On May 9, 2018 Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group reported the 1.1-type new drug Anlotinib Hydrochloride Capsules (Focavi) obtained the registration approval document approved by the State Drug Administration (Press release, Jiangsu Chia-tai Tianqing, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234576212]). This marks the official launch of Anlotinib, an original and innovative drug in the Chinese oncology field that has received much attention. Wang Shanchun, president of CP Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group, said: "We expect that this new national drug will benefit more Chinese patients and even patients around the world after it is launched."

Anlotinib refers to advanced non-small cell lung cancer

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After more than 10 years of hard work, the R&D team of CP Tianqing finally made a breakthrough in the development of oncology drugs. The 1.1-type new drug Anlotinib Hydrochloride Capsules was approved for marketing. This product is a new type of small molecule multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which can effectively inhibit VEGFR, PDGFR, FGFR, c-Kit and other kinases, and has the dual effects of anti-tumor angiogenesis and inhibiting tumor growth. Clinical trials have confirmed that Focavi is the only effective single-drug oral preparation among the anti-angiogenesis targeted drugs for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, and its adverse reactions are relatively mild, and it is well tolerated by patients. According to analysis by industry experts, Anlotinib is expected to become the standard drug for the third-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

"The listing of Anlotinib is also due to the ongoing reform measures for drug review and approval by the State Food and Drug Administration. As clinical studies have shown that Anlotinib has obvious clinical advantages over existing treatments, after the application That is, it was included in the priority review sequence by the drug review center. It is precisely because of the attention of the drug review department and the review experts working overtime that Anlotinib completed the marketing review and was approved in a short period of time. This will enable the majority of patients to use safe and effective anti-tumor innovative drugs as soon as possible." Wang Shanchun believes that the drug review period coincides with the national drug review and approval policy reform period, and the country’s orientation to encourage R&D and innovation is becoming more and more obvious. The approval of innovative drugs with outstanding clinical value such as Anlotinib has been guaranteed and encouraged. Through the priority review procedure, the Center for Drug Evaluation has provided an effective guarantee for meeting clinical drug needs, reducing drug costs, and promoting public health.

The clinical research results show that Focavi not only has a good therapeutic effect on non-small cell lung cancer, but also on soft tissue sarcoma, ovarian cancer and other cancers. CT Tianqing is actively carrying out multi-center clinical research including the United States. . The results of the Phase 2b clinical study of Anlotinib in the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma were reported orally by ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) this year, and the results of the pathological subgroup of the Phase 3 clinical study for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer were displayed in the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) this year, and were written into the "2018 CSCO Lung Cancer Guidelines" . Wang Shanchun said: "It is not easy for China’s original innovative drugs to have won such an honor before they went on the market. This shows the international recognition of Chinese innovative drugs."

Malignant tumors are the unbearable weight of life

There are more than 4 million new cancer patients in China each year, and an average of more than 10,000 people are diagnosed as new patients every day, and the incidence rate is increasing year by year. In particular, lung cancer ranks first in morbidity and mortality among men, and second in morbidity and mortality among women. The five-year survival period of cancer patients is much lower than the average in developed countries.

As an ordinary citizen, once diagnosed with a malignant tumor disease, not only the patient himself will suffer both physical and mental torture, loss of hope of survival, loss of dignity of life, but also a family may be crushed by this, and bear a heavy burden from then on The unbearable spiritual and economic burden. As an enterprise with a social conscience, CP Tianqing is also working hard, hoping to one day conquer the persistent disease of malignant tumors through technological innovation.

In recent years, with the development of traditional chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy have successively entered first-line and second-line treatment, and the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer has been greatly improved. However, for Chinese patients who have failed first-line and second-line treatments, the existing third-line treatments are relatively lacking and the choices are confusing, and patients are often in the predicament of no medicines available. In this case, the new small molecule multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor anlotinib independently developed by CT Tianqing has finally succeeded, providing an effective new method for the third-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer in China. treatment method.

CP Tianqing has a rich product line in the anti-tumor field

The listing of Anlotinib can be said to be a milestone event in the development history of CP Tianqing. The drug is Chia Tai Tianqing’s first innovative small molecule drug in accordance with international R&D procedures and standards, and it is also the company’s most invested anti-cancer drug so far. The successful listing of Anlotinib marks a solid step forward by CP Tianqing from "combination of imitation and innovation" to "combination of innovation and imitation". It is also a major breakthrough in the oncology field of the company based on the "focus on liver disease" strategy. .

Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group is an innovative pharmaceutical group enterprise integrating scientific research, production and sales. It is a well-known liver health drug research and development and production base in China. It is a national key high-tech enterprise and a national Torch Plan Lianyungang new pharmaceutical industry base. The backbone enterprise ranks 16th among the top 100 enterprises in China’s pharmaceutical industry. Chia Tai Tianqing currently invests more than 10% of its sales revenue every year. It has more than 1,000 R&D personnel and more than 180 products under research, including more than 40 innovative drugs and more than 20 biological drugs.

It is reported that in addition to the field of strong liver diseases, CP Tianqing has also formed a unique product line in the field of anti-tumor. Hematological tumor products Decitabine, Imatinib, and Dasatinib are the first imitation products in China. In the next three years, CP Tianqing will launch more products in the oncology field, such as bortezomib, bendamustine, lenalidomide, azacitidine, etc., to improve drug accessibility and quality of life for cancer patients.

On May 9, 2018 ERYTECH Pharma (Euronext Paris: ERYP – Nasdaq: ERYP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, reported that it will host its 2018 first quarter conference call and webcast on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at 2:30 PM CEST/8:30 AM EST to discuss operational highlights (Press release, ERYtech Pharma, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234526278]).

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The call is accessible via the below teleconferencing numbers, followed by the Conference ID#: 3498017#:

USA/Canada: +1 409 350 3501

United-Kingdom: +44 2031070289

Switzerland: +41 445802606

Germany: +49 6922224728

France: +33 176748988

Belgium: +32 24003547

Sweden: +46 856619361

Finland: +358 972519310

Netherlands: +31 207075547

Spain: +34 914142503

The webcast can be followed live online via the link: View Source

An archived replay of the call will be available for 7 days by dialing + 1 800 585 8367, Conference ID: 3498017#. An archive of the webcast will be available on ERYTECH’s website, under the "Investors" section at View Source

On May 9, 2018 Horizon Pharma plc (NASDAQ:HZNP) reported its first-quarter 2018 financial results and increased its full-year 2018 net sales and adjusted EBITDA guidance (Press release, Horizon Pharma, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234526308]). The Company also announced that, effective in the second-quarter 2018, the Company is realigning its operating structure and will report financial results as two separate operating segments: its strategic growth business, orphan and rheumatology; and primary care. The new operating structure reflects the evolution of the Company’s strategy and vision of transitioning Horizon Pharma to a biopharmaceutical company focused on rare disease medicines.

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"Our orphan and rheumatology medicines represented approximately 77 percent of the Company’s first-quarter net sales and generated double-digit growth driven by 48 percent growth of KRYSTEXXA," said Timothy P. Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Horizon Pharma plc. "Our decision to operate orphan and rheumatology separately from primary care marks a pivotal next step in our ongoing strategic transformation to a company focused on rare disease medicines. We made significant advancements during the first quarter toward our goal, including progress ahead of our expectations in the Phase 3 clinical trial for our key rare disease medicine in development, teprotumumab, which is now 50 percent enrolled."

First-Quarter and Recent Company Highlights

New Head of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer: Shao-Lee Lin, M.D., Ph.D., joined the Company in January 2018 as executive vice president, head of research and development (R&D) and chief scientific officer. Dr. Lin is an accomplished pharmaceutical executive, physician and scientist with more than 20 years of academic and clinical research experience and will accelerate the development of a robust pipeline to drive the Company’s next phase of growth.

"We are committed to establishing Horizon Pharma as a leader in the rare disease space, and one of our goals to support that objective is to enhance the capabilities of our R&D organization," said Lin. "We are well on our way, having made several important additions to the organization that expand our development capabilities, support our business development team in evaluating and identifying development-stage opportunities and lead our therapeutic areas from a clinical development strategy and portfolio management perspective. Enhancing our R&D organization will enable us to maximize our on-market medicines and develop new medicines for patients with unmet needs – and in the case of rare diseases, some of the most significantly underserved patients."
Intellectual Property Update: The Company recently received two Notices of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. patent application numbers 15/457,643 and 15/687,132, both entitled "Methods of Therapeutic Monitoring of Nitrogen Scavenging Drugs" that cover RAVICTI. The U.S. patents scheduled to issue from these applications will expire on Sept. 22, 2030. After issuance, the Company plans to list the U.S. patents in the FDA’s Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, or Orange Book.
Research and Development
Orphan Candidates and Programs:

Teprotumumab: The Phase 3 clinical trial for teprotumumab, the Company’s fully human monoclonal antibody IGF-1R-inhibitor in development for the treatment of thyroid eye disease (TED), a rare eye disease, is 50 percent enrolled and is on track for enrollment completion by year end, or earlier. The pivotal confirmatory study is evaluating teprotumumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe active TED, which has no FDA-approved treatments. The Company estimates peak annual U.S. net sales of more than $750 million for teprotumumab, assuming U.S. FDA approval.
Rheumatology Pipeline Candidates and Programs:

Immunomodulation Studies: The evaluation of the use of immunomodulation therapies to enhance the response rate to KRYSTEXXA is being studied in two investigator-initiated trials, using two different immunomodulators, both of which are commonly used by rheumatologists. REduCing Immunogenicity to PegloticasE (RECIPE) is a double-blind, placebo controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a 12-week course of immunomodulating therapy with daily doses of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Tolerization Reduces Intolerance to Pegloticase and Prolongs the Urate Lowering Effect (TRIPLE) is an exploratory, open-label adaptive trial with multiple patient cohorts, including a cohort to evaluate the impact of adding daily doses of the immunomodulator azathioprine for a two-week run-in period, followed by KRYSTEXXA every two weeks for a total of 13 doses along with daily doses of azathioprine.

New Rheumatology Programs: In January 2018, the Company announced two development programs for next-generation biologics for uncontrolled gout (chronic gout that is refractory to conventional therapies) to support and sustain the Company’s market leadership in uncontrolled gout: HZN-003 and PASylated uricase technology. HZN-003 is a pre-clinical, genetically engineered uricase derivative with optimized uricase and optimized PEGylation technology. PASylated uricase technology may improve the half-life of uricase, and the Company is collaborating with a third party to identify a lead candidate that could use the technology to construct a next-generation gout biologic. The Company also announced the addition of HZN-002, a pre-clinical, novel dexamethasone conjugate with the potential to address inflammatory diseases through its targeted delivery technology.
New Operating Structure Aligned with Long-term Strategy

Given the Company’s focus on rare disease medicines, effective in the second quarter of 2018, the Company is realigning its structure to operate its strategic growth business, orphan and rheumatology, separate from its primary care business. The new structure allows the Company to more efficiently allocate its resources to address unmet treatment needs for patients with rare diseases.

As part of the new operating structure, the Company has realigned its commercial operations under a new leadership position, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, and recently promoted Vikram Karnani to that role. Karnani was most recently senior vice president, rheumatology business unit, leading the successful growth to date of KRYSTEXXA. In addition, aligned with the new operating structure, the Company is adding critical R&D leadership roles to support the orphan and rheumatology segment, including recently hired clinical development heads for both of these therapeutic areas.

As a result of these changes, in the second quarter of 2018, the Company will begin reporting its financial results as two separate operating segments: the orphan and rheumatology segment, the Company’s strategic rare disease-focused business and the primary care segment, reporting net sales and operating income for each segment.

First-Quarter 2018 Total Company Financial Results

Note: For additional detail and reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, please refer to the tables at the end of this release.

Total Net Sales: First-quarter net sales were $223.9 million, an increase of 1.4 percent, driven by continued strong growth of the Company’s orphan and rheumatology medicines. Net sales of $220.9 million in the first quarter of 2017 included PROCYSBI and QUINSAIR net sales of $4.9 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. The EMEA marketing rights to PROCYSBI and QUINSAIR were divested in June 2017. Excluding the 2017 EMEA net sales of PROCYSBI and QUINSAIR, year-over-year growth would have been 3.7 percent.

Gross Profit: Under U.S. GAAP in the first quarter of 2018, the gross profit ratio was 48.1 percent compared to 37.0 percent in the first quarter of 2017. The non-GAAP gross profit ratio in the first quarter of 2018 was 87.0 percent compared to 88.5 percent in the first quarter of 2017.

Operating Expenses: R&D expenses were 7.9 percent of net sales; and selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were 80.2 percent of net sales. Non-GAAP R&D expenses were 6.8 percent of net sales, and non-GAAP SG&A expenses were 65.2 percent of net sales.
Income Tax Rate: The income tax rate in the first quarter of 2018 on a GAAP basis was 0.2 percent and on a non-GAAP basis was 44.5 percent.

Net (Loss) Income: On a GAAP basis in the first quarter of 2018, net loss was $157.3 million. First-quarter 2018 non-GAAP net income was $4.8 million.

Adjusted EBITDA: In the first quarter of 2018, adjusted EBITDA was $33.6 million.

Earnings (Loss) per Share: On a GAAP basis in the first quarter of 2018, diluted loss per share was $0.96; in the first quarter of 2017, diluted loss per share was $0.56. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share in the first quarter of 2018 and 2017 were $0.03 and $0.21, respectively. Weighted average shares outstanding used for calculating GAAP diluted loss per share and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share in the first quarter of 2018 were 164.5 million and 167.8 million, respectively.

(1) On June 23, 2017, Horizon Pharma completed the divestiture of a European subsidiary that owned the marketing rights to PROCYSBI and QUINSAIR in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. Horizon Pharma retains marketing rights for the two medicines in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Asia.
Combined first-quarter 2018 net sales of orphan and rheumatology medicines of $172.2 million increased 11 percent, driven by continued strong KRYSTEXXA vial growth, as well as growth of RAVICTI and PROCYSBI. Combined first-quarter 2017 net sales of orphan and rheumatology medicines of $155.3 million included EMEA net sales of PROCYSBI and QUINSAIR, which were divested in June 2017, of $4.9 million. Excluding the 2017 EMEA net sales of PROCYSBI and QUINSAIR from combined orphan and rheumatology net sales, year-over-year growth would have been 15 percent.

First-quarter 2018 net sales of primary care medicines were $51.7 million, negatively impacted by seasonality, to a somewhat greater degree than originally anticipated. First-quarter net sales also included a negative $14 million impact from an additional accrual for medicines in the wholesale and retail channel following the Company’s price action. Excluding the additional accrual, which did not occur in first-quarter 2017, first-quarter 2018 primary care net sales on a pro-forma basis were similar to first-quarter 2017, reflecting the stability of this business.
Cash Flow Statement and Balance Sheet Highlights

On a GAAP basis in the first quarter of 2018, operating cash flow was negative $60.8 million. Non-GAAP operating cash flow was negative $52.7 million in the first quarter of 2018, as expected. GAAP and non-GAAP operating cash flow in the first quarter of 2017 included a significant one-time working capital benefit associated with the implementation of managed care contracts for certain primary care medicines.
The Company had cash and cash equivalents of $674.3 million as of March 31, 2018.

As of March 31, 2018, the total principal amount of debt outstanding was $2.019 billion, which comprised $844 million in senior secured term loans due 2024; $300 million senior notes due 2024; $475 million senior notes due 2023; and $400 million exchangeable senior notes due 2022. As of March 31, 2018, net debt was $1.344 billion.
Full-Year 2018 Guidance

The Company now expects full-year 2018 net sales guidance of $1.170 billion to $1.200 billion, an increase from the previous range of $1.150 billion to $1.180 billion. Full-year 2018 adjusted EBITDA is now expected to be $390 million to $415 million, an increase from the previous range of $370 million to $395 million. Company guidance now assumes a delay in the implementation of a U.S. government rule related to 340B entity drug pricing to July 1, 2019, following the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ proposal to delay the effective date to that date. As a result, the Company now expects full-year 2018 net sales growth for KRYSTEXXA of more than 65 percent.

Webcast

At 8 a.m. EST / 1 p.m. IST today, the Company will host a live webcast to review its financial and operating results and provide a general business update. The live webcast and a replay may be accessed at View Source Please connect to the Company’s website at least 15 minutes prior to the live webcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be needed to access the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the live webcast.

On May 9, 2018 BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: BSTC), a biopharmaceutical company that originated and continues to develop collagenase based therapies with a first in class collagenase-based product marketed as XIAFLEX in the U.S. and Xiapex in Europe, reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 and provided a corporate update (Press release, BioSpecifics Technologies, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234526362]).

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"We are enthusiastic about the sustained year-over-year revenue growth of our CCH product, XIAFLEX, in its marketed indications, Dupuytren’s Contracture and Peyronie’s Disease, and by the potential progress of the broader CCH development pipeline. During the first quarter of 2018, XIAFLEX became commercially available in Canada for Peyronie’s Disease and our partner Endo reported updated data from the Phase 2b clinical trial of CCH for the treatment of cellulite at the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery," said Thomas L. Wegman, President of BioSpecifics. "We also remain focused on identifying and developing CCH for medically necessary indications, and we remain on track to report preliminary data later this year for our ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial in uterine fibroids, a painful condition of the reproductive tract in which benign tumors contain large amounts of collagen and we are excited by the potential of CCH to alleviate patients’ symptoms and ultimately avoid invasive surgery."

First Quarter 2018 Financial Results

BioSpecifics reported net income of $4.0 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, or $0.55 per basic share and $0.54 per share on a fully diluted basis, compared to net income of $3.3 million, or $0.47 per basic share and $0.46 per share on a fully diluted basis, for the same period in 2017.

The Company adopted Accounting Standard Codification (ASC) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, as of January 1, 2018, applying the modified-retrospective method, changed the timing of its recognition of royalty and mark-up on cost of goods sold revenue. Beginning in 2018, BioSpecifics recorded these royalty revenues based on estimates of the net sales and mark-up on cost of goods sold that occurred during the relevant period thereby eliminating the previously utilized one quarter lag. Previously, these amounts were not recognized until they were fixed and determinable. In addition, deferred revenue associated with the pre-payment of foreign mark-up on cost of goods sold revenue will no longer be recognized over time based on sales by non-affiliated sub-licensees of Endo outside of the U.S. and, under ASC 606, would have been recognized when the Company amended its License Agreement in 2016. Prior period amounts have not been adjusted and the Company recognized a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings on January 1, 2018 of $10.3 million.

Total revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 was $7.1 million, compared to $7.7 million for the same period in 2017. The decrease in total revenues for the quarterly period was primarily due to lower mark-up on cost of goods sold revenue in the U.S and prepaid foreign mark-up on cost of goods sold revenue recognized under new revenue standard ASC 606, as of January 1, 2018, which was partially offset by an increase in royalties associated with slightly higher overall net sales of XIAFLEX.

Licensing revenue consists of licensing fees, sublicensing fees and milestones. BioSpecifics recognized licensing revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 of approximately $4,409 in each period.

Research and development (R&D) expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 were $0.2 million compared to $0.3 million for the same period in 2017.

General and administrative expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 were $2.1 million, compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2017.

Provision for income taxes for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017 were $1.1 million, compared to $1.8 million for the same period in 2017.

As of March 31, 2018, BioSpecifics had cash and cash equivalents and investments of $64.2 million, compared to $65.1 million as of December 31, 2017. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents and investments were slightly lower due to the timing of Endo’s payment of its quarterly XIAFLEX royalties, which was received in April 2018.

CCH Pipeline Updates and Anticipated Upcoming Milestones

BioSpecifics manages the development of collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) for the treatment of uterine fibroids and has the right to initiate the development of any new potential indication not licensed by Endo. Endo’s licensed indications include Dupuytren’s Contracture and Peyronie’s Disease, both approved and marketed; in addition to cellulite, adhesive capsulitis, human and canine lipoma, lateral hip fat and plantar fibromatosis.

In April 2018, Endo presented clinical data from the Phase 2b study of CCH for the treatment of cellulite during the Premier Global Hot Topics session at the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). A statistically significant proportion of CCH subjects reported being "Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied" with their cellulite treatment compared to placebo subjects. CCH was also well-tolerated by all dose groups. Most adverse events (AEs) were mild to moderate and primarily limited to the local injection area such as injection site bruising (approximately 75 percent) and injection site pain (approximately 59 percent) with 92 percent of all related AEs were mild to moderate in the CCH group compared to 96 percent in the placebo group.
In April 2018, Paladin Labs, a subsidiary of Endo, announced the commercial availability of XIAFLEX in Canada for the treatment of Peyronie’s Disease.
In February 2018, Endo initiated two Phase 3 clinical trials of CCH for the treatment of cellulite. Top-line results are expected in the first quarter of 2019.
BioSpecifics is conducting an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of CCH for the treatment of uterine fibroids with data expected later this year. This Phase 1 open-label dose escalation study is being conducted at the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University and is designed to enroll 15 female subjects treated prior to hysterectomy. The trial will assess the safety and tolerability of a single injection of CCH directly into the uterine fibroid under transvaginal ultrasound guidance. The secondary endpoints will assess symptoms of pain and bleeding, quality of life throughout the study in addition to size, collagen content and rate of apoptosis of CCH treated fibroids.

On May 9, 2018 MEI Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEIP), a pharmaceutical company focused on leveraging its extensive development and oncology expertise to identify and advance new therapies for cancer, reported results for its third quarter ended March 31, 2018 (Press release, MEI Pharma, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234526378]).

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"Over the past quarter we continued making key advances in each of our four clinical programs, as we look forward to important data readouts before mid-year in three of the four programs," said Daniel P. Gold, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of MEI Pharma. "In particular, we will be presenting data at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2018 from our study evaluating ME-401, an orally administered PI3K delta inhibitor demonstrating potential class leading efficacy in follicular lymphoma. Based on the data in this program, we anticipate progressing into a single-agent registration study later in 2018. In addition, we will present data at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2018 from an investigator-initiated study of ME-344 in HER2-negative breast cancer."

Dr. Gold added: "We also look forward to initiating our Phase 1 study of voruciclib, a selective and orally administered CDK inhibitor differentiated by potent inhibition of CDK9, in relapsed/refractory B lymphocyte malignancies. Finally, we are looking forward to an interim analysis this quarter from the Phase 2 pracinostat study in MDS and the potential to continue advancing the study together with our partner Helsinn."

Recent Program Highlights and Upcoming Milestones

ME-401

An abstract with results from a Phase 1b study in relapsed/refractory CLL and FL has been accepted and will be presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting to be held June 1-5 in Chicago, IL.
Pracinostat (partnered with Helsinn Healthcare, SA)

In January 2018, the European Medicines Agency granted Orphan Drug Designation to pracinostat, currently in a Phase 3 study in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adult patients unfit for induction chemotherapy.
The Company anticipates results from stage 1 of a Phase 2 dose-optimization study in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in the first half of 2018.
Voruciclib

In January 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for voruciclib.
The Company expects to initiate a Phase 1 single-agent study in relapsed/refractory B cell malignancies in the first half of 2018.
ME-344

In February 2018, the Company announced that a planned interim review of data supports the continuation of its multicenter, investigator-initiated, study evaluating ME-344 in patients with HER2-negative breast cancer. The interim study data show that ME-344 was generally well-tolerated and, consistent with previous preclinical data, demonstrate the potential to reverse resistance to antiangiogenic therapy.
An abstract featuring interim results from the Phase 1 study in HER2 negative breast cancer in combination with bevacizumab (marketed as Avastin) has been accepted and will be presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting to be held June 1-5 in Chicago, IL.
Corporate

In February 2018, the Company announced the appointment of industry veteran Frederick W. Driscoll to its board of directors, who will also serve on the audit committee.
Financial Highlights

As of March 31, 2018, the Company had $36.2 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, with no outstanding debt. The Company believes its cash position will be sufficient to fund operations into through the first half of calendar year 2019.
Research and development expenses, including cost of research and development revenue, were $4.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $3.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increase was primarily due to increased drug manufacturing expenses for ME-401, expenses related to voruciclib, and increased costs related to salaries, share-based compensation, and other internal costs.
General and administrative expenses were $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $2.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increase was primarily due to professional services expenses and share-based compensation.
Revenues were $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $4.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The decrease was related to lower levels of research and development activities associated with the Helsinn license agreement and $3.8 of upfront license fee revenue recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2017.
Net loss was $5.9 million, or $0.16 per share, for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to net loss of $0.6 million, or $0.02 per share for the three months ended March 31, 2017.