On August 9, 2016 Genmab reported its Interim Report for First Half 2016 (Press release, Genmab, AUG 9, 2016, View Source [SID:1234514420]).
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Net Sales of DARZALEX (daratumumab) by Janssen for the first half of 2016 were USD 209 million, resulting in royalty income of USD 25 million (DKK 168 million)
2016 financial guidance improved
Announced European conditional marketing authorization of DARZALEX for heavily pre-treated or double-refractory multiple myeloma
Achieved USD 30 million milestone for first commercial sale of DARZALEX in Europe
Announced positive topline result in Phase III POLLUX study of daratumumab in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma
Announced that U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted priority review to sBLA for ofatumumab (Arzerra) in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) in relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a negative opinion for Arzerra as maintenance therapy in relapsed CLL
Announced Phase III studies of ofatumumab in relapsing multiple sclerosis
"The two major highlights during the second quarter were the rapid European approval of DARZALEX and positive Phase III data from the POLLUX study. DARZALEX was successfully launched by our collaboration partner Janssen shortly after the approval, triggering a milestone payment of USD 30 million to Genmab. We were also very excited about the Phase III POLLUX study data which showed that daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone led to a significant improvement in progression free survival in treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab.
Financial Performance First Half
Revenue was DKK 524 million in the first half of 2016 compared to DKK 281 million in the first half of 2015. The increase of DKK 243 million, or 86%, was mainly driven by higher royalty and milestone revenue under our daratumumab collaboration with Janssen.
Operating expenses were DKK 366 million in the first half of 2016 compared to DKK 244 million in the first half of 2015. The increase of DKK 122 million, or 50%, was due to the additional investment in our pipeline of products, including the advancement of tisotumab vedotin, HuMax-AXL-ADC, HexaBody-DR5/DR5, DuoBody-CD3xCD20, and our other pre-clinical programs.
Operating income was DKK 158 million in the first half of 2016 compared to DKK 212 million in the first half of 2015. The decrease of DKK 54 million, or 25%, was driven by the one-time reversal of the ofatumumab funding liability of DKK 176 million in 2015 combined with increased operating expenses in 2016, which were partly offset by higher revenue in 2016.
On June 30, 2016, Genmab had a cash position of DKK 3,762 million compared to DKK 3,493 million at December 31, 2015. This represented a net increase of DKK 269 million, which was driven primarily by income from operations and the proceeds from the exercise of warrants for DKK 82 million.
Business Progress Second Quarter
Daratumumab
May: Achieved a USD 30 million milestone triggered by the first commercial sale of DARZALEX in Europe.
May: Announced that the European Commission (EC) granted a conditional marketing authorization for DARZALEX for heavily pre-treated or double-refractory multiple myeloma. The approval followed a positive recommendation for DARZALEX from the CHMP of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in April.
May: Announced that the Phase III POLLUX study (MMY3003) of daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma met the primary endpoint at a pre-planned interim analysis (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.37 (95% CI 0.27-0.52), p<0.0001). Patients who received treatment with daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone had a 63% reduction in risk of their disease progressing, compared to those who did not receive daratumumab. The median progression free survival (PFS) for patients treated with daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone has not been reached, compared to an estimated median PFS of 18.4 months for patients who received lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone. Janssen will engage in a dialogue with health authorities about the potential for a regulatory submission for this indication.
April: Reported more detailed data from the Phase III CASTOR (MMY3004) study of daratumumab in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone versus bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The study met the primary endpoint of improving PFS; HR = 0.39, p<0.0001. The median PFS for patients treated with daratumumab has not been reached, compared to median PFS of 7.2 months for patients who did not receive daratumumab.
April: Announced that MorphoSys filed a complaint at the U.S. District Court of Delaware against Genmab and Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen), for patent infringement under U.S. patent no. 8,263,746 based on activities relating to the manufacture, use and sale of DARZALEX in the United States. Genmab and Janssen disagree with the allegations made by MorphoSys in its complaint for patent infringement and intend to vigorously contest those allegations.
Ofatumumab
June: Announced that the CHMP of the EMA issued a negative opinion on the use of Arzerra as maintenance therapy for patients with relapsed CLL.
June: Announced that Novartis will start Phase III studies of the subcutaneous formulation of ofatumumab in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) with enrollment of patients to start in September 2016.
May: Announced that the U.S. FDA granted Priority Review to the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the use of ofatumumab in combination with FC for the treatment of patients with relapsed CLL.
Subsequent Event
July: The U.S. FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for DARZALEX injection in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. Breakthrough Therapy Designation is a program intended to expedite the development and review of drugs to treat serious or life-threatening diseases in cases where preliminary clinical evidence shows that the drug may provide substantial improvements over available therapy.