On March 29, 2022 Nuvalent, Inc. (Nasdaq: NUVL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating precisely targeted therapies for clinically proven kinase targets in cancer, reported pipeline and business progress and fourth quarter and full year 2021 financial results (Press release, Nuvalent, MAR 29, 2022, View Source [SID1234611091]).

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As part of today’s update, Nuvalent is announcing that its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for NVL-655 for the treatment of ALK-positive NSCLC and other solid tumors was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). NVL-655 is a novel ALK-selective inhibitor designed with the aim to address the clinical challenges of emergent treatment resistance, central nervous system (CNS)-related adverse events, and brain metastases that may limit the use of currently available ALK inhibitors. Nuvalent plans to initiate the ALKOVE-1 Phase 1/2 study of NVL-655 for patients with advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other solid tumors in the second quarter of 2022.

"The Nuvalent team has continued to demonstrate the ability to discover novel molecules with preclinical profiles suggesting best-in-class potential and to progress them efficiently into clinical development. With the clearance of our IND for NVL-655, Nuvalent is on track to have two parallel lead compounds in clinical trials by mid-year," said James Porter, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Nuvalent. "We believe we are well positioned with two clinical-stage, novel product candidates in areas of significant medical need, and sustainable internal discovery efforts with the goal of delivering multiple additional product candidates. I am incredibly proud of all that this team has accomplished and their continued dedication to advancing new potential therapeutic options for patients in need."

Recent Pipeline Highlights

Enrollment Ongoing in ARROS-1 Trial of NVL-520 for Patients with Advanced ROS1-positive NSCLC: Nuvalent is actively enrolling patients in the Phase 1 portion of its ARROS-1 clinical trial, a Phase 1/2 study evaluating NVL-520 in patients with advanced ROS1-positive NSCLC and other solid tumors. NVL-520, Nuvalent’s lead product candidate, is a novel ROS1-selective inhibitor designed with the aim to address the clinical challenges of emergent treatment resistance, CNS adverse events, and brain metastases that may limit the use of currently available ROS1 kinase inhibitors.
Discovery Pipeline Advancing toward Selection of Next Development Candidates: Nuvalent continues to advance its early pipeline efforts with multiple discovery-stage research programs. The company expects to nominate product candidates in 2022 for its discovery programs directed toward ALK IXDN compound resistance mutations and HER2 exon 20 insertions.
Recent Business Highlights

Strengthened Board of Directors with Appointment of Emily Drabant Conley, Ph.D.: In February 2022, Nuvalent appointed Emily Drabant Conley, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Federation Bio, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Conley’s work has contributed to industry-shaping advances in genomics that empower patients and clinicians with actionable health data. Prior to Federation Bio, she spent over a decade at 23andMe where, as Vice President of Business Development, she was instrumental in powering the company’s growth from 30 employees into a household name.
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Financial Results

Cash Position: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $288.1 million as of December 31, 2021. Nuvalent expects that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its planned operations into 2024.
R&D Expenses: Research and development (R&D) expenses were $13.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, and $35.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $4.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, and $10.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Net Loss: Net loss was $17.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, and $46.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.