDA for the treatment of a rare and incurable cancer. This the first FDA-approved product in our portfolio and paves the way for Citius Oncology to transition from a development stage company to a commercial biopharmaceutical organization," stated Leonard Mazur, CEO of Citius Pharma and Citius Oncology.

"The completion of our Phase 3 Pivotal Trial for Mino-Lok, followed by highly statistically significant topline results that met primary and secondary endpoints, further underscores our commitment to developing life-saving treatments. Operationally, we secured $15 million in additional funding to extend our runway, continued expanding our organizational resources to support the planned launch of LYMPHIR, and completed the spin-off of this asset into our majority-owned standalone, publicly traded oncology company. This should provide us with access to a broader investment community and enable both companies to begin to focus on their respective development and commercialization paths. In addition to the spin-off, Citius is evaluating opportunities to optimize the Company’s capital allocation, current cash runway, future cash needs, and potential non-dilutive sources of capital. We believe Citius is poised for a transformative second half of 2024," concluded Mazur.

THIRD QUARTER 2024 Financial Results:

Liquidity

As of June 30, 2024, the Company had $17.9 million in cash and cash equivalents.

As of June 30, 2024, the Company had 158,857,798 common shares outstanding.

Based on our cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 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 identify additional sources of capital in the future to support our operations beyond December 2024.

Research and Development (R&D) Expenses

R&D expenses were $2.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, compared to $3.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. For the nine months ended June 30, 2024, R&D expenses were $9.0 million as compared to $11.9 million during the nine months ended June 30, 2023, a decrease of $2.9 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, prepare a submission to the FDA and schedule a Type B meeting 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 $4.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, compared to $3.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. The increase was primarily due to lower costs for pre-launch and market research activities associated with LYMPHIR during the period.

For the nine months ended June 30, 2024, G&A expenses were $12.8 million as compared to $11.1 million during the nine months ended June 30, 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 June 30, 2024, stock-based compensation expense was $3.1 million as compared to $1.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. For the nine months ended June 30, 2024, stock-based compensation expense was $9.2 million as compared to $3.5 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2023. The increase is primarily due to the Citius Oncology stock plan.

Net loss

Net loss was $10.6 million, or ($0.06) per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, compared to a net loss of $8.5 million, or ($0.06) per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. The $2.1 million increase in the net loss was primarily due to increases of $1.0 million in general and administrative expenses and $1.9 million in stock-based compensation expense, partially offset by the $1.0 million decrease in research and development expenses.

Net loss was $28.3 million, or ($0.17) per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2024, compared to a net loss of $22.6 million, or ($0.15) per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2023. The increase in the net loss was primarily due to the increase in stock-based compensation expense.