On May 9, 2024 Coherus BioSciences, Inc. (Coherus, Nasdaq: CHRS), reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 and recent business highlights (Press release, Coherus Biosciences, MAY 9, 2024, View Source [SID1234642984]):

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RECENT BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

UDENYCA RESULTS and ONBODY LAUNCH UPDATE

UDENYCA net product sales were $42.7 million in Q1 2024, an increase of 18% compared to $36.2 million in Q4 2023 and a 63% increase compared to the $26.2 million in Q1 2023. Total unit demand grew 36% in Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023 and represented a 108% increase compared to Q1 2023.
UDENYCA Autoinjector presentation unit demand grew 158% in Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023.
UDENYCA ONBODY, a novel and proprietary state-of-the-art delivery system for pegfilgrastim-cbqv, was launched in February 2024. High customer demand and confirmed payer coverage drove early robust uptake.
Based on data from IQVIA, UDENYCA franchise market share for Q1 2024 was 25%, an increase of 10 market share points in Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023.
LOQTORZI LAUNCH UPDATE

LOQTORZI, the first and only FDA-approved treatment for recurrent, locally advanced or metastatic NPC, commercially launched on January 2, 2024.
Academic research hospital formulary position achieved on 55% of the 33 NCCN institutions, with the remaining institutional reviews scheduled or in process. Formulary position is expected to be achieved with all NCCN institutions by the end of Q2 2024.
Payer coverage has been confirmed on >85% of medical benefit lives in health plans including Medicare Fee for Service, Medicare Advantage, and national and regional commercial plans respectively.
LOQTORZI net sales in Q1 of $2.0 million, tracking to early launch stage expectations, with patient accrual momentum building.
Product-specific, permanent J Code has been granted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and will take effect July 1, 2024.
NOVEL IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY PIPELINE ADVANCES

Coherus entered into an agreement with the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) to supply LOQTORZI for a combination study with ENB-003, a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of endothelin B receptor. Endothelin B receptor is implicated in tumorigenesis and tumor immune suppression for several solid tumors including ovarian cancer. CRI is overseeing the iPROC study.
Clinical data from the dose escalation stage of the Phase 1 study of CHS-114, a highly selective antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)-enhanced anti-CCR8 antibody, will be presented at the 2024 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in June.
"The strength of our company’s first-quarter performance reflects our ongoing commitment to driving top-line revenues, controlling operating expenses, advancing our pipeline, and improving our capital structure," said Denny Lanfear, Coherus’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The progress we reported today aligns with these objectives, consistent with our overarching mission to become a sustainable and growing oncology company improving outcomes for cancer patients."

FIRST QUARTER 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Net revenue was $77.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024, and included $42.7 million of net sales of UDENYCA, $2.0 million of net sales of LOQTORZI, which was launched on January 2, 2024, $3.9 million of net sales of YUSIMRY, and $28.2 million of net sales of CIMERLI, which was divested to Sandoz on March 1, 2024. Net revenue was $32.4 million during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Cost of goods sold (COGS) was $34.6 million and $16.9 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. CIMERLI COGS included a low to mid 50% royalty on gross profits and UDENYCA COGS includes a mid-single digit royalty on net sales payable through the first half of 2024. The increase in COGS was primarily driven by higher royalty costs and an increase in product costs from the mix of products sold and the launch of new products.

Research and development (R&D) expense was $28.5 million and $34.2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to savings from reduced headcount and lower costs related to biosimilar products, partially offset by increased costs related to moving LOQTORZI production from China to the United States.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense for the three months ended March 31, 2024 was $56.5 million compared to $49.2 million for the same period in 2023. The increase was primarily due to the net $6.8 million charge in Q1 2024 associated with the full write-off of the outlicense intangible asset and associated release of the CVR liability related to NZV930, obtained in the Surface Oncology acquisition, and higher third-party processing fees from multiple products being commercialized, partially offset by savings from reduced headcount.

Gain on Sale, net for the divestiture of the ophthalmology franchise, which closed during the three months ended March 31, 2024, was $153.6 million, and reflects total cash proceeds of $187.8 million, net of assets transferred to Sandoz, assets derecognized, transactions costs of $7.2 million and other employee transition related expenses.

Net income for the first quarter of 2024 was $102.9 million, or $0.83 per share on a diluted basis, compared to a net loss of $75.7 million, or $(0.96) per share on a diluted basis for the same period in 2023.

Non-GAAP net loss for the first quarter of 2024 was $35.8 million, or $(0.32) per share on a diluted basis, compared to non-GAAP net loss of $59.5 million, or $(0.75) per share on a diluted basis for the same period in 2023. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for a discussion on how Coherus calculates non-GAAP net loss and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

Cash, cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities were $259.8 million as of March 31, 2024, compared to $117.7 million as of December 31, 2023. Proceeds from the divestiture of our ophthalmology franchise received in March 2024 were used to pay down $175.0 million of the total $250.0 in principal on Coherus’ 2027 Term Loans in April 2024.

2024 R&D and SG&A Expense Guidance
Coherus projects combined R&D and SG&A expenses for 2024 to be in the range of $250 to $265 million. This guidance includes approximately $40 million of stock-based compensation expense and excludes the effects of acquisitions, collaborations, investments, divestitures including expenses incurred on behalf of and reimbursed by Sandoz to satisfy Coherus’ obligations under the Transition Services Agreement (TSA), restructuring, the exercise of rights or options related to collaboration programs, and any other transactions or circumstances not yet identified or quantified. This guidance is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. See Forward-Looking Statements described in the section below.

Conference Call Information

When: Thursday, May 9, 2024, starting at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

To access the conference call:
Dial: (800) 715-9871 (toll-free USA and Canada); (646) 307-1963 (international)

Conference ID: 4442005

Webcast: View Source

An archived webcast will be available on the "Investors" section of the Coherus website at View Source