Athersys has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-Q, Athersys, 2017, NOV 8, 2017, View Source [SID1234521784]).

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Supernus has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-Q, Supernus, 2017, NOV 8, 2017, View Source [SID1234521829]).

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On November 8, 2017 Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX), reported financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and provided an overview of key milestones for the company’s commercial product, XERMELO (telotristat ethyl), and its pipeline drug candidates (Press release, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, NOV 8, 2017, View Source;2017.htm [SID1234521741]).

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"We had a very busy and productive third quarter with strong operational performance across all aspects of our business, including the achievement of several important milestones. We made significant progress in growing our prescriber base and providing access to XERMELO. This momentum, along with the launch of XERMELO in the U.K. and Germany, supports our confidence in the long-term outlook on the commercial business," said Lonnel Coats, Lexicon’s president and chief executive officer. "XERMELO is a significant franchise for us, and we are extremely excited about exploring the use of telotristat ethyl in additional therapeutic indications where the role of serotonin inhibition has shown preclinical promise. In parallel, we and Sanofi are making good progress towards advancing sotagliflozin to market in type 1 diabetes. Lastly, we continue to advance our earlier-stage product candidates in areas we believe will create substantial long-term value for the company."

Third Quarter 2017 Product and Pipeline Progress

XERMELO (telotristat ethyl) 250 mg

•
In September, Ipsen, Lexicon’s collaborator, received marketing approval from the European Commission for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome diarrhea in combination with somatostatin analog therapy, allowing for the marketing of XERMELO for such indication in all 28 member states of the European Union, Norway and Iceland.
•
In September, data from four posters of XERMELO were highlighted at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper).

Sotagliflozin

•
In July, Lexicon exercised its option under its collaboration and license agreement with Sanofi to co-promote sotagliflozin for the treatment of type 1 diabetes in the U.S.
•
In August, Sanofi initiated the following Phase 3 sotagliflozin studies in type 2 diabetes:
◦
Safety and efficacy study of sotagliflozin on glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes, moderate impairment of kidney function, and inadequate blood sugar control (NCT03242252)
◦
A study to evaluate safety and effects of sotagliflozin dose 1 and dose 2 on glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes, severe impairment of kidney function and inadequate blood Sugar control (NCT03242018)
•
In September, Sanofi initiated the following Phase 3 sotagliflozin study in type 2 diabetes:
◦
Efficacy and safety of sotagliflozin versus placebo in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have inadequate glycemic control while taking insulin alone or with other oral Antidiabetic agents (NCT03285594)
•
In September, Lexicon announced statistically significant 52-week A1C benefit data and achievement of all secondary endpoints in the pivotal Phase 3 inTandem2 study of sotagliflozin.
•
In September, Lexicon reported statistically significant pooled continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data from the pivotal Phase 3 inTandem1 and inTandem2 studies of sotagliflozin.
•
In September, the New England Journal of Medicine published data from the Phase 3 inTandem3 study of sotagliflozin in patients with type 1 diabetes in conjunction with presentation of these data at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 53rd annual meeting.

LX2761

•
Lexicon continued to progress Phase 1 clinical trials of LX2761, an orally-administered drug candidate targeted to the inhibition of SGLT1 in the gastrointestinal tract that is being developed for diabetes.

LX9211

•
Lexicon filed an investigational new drug (IND) application and began a Phase 1 study of LX9211, an orally-administered selective inhibitor of AAK1 (adapter-associated kinase 1) in development for neuropathic pain.

Third Quarter 2017 Financial Highlights

Revenues: Revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2017 decreased to $26.9 million from $27.7 million for the corresponding period in 2016, primarily due to lower revenues recognized from the collaboration and license agreement with Sanofi, partially offset by $5.8 million in net product revenues. Net product revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2017 included $5.3 million and $0.5 million, respectively, from the sale of XERMELO in the U.S. and sale of bulk tablets of telotristat ethyl to Ipsen. Revenue from collaborative agreements included a $5.1 million milestone from Ipsen for approval of XERMELO in Europe.

Cost of Sales: Lexicon had cost of sales related to sales of XERMELO of $0.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017, of which $0.4 million consisted of amortization of intangible assets.

Research and Development Expenses: Research and development expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2017 decreased 26 percent to $39.1 million from $52.5 million for the corresponding period in 2016, primarily due to decreases in external clinical development costs relating to sotagliflozin.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses: Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2017 increased 36 percent to $16.7 million from $12.3 million for the corresponding period in 2016, primarily due to increased costs associated with the commercial launch of XERMELO.

Consolidated Net Loss: Net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2017 was $30.7 million, or $0.29 per share, compared to a net loss of $36.0 million, or $0.35 per share, in the corresponding period in 2016. For the three months ended September 30, 2017, net loss included non-cash, stock-based compensation expense of $2.6 million. For the three months ended September 30, 2016, net loss included non-cash, stock-based compensation expense of $1.9 million.

Cash and Investments: As of September 30, 2017, Lexicon had $196.8 million in cash and investments, as compared to $346.5 million as of December 31, 2016.

Anticipated Upcoming Milestones

•
2H 2017 – Initiation of several additional Phase 3 sotagliflozin studies in type 2 diabetes by Sanofi
•
1H 2018 – U.S. and EU regulatory filings for sotagliflozin in type 1 diabetes by Sanofi
•
1H 2018 – Phase 1b data for LX2761 in patients with T2DM
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2018 – Launch of XERMELO in additional European countries
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2018 – Phase 1 data for LX9211 in neuropathic pain
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2018 – Life cycle management studies of XERMELO in fibrotic disease and cancer

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Lexicon management will hold a live conference call and webcast today at 8:00 am EDT / 7:00 am CDT to review its financial and operating results and to provide a general business update. The dial-in number for the conference call is 888-645-5785 (U.S./Canada) or 970-300-1531 (international). The conference ID for all callers is 9047069. The live webcast and replay may be accessed by visiting Lexicon’s website at www.lexpharma.com/investors. An archived version of the webcast will be available on the website for 14 days.

About XERMELO (telotristat ethyl)

Discovered using Lexicon’s unique approach to gene science, XERMELO (telostristat ethyl) is the first and only approved oral therapy for carcinoid syndrome diarrhea in combination with somatostatin analog (SSA) therapy in adults inadequately controlled by SSAs. XERMELO targets tryptophan hydroxylase, an enzyme that mediates the excess serotonin production within metastatic neuroendocrine tumor (mNET) cells. Lexicon has built the in-house capability and infrastructure to launch and market XERMELO in the U.S., where it retains all commercialization rights. Lexicon also retains rights to market XERMELO in Japan. Lexicon has established a license and collaboration agreement with Ipsen to commercialize XERMELO in Europe and other countries outside of U.S. and Japan.

XERMELO was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on February 28, 2017 and by the European Commission on September 19, 2017 for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome diarrhea in combination with SSA therapy in adults inadequately controlled by SSA therapy. Carcinoid syndrome is a rare condition that occurs in patients living with metastatic NETs (mNETs) and is characterized by frequent and debilitating diarrhea. XERMELO targets the overproduction of serotonin inside mNET cells, providing a new treatment option for patients suffering from carcinoid syndrome diarrhea.

XERMELO (telotristat ethyl) Important Safety Information

•
Warnings and Precautions: XERMELO may cause constipation, which can be serious. Monitor for signs and symptoms of constipation and/or severe, persistent, or worsening abdominal pain in patients taking XERMELO. Discontinue XERMELO if severe constipation or severe, persistent, or worsening abdominal pain develops.
•
Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions (≥5%) include nausea, headache, increased gamma-glutamyl-transferase, depression, flatulence, decreased appetite, peripheral edema, and pyrexia.
•
Drug Interactions: If necessary, consider increasing the dose of concomitant CYP3A4 substrates, as XERMELO may decrease their systemic exposure. If combination treatment with XERMELO and short-acting octreotide is needed, administer short-acting octreotide at least 30 minutes after administering XERMELO.

For more information about XERMELO, see Full Prescribing Information at www.xermelo.com.

On November 8, 2017 Sierra Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRRA), a clinical stage drug development company focused on advancing next generation DNA Damage Response (DDR) therapeutics for the treatment of patients with cancer, reported its financial and operational results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017 (Press release, Sierra Oncology, NOV 8, 2017, View Source [SID1234521764]).

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"During the quarter, we continued to aggressively drive the clinical program for SRA737, expanding the number of sites recruiting patients into our Monotherapy trial from three to eight leading centers across the United Kingdom. With growing investigator interest for evaluating our Chk1 inhibitor, we anticipate further expanding this trial into additional sites over the coming months. We plan to provide an update on the SRA737 development program in February 2018 and remain on track to report interim clinical results at a medical conference in the second half of 2018," said Dr. Nick Glover, President and CEO of Sierra Oncology.

"Subsequent to the end of the quarter, we presented a poster at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC AACR-NCI-EORTC (Free AACR-NCI-EORTC Whitepaper) International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (EORTC-NCI-AACR) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) reporting on preclinical data demonstrating that sub-therapeutic, non-cytotoxic doses of gemcitabine induce replication stress and hence potentiate the anti-tumor activity of SRA737. These data support the design of our second ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial which is specifically evaluating this combination and is also proceeding as planned," added Dr. Glover. "As we advance our two trials, we are also preparing for a potential clinical study of SRA737 in combination with a PARP inhibitor, where we see a strong biological rationale to expect synergy with Chk1 inhibition. We are also excited about the emerging evidence of biological synergy between immune checkpoint blockade and Chk1 inhibition, and we are currently designing a potential clinical study for this combination as well."

"We continue to advance SRA141, our potent, selective, orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of Cell division cycle 7 kinase (Cdc7), an emerging DDR target with exciting potential in cancer. SRA141 is currently undergoing preclinical research in preparation for an Investigational New Drug (IND) filing. Given our near-term focus on broadening the development program for our lead asset SRA737, we are evaluating when best to advance SRA141 into the clinic within the context of our current operational and capital resources," added Dr. Glover.

"Our development program for SRA737 continues to be strongly supported by our collaboration with Cancer Research UK and the Institute of Cancer Research, the originators of SRA737. During the quarter, we also announced the formation of our new DDR Advisory Committee, consisting of leading experts in the DDR field. We recently held two Key Opinion Leader (KOL) events which featured members from our Advisory Committee who shared their insights on emerging DDR biology and the potential of Chk1 inhibition in oncology, providing further support for our programs," concluded Dr. Glover. Recordings of the Sierra’s recent KOL events are accessible at www.sierraoncology.com/events-and-webcasts.

Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results (all amounts reported in U.S. currency)

Research and development expenses were $7.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017, compared to $12.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2016. The decrease is primarily due to fees incurred in 2016 in accordance with the license agreement for SRA737: a $7.0 million upfront license fee for the exclusive license of SRA737, and a $2.0 million fee related to the successful transfer to the company of the two ongoing clinical trials of SRA737. These decreased costs were partially offset by a $3.5 million increase in clinical trial costs, third-party manufacturing costs and research and other costs related to SRA737 and SRA141. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $1.0 million and $0.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016.

Research and development expenses were $22.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to $28.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The decrease is primarily due to expenses incurred in 2016, including fees related to the SRA737 license agreement, a $0.9 million upfront payment for the exclusive license of SRA141, and a $2.4 million restructuring charge related to close-out expenses for PNT2258. These decreases were partially offset by increases of $4.4 million in third-party manufacturing costs and $2.4 million in research and other costs related to SRA737 and SRA141. Research and development expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $3.0 million and $2.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016.

General and administrative expenses were $2.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017, compared to $3.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2016. General and administrative expenses were $9.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to $10.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The decrease for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to the prior period was primarily due to a $1.0 million decrease in business development expenses and a $0.4 million decrease in restructuring costs as compared to 2016. General and administrative expenses included non-cash stock-based compensation of $0.5 million and $1.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, and $0.4 million and $1.4 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016.

For the three months ended September 30, 2017, Sierra incurred a net loss of $10.0 million compared to a net loss of $15.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2016. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, Sierra incurred a net loss of $31.4 million compared to a net loss of $38.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $107.8 million as of September 30, 2017, compared to $116.7 million as of June 30, 2017, and $109.0 million as of December 31, 2016. The company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund current operating plans through approximately mid-2019.

At September 30, 2017, there were 52,268,443 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, and stock options to purchase 7,685,449 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.

On November 8, 2017 Genomic Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: GHDX) reported financial results and business progress for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 (Press release, Genomic Health, NOV 8, 2017, View Source [SID1234521794]).

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Total revenue was $83.8 million in the third quarter of 2017, compared with $82.3 million in the third quarter of 2016, an increase of 2 percent. Revenue was negatively impacted by approximately $3 million due to the hurricane disruption in certain regions of the United States.
U.S. product revenue was $70.9 million in the third quarter of 2017, compared with $70.0 million in the third quarter of 2016. U.S. invasive breast revenue from Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score tests was $63.1 million in the third quarter of 2017, compared with $64.6 million in the third quarter of 2016. U.S. prostate revenue from Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) tests was $5.5 million in the third quarter of 2017, compared with $2.3 million in the third quarter of 2016.

International product revenue was $12.9 million in the third quarter of 2017, compared with $12.1 million in the third quarter of 2016, an increase of 7 percent.

"In the third quarter, we generated solid results including a 2 percent increase in revenue and a 5 percent increase in test volume, despite disruption in U.S. regions affected by hurricanes. We also reported a net loss of $2.2 million, and on a non-GAAP basis delivered a $1.1 million profit in the third quarter. Importantly, we expect to deliver full-year profit, excluding transaction costs from our collaboration with Biocartis," said Kim Popovits, chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president of Genomic Health. "We look forward to significant revenue drivers in 2018 including a new higher Medicare rate under PAMA and anticipated TAILORx results, while we expand our business model to increase worldwide access through the development of an in vitro diagnostic, or IVD, version of the Oncotype DX breast cancer test."

More than 31,580 Oncotype test results were delivered in the third quarter of 2017, an increase of 5 percent, compared with more than 29,990 test results delivered in the same period in 2016. U.S. test volume was negatively impacted by approximately 3 percent due to the hurricane disruption in certain regions of the country. Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score tests delivered in the U.S. were consistent with the third quarter of the prior year. Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score tests delivered in the U.S. grew 39 percent compared with the third quarter of the prior year. International tests delivered grew 14 percent compared with the same period of the prior year and represented approximately 26 percent of total test volume in the third quarter of 2017.
Operating loss for the third quarter of 2017 improved to $2.6 million, compared with $3.0 million for the third quarter of 2016. Net loss was $2.2 million, or $0.06 per share, for the third quarter of 2017, compared with a net loss of $2.8 million, or $0.08 per share, for the third quarter of 2016. Basic and diluted net loss per share was $0.06 for the third quarter of 2017, compared with basic and diluted net loss per share of $0.08 for the third quarter of 2016.
Total revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $253.3 million compared with $245.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016, an increase of 3 percent. On a constant currency basis, revenue increased 4 percent compared with the same period in the prior year.i
International product revenue was $39.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared with $34.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016, an increase of 13 percent, and an increase of 16 percent on a constant currency basis.i
Operating loss improved to $8.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared with an operating loss of $16.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Net loss was $5.7 million, or $0.17 per share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared with a net loss of $15.3 million, or $0.46 per share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.
Cash and cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities at September 30, 2017 were $119.0 million, compared with $97.0 million at December 31, 2016 which included the fair value of the company’s investment in a marketable security of $9.3 million at December 31, 2016.
The non-GAAP financial measures used adjust for specified items that can be highly variable or difficult to predict. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the tables accompanying this release.

2017 Financial Outlook

·
The company expects to deliver full-year profit, excluding the $3.2 million cost of the Biocartis transaction.
·
The company expects to meet the low end of its full year revenue guidance, which is $345 million, excluding the estimated hurricane impact on revenue of approximately $3 million in the third quarter.

Recent Business Highlights

·
Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) that assesses molecular diagnostic technologies, issued a positive final Local Coverage Determination (LCD) that became effective on October 9, 2017 to expand Medicare coverage of the Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score test to qualified patients with favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer throughout the U.S.
·
Established additional private coverage for the Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score test, bringing the total number of U.S. covered lives to more than 66 million.
·
Established new private coverage for the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test in Germany, bringing the total number of German private covered lives to 15 million.

·
Announced an exclusive agreement with Biocartis Group NV to develop an IVD version of the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test on Biocartis’ Idylla platform that can be performed locally by laboratory partners and in hospitals around the world to broaden future global patient access.
·
European Urology published results from a large, community-based, multi-center clinical validation study conducted at Kaiser Permanente. The results confirmed that the Oncotype DX GPS test is a strong independent predictor of prostate cancer-specific death and metastases at 10 years in men with localized prostate cancer.
·
Presented results from four studies that provide additional evidence of the unmatched value of the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test in accurately predicting outcomes in early-stage breast cancer patients at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2017 Congress.
·
Nature Partner Journals Breast Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal published by Nature, published two articles highlighting results from a large prospectively designed registry conducted by Clalit Health Services, the largest Health Maintenance Organization in Israel. The results reinforce the ability of the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test to predict clinical outcomes in both node-negative and node-positive patients.
·
Received acceptance to present nine studies at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) in December.
Conference Call Details
To access the live conference call today, November 8, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time via phone, please dial (877) 303-7208 from the United States and Canada, or +1 (224) 357-2389 internationally. The conference call ID is 5697809. Please dial in approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call. To access the live and subsequently archived webcast of the conference call, go to the Investor Relations section of the company’s web site at View Source Please connect to the web site at least 15 minutes prior to the presentation to allow for any software download that may be necessary.