On November 14, 2024 TriSalus Life Sciences Inc., (Nasdaq: TLSI), an oncology company integrating novel delivery technology with immunotherapy to transform treatment for patients with liver and pancreatic tumors, reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, and provided a business update (Press release, TriSalus Life Sciences, NOV 14, 2024, View Source [SID1234648426]).

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"We enter the final quarter of 2024 with great momentum, both commercially and clinically, and we are positioned well for an even greater 2025," stated Mary Szela, President and Chief Executive Officer of TriSalus Life Sciences. "Commercially, we enjoyed a strong third quarter highlighted by 42% revenue growth. We recently launched the TriNav LV system to address patients with larger vessels, an opportunity we believe will meaningfully expand our addressable market and provide full access to the $375 million liver embolization market."

"With the successful completion of our Phase 1 dose escalation study enrollment in UM-LM, we are actively pursuing a strategic partnership for nelitolimod," continued Ms. Szela. "This follows the successful presentation of positive Phase 1 results from our PERIO-01 dose escalation study in UM-LM at SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper). Additionally, by mid-2025, we anticipate data from our Phase 1 study in locally advanced pancreatic cancer, which will guide our next steps."

"Our clinical development efforts for the TriNav system have expanded with the launch of the DELIVER program, starting with the PROTECT registry trial for patients with multinodular goiter. There is significant potential to broaden our addressable market by $400 million, and we are committed to providing further updates on PROTECT and additional programs within the DELIVER initiative."

"Finally, we are initiating 2025 guidance that calls for greater than 50% revenue growth, a greater than 20% reduction in operating expenses, positive full-year EBITDA, and positive cash flow in the second half of the year," concluded Ms. Szela.

Third Quarter Business Update

TriNav System Large Vessel Launch

TriSalus recently expanded its portfolio of Pressure-Enabled Drug Delivery (PEDD) devices with the launch of the TriNav LV Infusion System and TriGuide Guiding Catheter to optimize therapeutic delivery for patients with larger vessels. The TriNav LV system is suitable for patients with vessels sized between 3.5 and 5.0 mm and is expected to allow the Company to meaningfully expand its addressable liver embolization market. The TriGuide Guiding Catheter has a larger inner diameter, lubricious inner lining, and reverse curve design to support femoral access for the TriNav LV system, which the Company believes will enhance procedural efficiency. These new products are eligible for the same HCPCS reimbursement codes as existing TriNav products, enabling seamless integration into current billing structures.

DELIVER and PROTECT Updates

During the quarter, TriSalus advanced the DELIVER clinical program, a series of clinical trials designed to demonstrate enhanced safety and efficacy across a broad spectrum of complex, difficult-to-treat patients through investigator-initiated studies, further underscoring the impact of PEDD technology. A key focus of the DELIVER program is to investigate the potential of combining use of the TriNav system with these therapies to enhance effectiveness and address resistance mechanisms in challenging cancers.

The first of these is a registry study called PROTECT (Pressure Enabled Retrograde Occlusive Therapy with Embolization for Control of Thyroid Disease), which has been initiated, and TriSalus intends to enroll 100 patients across five leading academic sites. It is estimated that approximately 5% of adults have multinodular goiters, and the prevalence in adults over 50 is estimated to be up to 50%. The Company estimates that this could expand the addressable market by approximately 50,000 procedures, representing an incremental $400 million market opportunity and putting the Company’s total addressable market at more than $1 billion in the U.S. This new procedure utilizing the TriNav system is also eligible for the same Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) reimbursement code allowing for seamless integration into current billing approaches.

The Company anticipates opening additional DELIVER studies in the first half of 2025 and will provide more details as those studies commence.

PERIO Trial Update

TriSalus presented Phase 1 results from the PERIO-01 clinical trial at the recent SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) meeting. This dose escalation trial investigated the use of the PEDD method of nelitolimod in patients with UM-LM. The results suggested that PEDD-administered nelitolimod, combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, provides promising clinical benefits and durable survival in heavily pretreated patients with UM-LM and a favorable safety profile. The Company is actively exploring strategic partnerships to advance this indication further.

The Company also completed enrollment of 13 patients in its PERIO-03 Phase 1 dose escalation study of nelitolimod in locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Evidence gathered thus far supports a strong safety profile and further exploration of nelitolimod combined with the TriNav pancreatic infusion technology. The Company will outline the next steps once the final data are available in mid-2025.

Financial Results for Q3 2024

Revenue, all from the sale of the TriNav system, was $7.3 million and $21.2 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. These were up 42% and 66%, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2023. Revenue growth was driven primarily by increased selling resources and increased market share.

Gross margins were 86% and 86% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, compared to 89% and 84%, respectively, for the same periods in 2023. The year-to-date improvement is due to increased factory volumes and improved operational efficiency.

Operating losses were $8.7 million and $28.6 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, compared to losses of $18.6 million and $40.2 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2023. These amounts include non-cash stock compensation and depreciation expenses of $1.6 million and $4.3 million for the three- and nine-month periods in 2024 and $0.4 million and $0.9 million for the same periods in 2023. Current year reductions in operating losses are due to increased sales, reduced general and administrative expenses due to non-recurrence of prior year costs related to becoming a public company, and reduced research and development spending associated with the ramp-down of clinical trial spending.

Net losses available to common stockholders were $2.4 million and $19.9 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to losses of $1.4 million and $23.7 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2023. Net losses in 2024 include non-cash related gains on change in fair value of various derivatives of $7.3 million and $10.5 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to gains of $17.1 million and $16.4 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2023. The basic and diluted loss per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, were $0.12 and $0.91, respectively, compared to $0.14 and $5.72 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively.

On September 30, 2024, cash and cash equivalents totaled $11.3 million. The Company expects existing liquidity sources and $25 million of available capacity on the OrbiMed debt facility to provide sufficient cash runway throughout 2025. In addition, the company expects to be EBITDA positive for 2025 and achieve positive cash flow by the second half of 2025, extending total cash runway beyond 2025.

2025 Guidance

The Company is providing guidance for 2025 for the first time, including:

Sales are expected to grow by more than 50% in 2025, driven by further market share increases in the TriNav system, the commercial launch of the TriNav LV system, and the TriNav target market expansion driven by the DELIVER program.
Operating expenses are expected to decline greater than 20% in 2025 due to reductions in R&D associated with completing the PERIO Phase 1 trials and reductions in G&A expenses due to the non-recurrence of certain costs related to becoming a public Company.
The Company expects to achieve positive full-year EBITDA and positive cash flow in the second half of the year.
Conference Call

TriSalus will host a webcast to discuss its third quarter 2024 financial results and business highlights on November 14, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. EST. The webcast can be accessed on the investor relations section of TriSalus’ website at View Source Following the conclusion of the event, a webcast replay will be available on the website. Interested parties participating by phone will need to register using this online form. After registering for the webcast, dial-in details will be provided in an auto-generated e-mail containing a link to the conference phone number and a personal pin.