On May 6, 2020 Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HARP), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a novel class of T cell engagers, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 and provided a corporate update (Press release, Harpoon Therapeutics, MAY 6, 2020, View Source [SID1234557135]).

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!

"Harpoon has made remarkable progress since the beginning of 2020, highlighted by the initiation of clinical development for our third novel TriTAC program, HPN217, for the treatment of multiple myeloma," said Gerald McMahon, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Harpoon Therapeutics. "We continue to advance both of our lead clinical programs for HPN424 and HPN536 and plan to present interim clinical data for both of these studies this year. In addition, we are enrolling the clinical trial for HPN217 and are on track to file an IND followed by initiation of our fourth clinical trial for HPN328 in the second half of this year."

First Quarter 2020 Business Highlights and Other Recent Developments

In April, Harpoon announced the first patient was dosed with HPN217 in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial focused on relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). HPN217 is covered by a global development and option agreement with AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) and treatment of the first patient in the clinical trial has triggered a $50 million milestone payment to Harpoon. HPN217 targets B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a well-validated target expressed on multiple myeloma cells. HPN217 is Harpoon’s third product candidate to enter the clinic and is based on Harpoon’s proprietary Tri-specific T cell Activating Construct (TriTAC) platform designed to recruit a patient’s own immune cells to destroy tumors.

In April, Harpoon appointed Andrew R. Robbins and Joseph S. Bailes, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Among his many achievements, Mr. Robbins is credited with leading the highly successful U.S. launch of BRAFTOVI (encorafenib) + MEKTOVI (binimetinib) in BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma. Dr. Bailes is a medical oncologist with substantial experience in clinical practice, legislation, public policy and advocacy, and for nearly two decades, served in various executive leadership capacities with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) including as President.

Patient enrollment and dose escalation continues in the Phase 1 trials for HPN424 in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer and in the Phase 1/2a trial for HPN536, initially for ovarian and

pancreatic cancers. Harpoon plans to present interim HPN424 data at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2020 Virtual Meeting (Abstract 5552). The Company will host a virtual event to provide a clinical trial and pipeline update in parallel with the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) meeting.

Anticipated 2020 Milestones

HPN424 – present interim data from the dose escalation phase of our Phase 1 trial at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper)20 Virtual and initiate expansion cohort in 2020

HPN536 – present interim data from Phase 1/2a trial in the second half of 2020

HPN217 – initiate a Phase 1/2 trial in the first half of 2020 (Completed)

HPN328 – initiate Phase 1/2a trial in the second half of 2020

First Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Harpoon ended the first quarter of 2020 with $138.2 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities compared to $155.1 million as of December 31, 2019. This figure does not include the $50 million milestone payment achieved through the AbbVie agreement noted above.

Revenue for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 was $3.3 million compared to $1.1 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019. The increase in revenue was primarily due to revenue recognized from the upfront payment under the development and option agreement with AbbVie, signed in November 2019.

Research and development expense for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 was $12.5 million compared to $9.4 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019. The increase primarily arose from clinical development expenses and an increase in personnel-related expenses, which included conducting preclinical studies, the continuation and preparation of the clinical trials for HPN424, HPN536 and HPN217, and manufacturing activities for four TriTAC product candidates in various stages of development.

General and administrative expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 was $3.9 million compared to $5.8 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. The decrease was due to higher expenses incurred in the first quarter of 2019 primarily related to legal fees associated with Maverick litigation, and consulting and accounting services, offset by an increase in personnel expenses related to an increase in headcount, and other professional services to support our ongoing operations as a public company.

Net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 was $12.6 million compared to $13.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

COVID-19 Update

In response to the COVID19 pandemic, Harpoon notes that it closed its executive offices in compliance with county and state shelter-in-place orders, the result of which is that substantially all of the Company’s employees are currently telecommuting, and there is only a limited the number of staff working in the Company’s laboratory. Harpoon is currently continuing its clinical trials it has underway in sites in the United States, and has not yet experienced any material delays or impacts as a result of the pandemic. In addition, Harpoon’s third-party contract manufacturers continue to operate at or near normal levels and the Company does not currently anticipate material interruptions. Harpoon continues to assess the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business and operations, including its programs, expected timelines, expenses, manufacturing and clinical trials. The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may have a negative impact on Harpoon’s business, results of operations and financial condition, and will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted.