10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)]

AmpliPhi Biosciences has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission .

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Seres Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Announce a Collaboration to Support the Investigation of Microbiome Therapeutics for Immuno-Oncology

On November 14, 2017 Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MCRB), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson), and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (Parker Institute) reported a collaboration to evaluate the potential of Seres’ microbiome therapies to improve the outcomes of cancer patients treated with currently-available immunotherapy (Press release, Seres Therapeutics, NOV 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234530894]).

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The collaborators plan to initiate a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study at MD Anderson, sponsored by the Parker Institute, in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma. The clinical trial will evaluate the impact of an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor with adjunctive microbiome therapy on patient outcomes. Seres is developing SER-401, a preclinical stage oral microbiome therapy comprising a rationally-designed consortium of live bacteria, to improve the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy.

Published studies provide preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrating that the composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal microbiome may impact response to checkpoint inhibitor therapy.1 On Nov. 2, 2017, Science published research by Jennifer Wargo, M.D. and colleagues from MD Anderson indicating that the composition of the gut microbiome may influence checkpoint inhibitor response in melanoma patients.2 This research also demonstrated that the favorable microbiome properties found in checkpoint inhibitor responder patients are able to be transferred to mice. The results provide support for the clinical study of microbiome therapeutics to augment the clinical benefit of cancer immunotherapy.

Seres also received an exclusive option, with pre-defined financial terms, to license intellectual property rights from MD Anderson related to the use of bacteria in combination with checkpoint inhibitors.

"MD Anderson, and in particular Dr. Wargo’s laboratory, is leading the charge to better understand the microbiome and the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors," said Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D., President, CEO and Chairman of Seres. "We look forward to combining our insights and capabilities with both MD Anderson and the Parker Institute to advance microbiome therapies to augment Immunotherapy in cancer patients toward the clinic, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for patients facing life-threatening tumors with significant unmet medical need."

"Immunotherapy has represented an important advance for melanoma and other cancers. However, in the majority of patients, the response is not adequate to durably control disease," said Jennifer Wargo, M.D., Associate Professor of Genomic Medicine and Surgical Oncology at MD Anderson. "Modulation of the microbiome is a promising approach that may improve the therapeutic benefit of checkpoint therapy."

"This collaboration between the Parker Institute, Seres and MD Anderson exemplifies the mission of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy to unlock the promise of immunotherapy by rapidly progressing next generation treatments into clinical trials," said Fred Ramsdell, Ph.D., Vice President of Research at the Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy. "If this novel approach is successful at altering the microbiome and more importantly, also leads to better cancer patient responses to immunotherapy, this would mark an important milestone for the entire field."

References

1. Chen C. and Mellman I., Elements of cancer immunotherapy and the cancer-immune set point, Nature, 2017
2. Wargo J. et al., Gut Microbiome Impacts Response to Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy in Melanoma Patients, Science, 2017

10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)]

Immune Pharmaceuticals has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-Q, Immune Pharmaceuticals, 2017, NOV 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234522057]).

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AmpliPhi Biosciences Reports Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results and Business Highlights

On November 14, 2017 AmpliPhi Biosciences Corporation (NYSE American: APHB), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of therapies for antibiotic-resistant infections using bacteriophage technology, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017 (Press release, AmpliPhi Biosciences, NOV 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234522059]).

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"I’m excited to report on the progress AmpliPhi made in the third quarter of 2017," said Paul C. Grint, M.D., CEO of AmpliPhi Biosciences. "We have dosed six patients suffering from life-threatening infections under expanded access programs at two major teaching hospitals and remain on track to meet our previously announced goal of treating ten patients by year end. We have also continued our engagement with the scientific community to increase awareness of phage-based therapies as a promising technology to combat increasing antibiotic resistance. Looking forward, we expect to be well-positioned to treat up to an additional twenty patients by the end of first half of 2018, as we collect the data to prioritize lead indications for potential Phase 2 and/or registrational studies, while working with the FDA on a potential pathway to registration."

Third Quarter 2017 and Recent Business Highlights

Administered first-in-human intravenous treatment of AB-SA01 for a patient suffering from a life-threatening Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infection of the heart (endocarditis). AB-SA01 was administered intravenously to the patient over two weeks and was well tolerated.
Announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating the activity of AB-PA01 in reducing biofilms. The paper, titled "Activity of Bacteriophages in Removing Biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients," was published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology in September 2017.
Announced publication of a case study detailing the successful treatment of a critically ill patient with a multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) infection in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in August 2017.
Received a Research and Development (R&D) Tax Incentive cash rebate of USD $2.0 million from the Australian Tax Office based on the company’s R&D spending in Australia during 2016.
Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results

Cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2017 totaled $7.7 million. AmpliPhi anticipates that its current financial resources will provide sufficient cash to fund operations until mid-2018.
R&D expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 totaled a net benefit of $0.8 million compared to an expense of $1.7 million for the same period of 2016. The decrease reflects receipt during the quarter of approximately $2.0 million from the Australian tax authority. R&D expenses, excluding any benefit from tax incentive payments, for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were $1.2 million and $1.7 million, respectively. The decrease of $0.5 million was primarily attributable to a decrease in professional and consulting fees as well as decreased clinical expenses.
R&D expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 were $1.8 million, net of approximately $2.0 million of tax incentive payments received from the Australian tax authority. There were no similar tax incentive payments recognized during the same period of the prior year. R&D expenses, excluding any benefit from tax incentive payments, for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 were $3.8 million and $4.9 million, respectively. The decrease of $1.1 million was primarily related to decreases in consulting fees, professional recruitment fees and clinical expenses.
General and administrative (G&A) expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 totaled $1.6 million compared to $1.8 million for the same period of 2016. G&A expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 were $6.3 million compared to $6.9 million for the same period of 2016.
Net cash used in operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $6.8 million, as compared to $9.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.
There were 9.5 million shares of common stock outstanding as of November 8, 2017.
Conference Call and Webcast

AmpliPhi will hold a conference call today beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time). The conference call dial-in number is (866) 652-5200 for domestic callers and (412) 317-6060 for international callers, and the passcode is 10114360. A live webcast of the call will be available on the Investor Relations section of www.ampliphibio.com.

A recording of the call will be available for 48 hours beginning approximately two hours after the completion of the call by dialing (877) 344-7529 for domestic callers and (412) 317-0088 for international callers. Please use passcode 10114360 to access the recording. A webcast replay will be available on the Investor Relations section of www.ampliphibio.com for 30 days, beginning approximately two hours after the completion of the call.

Delcath Announces Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results

On November 14, 2017 Delcath Systems, Inc. (OTCQB:DCTHD), an interventional oncology Company focused on the treatment of primary and metastatic liver cancers, reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 (Press release, Delcath Systems, NOV 14, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2317164 [SID1234522086]).

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Highlights from the third quarter of 2017 and recent weeks include:

Revenue for the third quarter of 2017 increased 75% to $0.7 million from $0.4 million in the prior-year quarter;
Revenue for the first nine months of 2017 increased 53% to $2.0 million from $1.3 million in the prior-year period;
Medical University of Hannover achieved its 100th CHEMOSAT treatment milestone; over 450 commercial CHEMOSAT procedures have been performed in Europe;
Positive results from a single institution study of CHEMOSAT filtration efficiency were presented at 2017 CIRSE annual meeting in September; and
Reverse stock split effected at ratio of 1:350 on November 6, 2017.
Management Commentary

"During our third quarter, we focused on resolving the cash constraints and other restrictions related to our authorized shares limit, which necessitated the reverse stock split we effected on November 6, 2017. The authorized share limit prevented the Company from accessing the restricted cash otherwise available under our 2016 convertible notes. With the ability to issues shares now restored, we are able to access the balance of the restricted cash and begin exploring opportunities for new equity financing necessary to execute on our Clinical Development Program (CDP) and European commercialization," said Jennifer K. Simpson, Ph.D., MSN, CRNP President and CEO of Delcath.

"Despite the cash constraints, revenues for the third quarter of 2017 increased 75% over the prior year quarter, continuing the steady growth in our core European markets. This growth was supported by the establishment of ZE diagnostic-related (DRG) reimbursement for CHEMOSAT in Germany last year, which we are leveraging to obtain market access and reimbursement in other regions such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, Dutch Health Authorities have included CHEMOSAT treatment in their published guidelines for ocular melanoma liver metastases, an important step toward eventual reimbursement coverage of CHEMOSAT in the Dutch market. During the quarter, Medical University of Hannover performed their 100th treatment since beginning CHEMOSAT procedures in 2014, the second of our Europe centers to have achieved this milestone. Since launching CHEMOSAT in Europe, over 450 commercial CHEMOSAT procedures have been performed.

"In our Clinical Development Program (CDP), our primary focus continues to be on our FOCUS Phase 3 clinical trial of Melphalan/HDS in hepatic dominant ocular melanoma (the FOCUS trial). Enrollment in this trial has been proceeding more slowly than anticipated, and cash constraints during the quarter limited our ability to take steps to accelerate enrollment. With the reverse split effected we are exploring steps to accelerate enrollment, and will seek to add new trial sites in both the U.S. and Europe once new equity financing is secured. We still expect to conduct an interim safety analysis by the end of this year.

"For our pivotal trial in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), we continue to work with potential trial sites with a view to initiating enrollment when financial resources permit. Our ICC pivotal trial is based on the prior work done in our Phase 2 trial program in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and ICC, which had the objective of identifying an efficacy signal worthy of further clinical investigation. This objective was met by the retrospective data collection performed by European investigators last year, which informed our development path for ICC. With the Phase 2 trial program goals now met, we have closed enrollment in the Phase 2 trials to devote available resources to the FOCUS Trial and the ICC pivotal trial.

"Though the recent months have been financially difficult, we remain committed to advancing the clinical programs for our innovative Melphalan/HDS as well as to our commercialization efforts for CHEMOSAT in Europe. We are continuously working to advance our ability to operate so we can advance these important programs to increase value to our shareholders," concluded Dr. Simpson.

Three Month Financial Results

Revenue for the third quarter of 2017 was $0.7 million, an increase of 75% from $0.4 million for the third quarter of 2016. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased modestly to $2.9 million in the 2017 third quarter from $2.4 million in the prior-year third quarter. Research and development expenses for the third quarter of 2017 declined slightly to $2.3 million from $2.7 million in the prior-year quarter. Total operating expenses for the current quarter were $5.1 million compared with $5.0 million in the prior-year quarter.

The Company reported a net loss for the 2017 third quarter of $12.6 million, or $9.36 per share based on 1.4 million weighted average common shares outstanding on a split adjusted basis. This compares with a net loss in the prior-year period of $1.0 million, or $230.99 per share based on 4,349 weighted average common shares outstanding on a split adjusted basis. This increase in net loss is primarily due to an $8.7 million change in the fair value of the warrant liability and a $3.0 million loss related to two transactions to settle convertible note debt, both non-cash items.

Nine Month Financial Results

Revenue for the first nine months of 2017 was $2.0 million, an increase of 53% from $1.3 million for the first nine months of 2016. Selling, general and administrative expenses in the first nine months 2017 were approximately $7.8 million compared with $7.0 million in the prior-year period. Research and development expenses for the first nine months of 2017 increased to $7.1 million from $6.0 million in the first nine months of 2016. Total operating expenses for the first nine months of 2017 were approximately $15.0 million compared with $13.0 million in the prior-year quarter.

The Company recorded a net loss of $25.8 million for the first nine months of 2017, or $34.99 per share based on 754,421 weighted average common shares outstanding on a split adjusted basis. This compares with a net loss for the first nine months of 2016 of $9.5 million, or $2,232.30 per share based on 4,249 weighted average common shares outstanding on a split adjusted basis. The increase in net loss is due to an approximately $13.7 million increase in interest expense primarily related to the amortization of debt discounts and a $3.0 million loss related to two transactions to settle convertible note debt, offset by a $9.6 million gain on the extinguishment of the June 2016 Series C Warrants, both non-cash items. Additionally, there was a $1.9 million increase in operating expenses and a $7.9 million change in the fair value of the warrant liability, a non-cash item, offset by a $0.5 million increase in gross profit.

Balance Sheet Highlights

As of September 30, 2017, Delcath had cash and cash equivalents of $2.5 million, compared with $4.4 million as of December 31, 2016. In addition, the Company had $8.3 million in restricted cash primarily related to the Convertible Notes issued in June 2016. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company used $11.7 million of cash to fund operating activities. Management believes that its capital resources are adequate to fund operating activities through January 2018.