On May 10, 2016 Genmab reported its Interim Report for the First Quarter of 2016 (Press release, Genmab, MAY 10, 2016, View Source [SID:1234512173]).
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Net Sales of DARZALEX (daratumumab) by Janssen for the first quarter of 2016 were USD 101.9 million, resulting in royalty income of DKK 83 million
Announced positive interim result in Phase III Castor study of daratumumab in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma
Announced studies of daratumumab in combination with atezolizumab in a solid tumor and multiple myeloma
Achieved USD 5 million milestone for progress in the Phase II study of daratumumab in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) under collaboration with Janssen
Announced updated development plans for ofatumumab in autoimmune indications
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Approval of Arzerra (ofatumumab) as extended treatment for recurrent or progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
U.S. and EU regulatory submissions for ofatumumab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide for relapsed CLL
"The first quarter of 2016 saw continued rapid progress in the development of daratumumab with Janssen: We reported positive interim data in the Phase III Castor study of daratumumab in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone, achieved the second milestone in the Phase II NHL study, and announced the first study to combine daratumumab with Roche’s anti-PDL1 antibody atezolizumab, in a solid tumor and multiple myeloma. We also started off the year with a number of achievements under our Arzerra collaboration with Novartis. Arzerra was approved in the U.S. as extended treatment for recurrent or progressive CLL and regulatory submissions for ofatumumab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosamide in relapsed CLL were submitted in the U.S. and Europe. Furthermore, we announced that development of the subcutaneous formulation of ofatumumab in autoimmune indications will be focused on relapsing multiple sclerosis, with large Phase III studies run by Novartis expected to start later this year," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab.
Financial Performance First Quarter
Revenue was DKK 170 million in the first quarter of 2016 compared to DKK 107 million in the first quarter of 2015. The increase of DKK 63 million, or 59%, was mainly driven by higher royalty and milestone revenue under our daratumumab collaboration with Janssen.
Operating expenses were DKK 154 million in the first quarter of 2016 compared to DKK 110 million in the first quarter of 2015. The increase of DKK 44 million, or 40%, was due to the additional investment in our pipeline of products, including the advancement of tisotumab vedotin, HuMax-AXL-ADC, HexaBody-DR5/DR5, DuoBody-CD3xCD20, and our other pre-clinical programs.
Operating income was DKK 16 million in the first quarter of 2016 compared to DKK 173 million in the first quarter of 2015. The decrease of DKK 157 million was driven by the one-time reversal of the ofatumumab funding liability of DKK 176 million in 2015 combined with increased operating expenses, which were partly offset by higher revenue.
On March 31, 2016, Genmab had a cash position of DKK 3,491 million, similar to the cash position of DKK 3,493 million at December 31, 2015.
Business Progress First Quarter to Present
Daratumumab
March: Announced that the Phase III Castor study (MMY3004) of daratumumab in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone versus bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma met the primary endpoint of improving progression free survival (PFS) in a planned interim analysis (p<0.0001). Janssen will engage in a dialogue with the health authorities about the potential for these data to serve as the basis for a regulatory submission.
March: Announced that daratumumab will be investigated in Phase Ib clinical studies in combination with atezolizumab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, in a solid tumor and multiple myeloma. The studies will be conducted under a collaboration agreement between Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen) and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.
March: Achieved the second milestone in the ongoing Phase II study of daratumumab in NHL, triggering a USD 5 million payment from Janssen.
Ofatumumab
March: Announced that supplemental regulatory applications for the use of Arzerra in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide for the treatment of patients with relapsed CLL were submitted in the U.S. and EU by Novartis.
March: Announced an update on development plans for ofatumumab in autoimmune indications focusing on relapsing multiple sclerosis following the transfer of the rights to ofatumumab in this disease area from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to Novartis at the end of 2015. Phase III studies of the subcutaneous formulation of ofatumumab in relapsing multiple sclerosis are expected to be initiated by Novartis during the second half of 2016. The Phase III study of the subcutaneous formulation of ofatumumab in pemphigus vulgaris, which was started by GSK, will be discontinued.
January: The U.S. FDA approved a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the use of Arzerra for extended treatment of patients who are in complete or partial response after at least two lines of therapy for recurrent or progressive CLL.
Subsequent Events
April: Reported additional data from the Phase III Castor study of daratumumab in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone versus bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The study met the primary endpoint of improving PFS; Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.39, p<0.0001. The median PFS for patients treated with daratumumab has not been reached, compared to median PFS of 7.2 months for patients who did not receive daratumumab. Data from this study was accepted for oral presentation in a Plenary Session at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.
April: Announced that MorphoSys filed a complaint at the U.S. District Court of Delaware against Genmab and Genmab’s collaboration partner Janssen, for patent infringement under U.S. patent no. 8,263,746 based on activities relating to the manufacture, use and sale of DARZALEX in the United States. Genmab and Janssen disagree with the allegations made by MorphoSys in its complaint for patent infringement related to CD38 antibodies and intend to vigorously contest those allegations.
April: The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a conditional marketing authorization for DARZALEX intended for the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. The recommendation is for the use of DARZALEX as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, whose prior therapy included a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and an immunomodulatory agent and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy.
Outlook
Genmab is maintaining its 2016 revised financial guidance published on April 20, 2016.