On November 12, 2024 Schrödinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR) reported financial results for the third quarter of 2024 and provided a business update (Press release, Schrodinger, NOV 12, 2024, View Source [SID1234648210]). In a separate press release issued earlier today, Schrödinger announced a multi-target research and licensing collaboration with Novartis. Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay Schrödinger $150 million upfront, and Schrödinger will also be eligible to receive up to $2.3 billion in milestone payments. Schrödinger also announced an expanded three-year software agreement that substantially increases Novartis’s access to Schrödinger’s computational predictive modeling technology and enterprise informatics platform.
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"We have continued to make important advances across our business this year. Recent progress, including the collaboration with Novartis and milestones achieved by our co-founded companies underscore the strength of our business model," said Ramy Farid, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Schrödinger. "While our third quarter software revenue was slightly below our expectations, we are excited about the opportunities we have in the fourth quarter to drive software growth through increasing utilization among our customers. Our proprietary pipeline is progressing, and we look forward to sharing the initial Phase 1 data from each of our three lead programs next year."
Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results
•Total revenue for the third quarter was $35.3 million, compared to $42.6 million in the third quarter of 2023.
•Software revenue for the third quarter increased 10% to $31.9 million, compared to $28.9 million in the third quarter of 2023. The increase was due to the growing contribution of hosted licenses, partially offset by multi-year on-premise contracts signed in the third quarter of 2023.
•Drug discovery revenue was $3.4 million for the third quarter, compared to $13.7 million in the third quarter of 2023. The third quarter of 2023 included accelerated recognition of deferred revenue associated with programs no longer in the company’s collaborative portfolio.
•Software gross margin decreased to 73% for the third quarter, compared to 76% in the third quarter of 2023, reflecting lower profitability of revenue associated with the predictive toxicology initiative.
•Operating expenses were $86.2 million for the third quarter, compared to $79.8 million for the third quarter of 2023. The increase was primarily due to higher R&D expenses.
•Other income, which includes changes in fair value of equity investments and interest income, was $30.2 million for the third quarter, compared to other expense of $8.7 million for the third quarter of 2023, primarily reflecting changes in fair value of the company’s equity investments.
•Net loss for the third quarter was $38.1 million, compared to net loss of $62.0 million in the third quarter of 2023.
•At September 30, 2024, Schrödinger had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities of $398.4 million, compared to $468.8 million at December 31, 2023.
Three Months Ended
September 30,
2024 2023 % Change
(in millions)
Total revenue $ 35.3 $ 42.6 (17)%
Software revenue 31.9 28.9 10%
Drug discovery revenue 3.4 13.7 (75)%
Software gross margin 73 % 76 %
Operating expenses $ 86.2 $ 79.8 7.9%
Other income (expense) $ 30.2 $ (8.7) —
Net loss $ (38.1) $ (62.0) —
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, Schrödinger reported non-GAAP net losses of $63.7 million and $174.2 million, respectively, compared to non-GAAP net losses of $50.4 million and $134.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. A reconciliation of non-GAAP net loss to GAAP net (loss) income can be found in "Non-GAAP Information" and financial tables below.
2024 Financial Outlook
Today Schrödinger updated its 2024 full-year financial guidance. The company’s updated financial expectations for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, are as follows:
•Software revenue growth is now expected to range from 8% to 13%.
•Drug discovery revenue is now expected to range from $20 million to $30 million.
•Software gross margin is expected to be slightly lower than 2023 and in the range of 2022 based on the effect of the research grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
•Operating expense growth in 2024 is expected to range from 8% to 10%.
•Cash used for operating activities in 2024 is expected to be above cash used for operating activities in 2023, depending on the timing of cash received from collaborations.
"We have increased the lower end of our software revenue growth guidance for the year, reflecting our confidence in the opportunities to meet our growth goals and the continued enthusiasm for the deployment of computation in drug discovery across the industry," stated Geoff Porges, MBBS, chief financial officer of Schrödinger. "Collaborations continue to be an important element of our business model, and we are pleased Novartis has recognized the value of our platform and the capabilities of our team with this agreement. This quarter we added $48 million to our cash balance as a result of Lilly’s acquisition of Morphic and expect to add even more capital from the payments associated with the collaboration announced today."
Recent Highlights
Collaborators, Partners, and Co-Founded Companies
•Today Schrödinger announced a multi-target research and licensing collaboration and expanded software licensing agreement with Novartis. The collaboration agreement is intended to advance multiple development candidates into Novartis’s portfolio for further development and commercialization. Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay Schrödinger $150 million upfront, and Schrödinger will also be eligible to receive up to $892 million in research, development and regulatory milestone payments. Additionally, Schrödinger is eligible for up to $1.38 billion in commercial milestones and tiered mid single-digit to low double-digit royalties on net sales of each product commercialized by Novartis. Schrödinger also announced an expanded three-year software agreement that substantially increases Novartis’s access to Schrödinger’s computational predictive modeling technology and enterprise informatics platform.
•In November, Nimbus Therapeutics, a company co-founded by Schrödinger, announced updated data from its Phase 1/2 clinical study of NDI-101150 at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. NDI-101150 is a HPK1 inhibitor in development for the treatment of solid tumors.
•In October, Ajax Therapeutics, a company co-founded by Schrödinger, announced the dosing of the first patient in the Phase 1 study of AJ1-11095, a novel JAK2 inhibitor, in patients with primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis or post-essential thrombocytopenia myelofibrosis.
•In August, Lilly completed its acquisition of Morphic, a company co-founded by Schrödinger, at the announced acquisition price of $57 per share, or approximately $3.2 billion. Schrödinger tendered 834,968 shares for an aggregate of $47.6 million in cash. Schrödinger remains entitled to low single-digit royalties on acquired Morphic clinical development programs, including MORF-057.
Proprietary Pipeline
•In October, Schrödinger presented preclinical data on SGR-3515, its Wee1/Myt1 inhibitor, at the EORTC-NCI-AACR (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) Symposium (ENA 2024). The data demonstrated that SGR-3515 had a favorable pharmacological profile and dosing schedule that supports evaluating intermittent dosing in patients.
•In October, Schrödinger presented preclinical data from the company’s discovery-stage PRMT5 program at ENA 2024. The poster reviewed the discovery of a series of highly selective PRMT5-MTA inhibitors, following the use of Schrödinger’s computational platform to identify a novel molecular series with potential for best-in-class pharmacological properties.
•Schrödinger continues to advance SGR-1505, its MALT1 inhibitor, through the Phase 1 dose-escalation study in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies. The company expects to report initial clinical data from this study in the first half of 2025.
•SGR-2921, the company’s CDC7 inhibitor, is progressing through a Phase 1 dose-escalation study in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. Schrödinger expects to report initial clinical data from this study in the second half of 2025.
•The Phase 1 study of SGR-3515 continues to enroll patients with advanced solid tumors at sites in the U.S. and Canada. Initial clinical data from this study is expected in the second half of 2025.
Platform
•In the third quarter, Schrödinger scientists published five papers highlighting ongoing research to advance the platform, including a method for treating significant conformational changes in free energy simulations of protein-ligand binding, a model of coarse grained simulation of mRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticle self-assembly, and a review of recent developments and unique features in its quantum mechanics software package.
Webcast and Conference Call Information
Schrödinger will host a conference call to discuss its third quarter 2024 financial results and the recently announced Novartis collaboration on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. ET. The live webcast can be accessed under "News & Events" in the investors section of Schrödinger’s website, View Source To participate in the live call, please register for the call here. It is recommended that participants register at least 15 minutes in advance of the call. Once registered, participants will receive the dial-in information. The archived webcast will be available on Schrödinger’s website for approximately 90 days following the event.