On May 28, 2020 Lumos Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUMO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on therapeutics for rare diseases reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020 and provided an update on clinical activities (Press release, NewLink Genetics, MAY 28, 2020, View Source [SID1234558622]).
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"This has been an exciting and busy time for Lumos Pharma," commented Rick Hawkins, Chairman, CEO and President. "With the recent close of our merger, the Company continues to execute its strategy to develop its oral therapeutic candidate, LUM-201, for pediatric growth hormone deficiency. Furthermore, we are now engaging in activities that we hope will lead to the expansion of our pipeline through the licensure of other rare disease assets. While we acknowledge that the worldwide coronavirus pandemic will adversely impact the conduct of our Phase 2b clinical trial, with our strong balance sheet and expected non-dilutive funds from the monetization of our priority review voucher, we believe Lumos Pharma is well positioned to execute on our clinical and business development plans."
Clinical Update and COVID-19 Impact
Phase 2b trial of LUM-201 in Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency (PGHD) – Lumos Pharma continues to prioritize the clinical development of LUM-201, its orally administered therapeutic candidate for a subset of children with PGHD. The Company is proceeding with the necessary steps to initiate this trial, from site preparation through readying the clinical drug supply. The coronavirus pandemic, however, has caused pervasive interruptions to clinical trials industrywide. Facing similar near-term impediments, the Company now expects to initiate its Phase 2b clinical trial in PGHD prior to the end of 2020 with the possibility of further delays should the pandemic persist.
Pipeline Expansion – The Company is also actively pursuing other business development opportunities to expand its rare disease portfolio. With an experienced team in place, we believe we are well-positioned to be successful in our pursuit of opportunities to expand our pipeline and build shareholder value.
Corporate Update
Completion of Merger – On March 18, 2020, the merger of privately held Lumos Pharma, Inc. with publicly listed NewLink Genetics Corporation was completed, and a 1-for-9 reverse stock split was effected, upon an overwhelmingly favorable vote by the stockholders of NewLink Genetics. In conjunction with the transaction, NewLink Genetics assumed the name Lumos Pharma, Inc. and on March 19, 2020 began trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol "LUMO."
New Board of Directors Formed – Upon the completion of the merger, the new Board of Directors of Lumos Pharma, Inc. was formed. Members include Rick Hawkins, CEO; Emmett T. Cunningham, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Life Sciences group; Kevin Lalande, Co-founder and Managing Director, Santé Ventures; Lota S. Zoth, Chairman, Zymeworks and former CFO, MedImmune; Thomas A. Raffin, M.D., co-founder and partner, Telegraph Hill Partners and Professor Emeritus, Stanford School of Medicine; and Chad Johnson, General Counsel, Stine Seed Company. Subsequently, the Board named Rick Hawkins Chairman along with President and CEO and
Exhibit 99.1
appointed its seventh member, Joseph S. McCracken, DVM, MS, currently a director on the boards of Savara, Inc. and Kindred Biosciences.
Executive Team Strengthened – Just after the close of Q1, John McKew, PhD, was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. McKew has twenty-seven years of public and private sector experience developing novel therapeutics where he successfully advanced therapies through preclinical and into clinical development. In addition, on May 6, 2020, Aaron Schuchart joined Lumos Pharma as its Chief Business Officer where he will support the Company’s strategy of expanding its pipeline through the addition of other assets. Aaron Schuchart has over twenty years of experience in key leadership roles for both large multinationals and small biotech companies, including Amgen, Novartis Diagnostics/Grifols, and Coherus Biosciences.
Financial Results for the Three-Month Period Ended March 31, 2020 and Updated Cash Guidance
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act: To respond to the devastating effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on businesses worldwide, on March 27, 2020, Congress passed The CARES Act to provide rapid financial assistance to American workers, families, and businesses. As a result, the Company’s Q1 2020 financial results include a tax benefit of $4.5 million resulting from changes in the treatment of tax net operating losses under the provisions of The CARES Act and the refund the Company anticipates receiving.
Cash Position: Lumos Pharma ended the quarter on March 31, 2020, with cash and cash equivalents totaling $85.8 million compared to $5.0 million December 31, 2019 and pro forma December 31, 2019 cash of $95.5 million. The Company expects its cash on hand is sufficient to fund current operations through the Phase 2b LUM-201 trial read-out.
R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2020 were $1.9 million, an increase of $450,000 from $1.5 million for the same period in 2019. The increase is primarily due to additional expenses incurred as a result of the Merger including the write-off of the acquired NewLink in-process research and development of $426,000, increase of $84,000 in personnel-related and stock compensation expense, and an increase of $68,000 in equipment and supplies expense, offset by a decrease in research and development consulting of $128,000.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2020 were $3.3 million, an increase of $2.6 million from $683,000 for the same period in 2019. The increase was due primarily to increases of $1.6 million in legal and professional fees incurred mainly related to the Merger, $663,000 in personnel-related expense, $295,000 due to increased operating expenses for rent, supplies, and depreciation and $91,000 due to insurance.
Net Income (Loss): The net income for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $340,000 compared to a net loss of $2.1 million for the same period in 2019.
Lumos Pharma ended Q1 2020 with 8,292,803 shares outstanding.
Conference Call and Webcast Details
The Company has scheduled a conference call and webcast for 4:30 p.m. ET today to discuss its financial results and to give an update on clinical and business development activities. There will also be a question and answer session following management’s prepared remarks.
Access to the live conference call is available five minutes prior to the start of the call by dialing (855) 469-0612 (U.S.) or (484) 756-4268 (international). The conference call will be webcast live and a link to the webcast can be accessed through the Lumos Pharma website at www.lumos-pharma.com in the "Investors & Media" section under "Events and Presentations" or through this link: View Source To ensure a timely connection, it is recommended that users register at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled webcast. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the completion of the call and can be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S.) or (404) 537-3406 (international) and using the passcode 9129999. The replay will be available for two weeks from the date of the call.