On May 9, 2024 Intensity Therapeutics, Inc. ("Intensity" or "the Company") (Nasdaq: INTS), a late-stage clinical biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary, novel immune-based intratumoral cancer therapies designed to kill tumors and increase immune system recognition of cancers, reported first quarter 2024 financial results and provides a corporate update (Press release, Intensity Therapeutics, MAY 9, 2024, View Source [SID1234642995]).

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Corporate Update

•In mid-2024, the Company intends on initiating a Phase 3 open-label, randomized study, or the INVINCIBLE-3 Study, testing INT230-6 as a monotherapy compared to the standard of care ("SOC") drugs in second and third line treatment for certain soft tissue sarcoma subtypes. We plan to enroll 333 patients with an endpoint of overall survival and have screened and qualified over 30 sites for the INVINCIBLE-3 Study. Contract negotiations to approve and activate these sites are in process. We estimate the sites could take between two to six months to complete their contracting processes.

•In mid-2024, the Company intends on initiating a Phase 2/3 program testing INT230-6 in combination with the SOC treatment (chemotherapy/immunotherapy) compared to SOC alone in women with triple negative breast cancer in presurgical (neoadjuvant) breast cancer. The endpoint for the Phase 2 portion of the study, or the INVINCIBLE-4 Study, is the change in the pathological complete response rate for the combination compared to the SOC alone. We expect to initiate the INVINCIBLE-4 Study in mid-2024, which will provide data to size a Phase 3 study. We are in the process of screening and qualifying sites for the INVINCIBLE-4 Study.

"We continue to make excellent progress towards the initiation of our INVINCIBLE-3 Study," said Lewis H. Bender, Founder, President and CEO of Intensity Therapeutics, Inc. "In the first quarter, we were able to release our INT230-6 Phase 3 clinical supplies, successfully ship the entire batch to our main depot, and complete labeling of a portion of the vials for the United States sites. During the quarter, we completed evaluation of dozens of sites and are now in various stages of contract and budget discussions with over 30 different high-quality sarcoma centers. We continue to qualify new sarcoma specialty hospitals in the US and internationally, and top enrolling centers from our previous metastatic study have expressed interest in participating in the INVINCIBLE-3 trial." Mr. Bender continued, "Our INVINCIBLE-4 Study also continues to make excellent progress. Sites are being recruited and we continue to work towards initiating the study in mid-2024."

First Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Research and development expenses were $2.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to $0.8 million for the same period in 2023. The increase was primarily due to preliminary work related to the INVINCIBLE-3 Study, and to a lesser extent, costs for manufacturing a new batch of INT230-6 and increased expenses related to salary, benefits, and stock-based compensation.

General and administrative expenses were $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to $0.5 million for the same period in 2023. The increase was primarily due to increased expenses related to salary, benefits and stock-based compensation, higher legal, audit, and consulting fees, and higher directors and officers insurance.

Overall, net loss was $4.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

As of March 31, 2024, cash, cash equivalents and marketable debt securities totaled $10.5 million, which the Company expects will be sufficient to fund operations through the end of the first quarter in 2025.

About INT230-6
INT230-6, Intensity’s lead proprietary investigational product candidate, is designed for direct intratumoral injection. INT230-6 was discovered using Intensity’s proprietary DfuseRx℠ technology platform. The drug is composed of two proven, potent anti-cancer agents, cisplatin and vinblastine, and a penetration enhancer molecule (SHAO) that helps disperse potent cytotoxic drugs throughout tumors for diffusion into cancer cells. These agents remain in the tumor resulting in a favorable safety profile. In addition to local disease control, direct killing of the tumor by INT230-6 releases a bolus of neoantigens specific to the patient’s malignancy, leading to engagement of the immune system and systemic anti-tumor effects. Importantly, these effects are mediated without immunosuppression that so often occurs with systemic chemotherapy.