On November 12, 2024 Pyxis Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: PYXS), a clinical stage company focused on developing next generation therapeutics to target difficult-to-treat cancers, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, and provided a corporate update (Press release, Pyxis Oncology, NOV 12, 2024, View Source [SID1234648206]). The Company ended the third quarter of 2024 with $146.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments, which is expected to provide a cash runway into the second half of 2026 and enable the Company to fund the next phase of PYX-201 clinical development.

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"At Pyxis Oncology, our team has been working diligently to deliver preliminary data from our first-in-patient clinical trial of PYX-201. Investigator enthusiasm around our novel mechanism of action, along with our clinical development team’s operational execution, has kept us on track to provide the preliminary clinical findings from our ongoing dose escalation study," said Lara S. Sullivan, M.D., President and CEO of Pyxis Oncology.

Dr. Sullivan continued, "We have now enrolled 80 patients in the PYX-201 trial across multiple tumor types, and I am thrilled to present the Phase 1 dose escalation data next Wednesday in New York City at our first-ever Pyxis Oncology Investor Event."

Recent Clinical Program Updates

PYX-201

PYX-201 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that is designed to uniquely target Extradomain-B Fibronectin (EDB+FN), which is believed to be a key structural component of the tumor extracellular matrix. PYX-201 is the Company’s lead clinical program being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 1 trial in multiple types of solid tumors.

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To date, 80 subjects have been dosed with PYX-201 in this Phase 1 trial. Dose escalation and safety monitoring remain ongoing for the trial.

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The Company will present preliminary data from the Phase 1 dose escalation trial of PYX-201, including efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics (PK). The Company will provide an update on future development plans at a Company hosted investor event in New York City on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Additional information about the event can be found here.

PYX-106

PYX-106, a fully human Siglec-15-targeting antibody designed to block suppression of T-cell proliferation and function, is being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 1 clinical study in multiple types of solid tumors.

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Dose escalation of PYX-106 and safety monitoring is ongoing with 45 subjects dosed to date in the Phase 1 trial.

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The Company expects to report preliminary data from the Phase 1 trial of PYX-106, including PK/pharmacodynamic results, by year-end 2024.

Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

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As of September 30, 2024, Pyxis Oncology had cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash and short-term investments of $146.3 million. The Company believes that its current cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund its operations into the second half of 2026.

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Research and development expenses were $17.7 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, compared to $14.7 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. The period-over-period increase was primarily due to increased clinical trial-related expenses, including manufacturing of drug product and drug substance for our ongoing Phase 1 clinical trials of PYX-201 and PYX-106.

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General and administrative expenses were $6.0 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, compared to $10.7 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. The period-over-period decline was primarily due to lower legal, professional and consulting fees.

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Net loss was $21.2 million, or ($0.35) per common share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, compared to $23.0 million, or ($0.56) per common share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. Net losses for the quarters ended September 30, 2024, and 2023 included $3.0 million and $5.2 million, respectively, related to non-cash stock-based compensation expense.

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As of November 12, 2024, the outstanding number of shares of common stock of Pyxis Oncology was 59,465,729.