On November 5, 2019 Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 (Press release, Curis, NOV 5, 2019, View Source [SID1234550291]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
"This past quarter, we made significant progress in advancing our clinical programs for fimepinostat and CA-4948, with continued enrollment across both Phase 1 trials and data readouts on-track for both programs in the fourth quarter of this year. We are particularly encouraged by the early indications of anti-cancer activity with CA-4948." said James Dentzer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Curis. "We are pleased by the safety and tolerability profile of CA-170 in our Phase 1 study and continue to believe VISTA is an important and scientifically-validated target. However, initial data suggest that CA-170 may not be an effective monotherapy agent for addressing VISTA in mesothelioma patients. We plan to further evaluate the translational science and clinical pharmacodynamics of CA-170, as well as the patient data from our Phase 1 study, to determine the optimal future clinical strategy for CA-170."
Third Quarter 2019 and Recent Operational Highlights
Precision oncology, fimepinostat (HDAC/PI3K inhibitor):
Curis is evaluating fimepinostat (a MYC suppressor) with venetoclax (a BCL-2 inhibitor) combination regimen in an ongoing Phase 1 study in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including patients with double-hit/double-expressor (DH/DE) lymphoma. DLBCL is often driven by specific alterations in both MYC and BCL2. In the clinic, fimepinostat and venetoclax have each demonstrated single-agent activity. In preclinical models, fimepinostat administered in combination with venetoclax resulted in an enhanced benefit relative to each agent alone.
Precision oncology, CA-4948 (IRAK4 Inhibitor; Aurigene collaboration):
Curis is evaluating CA-4948 in an ongoing Phase 1 dose escalation study in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), including those with oncogenic MYD88 mutations and toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway activation. Curis plans to continue dose escalation in the study to determine the optimal dose for clinical development.
Curis plans to initiate a separate Phase 1 trial of CA-4948 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a focus on those with spliceosome mutations that encode oncogenic IRAK4-L.
Immuno-oncology, CA-170 (VISTA / PDL1 antagonist; Aurigene collaboration):
Curis released initial efficacy data from its Phase 1 study of CA-170 in malignant plural mesothelioma (MPM) patients (high VISTA expressors) in conjunction with the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 2019 Annual Meeting. The Phase 1 study was designed to evaluate the safety, recommended Phase 2 dose, and maximum tolerated dose of CA-170. Secondary endpoints included pharmacokinetic (PK) and anti-cancer activity, and exploratory endpoints included biomarkers and pharmacodynamic (PD) effects. The study enrolled 12 patients with MPM across 6 study sites within the U.S. and U.K., randomizing patients into two cohorts. The high-dose cohort received 1,200 mg twice-daily (BID) of CA-170, while the low-dose cohort received 200 mg BID of CA-170. Patients who did not respond or experienced disease progression at the 200 mg BID dose were crossed over to the high-dose cohort.
Of 12 patients enrolled, 11 patients have discontinued study treatment, with no partial or complete responses observed, per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST), Immune-related Response Criteria (irRC) or modified RECIST 1.1 for mesothelioma.
Of 11 patients on treatment for at least one post-baseline disease assessment, 7 had a best response of stable disease:
2 of 3 (66%) patients at the 200 mg BID dose (mean duration of 64 days)
5 of 8 (63%) patients assigned or escalated to the 1,200 mg BID dose (mean duration of 115 days)
CA-170 was generally safe and well-tolerated, with low rates of drug-related, immune-related or serious adverse events, and showed dose-proportional clinical PK.
Based on these data, Curis does not intend to enroll additional patients in this study. The Company plans to further evaluate the translational science and clinical pharmacodynamics of CA-170, in addition to patient data from the Phase 1 study, to assess the potential of future clinical studies of CA-170.
The Company is presenting the results from the Phase 1 study at the SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) 2019 Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland:
Date/Time:
Saturday, November 9, 2019, 4:45 p.m. EST
Location:
Prince George’s Exhibition Hall C
Poster Number:
O28
Title:
First-in-Class Small Molecule CA-170 Targeting VISTA: A Report on Efficacy Outcomes from a Cohort of 12 Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) Patients in Study CA-170-101
Corporate:
In August 2019, Curis announced the appointments of Reinhard von Roemeling, M.D., as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development, and Christine Guertin as Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance.
In September 2019, Curis announced the promotion of Bill Steinkrauss to Chief Financial Officer.
Upcoming 2019 Milestones
The company will be presenting at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting held December 7-10, 2019 in Orlando, FL, and will provide an update on:
Initial safety data from the Phase 1 study of the combination of fimepinostat and venetoclax in patients with R/R DLBCL, including patients with DH/DE lymphoma; and
Updated safety and efficacy data from the Phase 1 dose escalation study of CA-4948 in patients with NHL.
Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results
Curis reported a net loss of $6.4 million, or $0.19 per share on both a basic and diluted basis for the third quarter of 2019, as compared to a net loss of $7.2 million, or $0.22 per share on both a basic and diluted basis for the same period in 2018.
Revenues for the third quarter of 2019 were $2.9 million, as compared to $2.8 million for the same period in 2018. Revenues for both periods comprise primarily royalty revenues recorded on Genentech and Roche’s net sales of Erivedge.
Operating expenses were $8.2 million for the third quarter of 2019, as compared to $9.3 million for the same period in 2018, and comprised the following:
Costs of Royalty Revenues. Costs of royalty revenues, primarily amounts due to third-party university patent licensors in connection with Genentech and Roche’s Erivedge net sales, were $0.1 million for the third quarter of 2019, as compared to $0.2 million for the same period in 2018.
Research and Development Expenses (R&D). R&D expenses were $5.1 million for the third quarter of 2019, as compared to $5.0 million for the same period in 2018. The increase was primarily driven by increased costs related to clinical activities for CA-4948.
General and Administrative Expenses (G&A). G&A expenses were $2.9 million for the third quarter of 2019 as compared to $4.1 million for the same period in 2018. The decrease was primarily driven by lower personnel, legal and consulting services during the period.
Other Expenses. Net other expense for the third quarter 2019 was $1.1 million, as compared to $0.8 million for the same period in 2018. Net other expense for the third quarter 2019 primarily consisted of imputed interest expense related to future royalty payments, whereas in 2018 the expense related to interest accrued on Curis Royalty’s debt obligations.
As of September 30, 2019, Curis’s cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and investments totaled $28.0 million and there were approximately 33.2 million shares of common stock outstanding. Curis expects that its existing cash, cash equivalents and investments should enable it to maintain its planned operations into the second half of 2020.
Conference Call Information
Curis management will host a conference call today, November 5, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. ET, to discuss these financial results, as well as provide a corporate update.
To access the live conference call, please dial 1-888-346-6389 from the United States or 1-412-317-5252 from other locations, shortly before 8:30 a.m. ET. The conference call can also be accessed on the Curis website at www.curis.com in the Investors section.