OPKO Health Reports Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results

On November 9, 2018 OPKO Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPK) reports financial results and business highlights for the three months ended September 30, 2018 (Press release, Opko Health, NOV 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234531170]).

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Financial Highlights


Net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2018 decreased by 23% to $27.7 million or $0.05 a share compared to net loss of $35.9 million or $0.06 per share for the comparable 2017 period. Total revenues improved to $249.8 million during the three months ended September 30, 2018 compared to $246.0 million for the comparable period of 2017.

Revenues from products during the three months ended September 30, 2018 include $5.8 million from RAYALDEE and revenues from services were $202.8 million for the 2018 period compared with $200.9 million for the corresponding 2017 period.

During the three months ended September 30, 2018, costs of revenue and selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by approximately 8%, or $19.5 million, compared to the 2017 period. Research and Development expenses were $30.2 million compared to $32.5 million for the corresponding 2017 period.

On November 8, 2018, OPKO secured approximately $150 million of additional capital, consisting of a private placement of common stock resulting in proceeds of $92.5 million, and an unsecured credit line of $60 million.

Business Highlights


RAYALDEE total prescriptions reported by IMS for Q3 2018 increased 222% compared with Q3 2017 and 18% compared with Q2 2018: As of November 1, 2018, approximatley 79% of patients have access to RAYALDEE under their insurance plans.

Initiated the Phase 2 clinical trial to study the safety and efficacy of RAYALDEE as a new treatment for secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in adults with vitamin D insufficiency and stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) requiring hemodialysis. The trial will be conducted at multiple dialysis centers in the U.S. in two sequential cohorts. The first cohort of approximately 44 patients will be treated for 26 weeks in a randomized, open-label fashion with

either RAYALDEE or placebo to identify the appropriate dosing to be studied in the second cohort. Data readout for this first cohort is expected in 2019. The second cohort of more than 200 patients will be treated for 26 weeks in a randomized, double-blind fashion with one of three different doses of RAYALDEE or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint will be correction of vitamin D insufficiency and control of SHPT. Patients will then be treated with RAYALDEE for another 26 weeks in an open-label extension.

4Kscore utilization in Q3 2018 was approximately 18,700 tests compared to 18,900 during Q3 2017. Utilization of the 4Kscore remains strong while we continue to work with our Medicare administrator, Novitas, on their proposed local coverage determination. During this process, Novitas has continued to provide coverage of the 4Kscore to Medicare beneficiaries.

Completed the enrollment of a Global Phase 3 study of somatrogon (hGH-CTP) in Growth Hormone Deficient Children: The somatrogon Phase 3 trial is a randomized, open-label study comparing once-weekly somatrogon to once daily Genotropin. This study has enrolled 228 treatment naïve children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in 21 countries. The primary endpoint of the trial is height velocity at 52 weeks. Secondary endpoints are safety and pharmacodynamics.

Enrollment in Japanese Phase 3 registration trial of somatrogon in growth hormone deficient children expected to complete by year end: The global and Japanese pediatric studies utilize the multiple dose pen device that will be launched commercially upon approval.

Completed the enrollment of a Phase 2b clinical trial for our once-weekly oxyntomodulin dual GLP1-Glucagon agonist to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity: In a previous Phase 2 trial in 420 overweight patients with type 2 diabetes, the drug was shown to be safe and effective. The current trial is to study a new dosing schedule to achieve even greater weight loss and topline results are anticipated during 1Q 2019.

Advanced the Phase 2b trial for our SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator) to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): Enrollment of approximately 110-120 patients in this dose ranging study of our orally administered SARM is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Premarket Approval (PMA) application for Claros point-of-care PSA test under review by FDA; decision anticipated during 1H 2019: OPKO has completed a PMA submission to FDA for Sangia, our point of care PSA test utilizing the Claros 1 immunoassay analyzer. This is the first test on our proprietary diagnostic platform that can provide rapid, quantitative blood test results in the physician’s office with only a finger stick drop of whole blood. Several biomarkers and biological meaningful chemistry tests such as testosterone and Vitamin D utilizing the Claros platform are advancing toward a 510(k) submission to the FDA.

Conference Call & Webcast Information

OPKO’s senior management will provide a business update and discuss results in greater detail in a conference call and live audio webcast at 4:15 p.m. Eastern time today. The conference call dial-in and webcast information is as follows:

WHEN: Friday, November 9, 2018 at 4:15 p.m. Eastern time
DOMESTIC DIAL-IN: (866) 634-2258
INTERNATIONAL DIAL-IN: (330) 863-3454
PASSCODE: 3487296
WEBCAST: www.investor.opko.com/events

For those unable to participate in the live conference call or webcast, a replay will be available beginning November 9, 2018 two hours after the close of the conference call. To access the replay, dial (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406. The replay passcode is: 3487296. The replay can be accessed for a period of time on OPKO’s website at www.investor.opko.com/events.

Personalis Launches ImmunoID NeXT, the First Platform Providing Characterization of a Tumor and its Microenvironment from a Single Sample

On November 9, 2018 Personalis, Inc., a leader in advanced genomics for precision oncology, reported the launch of its universal cancer immunogenomics platform, ImmunoID NeXT (Press release, Personalis, NOV 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234531186]). This is the first platform to enable comprehensive analysis of both a tumor and its microenvironment from a single sample.

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Personalis CEO, John West, said, "While the success of checkpoint blockade has been hugely promising, it’s increasingly apparent that predicting response to immunotherapies and developing new ones requires a more comprehensive approach to tumor immunogenomics. With ImmunoID NeXT, it’s now possible to characterize the complex interactions between the tumor cells and immune cells of the microenvironment using a single platform. This means researchers no longer have to make the difficult choice of which biomarkers to analyze due to sample limitations, particularly when dealing with FFPE specimens."

The unique design of the ImmunoID NeXT Platform facilitates the delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic biomarker information across ~20,000 genes from DNA and RNA, including:

Neoantigen identification and characterization
Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) typing
Tumor infiltrating adaptive immune cells
T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire (α, β, γ, and δ chains)
B-cell receptor (BCR) repertoire (heavy and light chains)
Tumor infiltrating innate immune cells
Immune response and tumor escape mechanisms
Neoantigen load and tumor mutational burden (TMB)
Microsatellite instability (MSI) status
Oncoviral detection
Germline genomic variation
Personalis is offering pharmaceutical customers the opportunity to participate in an Early Access Program beginning in January, 2019. The company also anticipates the release of a clinical diagnostic test based on this platform in 2019.

Personalis will be presenting new data at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper)’s (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., November 8-11, 2018. Personalis representatives will also be available to discuss the ImmunoID NeXT Platform at the company’s exhibit (Booth #617).

Ultragenyx to Present at Upcoming Investor Conferences

On November 9, 2018 Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel products for serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, reported that it will present at the following upcoming investor conferences (Press release, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, NOV 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234531203]):

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Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., the company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, will present at the Credit Suisse Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. MT in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Shalini Sharp, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, will present at the Piper Jaffray Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. ET in New York.
Dr. Kakkis will present at the Evercore HealthConX on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. ET in Boston.
The live and archived webcast of the company presentations will be accessible from the company’s website at View Source The replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days.

Synthorx to Present Preclinical Data for THOR-707, a “Not-Alpha” IL-2 Synthorin, for the Treatment of Solid Tumors at SITC 2018

On November 9, 2018 Synthorx, Inc., a biotechnology company using a first-of-its-kind Expanded Genetic Alphabet platform technology to discover and develop optimized biologics for cancer and autoimmune disorders, reported company researchers will present results of preclinical studies demonstrating the safety and anti-tumor effects of its lead product candidate THOR-707, a "not-alpha" Synthorin of interleukin-2 (IL-2), for the treatment of solid tumors at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 33rd Annual Meeting (Press release, Synthorx, NOV 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234531204]). Marcos Milla, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Synthorx, will present the poster on Friday, November 9, from 12:45 – 2:15 p.m. and 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. ET at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

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The study, titled "THOR-707: An engineered IL-2 for the treatment of solid tumors with superior preclinical efficacy and safety evidence," investigates the application of Synthorx’s Expanded Genetic Alphabet platform technology to engineer THOR-707, a variant of recombinant human IL-2 that is pegylated at one specific site and designed to kill tumor cells without inducing vascular leak syndrome (VLS), a toxicity associated with aldesleukin, an approved recombinant IL-2. Aldesleukin was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over 25 years ago for the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and metastatic melanoma. However, widespread use of aldesleukin has been limited by toxicities, which include life-threatening and sometimes fatal VLS, as well as by its short half-life, requiring courses of dosing of three times per day over eight days.

In Synthorx’s preclinical studies, THOR-707 induces molecular markers of T cell activation and the proliferation of peripheral NK and CD8+ effector T cells in vivo. However, dosing of THOR-707 has minimal effect on molecular and clinical markers of VLS, even at high exposures. Analysis of the effect of THOR-707 in syngeneic mouse tumor models showed that THOR-707 induced infiltration of CD8+ T effector cells into tumors and elicited anti-tumor effects alone and in combination with a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor.

SITC 2018: further analyses of the Phase II study of the combination of monalizumab and cetuximab in head and neck patients show encouraging survival data in both subgroups of IO-naïve and IO-pretreated SCCHN patients

On November 12, 2018 Innate Pharma SA (the "Company" – Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 – IPH), reported exploratory subgroup analyses and preliminary translational data from the Phase II trial evaluating the combination of monalizumab and cetuximab (anti-EGFR) in previously treated patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head & neck (R/M SCCHN) (Press release, Innate Pharma, NOV 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234531226]). Monalizumab is a first-in-class checkpoint inhibitor targeting NKG2A inhibitory receptors expressed on tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes and NK cells.

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"The subgroup analysis revealed very interesting durable responses in both IO-naïve and IO-pretreated patients," commented Pierre Dodion, Chief Medical Officer of Innate Pharma. "Patients who have failed on IO-therapy currently have no other treatment option. The fact that they appear to benefit with prolonged survival is rather remarkable and prompted us to advance our clinical program. Discussions are taking place in parallel with regards to the next steps in IO naïve patients".

"The high disease control rate that we observed in this study along with the favorable trends in progression-free and overall survival, including a preliminary estimate of median overall survival of 10.3 months, are very encouraging," commented Professor Roger B. Cohen, Principal Investigator of the study. "We also saw evidence of clinical activity in both IO-naive and IO-pretreated patients. If confirmed, these data would provide support for a highly novel immunotherapeutic combination with a unique mechanism of action for the treatment of patients with head & neck cancer."

Data from the cohort of 40 patients were reported at 2018 ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) congress in October. Exploratory subgroup analysis revealed encouraging responses, durability of response, PFS and OS in IO-naïve and IO-pretreated patients.

Cut-off August 31, 2018

All patients

(n=40)

IO-naïve

(n=23)

IO-pretreated

(n=17)

ORR [95% CI]

27.5% [16-43]

35% [19-55]

18% [6-41]

Median PFS [95% CI]

5.0 m [3.7-6.9]

4.0 m[3.7-10.6]

5.0 m [3.5-NR]

Median OS [95% CI]

10.3 m [7.3-NR]

10.3 m [7.2-NR]

12.8 m [6.0-NR]

DCR 24 weeks

35% [22-51]

39% [22-59]

29% [13-53]

Median time to response [range]

1.6 m [1.5-3.9]

1.7 m [1.5-3.9]

1.6 m [1.6-3.1]

Median duration of response [95% CI]

5.6 m [3.8-NR]

5.3 m [3.8-NR]

5.6 m [3.7-NR]

Eric Vivier, Chief Scientific Officer of Innate Pharma, said: "We are combining the use of state-of-the-art technologies including high-dimensional flow cytometry, single cell RNA seq and computational pathology, to monitor the immune response in patients. Data support the mode of action of monalizumab as unleashing a multilayered immune response involving both NK and T cells. As such, monalizumab appears as a first-in-class second generation immune checkpoint inhibitor with a large spectrum of immune targets. He added: "While preliminary, translational results suggest that the combination of monalizumab and cetuximab is associated with a reshaping of "cold tumors" into "hot tumors" prone to sustain tumor immunity".

Preliminary biomarker analysis show indeed that while the combination did not impair the distribution or absolute counts of peripheral NKG2A+ NK and CD8+ T cells, an infiltration of NK cells and CD8+T cells is detected very early upon treatment (day 15) at the tumor bed. Further, tumor-infiltrating NK and CD8+ T cells may be predictive of RECIST response, tumor reduction and PFS.

Importantly, the activity of the monalizumab and cetuximab combination appears to occur across HPV status, tumor burden and PD-L1 expression.