On August 14, 2023 Leap Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:LPTX), a biotechnology company focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics, reported financial results for second quarter ended June 30, 2023 (Press release, Leap Therapeutics, AUG 14, 2023, View Source [SID1234634377]).
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Leap Highlights:
· Announced that initial data from Part A of the Phase 2 DeFianCe study of DKN-01 in combination with standard of care bevacizumab and chemotherapy as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) exceeded a twenty percent (20%) overall response rate (ORR) with a high disease control rate, leading to the initiation of the 130-patient randomized controlled Part B of the study
· Presented new long-term follow-up data from Part A of the Phase 2 DisTinGuish study of DKN-01 plus tislelizumab and chemotherapy demonstrating 19.5 months median overall survival (OS) in first-line patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting
"The Company made important progress on our DKN-01 program during the second quarter. Based on Part A of the DeFianCe study exceeding our threshold of a 20% ORR, all of which are now confirmed responses, we initiated Part B, our second randomized controlled trial," said Douglas E. Onsi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Leap. "We also presented new long-term follow-up data from Part A of the DisTinGuish study at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper), demonstrating 19.5 months median overall survival which exceeds current benchmarks. Additionally, enrollment continues to be strong in the 160 patient randomized controlled Part C of the DisTinGuish study, and we expect to complete enrollment in the fourth quarter of this year."
DKN-01 Development Update
· Announced initial results from Part A of the DeFianCe Study of DKN-01 for the treatment of colorectal cancer patients and initiation of the randomized controlled Part B of the study. The DeFianCe study (NCT05480306) is a Phase 2, randomized, open-label, multicenter study of DKN-01 in combination with standard of care bevacizumab and chemotherapy in patients with advanced CRC who have received one prior systemic therapy for advanced disease. The study began with an initial Part A cohort that enrolled 33 patients, including significant numbers of patients who had early progression on first-line therapy, previous exposure to bevacizumab, tumors with Ras mutations, or liver metastases. Initial results indicated an ORR above twenty percent (20%) with a high disease control rate, which exceeds the benchmarks expected for this population. The study has expanded into a 130-patient Part B randomized controlled trial. The primary endpoint of the randomized study is progression free survival. Secondary objectives include overall response rate, duration of response, and overall survival. Leap expects to be able to enroll Part B in approximately 12 months.
· Presented updated data from Part A of the DisTinGuish Study of DKN-01 plus tislelizumab and chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients at the 2023 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. The Company presented new long-term follow-up data in first-line patients with advanced GEA from Part A of the DisTinGuish study (NCT0436380), a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Leap’s anti-Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) antibody, DKN-01, in combination with tislelizumab and chemotherapy. Highlights from the data include:
o At two years follow up, DKN-01 plus tislelizumab and chemotherapy demonstrated an ORR of 73% in the modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population and 86% in the PD-L1 low-subgroup
o Median OS of 19.5 months and median progression-free survival (PFS) of 11.3 months exceeds benchmark results in the overall population
o Combination was well tolerated with manageable toxicity, with most adverse events related to DKN-01 being low-grade
Selected Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results
Net Loss was $13.4 million for the second quarter 2023, compared to $17.0 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to decreased research and development expenses and increased interest income.
Research and development expenses were $11.1 million for the second quarter 2023, compared to $14.0 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease in research and development expenses was primarily due to a decrease of $4.5 million in manufacturing costs related to clinical trial material, partially offset by an increase of $0.8 million in clinical trial costs and an increase of $0.8 million in payroll and other related expenses due to an increase in headcount of our research and development full-time employees.
General and administrative expenses were $3.6 million for the second quarter 2023, compared to $2.9 million for the same period in 2022. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase of $0.6 million in professional fees due to higher finance and legal costs associated with our business development activities and a $0.3 million increase in payroll and other related expenses due to an increase in headcount of our general and administrative full-time employees, partially offset by a decrease of $0.2 million in insurance costs.
Interest income was $1.2 million for the second quarter 2023, compared to an immaterial amount for the same period in 2022. The increase reflects the increased interest rate environment applicable to the Company’s cash balance.
Cash and cash equivalents totaled $91.4 million at June 30, 2023. Research and development incentive receivables totaled $2.6 million at June 30, 2023.