On February 28, 2022 Nuvation Bio Inc. (NYSE: NUVB), a biopharmaceutical company tackling some of the greatest unmet needs in oncology by developing differentiated and novel therapeutic candidates, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2021, and provided a business update (Press release, Nuvation Bio, FEB 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234609173]).

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"In 2021, the Nuvation Bio team made significant progress for our lead cyclin-dependent kinase 2/4/6 inhibitor program in the clinic. NUV-422 received FDA Fast Track Designation for the treatment of high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma multiforme, and clearance of two IND applications for the treatment of advanced breast cancer and prostate cancer," said David Hung, M.D., founder, president, and chief executive officer of Nuvation Bio. "We are well positioned to build upon this momentum in 2022 and expect to achieve additional milestones across our broad pipeline of novel oncology therapeutic candidates for difficult-to-treat cancers. We look forward to sharing clinical development updates this year."

Recent Business Highlights

FDA clearance of Investigational New Drug (IND) application for NUV-868 for the treatment of advanced solid tumors. In January 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Nuvation Bio’s IND application for NUV-868, a BD2-selective oral small molecule bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) inhibitor, for the treatment of advanced solid tumors, including ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The Company will initiate a Phase 1 monotherapy dose escalation study of NUV-868 in mid-2022.
FDA clearance of IND applications for NUV-422 for the treatment of advanced breast cancer and prostate cancer. In December 2021, the FDA cleared Nuvation Bio’s IND applications to evaluate NUV-422, a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 2/4/6 inhibitor, for the treatment of advanced breast cancer and prostate cancer. The Company began a monotherapy Phase 1/2 study of NUV-422 in December 2020 in high grade gliomas and later amended the protocol in the second quarter of 2021 to include HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer (with and without brain metastases) and mCRPC. The Company is continuing to enroll patients in the monotherapy Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the study, with safety data expected in 2022.
FDA Fast Track Designation for NUV-422 for the treatment of high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma multiforme. In December 2021, the FDA granted Fast Track Designation to NUV-422 for the treatment of patients with high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma multiforme. NUV-422 received Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of patients with malignant gliomas from the FDA in the first quarter of 2021.
Fourth Quarter and Full Year Financial Results

As of December 31, 2021, Nuvation Bio had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $765.4 million.

For the three months ended December 31, 2021, research and development expenses were $22.0 million, compared to $9.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to an $8.9 million increase in third-party costs related to research services and manufacturing to advance our current preclinical programs and Phase 1/2 clinical trial, as well as a $3.8 million increase in personnel-related costs driven by an increase in headcount and stock-based compensation. Research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 were $69.0 million compared to $32.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

For the three months ended December 31, 2021, general and administrative expenses were $7.6 million, compared to $4.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to a $1.4 million increase in personnel-related costs driven by an increase in headcount and stock-based compensation, a $1.1 million increase in insurance, a $0.5 million increase in professional fees and a $0.3 million increase in other miscellaneous expenses offset by a $0.2 million decrease in taxes. General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 were $24.3 million compared to $10.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

For the three months ended December 31, 2021, Nuvation Bio reported a net loss of $25.1 million, or $(0.12) per share. This compares to a net loss of $13.3 million, or $(0.11) per share, for the comparable period in 2020. Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $86.8 million compared to $41.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.