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XMT-1536 Expansion Study Continues According to Plan
Ended Third Quarter 2019 with $112 Million Available to Fund the Advancement of Multiple Product Candidates
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRSN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing a pipeline of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting cancers in areas of high unmet medical need, today reported financial results and a business update for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019.
“We continue to execute on our 2019 goals and remain on track for near-term proof of concept and the potential for multiple data readouts in 2020. In the third quarter, we made important progress with the initiation of the XMT-1536 expansion study in patients with platinum resistant ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer adenocarcinoma at a dose of 36 mg/m2 as well as the continuation of the dose escalation cohorts,” said Anna Protopapas, President and CEO of Mersana Therapeutics. “We are pleased to report that the first three patients in the 43 mg/m2 dose escalation cohort have experienced no dose limiting toxicities. We are encouraged that the safety and efficacy profile of XMT-1536 continues to be promising.”
Recent Highlights and Updates
Clinical Program
Discovery Pipeline Progress
Upcoming Events
2019 Financial Results
Third Quarter 2019
Conference Call
Mersana Therapeutics will host a conference call and webcast today at 8:00 a.m. ET to report financial results for the third quarter of 2019 and provide certain business updates. To access the call, please dial 877-303-9226 (domestic) or 409-981-0870 (international) and provide the Conference ID 459394. A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investors & Media section of the Mersana website at www.mersana.com.
About XMT-1536
XMT-1536 is a first-in-class ADC targeting the sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein (NaPi2b) and utilizing the Dolaflexin platform to deliver an average of 10-15 DolaLock payload molecules per antibody. The NaPi2b antigen is broadly expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) adenocarcinoma and ovarian cancer. XMT-1536 is in Phase 1 clinical trials in patients with tumors expressing NaPi2b, including ovarian cancer and NSCLC adenocarcinoma. More information on the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial can be found at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03319628).
About Mersana Therapeutics
Mersana Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company using its differentiated and proprietary ADC platforms to develop highly targeted drugs with increased tolerability and expanded opportunities to deliver meaningful clinical benefit to cancer patients. Mersana’s lead product candidate, XMT-1536, is in a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with tumors expressing NaPi2b, including ovarian cancer and NSCLC adenocarcinoma. In addition, multiple partners are using Mersana’s platform to advance their ADC pipelines.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts and are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include information concerning the Company’s business strategy and the design, progression and timing of its clinical trials. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements represent management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. The Company’s operations involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside its control, and any one of which, or combination of which, could materially affect its results of operations and whether the forward-looking statements ultimately prove to be correct. Factors that may materially affect the Company’s results of operations and whether these forward-looking statements prove to be correct include, among other things, that preclinical testing may not be predictive of the results or success of ongoing or later preclinical or clinical trials, that the development and testing of the Company’s product candidates and new platforms will take longer and/or cost more than planned and that the identification of new product candidates will take longer than planned, as well as those listed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 8, 2019, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and subsequent SEC filings. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
Mersana Therapeutics, Inc.
Selected Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Data
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
September 30,
2019 |
December 31,
2018 |
||||
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities | $ | 112,002 | $ | 70,131 | |
Working capital (1) | 92,313 | 4,880 | |||
Total assets | 121,655 | 78,502 | |||
Total stockholders' equity | 93,045 | 8,795 | |||
(1) The Company defines working capital as current assets less current liabilities. See the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements for further detail regarding its current assets and current liabilities. |
Mersana Therapeutics, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
(unaudited)
Three months ended | Nine months ended | ||||||||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | ||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | ||||||||||||||
Collaboration revenue | $ | 844 | $ | 2,151 | $ | 42,081 | $ | 9,405 | |||||||||
Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||
Research and development | 13,701 | 15,180 | 42,610 | 40,098 | |||||||||||||
General and administrative | 4,436 | 4,380 | 13,072 | 12,181 | |||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 18,137 | 19,560 | 55,682 | 52,279 | |||||||||||||
Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||||
Interest income | 608 | 340 | 1,785 | 1,049 | |||||||||||||
Interest expense | (107) | — | (146) | — | |||||||||||||
Total other income (expense), net | 501 | 340 | 1,639 | 1,049 | |||||||||||||
Net loss | (16,792) | (17,069) | (11,962) | (41,825) | |||||||||||||
Other comprehensive loss: | |||||||||||||||||
Unrealized gain on marketable securities | 17 | 48 | 36 | 107 | |||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss | $ | (16,775) | $ | (17,021) | $ | (11,926) | $ | (41,718) | |||||||||
Net loss attributable to common stockholders — basic and diluted | $ | (16,792) | $ | (17,069) | $ | (11,962) | $ | (41,825) | |||||||||
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders — basic and diluted | $ | (0.35) | $ | (0.74) | $ | (0.28) | $ | (1.82) | |||||||||
Weighted-average number of shares of common stock used in net loss per share attributable to common stockholders — basic and diluted | 47,833,607 | 23,152,019 | 42,011,340 | 22,979,516 | |||||||||||||
Contact:
Investor & Media Contact
Sarah Carmody, 617-844-8577
scarmody@mersana.com