On August 8, 2016 Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:INO) reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 (Press release, Inovio, AUG 8, 2016, View Source [SID:1234514352]). The following financial results provide a year-over-year comparison of the second quarter in 2016 and 2015. Total revenue was $6.2 million compared to $5.3 million. Total operating expenses were $24.4 million compared to $20.4 million. The net loss attributable to common stockholders was $18.7 million, or $0.26 per share, compared to $6.2 million, or $0.09 per share.

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Revenue

The increase in revenue was primarily due to an increase in development payments from our DARPA Ebola grant.

Operating Expenses

Research and development expenses were $19.6 million compared to $16.7 million. The increase was primarily related to increased investment in our product development programs. General and administrative expenses were $5.8 million compared to $4.7 million.

Capital Resources

As of June 30, 2016, cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were $134.5 million compared with $163.0 million as of December 31, 2015. There were 73.5 million shares outstanding and 81.2 million fully diluted.

The Company sold 119,400 shares of common stock at an average price of $11.12 per share, for net proceeds of $1.3 million, under the ATM common stock sales agreement implemented during the period.

Inovio’s balance sheet and statement of operations are provided below. Form 10-Q providing the complete 2016 second quarter financial report can be found at: View Source

Corporate Update

Clinical Development

The FDA and European Medicines Agency provided an affirmative path toward an indication for VGX-3100 to treat HPV-16/18-related high grade cervical dysplasia in a pivotal phase III registration study. We completed major commercial device design and manufacturing process development efforts, and are in the final stage of testing. Completion of this extensive work will enable us to then submit our final package to the FDA in order to start the phase III in 4Q 2016.
Received approval from the FDA to initiate a phase I human trial to evaluate Inovio’s Zika DNA vaccine (GLS-5700). This phase I, open-label, dose-ranging study with 40 healthy subjects is evaluating the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of GLS-5700. Subsequent to the quarter Inovio announced the dosing of the first subject in this study. We expect to report interim immune response and safety data in 4Q 2016.
Inovio will continue to develop its hepatitis B DNA immunotherapy (INO-1800) independently following Roche’s notice that it will discontinue its collaboration with Inovio and its development of INO-1800. INO-1800 was licensed to Roche from Inovio in 2013. All of Roche’s rights to INO-1800, including the right to license the product to other parties, will be returned. Inovio will continue to advance its current phase I study of INO-1800, which is enrolling as planned in 30 clinical sites in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions. Inovio anticipates completing enrollment in the first half of 2017 and expects results in the second half of 2017.
The study has completed interim safety reviews with a favorable safety profile to date. Immunology analyses are planned after completion of enrollment.
Partnered with the National Cancer Institute and Mayo Clinic to initiate a phase I trial of our immunotherapy for hepatitis C (INO-8000). The dose escalation study will enroll patients in the early stages of chronic HCV infection to determine the therapy’s ability to decrease and potentially eliminate HCV viral load, measure HCV specific immune responses and durability of these immune responses, and evaluate safety and tolerability.
Completed enrollment of 94 subjects in the phase I study of our PENNVAX-GP HIV immunotherapy. After completing extensive immunogenicity analyses, we expect to report data in 1H 2017.
Completed enrollment of 22 subjects in the phase I study of our HPV-driven cancer immunotherapy, INO-3112, in head & neck cancer patients. We expect to report additional immune response and safety data in 4Q 2016.
Completed enrollment of 62 subjects in the phase I study of our INO-5150 prostate cancer immunotherapy. We expect to report interim immune response and safety data in 4Q 2016.
Completed enrollment of 75 subjects in the phase I study of our GLS-5300 MERS vaccine. We expect to report interim immune response and safety data in 4Q 2016.
Corporate Development

Inovio completed the acquisition of all of Bioject Medical Technologies Inc.’s assets, including pioneering needle-free jet injection technology, devices, and intellectual property, for $5.5 million in cash and stock.
Inovio’s DNA-based monoclonal antibody technology will be deployed to develop new immunotherapy approaches to treat HIV. This work will be funded by a $23 million grant, called BEAT-HIV: Delaney Collaboratory to Cure HIV-1 Infection by Combination Immunotherapy, from the National Institutes of Health to The Wistar Institute, an Inovio collaborator, and more than 30 of the nation’s leading HIV investigators.
Preclinical Development

Preclinical testing of our Zika virus synthetic vaccine induced robust and durable immune responses in mice and in non-human primates (monkeys).