BioLineRx Reports Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update
- On track to report three significant data readouts in next few months -
- Completes successful financings, raising gross proceeds of $13.4 million; sufficient to reach multiple important milestones-
- Management to hold conference call today, August 6, at 10:00 am EDT -
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BioLineRx Ltd. (NASDAQ: BLRX) (TASE: BLRX), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, today reports its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and provides a corporate update.
Highlights and achievements during the second quarter 2020 and subsequent period:
- Continued to advance clinical programs, with three key data readouts in pancreatic cancer, stem cell mobilization and AML expected between now and year-end;
- Announced publication in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Medicine of previously disclosed biomarker and clinical data from the COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 trial in pancreatic cancer, showing encouraging clinical activity, as well as proof-of-mechanism;
- Strengthened balance sheet with $13.4 million in gross proceeds from two registered direct offerings.
"We continue to eagerly await important survival data from the triple combination arm of our COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 clinical trial of motixafortide in combination with KEYTRUDA and chemotherapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer," stated Philip Serlin, Chief Executive Officer of BioLineRx. "The compelling data on 22 patients that we reported in December give us conviction that this combination has the potential to be a real breakthrough in one of the most difficult to treat cancers. As this is an event-driven trial, we are obviously very pleased that there are still patients on study, although we now anticipate a modest delay of a few months in announcing the data from our original expectation."
"Turning to stem cell mobilization, this continues to be our most efficient path to registration. Given a significantly lower patient dropout rate than we had anticipated in our Phase 3 GENESIS trial, we now plan to conduct an interim analysis in the second half of this year. If the primary endpoint is met, we plan to immediately announce cessation of recruitment, without the need to enroll the full planned sample size. In order to maintain study blinding for all study endpoints, including those related to engraftment for a period of 100 days subsequent to transplantation, we expect to announce top-line results in the first half of 2021. At the same time, our Phase 2b BLAST consolidation study in AML is progressing, and we anticipate results from a planned interim analysis in the second half of this year."
"As we indicated last quarter, development of our second clinical candidate, AGI-134, has been impacted by COVID-19, as enrollment in the Phase 1/2a trial has been temporarily suspended. We have, however, recently begun activities to restart study recruitment and we expect data from that study in the second half of next year."
"The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in drug development timelines across the industry. We are pleased that we expect to report on three important and potentially value-creating data readouts by the end of the year, and with the additional $13.4 million that we raised during the second quarter, we have the resources to reach these important milestones. We believe the broad clinical utility of motixafortide across a wide range of cancer indications that we have observed in data generated to date highlight its potential as a promising new treatment option, and we look forward to reporting these data as they become available," concluded Mr. Serlin.
Upcoming Expected 2020 and 2021 Milestones
- Overall results, including progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) data, from the COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 Phase 2a triple combination study in the second half of this year;
- Newly planned interim analysis of the Phase 3 GENESIS registrational study in stem cell mobilization in the second half of this year. If the primary endpoint is reached, recruitment would be stopped immediately (and announced); topline data are expected in the first half of 2021;
- Interim analysis from the BLAST Phase 2b AML consolidation study during the second half of 2020, unchanged from prior guidance;
- Initial results from Part 2 of Phase 1/2a trial of AGI-134 in the second half of 2021.
Financial Results for the Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2020
Research and development expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2020 were $4.6 million, a decrease of $0.7 million, or 12.5%, compared to $5.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019. The decrease resulted primarily from lower expenses associated with the AGI-134 study, as well as a decrease in payroll and related expenses due to a Company-wide salary reduction related to the COVID-19 pandemic carried out in the second quarter of 2020. Research and development expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2020 were $10.1 million, an increase of $0.4 million, or 3.8%, compared to $9.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. The increase resulted primarily from higher expenses associated with the motixafortide COMBAT and GENESIS clinical trials, offset by a decrease in expenses associated with the AGI-134 study.
Sales and marketing expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2020 were $0.2 million, similar to the comparable period in 2019. Sales and marketing expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2020 were $0.4 million, a decrease of $0.1 million, or 25.9%, compared to $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. The decrease resulted primarily from a decrease in payroll and related expenses related to a decrease in share-based compensation from the 2019 period.
General and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2020 were $0.7 million, a decrease of $0.2 million, or 21.6% compared to $0.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019. The decrease resulted primarily from a decrease in payroll and related expenses due to a Company-wide salary reduction related to the COVID-19 pandemic carried out in the second quarter of 2020, as well as a decrease in professional fees. General and administrative expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2020 were $2.0 million, an increase of $0.1 million, or 5.7%, compared to $1.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. The increase resulted primarily from an increase in share-based compensation.
The Company's operating loss for the three months ended June 30, 2020 amounted to $5.6 million, compared to an operating loss of $6.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019. The Company's operating loss for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $12.4 million, compared to $12.1 million for the comparable period in 2019.
Non-operating income (expenses) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 primarily relate to fair-value adjustments of warrant liabilities on the Company's balance sheet, offset by warrant offering expenses.
Net financial expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2020 amounted to $0.4 million compared to net financial expenses of $0.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019. Net financial expenses for both periods primarily relate to interest paid on loans, offset by investment income earned on bank deposits. Net financial expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2020 amounted to $0.6 million compared to net financial expenses of $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. Net financial expenses for both periods primarily relate to interest paid on loans, offset by investment income earned on bank deposits.
The Company's net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2020 amounted to $6.8 million, compared with a net loss of $5.5 million for the comparable period in 2019. The Company's net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2020 amounted to $13.4 million, compared with a net loss of $11.6 million for the comparable period in 2019.
The Company held $27.3 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term bank deposits as of June 30, 2020.
Net cash used in operating activities was $12.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared with net cash used in operating activities of $11.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. The $1.2 million increase in net cash used in operating activities during the six-month period in 2020 was primarily the result of changes in operating asset and liability items in two periods, i.e., an increase in prepaid expenses and other receivables in 2020 versus a decrease in 2019, as well as a larger decrease in accounts payable and accruals in 2020 versus 2019.
Net cash provided by investing activities was $0.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to net cash used in investing activities of $3.1 for the six months ended June 30, 2019. The changes in cash flows from investing activities relate primarily to investments in, and maturities of, short-term bank deposits.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $12.0 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $15.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. The cash flows in 2020 primarily reflect the May and June financings, and the net proceeds from the ATM facility, offset by repayments of the loan from Kreos Capital. The cash flows in 2019 primarily reflect the underwritten public offering completed in February 2019, as well as net proceeds from the ATM facility.
Conference Call and Webcast Information
BioLineRx will hold a conference call today, August 6, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. To access the conference call, please dial +1-888-668-9141 from the US or +972-3-918-0610 internationally. The call will also be available via webcast and can be accessed through the Investor Relations page of BioLineRx's website. Please allow extra time prior to the call to visit the site and download any necessary software to listen to the live broadcast.
A replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after completion of the live conference call on the Investor Relations page of BioLineRx's website. A dial-in replay of the call will be available until August 8, 2020; please dial +1-888-782-4291 from the US or +972-3-925-5921 internationally.
(Tables follow)
About BioLineRx
BioLineRx Ltd. (NASDAQ/TASE: BLRX) is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology. The Company's business model is to in-license novel compounds, develop them through clinical stages, and then partner with pharmaceutical companies for further clinical development and/or commercialization.
The Company's lead program, motixafortide (BL-8040), is a cancer therapy platform currently being evaluated in a Phase 2a study for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in combination with KEYTRUDA® and chemotherapy under a collaboration agreement with MSD. Motixafortide is also being evaluated in a Phase 2b study in consolidation AML and a Phase 3 study in stem cell mobilization for autologous bone-marrow transplantation.
BioLineRx is developing a second oncology program, AGI-134, an immunotherapy treatment for multiple solid tumors that is currently being investigated in a Phase 1/2a study.
For additional information on BioLineRx, please visit the Company's website at www.biolinerx.com, where you can review the Company's SEC filings, press releases, announcements and events. BioLineRx industry updates are also regularly updated on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Various statements in this release concerning BioLineRx's future expectations constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include words such as "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," and "intends," and describe opinions about future events. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of BioLineRx to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these risks are: changes in relationships with collaborators; the impact of competitive products and technological changes; risks relating to the development of new products; and the ability to implement technological improvements. These and other factors are more fully discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of BioLineRx's most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 12, 2020. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent BioLineRx's views only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. BioLineRx does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements unless required by law.
Contact:
Tim McCarthy
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
+1-212-915-2564
[email protected]
BioLineRx Ltd. |
||
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION (UNAUDITED) |
||
December 31, |
June 30, |
|
2019 |
2020 |
|
in USD thousands |
||
Assets |
||
CURRENT ASSETS |
||
Cash and cash equivalents |
5,297 |
5,523 |
Short-term bank deposits |
22,192 |
21,779 |
Prepaid expenses |
108 |
426 |
Other receivables |
613 |
441 |
Total current assets |
28,210 |
28,169 |
NON-CURRENT ASSETS |
||
Property and equipment, net |
1,816 |
1,580 |
Right-of-use assets, net |
1,650 |
1,490 |
Intangible assets, net |
21,891 |
21,750 |
Total non-current assets |
25,357 |
24,820 |
Total assets |
53,567 |
52,989 |
Liabilities and equity |
||
CURRENT LIABILITIES |
||
Current maturities of long-term loans |
2,692 |
2,867 |
Accounts payable and accruals: |
||
Trade |
7,794 |
7,396 |
Other |
1,280 |
1,260 |
Lease liabilities |
202 |
200 |
Total current liabilities |
11,968 |
11,723 |
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES |
||
Warrants |
658 |
6,077 |
Long-term loans, net of current maturities |
5,799 |
4,329 |
Lease liabilities |
1,762 |
1,630 |
Total non-current liabilities |
8,219 |
12,036 |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES |
||
Total liabilities |
20,187 |
23,759 |
EQUITY |
||
Ordinary shares |
4,692 |
8,281 |
Share premium |
265,938 |
271,107 |
Capital reserve |
12,132 |
12,639 |
Other comprehensive loss |
(1,416) |
(1,416) |
Accumulated deficit |
(247,966) |
(261,381) |
Total equity |
33,380 |
29,230 |
Total liabilities and equity |
53,567 |
52,989 |
BioLineRx Ltd. |
|||||
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (UNAUDITED) |
|||||
Three months ended June 30, |
Six months ended June 30, |
||||
2019 |
2020 |
2019 |
2020 |
||
in USD thousands |
in USD thousands |
||||
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES |
(5,302) |
(4,640) |
(9,694) |
(10,062) |
|
SALES AND MARKETING EXPENSES |
(226) |
(182) |
(482) |
(357) |
|
GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES |
(949) |
(744) |
(1,879) |
(1,987) |
|
OPERATING LOSS |
(6,477) |
(5,566) |
(12,055) |
(12,406) |
|
NON-OPERATING INCOME (EXPENSES), NET |
1,261 |
(843) |
921 |
(374) |
|
FINANCIAL INCOME |
171 |
35 |
381 |
175 |
|
FINANCIAL EXPENSES |
(440) |
(396) |
(887) |
(810) |
|
NET LOSS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS |
(5,485) |
(6,770) |
(11,640) |
(13,415) |
|
in USD |
in USD |
||||
LOSS PER ORDINARY SHARE - BASIC AND DILUTED |
(0.04) |
(0.03) |
(0.08) |
(0.07) |
|
WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHARES USED IN CALCULATION OF LOSS PER ORDINARY SHARE |
145,461,598 |
220,317,889 |
139,270,178 |
198,277,447 |
|
BioLineRx Ltd. |
||||||
CONDENSED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (UNAUDITED) |
||||||
Ordinary shares |
||||||
Share premium |
Capital reserve |
Other Comprehensive loss |
Accumulated deficit |
Total |
||
in USD thousands |
||||||
BALANCE AT JANUARY 1, 2019 |
3,110 |
250,192 |
11,955 |
(1,416) |
(222,520) |
41,321 |
CHANGES FOR SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2019: |
||||||
Issuance of share capital, net |
890 |
10,437 |
- |
- |
- |
11,327 |
Employee stock options exercised |
1 |
27 |
(27) |
- |
- |
1 |
Employee stock options forfeited and expired |
- |
866 |
(866) |
- |
- |
- |
Share-based compensation |
- |
- |
773 |
- |
- |
773 |
Comprehensive loss for the period |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(11,640) |
(11,640) |
BALANCE AT JUNE 30, 2019 |
4,001 |
261,522 |
11,835 |
(1,416) |
(234,160) |
41,782 |
Ordinary shares |
Share premium |
Capital reserve |
Other Comprehensive loss |
Accumulated deficit |
Total |
|
in USD thousands |
||||||
BALANCE AT JANUARY 1, 2020 |
4,692 |
265,938 |
12,132 |
(1,416) |
(247,966) |
33,380 |
CHANGES FOR SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2020: |
||||||
Issuance of share capital, net |
3,581 |
4,754 |
- |
- |
- |
8,335 |
Employee stock options exercised |
8 |
224 |
(224) |
- |
- |
8 |
Employee stock options forfeited and expired |
- |
191 |
(191) |
- |
- |
- |
Share-based compensation |
- |
- |
922 |
- |
- |
922 |
Comprehensive loss for the period |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(13,415) |
(13,415) |
BALANCE AT JUNE 30, 2020 |
8,281 |
271,107 |
12,639 |
(1,416) |
(261,381) |
29,230 |
BioLineRx Ltd. |
||||||
CONDENSED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (UNAUDITED) |
||||||
Ordinary shares |
Share premium |
Capital |
Other Comprehensive loss |
Accumulated deficit |
Total |
|
in USD thousands |
||||||
BALANCE AT APRIL 1, 2019 |
3,928 |
259,860 |
12,191 |
(1,416) |
(228,675) |
45,888 |
CHANGES FOR THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2019: |
||||||
Issuance of share capital, net |
73 |
817 |
- |
- |
- |
890 |
Employee stock options exercised |
- |
9 |
(9) |
- |
- |
- |
Employee stock options forfeited and expired |
- |
836 |
(836) |
- |
- |
- |
Share-based compensation |
- |
- |
489 |
- |
- |
489 |
Comprehensive loss for the period |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(5,485) |
(5,485) |
BALANCE AT JUNE 30, 2019 |
4,001 |
261,522 |
11,835 |
(1,416) |
(234,160) |
41,782 |
Ordinary |
Share |
Capital |
Other Comprehensive |
Accumulated |
||
Total |
||||||
in USD thousands |
||||||
BALANCE AT APRIL 1, 2020 |
4,907 |
267,140 |
12,488 |
(1,416) |
(254,611) |
28,508 |
CHANGES FOR THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2020: |
||||||
Issuance of share capital, net |
3,373 |
3,859 |
- |
- |
- |
7,232 |
Employee stock options exercised |
1 |
20 |
(20) |
- |
- |
1 |
Employee stock options forfeited and expired |
- |
88 |
(88) |
- |
- |
- |
Share-based compensation |
- |
- |
259 |
- |
- |
259 |
Comprehensive loss for the period |
- |
- |
- |
- |
(6,770) |
(6,770) |
BALANCE AT JUNE 30, 2020 |
8,281 |
271,107 |
12,639 |
(1,416) |
(261,381) |
29,230 |
BioLineRx Ltd. |
||
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM CASH FLOW STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) |
||
Six months ended June 30, |
||
2019 |
2020 |
|
in USD thousands |
||
CASH FLOWS - OPERATING ACTIVITIES |
||
Comprehensive loss for the period |
(11,640) |
(13,415) |
Adjustments required to reflect net cash used in operating activities (see appendix below) |
573 |
1,112 |
Net cash used in operating activities |
(11,067) |
(12,303) |
CASH FLOWS - INVESTING ACTIVITIES |
||
Investments in short-term deposits |
(27,510) |
(23,751) |
Maturities of short-term deposits |
24,441 |
24,335 |
Purchase of property and equipment |
(53) |
(1) |
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
(3,122) |
583 |
CASH FLOWS - FINANCING ACTIVITIES |
||
Issuance of share capital and warrants, net of issuance costs |
15,879 |
13,411 |
Employee stock options exercised |
1 |
8 |
Repayments of loans |
(47) |
(1,331) |
Repayments of lease liabilities |
(110) |
(121) |
Net cash provided by financing activities |
15,723 |
11,967 |
INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS |
1,534 |
247 |
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - BEGINNING OF PERIOD |
3,404 |
5,297 |
EXCHANGE DIFFERENCES ON CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS |
34 |
(21) |
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - END OF PERIOD |
4,972 |
5,523 |
BioLineRx Ltd. |
||
APPENDIX TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM CASH FLOW STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) |
||
Six months ended June 30, |
||
2019 |
2020 |
|
in USD thousands |
||
Adjustments required to reflect net cash used in operating activities: |
||
Income and expenses not involving cash flows: |
||
Depreciation and amortization |
439 |
533 |
Long-term prepaid expenses |
(4) |
- |
Exchange differences on cash and cash equivalents |
(34) |
21 |
Fair value adjustments of warrants |
(1,354) |
(250) |
Share-based compensation |
773 |
922 |
Warrant issuance costs |
417 |
593 |
Interest and exchange differences on short-term deposits |
(440) |
(171) |
Interest on loans |
292 |
36 |
Exchange differences on lease liability |
- |
(8) |
89 |
1,676 |
|
Changes in operating asset and liability items: |
||
Decrease (increase( in prepaid expenses and other receivables |
848 |
(146) |
Decrease in accounts payable and accruals |
(364) |
(418) |
484 |
(564) |
|
573 |
1,112 |
|
Supplemental information on interest received in cash |
442 |
300 |
Supplemental information on interest paid in cash |
477 |
534 |
SOURCE BioLineRx Ltd.
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