Prademagene zamikeracel

Today, a brief rundown of news involving Evotec, Bluebird bio and the company formerly known as BeiGene, as well as updates from Leerink Partners and Abeona Therapeutics that you may have missed.Halozyme Therapeutics has made an unsolicited bid to buydrug discovery specialist Evotec for 11 euros per share in cash, an offer worth some 2 billion euros in total. In a press release, Halozyme said the combined company could offer increased scale and become a highly attractive strategic partner to the drug industry. Evotec, in its own statement, said it would carefully analyze this expression of interest. Ned PagliaruloBluebird bio has recorded its first revenue from sales of Lyfgenia, the companys gene therapy for sickle cell disease that won U.S. approval late last year. The process to prepare and receive Lyfgenia is lengthy, so only recently did the first patient actually get an infusion, at which point Bluebird books revenue for the $3.1 million therapy.Another 16 patients have started the process to receive treatment. The company is counting on climbing demand for Lyfgenia and its two other gene therapies, Zynteglo and Skysona, as it works to break even. Currently, it has enough cash to fund operations into the first quarter. Ned PagliaruloCancer drugmaker BeiGene will now operate under the name BeOne Medicines, a change that it says reflects its commitment to oncology research. The name also distances the company from its roots in China, a connection that may be less helpful as lawmakers in the U.S. increasingly view such ties as a national security risk. BeOne, which trades on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges as well as the Nasdaq, is headquartered in California and in Switzerland. Ned PagliaruloAdaptimmune will lay off a third of its workforce in a bid to save about $300 million and break even financially in 2027, the company said Wednesday. Adaptimmune in August won U.S. clearance for its first product, a cell therapy called Tecelra for a type of soft tissue cancer. Going forward, the company will focus resources on that launch and another program in development for similar cancers, while partnering off two unrelated projects in preclinical testing. Its also shutting down a Phase 2 study in ovarian tumors.Ben FidlerLeerink Partnershas named two senior managing directors, Grant Curry and Jason Truman, to join its biopharma M&A team. Truman previously worked in a similar role at Guggenheim Securities, while Curry was a managing director at Gordon Dyal & Co. Leerink, which reemerged via a management buy-out after the collapse of SVB Financial Group,hopes to grow its M&A business. Outside of the big banks, Centerview Partners, Lazard and PJT Partners currently win the most deal business from drugmakers, according to BioPharma Dive data. Ned PagliaruloBy the end of next April, Abeona Therapeutics should know whether the Food and Drug Administration will approve its gene therapy pz-cel for a rare wound healing condition known as recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. The agency rejected pz-cel this past April, asking Abeona for more information on how its produced.The company then resubmitted its application with new information and, on Thursday, secured a target decision date of April 29, 2025 from the agency. Ned Pagliarulo '

FDA accepts BLA resubmission of pz-cel in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa and sets PDUFA target action date of April 29, 2025 Company makes significant progress toward potential commercialization of pz-cel in 2025; Builds momentum with payor discussions and target treatment centers CLEVELAND, Nov. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ABEO) today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, and recent corporate updates. “With the acceptance of our Biologics License Application (BLA) resubmission for pz-cel, we are ramping up our commercial readiness efforts, especially with respect to onboarding potential pz-cel treatment sites and continuing discussions with payors,” said Vish Seshadri, Chief Executive Officer of Abeona. Third Quarter and Recent Progress Pz-cel for RDEB Abeona completed a Type A meeting in August 2024 where it aligned with the FDA on the content for the resubmission of the Company’s BLA for pz-cel, its investigational first-in-class, autologous cell-based gene therapy currently in development for RDEB, including additional information to satisfy all Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) requirements noted in the Complete Response Letter (CRL) issued in April 2024. The CRL required that certain CMC issues be addressed in the BLA resubmission, and did not identify any deficiencies related to the clinical efficacy or clinical safety data in the BLA. The FDA did not request any new clinical trials or clinical data to support the approval of pz-cel.Also in August 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted a product-specific procedure code ICD-10-PCS (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Procedure Coding System) for pz-cel. Also, as part of the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule for fiscal year 2025, CMS assigned Medicare reimbursement of pz-cel to Pre-Major Diagnostic Category, Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group 018 (Pre-MDC MS-DRG 018), which is among the highest available inpatient hospital reimbursement levels for cell and gene therapies. The favorable Medicare decisions support efficient hospital billing, reimbursement and patient access.In October 2024, Abeona resubmitted its BLA for pz-cel to the FDA, seeking approval of pz-cel as a potential new treatment for patients with RDEB.Also in October 2024, Abeona entered into a lease agreement for additional facility space in Cleveland, Ohio to enable manufacturing capacity expansion beyond the current planned manufacturing footprint.Also in October 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a new patent (U.S. Patent No. 12,110,504) (“the ’504 Patent”) and allowed the claims of a second patent (based on U.S. Patent Application No. 16/066,253) that is expected to issue in the coming weeks. Both patents are entitled “Gene Therapy for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Using Genetically Corrected Autologous Keratinocytes,” and include claims that cover the use of pz-cel for the treatment of RDEB. The ’504 Patent has an expiration date of January 3, 2037, subject to any applicable patent term extension.In November 2024, the FDA accepted for review the resubmission of Abeona’s pz-cel BLA and set a PDUFA target action date of April 29, 2025.In preparation for potential commercialization, Abeona continues to make progress on several key initiatives, including onboarding high-volume epidermolysis bullosa treatment centers in the U.S. for pz-cel treatment, engaging payers to ensure patient access, and educating key stakeholders.In preparation for potential pz-cel launch, Abeona has hired and trained personnel to support commercialization, manufacturing, supply chain and quality. Pipeline and partnered programs In July 2024, Abeona announced a non-exclusive agreement with Beacon Therapeutics, under which Beacon Therapeutics will evaluate Abeona’s patented AAV204 capsid for its potential use in AAV gene therapies for select ophthalmology indications.In October 2024, Ultragenyx participated in a successful pre-BLA meeting with the FDA during which Ultragenyx aligned on the details of its BLA for partnered program UX111 AAV gene therapy for Sanfilippo syndrome type A (MPS IIIA) that is expected to be filed around the end of 2024. Third Quarter Financial Results and Cash Runway Guidance Cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and restricted cash totaled $110.0 million as of September 30, 2024. As of June 30, 2024, cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and restricted cash totaled $123.0 million. Abeona estimates that its current cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and restricted cash, as well as its credit facility, are sufficient resources to fund operations into 2026, before accounting for any potential revenue from commercial sales of pz-cel, if approved, or proceeds from the sale of a Priority Review Voucher (PRV), if awarded by the FDA. Research and development expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2024 were $8.9 million, compared to $7.1 million for the same period of 2023. General and administrative expenses were $6.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $4.2 million for the same period of 2023. The increase in general and administrative expenses is primarily due to commercial and launch preparation costs. Net loss for the third quarter of 2024 was $30.3 million, including a $15.2 million loss resulting from the quarterly remeasurement of the fair value of warrant and derivative liabilities. In the third quarter of 2023, net loss was $11.8 million, including a $1.1 million loss resulting from the quarterly remeasurement of the fair value of warrant liabilities. Conference Call Details The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. ET, to discuss the quarter results. To access the call, dial 877-545-0320 (U.S. toll-free) or 973-528-0002 (international) and Entry Code: 500590 five minutes prior to the start of the call. A live, listen-only webcast and archived replay of the call can be accessed on the Investors & Media section of Abeona’s website at https://investors.abeonatherapeutics.com/events. The archived webcast replay will be available for 30 days following the call. About Abeona Therapeutics Abeona Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing cell and gene therapies for serious diseases. Prademagene zamikeracel (pz-cel) is Abeona’s investigational autologous, COL7A1 gene-corrected epidermal sheets currently in development for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. The Company’s fully integrated cell and gene therapy cGMP manufacturing facility served as the manufacturing site for pz-cel used in its Phase 3 VIITAL™ trial, and is capable of supporting commercial production of pz-cel upon FDA approval. The Company’s development portfolio also features AAV-based gene therapies for ophthalmic diseases with high unmet medical need. Abeona’s novel, next-generation AAV capsids are being evaluated to improve tropism profiles for a variety of devastating diseases. For more information, visit www.abeonatherapeutics.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by such terminology as “may,” “will,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “potential,” and similar words and expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances), which constitute and are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, the timing and outcome of the FDA’s review of our BLA resubmission for pz-cel; the FDA’s grant of a Priority Review Voucher upon pz-cel approval; continued interest in our rare disease portfolio; our ability to enroll patients in clinical trials; the outcome of future meetings with the FDA or other regulatory agencies, including those relating to preclinical programs; the ability to achieve or obtain necessary regulatory approvals; the impact of any changes in the financial markets and global economic conditions; risks associated with data analysis and reporting; and other risks disclosed in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by the federal securities laws. ABEONA THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESCondensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss($ in thousands, except share and per share amounts)(Unaudited) For the three months ended September 30, For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Revenues: License and other revenues $— $— $— $3,500 Expenses: Royalties — 30 — 1,605 Research and development 8,941 7,148 25,366 23,712 General and administrative 6,404 4,156 22,173 13,174 Gain on operating lease right-of-use assets — — — (1,065)Total expenses 15,345 11,334 47,539 37,426 Loss from operations (15,345) (11,334) (47,539) (33,926) Interest income 1,189 593 3,223 1,374 Interest expense (1,102) (105) (3,126) (309)Change in fair value of warrant and derivative liabilities (15,156) (1,101) (7,530) (7,465)Other income 145 111 531 2,729 Net Loss $(30,269) $(11,836) $(54,441) $(37,597)Basic and diluted loss per common share $(0.63) $(0.48) $(1.41) $(1.89) Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted 48,081,758 24,797,564 38,504,273 19,942,613 Other comprehensive income (loss): Change in unrealized gains (losses) related to available-for-sale debt securities 50 (33) (18) 1 Foreign currency translation adjustments — 29 — 29 Comprehensive loss $(30,219) $(11,840) $(54,459) $(37,567) ABEONA THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESCondensed Consolidated Balance Sheets($ in thousands, except share and per share amounts)(Unaudited) September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents$15,726 $14,473 Short-term investments 93,975 37,753 Restricted cash 338 338 Other receivables 1,613 2,444 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,005 729 Total current assets 112,657 55,737 Property and equipment, net 4,058 3,533 Operating lease right-of-use assets 3,789 4,455 Other assets 88 277 Total assets$120,592 $64,002 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable$2,789 $1,858 Accrued expenses 5,210 5,985 Current portion of long-term debt 4,444 — Current portion of operating lease liability 1,057 998 Current portion payable to licensor 4,921 4,580 Other current liabilities 1 1 Total current liabilities 18,422 13,422 Long-term operating lease liabilities 3,402 4,402 Long-term debt 14,206 — Warrant liabilities 38,789 31,352 Total liabilities 74,819 49,176 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock - $0.01 par value; authorized 2,000,000 shares; No shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively — — Common stock - $0.01 par value; authorized 200,000,000 shares; 43,404,706 and 26,523,878 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively 434 265 Additional paid-in capital 849,388 764,151 Accumulated deficit (803,965) (749,524)Accumulated other comprehensive loss (84) (66)Total stockholders' equity 45,773 14,826 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$120,592 $64,002