On May 6, 2021 Codiak BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDAK), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on pioneering the development of exosome-based therapeutics as a new class of medicines, reported first quarter 2021 financial results and operational progress (Press release, Codiak Biosciences, MAY 6, 2021, View Source [SID1234579356]).
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"We are making excellent progress with our clinical and preclinical programs, which continue to generate further confirmatory evidence that our engEx exosome engineering and manufacturing platform can harness exosomes as delivery vehicles for potent and selective therapeutics, not only in immuno-oncology, but potentially in vaccines, gene therapy and neuro-oncology/neurology as well," said Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Codiak. "We remain on track to deliver safety, biomarker and preliminary efficacy data from our exoIL-12 and exoSTING clinical programs in oncology and file an IND for our third program, exoASO-STAT6, later this year."
First Quarter 2021 and Recent Highlights
Reported positive Phase 1 results for exoIL-12 confirming local pharmacology and dose selection for safety and efficacy trial in patients with early-stage cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL)
Progressed with subject dosing in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of exoSTING for the treatment of advanced/metastatic, recurrent and injectable solid tumors
Continued to advance exoASO-STAT6 for the intravenous treatment of myeloid-rich cancers through IND-enabling studies
Detailed versatility of Codiak’s engEx Platform in manuscript published in Molecular Therapeutics, a Cell partner journal
Presented pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic and tolerability data from healthy volunteer portion of the exoIL-12 Phase 1 clinical trial and preclinical data from the exoASO-STAT6 program at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, April 10-15
Published manuscript highlighting the exoSTING preclinical program in Communications Biology, a Nature Research publication
Anticipated Milestones and Events
Four poster presentations at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) 24th Annual Meeting on May 11, including new preclinical data on exoAAV, exoVACC, exoASO-STAT6, and the ability of engineered exosomes to direct tropism to neuronal cells of interest
Safety, biomarker and preliminary pharmacodynamics and efficacy data from the exoSTING Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with solid tumors continue to be expected mid-2021, within the third quarter
Investigational New Drug (IND) application filing for exoASO-STAT6 anticipated during the second half of 2021 to enable initiation of clinical trials
Safety, biomarker and preliminary pharmacodynamics and efficacy data in CTCL patients from the exoIL-12 Phase 1 trial expected by year-end 2021
First Quarter 2021 Financial Results
Total revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 were $13.2 million, compared to $0.1 million for the same period in 2020. This increase was primarily due to the mutual agreement between the Company and Jazz Pharmaceuticals to discontinue their work on exoASO-STAT3, one of five oncogene targets subject to the Collaboration and License Agreement by and between Codiak and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. The Company recognized the remaining $10.9 million in deferred revenue allocated to this target as revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2021.
Net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 was $10.3 million, compared to a net loss of $22.5 million for the same period in 2020. Net loss for the quarter was driven primarily by clinical development, general and administrative, and personnel expenses, and ongoing development of the engEx Platform, offset in part by the $10.9 million in deferred revenue described above.
Research and development expenses were $16.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 compared to $18.4 million for the same period in 2020. The decrease in research and development expenses was driven primarily by lower manufacturing and preclinical costs as our lead assets progressed into the clinic during the second half of 2020.
General and administrative expenses were $6.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 compared to $4.2 million for the same period in 2020. The increase was driven primarily by an increase in personnel costs and costs associated with transitioning to a public company.
As of March 31, 2021, Codiak had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of approximately $130.3 million.