On August 10, 2023 Cullinan Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: CGEM; "Cullinan") a biopharmaceutical company focused on modality-agnostic targeted oncology therapies, reported on recent and upcoming business highlights and announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 (Press release, Cullinan Oncology, AUG 10, 2023, View Source [SID1234634184]).
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"We have continued to advance our broad portfolio of modality-agnostic cancer therapies during the first half of this year and are poised to continue our momentum," said Nadim Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of Cullinan. "With our partners at Taiho Oncology, we recently announced the launch of the REZILIENT-3 study, a randomized Phase 3 trial which will evaluate zipalertinib as a first-line treatment for EGFR exon 20 NSCLC patients. We also shared encouraging initial clinical monotherapy data for CLN-619 at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) in June. Based on that data, we announced monotherapy expansion cohorts in endometrial and cervical cancers. We look forward to presenting the first data from the pembrolizumab combination arm at a medical congress in the future. Further, we recently brought our fifth development program into the clinic with the dosing of the first patient in our Phase 1 study of CLN-978 in relapsed/refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Following an IND clearance earlier this year, we remain on track to bring our sixth program, CLN-617, into the clinic by year-end. With $512.1 million in cash and investments at the end of Q2, we remain well capitalized to continue executing on our strategic objectives and creating value for all of our key stakeholders."
Portfolio Highlights
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Zipalertinib: In August 2023, Cullinan Oncology, in collaboration with our partners at Taiho Oncology, Inc., announced the initiation of REZILIENT-3, a global Phase 3 study evaluating zipalertinib plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation non-small-cell lung cancer (EGFRex20 NSCLC) in the first-line setting.
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Enrollment continued in the Phase 2b pivotal study of zipalertinib in patients with EGFRex20 NSCLC who have progressed after prior systemic therapy, as well as in a separate cohort of patients progressing after prior treatment with a currently approved agent for EGFRex20 NSCLC.
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CLN-619: CLN-619 is a monoclonal antibody that stabilizes expression of MICA/B on the tumor cell surface to promote tumor cell lysis by both cytotoxic innate and adaptive immune cells. CLN-619 has broad therapeutic potential and is being investigated as both a monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitor therapy in an ongoing Phase 1 dose escalation study in patients with advanced solid tumors.
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First clinical data for CLN-619 monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors were presented during a poster session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2023 Annual Meeting in June 2023. Data demonstrated monotherapy anti-tumor activity of CLN-619 in heavily pre-treated patients with multiple tumor types and an acceptable safety profile with no dose limiting toxicities up to the highest dose tested. Best responses among 22 evaluable patients receiving doses ≥1 mg/kg included 1 confirmed complete response (parotid cancer), 2 confirmed partial responses (endometrial cancer), and 7 patients with stable disease (cervical, ovarian, breast, and salivary gland cancers).
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Based on these clinical observations, Cullinan has initiated monotherapy expansion cohorts in endometrial and cervical cancers and is evaluating potential additional future expansion cohorts.
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Cullinan intends to present initial data from the combination dose escalation arm of the study at a medical meeting in the future.
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CLN-049: CLN-049 is a FLT3xCD3 T cell-engaging bispecific antibody being investigated in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
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Preliminary safety data from an ongoing first-in-human study were published in abstract form as part of the 2023 EHA (Free EHA Whitepaper) Congress in June 2023.
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Enrollment continues in the ongoing Phase 1 multi-ascending dose study using subcutaneous administration.
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CLN-418: CLN-418 is a B7H4x4-1BB fully human bispecific immune activator designed to achieve conditional activation of 4-1BB by targeting B7H4, a tumor-associated antigen that is highly expressed across multiple cancers with minimal expression on normal tissues.
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Enrollment continued in the ongoing Phase 1 dose escalation study in patients with advanced solid tumors. Initial clinical data are expected in 2024.
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CLN-978: CLN-978 is a CD19xCD3 T cell engager with extended serum half-life and robust potency against target cells expressing low levels of CD19.
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In August 2023, Cullinan dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 study of CLN-978 in patients with R/R B-NHL.
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CLN-617: CLN-617 is a cytokine fusion protein uniquely combining IL-2 and IL-12 with a collagen binding domain designed for retention in the tumor microenvironment (TME) following intratumoral injection.
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Cullinan received FDA clearance of its IND application for CLN-617 in March and anticipates initiating a Phase 1 clinical study in the second half of 2023.
Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results
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Cash Position: Cash, cash equivalents, investments, and interest receivable were $512.1 million as of June 30, 2023. This balance includes proceeds of approximately $38.4 million from sales of common stock under the company’s at-the-market offering program. Cullinan expects its cash resources to provide runway into 2026 based on its current operating plan.
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R&D Expenses: Research and development (R&D) expenses were $27.4 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $52.1 million for the first quarter of 2023. R&D expenses for the second and first quarters of 2023 included $3.2 million and $3.1 million of equity-based compensation expenses, respectively. The decrease in R&D expenses was primarily related to a one-time $25 million upfront payment in the first quarter of 2023 to in-license U.S. rights to CLN-418 and higher clinical costs, partially offset by lower chemistry, manufacturing and controls costs.
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G&A Expenses: General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $10.2 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $10.7 million for the first quarter of 2023. G&A expenses in the second and first quarters of 2023 included $4.7 million and $4.2 million of equity-based compensation expenses, respectively. The decrease in G&A expenses, excluding equity-based compensation, was primarily driven by lower professional services fees.
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Net Loss: Net loss (before items attributable to noncontrolling interest) for the second quarter of 2023 was $32.2 million, compared with net loss of $58.1 million for the first quarter of 2023. Net losses included the items described above, partially offset by interest income of $5.3 million and $4.5 million in the second quarter and first quarter of 2023, respectively.