WARMINSTER, Pa., Nov. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (Nasdaq: ABUS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its extensive virology expertise to develop a functional cure for people with chronic hepatitis B virus (cHBV) infection, today reports third quarter 2024 financial results and provides a corporate update.
“We are making significant progress in advancing the development of imdusiran to bring hope to millions of cHBV patients globally,” said Michael J. McElhaugh, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Arbutus Biopharma. “In June, we shared promising data from our IM-PROVE I Phase 2a clinical trial, showing that some patients treated with imdusiran and interferon were trending towards a functional cure. We look forward to presenting follow-up data from this trial, as well as end-of-treatment data from patients that received nivolumab in addition to imdusiran and VTP-300 in our IM-PROVE II Phase 2a trial, at the upcoming AASLD meeting. Assuming continued positive data, and with a projected cash runway extending into the fourth quarter of 2026, we are well-positioned to advance imdusiran into a Phase 2b clinical trial as a cornerstone in a treatment regimen aimed at functionally curing cHBV.”
Mr. McElhaugh continued, “Our proprietary oral PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, AB-101, is progressing well, as we continue to see dose-dependent receptor occupancy and have now advanced into dosing cHBV patients in our Phase 1a/1b clinical trial. We look forward to providing updates as this trial progresses.”
Clinical Development Update
Imdusiran (AB-729, RNAi Therapeutic)
- End-of-treatment data from the IM-PROVE I Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and antiviral activity of the combination of imdusiran (4 or 6 doses over 24 or 48 weeks, respectively), nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) therapy and a short course of pegylated interferon alfa-2a (IFN, 12 or 24 weeks) in patients with cHBV was presented at the EASL Congress in June. The data showed that 33.3% (n=4/12) of patients in Cohort A1 receiving 48 weeks (6 doses) of imdusiran combined with 24 weeks of IFN and NA therapy achieved HBsAg loss at the end-of-treatment that was maintained in 100% of these patients 24 weeks after completing imdusiran and IFN treatment. HBsAg loss was achieved and maintained in 67% of those patients with HBsAg less than 1000 IU/mL at baseline. A total of six patients from Cohort A1 (n=4) and Cohort A2 (n=2) seroconverted with HBsAg loss. At the time the data was reported, all six of those patients had stopped all therapy, with two of those patients reaching 12 weeks off all therapy with sustained HBsAg and HBV DNA loss. The combination of imdusiran and IFN in this clinical trial was generally safe and well-tolerated. The Company will present a late-breaker poster with additional follow-up data at the upcoming AASLD-The Liver Meeting 2024 later this month.
- End-of treatment data from the IM-PROVE II Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of imdusiran, NA therapy and Barinthus Bio’s VTP-300, an HBV antigen-specific immunotherapy was presented at the EASL Congress in June. The data showed that the combination of imdusiran and VTP-300 was generally safe and well-tolerated. At 24-weeks post-end of treatment, statistical significance (p<0.05) was achieved in HBsAg levels between the VTP-300 arm (n=5) and placebo (n=6). IM-PROVE II includes an additional cohort of patients who received 4 doses of imdusiran plus NA therapy for 24 weeks followed by VTP-300 plus up to two low doses of nivolumab, an approved anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody. The Company will present a late-breaker poster with preliminary end-of-treatment data from this additional cohort at the upcoming AASLD – The Liver Meeting 2024 in November.
AB-101 (Oral PD-L1 Inhibitor)
- AB-101-001 is a Phase 1a/1b double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of single- and multiple-ascending oral doses of AB-101 in healthy subjects and patients with cHBV.
- Part 2 of this clinical trial has enrolled to date two sequential cohorts of ten healthy subjects each receiving 10 mg or 25 mg of AB-101 (n=8) or placebo (n=2) daily for 7 days. AB-101 was generally well-tolerated with evidence of dose-dependent receptor occupancy. In the 25 mg cohort, all subjects showed evidence of receptor occupancy, with seven of the eight subjects demonstrating receptor occupancy greater than 70% during the 7-day dosing period.
- Arbutus has moved into Part 3 of this clinical trial which evaluates repeat dosing of AB-101 for 28 days in patients with cHBV and expects to report preliminary data in the first half of next year.
LNP Litigation Update
- Expert reports and expert depositions continue in the Moderna lawsuit. A trial date has been set for September 24, 2025, and is subject to the Court’s availability.
- The lawsuit against Pfizer/BioNTech is ongoing and a date for the claim construction hearing has been set for December 18, 2024.
Arbutus continues to protect and defend its intellectual property, which is the subject of the on-going lawsuits against Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech. The Company is seeking fair compensation for Moderna’s and Pfizer/BioNTech’s use of its patented LNP technology that was developed with great effort and at a great expense, without which Moderna’s and Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccines would not have been successful.
Financial Results
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments
As of September 30, 2024, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities of $130.8 million compared to $132.3 million as of December 31, 2023. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company used $54.5 million in operating activities, which was partially offset by $44.1 million of net proceeds from the issuance of common shares under its “at-the-market” offering program (ATM Program) and $6.1 million of proceeds from the exercise of stock options. The Company did not issue any common shares under its ATM program in the third quarter of 2024. The Company expects its 2024 cash burn to range from $63 million to $67 million. With the organizational changes in the third quarter, the Company believes its cash, cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its operations into the fourth quarter of 2026.
Revenue
Total revenue was $1.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to $4.7 million for the same period in 2023. The decrease of $3.4 million was due primarily to: i) a decrease in license revenue recognized under the Company’s licensing agreement with Qilu Pharmaceutical; and ii) a decrease in license royalty revenue from Alnylam due to lower sales of ONPATTRO in 2024 compared to 2023.
Operating Expenses
Research and development expenses were $14.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to $20.2 million for the same period in 2023. The decrease of $5.9 million was due primarily to the discontinuation of the Company’s coronavirus and AB-161 programs in September 2023, along with related headcount reductions. General and administrative expenses were $4.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to $5.8 million for the same period in 2023. The decrease of $1.3 million was due primarily to decreased employee compensation and non-cash stock-based compensation expenses due to headcount reductions. The Company also incurred a $3.6 million one-time restructuring charge in the third quarter of 2024 related to its decision to cease all discovery efforts, discontinue its IM-PROVE III clinical trial, and reduce headcount to streamline the organization with a focus on advancing the clinical development of imdusiran and AB-101.
Net Loss
The Company’s net loss was $19.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and $20.1 million for the same period in 2023, with a loss per basic and diluted common share of $0.10 and $0.12, respectively.
Outstanding Shares
As of September 30, 2024, the Company had approximately 189.4 million common shares issued and outstanding. In addition, the Company had approximately 18.7 million stock options and unvested restricted stock units outstanding as of September 30, 2024. Roivant Sciences Ltd. owned approximately 21% of the Company’s outstanding common shares as of September 30, 2024.
| UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF LOSS | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands, except share and per share data) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Collaborations and licenses | $ | 767 | $ | 3,935 | $ | 2,861 | $ | 13,329 | |||||||||||||||
| Non-cash royalty revenue | 572 | 723 | 1,736 | 2,667 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 1,339 | 4,658 | 4,597 | 15,996 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 14,273 | 20,169 | 45,227 | 56,136 | |||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 4,537 | 5,842 | 17,396 | 17,374 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | 344 | 205 | 735 | (158 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 3,625 | – | 3,625 | – | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 22,779 | 26,216 | 66,983 | 73,352 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (21,440 | ) | (21,558 | ) | (62,386 | ) | (57,356 | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Other income | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | 1,747 | 1,494 | 5,121 | 4,223 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (29 | ) | (46 | ) | (107 | ) | (415 | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Foreign exchange gain / (loss) | 5 | 6 | (16 | ) | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total other income | 1,723 | 1,454 | 4,998 | 3,819 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (19,717 | ) | $ | (20,104 | ) | $ | (57,388 | ) | $ | (53,537 | ) | |||||||||||
| Loss per share | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted | $ | (0.10 | ) | $ | (0.12 | ) | $ | (0.31 | ) | $ | (0.32 | ) | |||||||||||
| Weighted average number of common shares | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted | 188,997,194 | 167,512,708 | 184,244,819 | 165,085,243 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive loss | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities | 218 | 584 | 331 | 1,604 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive loss | $ | (19,499 | ) | $ | (19,520 | ) | $ | (57,057 | ) | $ | (51,933 | ) | |||||||||||
| UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | |||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||
| September 30, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | ||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, current | $ | 127,794 | $ | 126,003 | |||
| Accounts receivable and other current assets | 4,983 | 6,024 | |||||
| Total current assets | 132,777 | 132,027 | |||||
| Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation | 3,556 | 4,674 | |||||
| Investments in marketable securities, non-current | 2,964 | 6,284 | |||||
| Right of use asset | 1,144 | 1,416 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 140,441 | $ | 144,401 | |||
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 7,544 | $ | 10,271 | |||
| Deferred license revenue, current | 10,911 | 11,791 | |||||
| Lease liability, current | 468 | 425 | |||||
| Total current liabilities | 18,923 | 22,487 | |||||
| Liability related to sale of future royalties | 5,315 | 6,953 | |||||
| Contingent consideration | 8,335 | 7,600 | |||||
| Lease liability, non-current | 978 | 1,343 | |||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 106,890 | 106,018 | |||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 140,441 | $ | 144,401 | |||
| UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS | |||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||
| Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Net loss | $ | (57,388 | ) | $ | (53,537 | ) | |
| Non-cash items | 5,453 | 4,613 | |||||
| Change in deferred license revenue | (880 | ) | (10,349 | ) | |||
| Other changes in working capital | (1,720 | ) | (9,371 | ) | |||
| Net cash used in operating activities | (54,535 | ) | (68,644 | ) | |||
| Net cash provided by investing activities | 9,537 | 28,548 | |||||
| Issuance of common shares pursuant to the Open Market Sale Agreement | 44,124 | 26,000 | |||||
| Cash provided by other financing activities | 6,451 | 840 | |||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 50,575 | 26,840 | |||||
| Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | (16 | ) | 11 | ||||
| Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | 5,561 | (13,245 | ) | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | 26,285 | 30,776 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | 31,846 | 17,531 | |||||
| Investments in marketable securities | 98,912 | 127,145 | |||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, end of period | $ | 130,758 | $ | 144,676 | |||
About Imdusiran (AB-729)
Imdusiran is an RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic specifically designed to reduce all HBV viral proteins and antigens including hepatitis B surface antigen, which is thought to be a key prerequisite to enable reawakening of a patient’s immune system to respond to the virus. Imdusiran targets hepatocytes using Arbutus’ novel covalently conjugated N-Acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) delivery technology enabling subcutaneous delivery. Clinical data generated thus far has shown single and multiple doses of imdusiran to be generally safe and well-tolerated, while also providing meaningful reductions in hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B DNA. Imdusiran is currently in multiple Phase 2a clinical trials.
About AB-101
AB-101 is our oral PD-L1 inhibitor candidate that we believe will allow for controlled checkpoint blockade while minimizing the systemic safety issues typically seen with checkpoint antibody therapies. Immune checkpoints such as PD-1/PD-L1 play an important role in the induction and maintenance of immune tolerance and in T-cell activation. Preclinical data generated thus far indicates that AB-101 mediates re-activation of exhausted HBV-specific T-cells from cHBV patients. We believe AB-101, when used in combination with other approved and investigational agents, could potentially lead to a functional cure in patients chronically infected with HBV. AB-101 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial.
About HBV
Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV can cause chronic infection which leads to a higher risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. Chronic HBV infection represents a significant unmet medical need. The World Health Organization estimates that over 250 million people worldwide suffer from chronic HBV infection, while other estimates indicate that approximately 2.4 million people in the United States suffer from chronic HBV infection. Approximately 820,000 people die every year from complications related to chronic HBV infection despite the availability of effective vaccines and current treatment options.
About Arbutus
Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (Nasdaq: ABUS) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its extensive virology expertise to develop novel therapeutics with distinct mechanisms of action, which can potentially be combined to provide a functional cure for patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (cHBV). We believe the key to success in developing a functional cure involves suppressing HBV DNA, reducing surface antigen, and boosting HBV-specific immune responses. Our pipeline of internally developed, proprietary compounds includes an RNAi therapeutic, imdusiran (AB-729), and an oral PD-L1 inhibitor, AB-101. Imdusiran has generated meaningful clinical data demonstrating an impact on both surface antigen reduction and reawakening of the HBV-specific immune response. Imdusiran is currently in two Phase 2a combination clinical trials. AB-101 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial. For more information, visit www.arbutusbio.com.
