On November 14, 2017 Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American:AST), a biotechnology company pioneering the field of regenerative medicine, reported financial and operational results for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, as well as recent corporate progress (Press release, Asterias Biotherapeutics, NOV 14, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2316950 [SID1234522062]).

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"We have continued to advance our spinal cord injury clinical trial while improving our financial profile in advance of the next phase of our AST-OPC1 program," said Mike Mulroy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Asterias. "Recent 12-month data from our SCiStar study showed subjects administered 10 million cells of AST-OPC1 observed meaningful and durable recovery of arm, hand and finger function that was more than double the rates of recovery seen at 12 months in both matched historical controls and published data. Based on this early encouraging result in the clinic, combined with our extensive pre-clinical work, our safety study in thoracic spinal cord injury, and MRI data suggesting durable engraftment of our OPC1 cells, we look forward to investing in a larger randomized controlled trial in the future. Our next data readout is expected in early 2018, and that data should help provide further clarity surrounding the design of that trial. Separately, in our cancer immunotherapy program, we received regulatory clearance during the third quarter to initiate the first-in-human clinical trial of AST-VAC2 in non-small cell lung cancer in the United Kingdom."

"On the financial front, the company has strengthened its cash position and improved its cost structure," said Ryan Chavez, Chief Financial Officer. "These steps, which include both our recent capital raise and a more focused allocation of capital into investments that can deliver value in the short and medium term, have strengthened the company’s financial outlook so that it may continue to advance its programs in the clinic and achieve additional important clinical milestones in 2018."

Third Quarter 2017 and Recent Key Achievements

AST-OPC1:

Reported 12-month data from the AIS-A 10 million cell cohort (Cohort 2) in the SCiStar study that showed additional motor level improvement was seen at 12 months. Specifically, 67% (4/6) of subjects have recovered two or more motor levels over baseline on at least one side through 12 months, which compares favorably to the rates of recovery at 9 months (50%) and at 3 months and 6 months (33%). Furthermore, the rate of recovery at 12 months is more than double the rates of recovery seen in both matched historical controls (29%) and published data in a similar population (26%).
Reported new 12-month MRI data from the SCiStar study that indicated no sign of lesion cavities in any subject. The MRI results are consistent with formation of a tissue matrix at the injury site, which is supportive evidence showing that AST-OPC1 cells have durably engrafted to help prevent lesion cavity formation, possibly reducing spinal cord tissue deterioration after spinal cord injury.
Reported continued positive safety profile for AST-OPC1 based on trial results to date. In September, an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) recommended the SCiStar study continue as planned after it completed a regularly scheduled review of the accumulated safety data to date from the study.
Obtained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation as a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) under the 21st Century Cures Act. The RMAT designation is intended to facilitate expedited development, review and approval for important new regenerative medicine therapies for which preliminary clinical evidence indicates the potential to address a serious or life-threatening disease or condition. In addition to providing an avenue for increased and earlier interactions with the FDA, RMAT-designated products may be eligible for priority review and accelerated approval.
Published new efficacy and safety data from preclinical studies of AST-OPC1 in the peer-reviewed journal "Stem Cells Translational Medicine." The preclinical studies described in this paper were among those submitted in Asterias’ 2014 Investigational New Drug Amendment in support of the SCiStar trial.
AST-VAC2:

Received regulatory clearance in the United Kingdom to initiate the clinical trial of Asterias’ cancer immunotherapy product AST-VAC2 in subjects with early and late stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This First-In-Human (FIH) trial, which is being sponsored and managed by Cancer Research UK, will examine the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and activity of AST-VAC2 in subjects with NSCLC.
Corporate:

In October 2017, Asterias closed the sale of shares of its common stock in a registered direct offering which raised approximately $10.4 million in gross proceeds.
Asterias expanded its operating expense reduction efforts and reduced staffing allocated to non-clinical activities as a part of a broader effort to more closely align operating expenses with the company’s primary goal of continuing to generate clinical data in its key clinical stage programs. The company anticipates a one-time severance-related pre-tax restructuring charge of approximately $0.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 associated with the operating expense reductions. As a result of the operating cost saving initiatives implemented year to date, the company expects to reduce its operating costs by approximately 40% to start 2018.
Financial Results

As of September 30, 2017, the combined total of cash, cash equivalents, and available-for-sale securities totaled $20.7 million. In October 2017, Asterias closed the sale of shares of its common stock in a registered direct offering which raised approximately $10.4 million in gross proceeds. As of October 31, 2017, Asterias had a combined total of cash, cash equivalents, and available-for-sale securities of approximately $27.3 million.

Total revenues were $1.7 million for the third quarter. Revenues were comprised of grant income as well as royalty revenues on product sales by licensees. Research and development expenses were $6.6 million in the third quarter, with the primary driver being expenses associated with the company’s AST-OPC1 program. General and administrative expenses were $2.0 million in the third quarter.

Net loss was $6.8 million, or $0.14 per share, for the third quarter. For the quarter ended September 30, 2017, net cash used in operating activities was $4.5 million and net cash provided from financing activities was $1.1 million.

Conference Call and Webcast Details

Asterias will host a conference call and webcast today, November 14, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern / 1:30 p.m. Pacific to discuss the results and corporate developments. For both "listen-only" participants and those participants who wish to take part in the question-and-answer session, the call can be accessed by dialing 877-830-2645 (U.S./Canada) or 785-424-1791 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call and providing the Conference ID 8579194. To access the live webcast, go to View Source

A replay of the conference call will be available for seven business days beginning about two hours after the conclusion of the live call, by dialing 888-203-1112 (U.S./Canada) or 719-457-0820 (international) and providing the Conference ID 8579194. Additionally, the archived webcast will be available at View Source

On November 14, 2017 CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq: CASI), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the acquisition, development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics addressing cancer and other unmet medical needs for the global market with a commercial focus on China, reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 (Press release, CASI Pharmaceuticals, NOV 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234522041]).

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As of September 30, 2017, CASI had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $21.6 million.

CASI reported a net loss for the third quarter of 2017 of ($1.6 million), or ($0.03) per share. This compares with a net loss of ($1.7 million), or ($0.03) per share, for the same period last year. For the first nine months of 2017, the Company reported a net loss of ($5.7 million), or ($0.10) per share as compared to a net loss of ($6.8 million), or ($0.15) per share for the first nine months of 2016. The smaller net loss for the nine-month period in 2017 can be attributed to a decrease in non-cash compensation expense associated with the timing of stock option issuances and a decrease in clinical costs associated with the ENMD-2076 fibrolamellar trial, offset by an increase in R&D costs related to the advancement of EVOMELA, MARQIBO, and ZEVALIN with the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) and an increase in costs related to our internal preclinical program.

Ken K. Ren, Ph.D., CASI’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, "I am pleased with our third quarter financial results. In October, we announced a $23.8 million registered direct offering, funds raised from which will be used to advance our internal pipeline and support our business development in-license activities. With respect to existing in-licensed assets, we continue to advance EVOMELA, MARQIBO, and ZEVALIN for the China market. EVOMELA has been granted priority review by the CFDA, which we believe will accelerate its approval for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. We look forward to providing further updates on these in-licensed assets as well as on our internal pipeline candidates."

On November 14, 2017 ERYTECH Pharma (Nasdaq and Euronext: ERYP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, reported that Gil Beyen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the Jefferies Global Healthcare on November 15th, 2017 at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel (Aldwych) in London, UK (Press release, ERYtech Pharma, NOV 14, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2316895 [SID1234522063]).

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Conference Details:

Conference: Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference
Date: November 15, 2017
Presentation Time: 2:00 PM GMT/ 9:00 AM ET

A live webcast of the Jefferies Global Healthcare presentation will be available online from the investor relations page of the company’s corporate website at www.erytech.com/webcast.com. After the live webcast, an archive of the presentation will be available on the company website for 30 days.

On November 14, 2017 Purdue Pharma L.P. reported completion of significant oncology related investments as part of its ongoing efforts to diversify its scientific research into areas of high unmet medical need (Press release, Purdue Pharma, NOV 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234527505]). Through these investments, executed over a multi-year period and capped recently in 2017, Purdue is establishing a portfolio of drug candidates with the potential to deliver new cancer therapies to patients within the next five years.

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"With this formal entry into oncology research and development, Purdue is evolving as a company and renewing its foundational commitment to bring important new medicines to patients and physicians who need them," said Craig Landau, president and CEO, Purdue Pharma. "We are excited by the opportunity and the potential to make meaningful contributions to the field of cancer medicine."

In assembling this portfolio, Purdue now has four drug candidates in development for multiple cancer types:

EDO-S7.1, a novel topoisomerase inhibitor, is designed to work by metabolizing into its active form through enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract that are particularly active in cancer cells. In an interim analysis of a phase 2 trial in patients with therapy refractory advanced biliary tract cancers, the trial met the primary endpoint of rate of disease control (DCR) after first stage. In the trial, commonly observed drug related adverse events were: myelosuppression (including grade 3-4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia), infection, alopecia, fatigue, nausea, and abdominal pain.1
EDO-S101, also known as tinostamustine, is a novel, first-in-class alkylating deacetylase inhibitor (AK-DACi) compound currently advancing through phase 1 human trials. Preclinical studies suggest that tinostamustine delivers both alkylating activity and pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition to simultaneously damage DNA and block damage repair in cancer cells. The development programs for this drug candidate are investigating its potential utility in both solid and hematologic tumors.
EDO-B776 and EDO-B278 are two late pre-clinical stage antibody-drug conjugates. EDO-B776 is being studied for its potential to target the cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) in ovarian cancer. EDO-B278 is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting the human tissue factor and is in development for various solid tumors.
Research on these drug candidates is being directed on behalf of Purdue by Mundipharma EDO GmbH, part of the Mundipharma network of independent associated companies.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Purdue Pharma on the development of these important compounds," said Dr. Thomas Mehrling, chief executive officer, EDO. "Purdue’s strong experience developing novel treatments will translate well to oncology and we are confident that this will be a successful partnership."

Purdue will also continue to selectively seek additional oncology product assets through licensing and acquisition, and the company will maintain a priority interest in candidates with mechanisms complementary to emerging immuno-oncology based treatment paradigms.

On November 14, 2017 Exicure, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), the pioneer in gene regulatory and immunotherapeutic drugs utilizing three-dimensional Spherical Nucleic Acid (SNA) constructs, reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017 (Press release, Exicure, NOV 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234522042]).

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"The third quarter was a transformational period for the Company. We continued to advance two SNA drug candidates toward their Phase 1 clinical trials and began our life as a public company," said David Giljohann, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "We also strengthened our financial position with an initial private placement of approximately $20 million in gross proceeds, followed in the fourth quarter with two subsequent closings, raising an additional approximately $11 million in gross proceeds. This financing will support the clinical development of our lead programs where we have continued our strong progress. By early 2018 we look forward to having three clinical stage drugs."

The Merger and Private Placement

The Merger—On September 27, 2017, we announced the completion of a reverse merger transaction with Max-1 Acquisition Corporation. Immediately after the completion of the merger, Max-1 Acquisition Corporation changed its name to Exicure, Inc. and continued the historical business of Exicure Operating Company, our wholly owned subsidiary. In connection with the merger, we expect to commence trading on the OTC Markets in early 2018.

In accordance with "reverse merger" or "reverse acquisition" accounting treatment, our historical financial statements as of period ends, and for periods ended, prior to the reverse merger will be replaced with the historical financial statements of Exicure Operating Company prior to the reverse merger, in all future filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. The consolidated financial statements after completion of the reverse merger will include the assets, liabilities and results of operations of the combined company from and after the closing date of the reverse merger.

The Private Placement— On September 26, 2017, we sold 6,767,360 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $3.00 per share, raising thereby approximately $20.3 million in gross proceeds pursuant to an initial closing of a private placement offering.

Subsequently, on October 27, 2017, we sold 1,878,335 of our common shares at a purchase price of $3.00 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $5.6 million in the first subsequent closing of the private placement. On November 2, 2017, we sold 1,858,501 of our common shares at a purchase price of $3.00 per share for gross proceeds also of approximately $5.6 million in the second subsequent closing of the private placement. In aggregate we have raised approximately $31.5 million of gross proceeds through the private placement.

Third Quarter Business Update

AST-008—In the third quarter of 2017, we received authorization from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial with AST-008 in the United Kingdom. AST-008, an SNA consisting of a TLR9 agonist, is being developed for immuno-oncology applications. While we ultimately plan to clinically advance AST-008 in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, the Phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of single and multiple doses of AST-008 by subcutaneous administration in healthy volunteers. We expect to start the Phase 1 clinical trial during the fourth quarter.

XCUR17—During the third quarter of 2017, we submitted a clinical trial application to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial for XCUR17 to the Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM), the medical regulatory body in Germany. XCUR17 is an antisense SNA that targets the mRNA encoding IL-17RA, a protein that is considered essential in the initiation and maintenance of psoriasis. Our proposed Phase 1 trial is a microplaque study in patients with mild to moderate psoriasis. We are currently working with BfArM to finalize the trial protocol.

Purdue Pharma L.P. Collaboration—During the third quarter of 2017, the ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial for AST-005 was completed. AST-005 is an SNA containing TNF antisense oligonucleotides and is intended to be applied in a gel to psoriatic lesions. The Phase 1b clinical trial was conducted in Germany and was intended to evaluate the safety and tolerability of AST-005. We expect topline results from this clinical trial to be available in late 2017.

Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results and Financial Guidance

Cash Position—As of September 30, 2017 Exicure had cash and cash equivalents of $22.9 million compared to $19.6 million as of December 31, 2016. Gross proceeds from the issuance of common stock during the third quarter were $20.3 million with net proceeds of $17.1 million.

Research and development (R&D) expenses—R&D expenses for the third quarter were $3.5 million compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2016. This increase was due primarily to the costs associated with preparing both AST-008 and XCUR17 for clinical trials.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses—General and administrative expense was $1.3 million for the third quarter compared to $0.8 million for the same period in 2016. This increase in expenses was driven primarily by an increase in non-cash stock compensation costs and certain costs incurred in connection with our merger and private placement.

Net Loss—Net loss for the third quarter was $2.3 million compared to a net loss of $3.5 million for the same period in 2016. The decrease in net loss was driven principally by earning $2.5 million in collaboration revenue attributable to our collaboration with Purdue compared to no revenue for the same period in 2016. The increase in revenue was offset by the increase in R&D expenses described above.

Guidance—We believe that our cash and cash equivalents, as of the date of this press release, are sufficient to fund our current operating plans into 2019.