• Immunocore Reports First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

    ソース: Nasdaq GlobeNewswire / 12 5 2021 07:00:00   America/New_York

    PRESS RELEASE

    Immunocore Reports First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

    Biologics License Application (BLA) submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to be completed in third quarter of 2021

    Launched a global early access program for tebentafusp in metastatic uveal melanoma

    Cash position of $431 million as of March 31, 2021 includes $287 million in net proceeds from initial public offering and concurrent private placement in February 2021

    (OXFORDSHIRE, England & CONSHOHOCKEN, Penn. & ROCKVILLE, Md., US, 12 May 2021) Immunocore Holdings Plc (Nasdaq: IMCR), a late-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a novel class of T cell receptor (TCR) bispecific immunotherapies designed to treat a broad range of diseases, including cancer, infectious and autoimmune disease, today announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.

    Highlights for the quarter included the presentation of the Phase 3 randomized data from the Company’s lead candidate tebentafusp in the plenary clinical trial session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, the launch of a global early access program for tebentafusp, and the successful completion of the Company’s initial public offering resulting in net proceeds of $287 million.

    Bahija Jallal, Chief Executive Officer of Immunocore, said: “Tebentafusp has been demonstrated to prolong survival in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, a cancer that has historically proven insensitive to chemotherapy and immunotherapies. These data, recently presented at AACR, represent the first positive Phase 3 clinical trial for a TCR therapeutic and the first time that a bispecific T cell engager has demonstrated a survival benefit in a solid tumor, representing a significant breakthrough in the field of oncology.”

    First Quarter 2021 Highlights (including post-period)

    Tebentafusp

    In April, one oral presentation and three posters on tebentafusp were accepted at the 2021 American Society of Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting being held virtually from June 4-8, 2021. Per ASCO’s Embargo & Release Information, full abstracts will be released to the public on ASCO’s Meeting Library at 5:00 p.m. ET on May 19, 2021.

    In April, the Company launched a global early access program for tebentafusp in metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM).

    In April, the Company’s Phase 3 data of tebentafusp in metastatic uveal melanoma was also the subject of an oral presentation in the Phase 3 clinical trials plenary session at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting 2021. Tebentafusp demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) as a first-line treatment in mUM. In the intent-to-treat population, tebentafusp demonstrated a median overall survival of 21.7 months compared to 16.0 months for investigator’s choice and with 73% of patients alive at 1 year for tebentafusp vs. 58% for investigator’s choice. The OS Hazard Ratio (HR) favored tebentafusp, HR=0.51 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.71); p< 0.0001, over investigator’s choice (82% pembrolizumab; 12% ipilimumab; 6% dacarbazine). In addition, tebentafusp resulted in a statistically significant longer PFS. Treatment-related adverse events were manageable and consistent with the proposed mechanism.   

    In February, tebentafusp was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma. Additionally, the European Commission, upon recommendation of the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) awarded tebentafusp Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of uveal melanoma. Medicines that meet the EMA’s Orphan Drug Designation criteria qualify for several incentives, including 10 years of market exclusivity, protocol assistance, and potentially reduced fees for regulatory activities.

    Immunocore will be working to complete its BLA submission to the FDA in the third quarter of 2021, followed by submission of a Marketing Authorization Application to the EMA.

    Additional Clinical Programs

    IMC-C103C – MAGE-A4

    In the first quarter, the Company continued to advance, IMC-C103C, an ImmTAC molecule targeting an HLA-A*02:01 MAGE-A4 antigen, in a first-in-human, Phase 1/2 dose escalation trial in patients with solid tumor cancers including non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), gastric, head and neck, ovarian and synovial sarcoma. The Company plans to report Phase 1 initial data from this trial in the fourth quarter of 2021.

    IMC-F106C – PRAME

    In the first quarter, the Company continued to advance IMC-F106C, an ImmTAC molecule targeting an HLA-A*02:01 PRAME antigen, in a first-in-human, Phase 1/2 dose escalation trial in patients with multiple solid tumor cancers. PRAME is overexpressed in many solid tumors including NSCLC, SCLC, endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancers. The Company plans to report Phase 1 initial data from this trial in mid-2022.

    IMC-I109V – HBV

    In the first quarter, the Company continued to advance IMC-I109V, an ImmTAV molecule targeting a conserved Hepatitis B virus (HBV), envelope antigen, in a global Phase 1 single ascending dose trial. The Company plans to initiate dosing mid-year 2021.

    Operational Highlights

    In February, the Company made key appointments to management and Board of Directors. The appointment of Ralph Torbay as Immunocore’s new Head of Commercial and the appointment of Dr. Roy S. Herbst as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors became effective January 28, 2021. Dr. Herbst served as a member of Immunocore’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and is currently Ensign Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Professor of Pharmacology, Chief of Medical Oncology and Associate Cancer Center Director for Translational Research at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital.

    In February, the Company completed its initial public offering (IPO) and concurrent private placement. The financing was $312.1 million in aggregate, of which approximately $287 million in net proceeds was from the IPO on Nasdaq of 11,426,280 American Depositary Shares (ADSs), including the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase an additional 1,490,384 ADSs, at an IPO price of $26.00 per ADS and $15 million from the completion of the concurrent sale of an additional 576,923 ADSs at the initial offering price of $26.00 per ADS, for gross proceeds of approximately $15.0 million, in a private placement to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

    Financial Results

    Basic and diluted loss per share was a £0.76 or $1.05 for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 compared to an adjusted to £0.74 for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. Total operating loss for the quarter was £31.9 million or $44.0 million compared to £22.1 million for the same period last year, largely due to an increase in employee costs associated with non-cash share-based payment charges.

    For the three months ended March 31, 2021, revenue from collaboration agreements was unchanged at £8.3 million or $11.4 million compared to the same period last year. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, research and development expenses were £19.9 million or $27.4 million, as compared to £20.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. For the quarter, administrative expenses were £20.2 million or $27.8 million compared to £9.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 including a £7.7 million increase in the non-cash share-based payment charges.

    Cash and cash equivalents totaled £313.1 million or approximately $431 million as of March 31, 2021 compared to £68.4 million for the same period last year.

    ##

    About Immunocore

    Immunocore is a late-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a novel class of TCR bispecific immunotherapies called ImmTAX – Immune mobilizing monoclonal TCRs Against X disease – designed to treat a broad range of diseases, including cancer, infectious and autoimmune. Leveraging its proprietary, flexible, off-the-shelf ImmTAX platform, Immunocore is developing a deep pipeline in multiple therapeutic areas, including five clinical stage programs in oncology and infectious disease, advanced pre-clinical programs in autoimmune disease and multiple earlier pre-clinical programs. Immunocore’s most advanced oncology therapeutic candidate, tebentafusp, has demonstrated an overall survival benefit in a randomized Phase 3 clinical trial in metastatic uveal melanoma, a cancer that has historically proven to be insensitive to other immunotherapies.

    Forward Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s business strategy including its proposed regulatory plans for tebentafusp, the efficacy, safety and therapeutic potential of tebentafusp, the planned submission of a BLA submission for tebentafusp for the treatment of mUM, the potential approval and commercial launch of tebentafusp for mUM, the design, progress, timing, scope and results of the Company’s clinical trials including IMC-C103C, IMC-F106C and IMC-I109V, the potential benefit of Breakthrough Therapy Designation or Orphan Drug Designation for tebentafusp, and the Company’s anticipated cash runway. Any forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, clinical trials and financial position; unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during preclinical studies or clinical trials; clinical trial site activation or enrollment rates that are lower than expected; changes in expected or existing competition; changes in the regulatory environment; and the uncertainties and timing of the regulatory approval process. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 25, 2021, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in the Company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update this information, except as required by law.

    CONTACT: 

    Immunocore
    Debra Nielsen, Head of Communications
    T: +1 (610) 368-8602
    E: debra.nielsen@immunocore.com
    Follow on Twitter: @Immunocore

    Consilium Strategic Communications (corporate and financial)
    Mary-Jane Elliott/ Chris Welsh/ Jessica Hodgson
    T: +44 (0)203 709 5700
    E: Immunocore@consilium-comms.com

    Investor Relations  
    Clayton Robertson, Head of Investor Relations
    T: +1 215-384-4781
    E: ir@immunocore.com


    Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020


    Consolidated Statement of Loss for Each Period Presented:

     Three Months Ended March 31
     2021 2020
     $000 £000 £000
     (unaudited)
    Revenue11,408 8,270 8,255
    Research and development expenses(27,431) (19,885) (20,779)
    Administrative expenses(27,844) (20,184) (9,605)
    Net other operating (expense) / income(113) (82) 10
    Operating loss(43,980) (31,881) (22,119)
    Finance income30 22 1,383
    Finance costs(2,565) (1,860) (1,067)
    Non-operating (expense) / income(2,535) (1,838) 316
    Loss before taxes(46,515) (33,719) (21,803)
    Income tax credit6,457 4,681 3,164
    Loss for the period(40,058) (29,038) (18,639)


     For the three months ended

    March 31
    2021    		 For the three months ended

    March 31,
    2020
    Loss for the period (£000’s)(29,038) (18,639)
    Basic and diluted weighted average number of shares38,451,332 25,263,027
    Basic and diluted loss per share (£) (1)(0.76) (0.74)


    Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for Each Period Presented:

     Three Months Ended March 31,
     2021 2021 2020
     $000 £000 £000
        (unaudited)  
    Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year178,943 129,716 73,966
    Net cash flows used in operating activities(35,838) (25,979) (30,518)
    Net cash flows from / (used in) investing activities34 25 (1,334)
    Net cash flows from financing activities288,830 209,373 26,149
    Net foreign exchange difference on cash held(72) (52) 114
    Cash and cash equivalents at end of period431,897 313,083 68,377


    Consolidated Statements of Financial Position for Each Period Presented:

     March 31,
    2021
    £’000    		 December 31,
    2020
    £’000
    Non-current assets   
    Property, plant and equipment12,321 13,754
    Right of use assets22,742 23,093
    Investment in sub-lease540 776
    Other non-current financial assets3,812 4,410
    Deferred tax asset2,213 2,230
    Total non-current assets41,628 44,263
    Current assets   
    Trade and other receivables8,821 10,280
    Tax receivable17,615 12,935
    Cash and cash equivalents313,083​129,716
    Total current assets339,519​152,931
    Total assets381,147​197,194
    Equity   
    Share capital88 64
    Share premium211,286 -
    Foreign currency translation reserve71 163
    Other reserves386,167 386,167
    Share-based payment reserve27,092 18,821
    Accumulated deficit(378,907) (349,869)
    Total equity245,797 55,346
    Non-current liabilities   
    Interest-bearing loans and borrowings36,437 36,654
    Deferred liabilities19,225 24,868
    Lease liabilities25,035 25,190
    Provisions160 138
    Total non-current liabilities80,857 86,850
    Current liabilities   
    Interest-bearing loans and borrowings546 ---
    Trade and other payables26,359 25,728
    Deferred liabilities25,710 27,118
    Lease liabilities1,764 2,043
    Provisions114 109
    Total current liabilities54,493 54,998
    Total liabilities135,350 141,848
    Total equity and liabilities381,147 197,194




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