BiondVax Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
PR Newswire PR Newswire•June 12, 2020
JERUSALEM, June 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Nasdaq: BVXV), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing M-001, a universal influenza vaccine candidate, today announced its fourth quarter and full year financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019 and provided a business update.
Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Summary
Results are in New Israel Shekels (NIS) and convenience translation to $US is provided using the exchange rate of 3.456 (NIS/$US) as at December 31, 2019.
Total operating expenses were NIS 32.5 million (approximately $9.4 million) compared with NIS 27.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2018.
R&D expenses for the fourth quarter amounted to NIS 31.6 million ($9.1 million) compared with NIS 26.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2018.
Full Year 2019 Financial Summary
Total operating expenses for 2019 were NIS 78.3 million ($22.6 million) compared with NIS 77 million in 2018.
R&D expenses for 2019 amounted to NIS 68.6 million ($19.8 million) compared with NIS 71.9 million in 2018.
As of December 31, 2019, BiondVax had cash and cash equivalents of NIS 72.4 million ($20.9 million) compared to NIS 75.8 million as of December 31, 2018. Complete financial results are available in the Company's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019, which is being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today.
*Tables to follow*
2019 Highlights and Recent Corporate Update
Pivotal clinical efficacy Phase 3 trial: The pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial aims to compare the safety and clinical efficacy of M-001 versus a placebo in preventing flu illness (as primary endpoints), and in reducing flu illness severity (as a secondary endpoint) from circulating influenza strains. Prior to both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 flu seasons, a total of over 12,400 adult volunteers aged 50+ (with half aged 65+) in seven European countries were enrolled. To date, no serious treatment related adverse events have been identified. Monitoring of the trial's second cohort (enrolled for the 2019/20 flu season) is nearly complete, and the Phase 3 clinical trial results are expected by the end of 2020.
NIH-supported Phase 2 clinical trial: The clinical study report (CSR) of the NIH-supported Phase 2 clinical trial was completed earlier this week. The CSR concludes that "M-001 was safe in this study" and that "M-001 induced significant polyfunctional T cell responses," indicating that both primary endpoints of the trial were achieved. The trial in 120 adult volunteers, supported by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was conducted by several of NIAID's Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Units (VTEUs) in the U.S.
Pilot manufacturing facility: Equipment installation and scale-up in BiondVax's pilot manufacturing facility in Jerusalem are in progress. The facility has planned annual capacity of up to between 10 and 20 million doses in bulk.
€24 million non-dilutive co-funding: The European Investment Bank (EIB) extended the 2017 co-financing agreement from €20 million to €24 million to support construction of BiondVax's pilot manufacturing facility in Israel and Phase 3 trial. BiondVax was honored to host Mr. Ambroise Fayolle, EIB Vice-President, during his visit to BiondVax in June 2019 for a signature event celebrating the extension of the financing agreement.
$20 million rights offering: In June and July 2019, BiondVax raised approximately US$20 million in a rights offering to existing shareholders.
Warrant expiration: BiondVax received proceeds of approximately $4.2 million through exercises of BiondVax warrants between January 1, 2020 and expiration of the warrants in May 2020.
New Board members: In September 2019, Mr. Mark Germain was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. In March 2020, Mr. Samuel Moed, Dr. Yael Margolin, and Mr. Adi Raviv were elected to the board. Mr. Moed recently served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy at Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY).
About BiondVax
BiondVax (NASDAQ: BVXV) is a Phase 3 clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a universal flu vaccine. The vaccine candidate, called M-001, is designed to provide multi-strain and multi-season protection against current and future, seasonal and pandemic influenza. BiondVax's proprietary technology utilizes a unique combination of conserved and common influenza virus peptides intended to stimulate both arms of the immune system for a cross-protecting and long-lasting effect. In a total of seven completed Phase 1/2 and Phase 2 clinical trials enrolling 818 participants, the vaccine has been shown to be safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic. The ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial aims to assess safety and effectiveness of M-001 in reducing flu illness and severity. For more information, please visit www.biondvax.com.
