Oxford Biomedica — Driving innovation in a thriving CGT industry

Oxford Biomedica (LSE: OXB)

Last close As at 27/03/2024

458.50

8.50 (1.89%)

Market capitalisation

GBP441m

More on this equity

Research: Healthcare

Oxford Biomedica — Driving innovation in a thriving CGT industry

Oxford Biomedica (OXB) is one of few global lentiviral vector manufacturers with capacity in a thriving cell and gene therapy industry, and its FY20 results highlight strong operational progress throughout the business. OXB boasts a diversified revenue base; and FY20 benefited from new deals including Juno/BMS covering multiple CAR-T programmes, as well as increased bioprocessing and commercial development activities for several customers including Novartis and the AZN COVID-19 vaccine. Post period, OXB upgraded its financial guidance for the COVID-19 vaccine supply agreement with AZN to in excess of £100m by end FY21. In the long term, much value resides in OXB’s ability to develop and monetise its own CGT assets, which are progressing towards the clinic. Bolt on acquisitions that complement the pipeline or enhance technology capabilities represent further opportunities. We value OXB at £846m or 1,027p/share.

Analyst avatar placeholder

Written by

Healthcare

Oxford Biomedica

Driving innovation in a thriving CGT industry

Full year results

Pharma & biotech

27 May 2021

Price

1,144p

Market cap

£943m

£0.72/$; £0.86/€; €0.83/$

Net cash (£m) at 31 March 2021

65.9

Shares in issue

82.4m

Free float

78%

Code

OXB

Primary exchange

LSE

Secondary exchange

N/A

Share price performance

%

1m

3m

12m

Abs

5.2

13

57.1

Rel (local)

4.3

4.2

31.3

52-week high/low

1,144p

701p

Business description

Oxford Biomedica’s (OXB) LentiVector technology underpins the company’s strategy. OXB generates significant revenue from a multitude of global partnership deals with biotechnology and large-cap pharmaceutical companies. It is also manufacturing COVID-19 vaccine Vaxzevria (AZD1222) for AstraZeneca. OXB is implementing significant capacity upgrades to enable more partnering/out-licensing agreements.

Next events

New partnership and licensing deals

2021

Extension of the AZN COVID-19 vaccine supply agreement

H221

Analysts

Dr Susie Jana

+44 (0)20 3077 5700

Dr John Priestner

+44 (0)20 3077 5700

Oxford Biomedica is a research client of Edison Investment Research Limited

Oxford Biomedica (OXB) is one of few global lentiviral vector manufacturers with capacity in a thriving cell and gene therapy industry, and its FY20 results highlight strong operational progress throughout the business. OXB boasts a diversified revenue base; and FY20 benefited from new deals including Juno/BMS covering multiple CAR-T programmes, as well as increased bioprocessing and commercial development activities for several customers including Novartis and the AZN COVID-19 vaccine. Post period, OXB upgraded its financial guidance for the COVID-19 vaccine supply agreement with AZN to in excess of £100m by end FY21. In the long term, much value resides in OXB’s ability to develop and monetise its own CGT assets, which are progressing towards the clinic. Bolt on acquisitions that complement the pipeline or enhance technology capabilities represent further opportunities. We value OXB at £846m or 1,027p/share.

Year end

Revenue (£m)

PBT*
(£m)

EPS*
(p)

DPS
(p)

P/E
(x)

Yield
(%)

12/19

64.1

(16.8)

(16.4)

0.0

N/A

N/A

12/20

87.7

(2.5)

(2.7)

0.0

N/A

N/A

12/21e

159.1

18.6

20.3

0.0

56.4

N/A

12/22e

173.4

28.0

30.6

0.0

37.4

N/A

Note: *PBT and EPS are normalised, excluding amortisation of acquired intangibles, exceptional items and share-based payments.

2020 an exceptional year of growth

Total revenues grew 37% to £87.7m in FY20, with bioprocessing and commercial development revenues rising 45% to £68.5m driven by new partnerships (AZN, Beam Therapeutics and Juno/BMS). Licences, milestones & royalties (LMR) revenues increased 14% to £19.2m benefiting from a £7.8m ($10m) licence fee from Juno/BMS. The group posted an operating loss of £5.7m (vs £14.5m in FY19) as expenses increased to support the increased investment in headcount and in its 84,000 sq ft state-of-the-art bioprocessing facility Oxbox. Ongoing investment is critical to support the future growth of the business.

Leading next-generation vector innovation

OXB’s CDMO is world class and validated by its extensive partnering deals; the group now has 18 partner programmes generating multiple revenue streams. Notwithstanding this OXB has successfully manufactured AZN’s COVID-19 vaccine in a new vector type (adenoviral) and at a scale not achieved by the group before (1,000L). This brings financial benefits, and also opens new avenues for partnering deals in other viral vector fields. OXB remains committed to vector industrialisation through innovation and its developing technologies are not limited to LVV.

Valuation: £846m or 1,027p/share

We increase our valuation of OXB to £846m or 1,027p/share, vs £711m or 892p/share previously. The main source of uplift is the increased expectations of revenue generated from the AZN agreement, which we include for 2021–23. We remove the Sanofi/Bioverativ partnership, delay AXO-Lenti-PD launch by two years to 2026 and update our assumptions for the terminal value. Our valuation does not capture the group’s ability to deliver on new customers and expand existing partnerships. Our model reflects net cash of £65.9m (31 March 2021).

Striding into 2021

OXB is a pioneer and global leader in the development and manufacture of commercial-scale lentiviral vectors (LVVs), a critical component of cell and gene therapies (CGTs). An investment in OXB gives a broad exposure to this nascent industry, which holds potential to revolutionise the treatment of a wide range of conditions. OXB’s contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) is world class and validated by its extensive partnering deals. OXB now has 18 CDMO partner programmes in place; new deals further expand the contract base, and the expansion of existing partnerships often signal progress into clinical stage development by partners and the potential for higher-value contacts down the line. We expect further platform deals to be announced in 2021. OXB’s origins lie in the discovery and early-stage development of cell and gene therapies; the 2018 out-licensing of AXO-Lenti-PD to Sio Gene Therapies in a deal worth up to $842.5m is validation of its discovery platform. We expect a burgeoning OXB to increase its focus on its own suite of CGT products (the group has five proprietary CGT assets in preclinical development), which are focused on multiple areas of high unmet need as well as leading the industrialisation of vectors through world-class innovation.

Juno/BMS another major gene therapy player added to the list

During 2020 OXB signed a licence and clinical supply agreement (LSA) with Juno Therapeutics (part of the Bristol Myers Squibb group). It grants Juno a non-exclusive licence to OXB’s LentiVector platform for its application in a number of novel CAR-T and TCR-T programmes. This is a significant deal, albeit early stage, in terms of multiple programmes and further diversifies OXB’s revenue streams. The deal covers four products (targets are undisclosed by OXB) and, based on Juno’s disclosed clinical pipeline, we assume it covers early clinical-stage assets as well as preclinical ones. Deal terms include a $10m upfront payment from Juno received in FY20, up to $86m in potential development and regulatory milestones (spread across four assets and multiple indications), up to $131m in potential sales-related milestones and an undisclosed royalty on net sales of products using its LentiVector platform. In the near term the key revenues will be from commercial development, which will move to batch revenues, but as these assets move towards approval, deals extending to commercial manufacturing supply provide further upside. OXB is now the preferred LVV partner for two out of the three founders of CGT and CAR-Ts (Novartis, Juno/BMS and Kite/Gilead).

Beam Therapeutics’ next-generation technology

In August 2020, Beam Therapeutics signed a development, manufacture and licence agreement (DMLA) granting it a non-exclusive licence to OXB’s LentiVector platform for application in next-generation CAR-T programmes in oncology. A three-year clinical supply agreement (CSA) is also in place for OXB to provide clinical trial material to Beam, in return for LVV development and clinical trial manufacturing supply payments. US biotech Beam Therapeutics is focused on developing precision genetic medicines utilising its proprietary base editing technology, a highly innovative next-generation CGT technology. We believe that this collaboration will enable OXB to work towards next-generation products. The pipeline is very early stage (preclinical) and focused on a range of therapeutic areas: hemoglobinopathies, oncology, liver disease, ophthalmology and the central nervous system (CNS). OXB is currently undertaking work on one preclinical asset with Beam; we note the agreement allows for the parties to initiate additional projects in the future. While OXB has not disclosed the exact details of the project it is working on, we believe the relevant product appears to be the engineered allogeneic (or off-the-shelf) CAR-T products, via multiplex editing of T-cells from healthy donors. Given the preclinical nature of Beam’s assets and its novel technologies (base editing and allogenic CAR-T), the time to market is longer than more recent deals such as that with Juno.

AZN COVID-19 vaccine brings multiple opportunities

In May 2020, OXB signed an initial one-year clinical and commercial supply agreement with AstraZeneca (AZN) for AZD1222 (also known as Vaxzevria), a COVID-19 vaccine developed by a consortium led by the Jenner Institute, Oxford University. In September 2020, OXB announced an 18-month supply agreement with AZN for the large-scale manufacture of the vaccine. This is under a three-year master supply and development agreement, which has the option to extend the supply period for a further 18 months into 2022/23. OXB received £15m upfront from AZN as a capacity reservation fee. In May 2021 OXB provided an update on the current 18-month supply agreement, such that following the successful manufacture of large-scale batches of the COVID-19 vaccine, AZN had increased the number of batches for H221. This has translated to a significant upgrade in revenue guidance by OXB. Management now expects cumulative revenues from AZN by the end of 2021 to be in excess of £100m (previously £50m) and as a result expects significant growth in group operating EBITDA in FY21. AZD1222 has now been approved worldwide ex US. We expect the COVID-19 pandemic to continue for the foreseeable future and eventually expect the virus to become endemic such that annual vaccinations will be necessary. Thus, contingent on the expected continuation of the vaccine programme, the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing requirements could then become an annuity-like revenue stream for OXB. We note that OXB would have the capabilities to manufacture other COVID-19 vaccines: J&J’s adenoviral vector (Ad26) vaccine would make the most sense. Based on the encouraging early data of continued vaccine efficacy against new and emerging variants, and given the not-for-profit pricing of the AZN vaccine ($3–$4 a dose vs mRNA vaccine (from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna) pricing of c $20 per dose), we believe good demand will continue from a global perspective. We therefore assume AZN will extend the vaccine supply agreement for an additional 18 months (to September 2023) and increase our forecasts for vaccine-related revenues to £87.5m (vs £15.0m previously) and £87.5m in (vs £7.0m previously) in FY21 and FY22, respectively. For the first time we include vaccine-related revenues of £55.0m in FY23.

AZD1222 relies on adenoviral vector technology, and OXB has leveraged its LVV expertise to provide adenoviral vectors. This highlights the company’s vast experience in vector manufacturing, as well as its flexibility and capabilities beyond the LVV space. Additionally, through improved processing, OXB is now able to produce more doses per batch. OXB has the expertise to further optimise the process and could improve the efficiency and yield further. We highlight that OXB increased its vector manufacturing capacity significantly ahead of the pandemic with its state of the art 84,000 sq ft manufacturing facility Oxbox coming on stream. Through a combination of internal and external investment it now has four suites dedicated to manufacturing the vaccine. OXB has successfully managed its capacity such that manufacture of adenovector for the COVID-19 vaccine has not had an impact on any of its current partnerships or its ability to sign new ones.

Beyond Kymriah: Novartis partnership covers multiple CAR-Ts

As a supplier of vector, OXB’s near-term revenues are driven by both the supply of LVVs and royalties (we estimate 2%) on Kymriah, a CD19-targeting CAR-T that is approved for paediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (pALL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In December 2019 the collaboration with Novartis (NOVN) was extended such that OXB is now working on six different LVVs for use in NOVN’s CAR-T products, and OXB will also receive commercial development fees on the five programmes in development. There are now five FDA-approved CAR-T products (NOVN’s Kymriah; Gilead’s Yescarta and Tecartus; and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Abecma and Breyanzi). As this field continues to expand, we expect OXB to garner more deals as one of very few CDMOs with experience developing an FDA-approved CGT.

NOVN reported Kymriah sales of $474m FY20 (vs $278m in FY19) across approved indications of pALL and DLBCL. Line extensions will further drive Kymriah uptake. In August NOVN released positive data from the interim analysis of the pivotal Phase II ELARA trial evaluating Kymriah in relapsed or refractory (r/r) follicular lymphoma; and the data will form the basis of US and EU regulatory submissions (expected in H221). Kymriah has been granted regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designation by the FDA for r/r follicular lymphoma, which will enable an accelerated review process. We note the FDA approved Gilead’s Yescarta in r/r follicular lymphoma in March based on a 91% overall response rate in the Phase II ZUMA-5 study.

The data readout from the Phase III BELINDA study in first relapse DLBCL is expected in H221 and if favourable could enable regulatory submission for this indication. Recently published durability data for Kymriah in various refractory B-cell lymphomas has gone someway to answering questions around durability, as all patients who achieved remission lasting one year impressively remained in remission after five years. Kymriah consensus sales are estimated at more than $1.1bn by 2025 (EvaluatePharma). For valuation purposes we include pALL, DLBCL and r/r follicular lymphoma.

Expanding on Boehringer Ingelheim collaboration

Post period end in April 2021, OXB signed a three-year development and supply agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim for the manufacture and supply of various types of viral vector, building on the original partnership. In 2018, OXB signed an option and licence agreement that granted Boehringer Ingelheim an option to license the exclusive global rights over OXB’s LVV technology to manufacture and commercialise a long-term inhaled formulation gene therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis (developed with the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium and Imperial Innovations). This new agreement highlights encouraging progress in its partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim and importantly moves beyond LVV to other vector types (undisclosed), likely adeno-associated viruses (AAV) and adenovirus.

Other collaborations

Sanofi has terminated the haemophilia gene therapy collaboration agreement originally made by OXB and Bioverativ for the process development and manufacture of LVV. After its acquisition of Bioverativ, Sanofi is restructuring its operations. Both haemophilia assets were preclinical and not expected to enter the clinic until 2022 and thus will have negligible impact on OXB revenues. Sanofi has also indicated it will return the rights to the Stargardt disease (SAR422459) and Usher Syndrome (SAR421869) programmes. OXB could potentially out-license these assets or develop them in house.

Orchard Therapeutics has reprioritised its development work towards neurometabolic disorders; as such Orchard has deprioritised OTL-101 in ADA-SCID in favour of advancing OTL-201 through the clinic. OTL-201 is being evaluated for the neurometabolic condition MPS-IIIA (Sanfilippo syndrome type A) and has progressed to Phase I with the first patient dosed on 27 April 2020. Interim data is expected in 2021.

The PhoreMost collaboration for next-generation CAR-T therapies is using its SITESEEKER phenotypic screening platform to identify peptides for use in OXB’s LVV delivery system (undisclosed deal terms).

AXO-Lenti-PD hitting development milestones

In July 2020 OXB expanded its partnership with a three-year clinical supply agreement (CSA) for the manufacture and supply of AXO-Lenti-PD with Sio Gene Therapies (previously Axovant). The 12-month data from cohort one of the Phase I/II SUNRISE-PD study demonstrated a 37% improvement in motor function from baseline as assessed by the UPDRS Part III ‘OFF’ score (this followed an improvement of 29% at six months on the same scale).

The next steps will be to enrol patients into the volume expansion cohort three, before the planned commencement of a randomised, sham-controlled portion of the study, initially expected to start enrolling patients in 2021. However, delays in CMC data and third-party fill/finish issues have caused the development of a suspension-based manufacturing process for AXO-Lenti-PD to take longer than expected. OXB has commenced manufacturing of several GMP batches for use in future clinical trials. Sio Gene Therapies now does not expect the AXO-Lenti-PD Phase II EXPLORE-PD study comparing the highest dose versus a sham surgical procedure to start enrolling patients before the end of 2021. We therefore take these timelines into account and prudently delay our AXO-Lenti-PD launch date by two years to 2026.

We note that competitor in the Parkinson’s disease (PD) gene therapy space Voyager Therapeutics’ Phase II RESTORE-1 study with VY-AADC (AAV gene therapy) was halted by the FDA after reviewing certain patient imaging data (MRI abnormalities in some patients). We believe Sio Gene Therapies will aim to launch the therapy based on the SUNRISE-PD and EXPLORE-PD trials plus historical ProSavin data..

Innovation at the heart of OXB’s platform and pipeline

OXB continues to innovate within its platform capabilities and its proprietary gene therapy R&D pipeline by making significant advances in technology in its platform to drive the industrialisation of vectors towards better yield and lower cost of production. One example is its successful transition to Process B bioreactor vector production for Kymriah (a tenfold increase in yield and efficiency over Process A) during 2019. To move further along the efficiency pathways, the group has continued to focus on developing, refining and enhancing its technology through advances such as its next-generation Transgene Repression in Vector Production (TRiP) manufacturing system, SecNuc technology and LentiStable cell lines that provide improved vector yields and scalable, cost-effective manufacturing. OXB is now progressing Process C from the laboratory to the larger-scale GMP setting. Process C will incorporate a menu of technologies including bioreactors, U1 and U2 processes (which improve productivity and vector quality), TRiP and SecNuc. Further development that incorporates the use of LentiStable producer cell lines (Process D) is also ongoing. Additionally, ongoing investment in high-throughput automation and robotics is streamlining production, reducing costs and enabling faster screening and analytical testing. This is particularly important as the time to product release is one of the current rate limiting steps of manufacturing.

The COVID-19 vaccine partnership has enabled OXB to gain exposure to manufacturing adenoviral vectors on 1,000L scale, which is significantly larger than the current LVV manufacturing scale (200L). OXB is using the downstream process outlined by the consortium, which uses similar purification techniques (such as hollow fibre and anion exchange purification) to LVV manufacturing. This valuable knowledge exchange will stand OXB in good stead if it was to pursue the manufacturing of adenoviral vectors in the future. Additionally, OXB has acquired knowledge of scaling up from 200L to 1,000L, which it can apply to LVV manufacturing. We note OXB’s current preference for LVV manufacturing as it is able to incorporate its IP into manufacturing contracts, which leads to higher royalty rates. However, OXB has demonstrated that its TRiP technology works in AAV and adenovirus, and the majority of its other technologies, for example SecNuc, may also be applied. Thus, OXB could attract potential partners due to its superior technologies that are also applicable to these vectors.

Proprietary gene therapy progressing toward the clinic

In Q120, OXB completed a review of its internal pipeline and identified priority candidates for development. This includes OXB-302 (haematological cancers), OXB-203 (wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)), OXB-204 (LCA10), OXB-401 (liver indication) and OXB-103 (ALS). OXB-302 (CAR-T 5T4) remains the priority candidate in preparation to enter clinical-stage testing in the next 18 to 24 months. Importantly the industrialisation of vectors will be critical in the developmental pathway of these assets as they move towards the clinic. For CGT targeting the liver, high loads of vector are required, thus manufacturing will be reliant on the ability to produce in huge quantities of 1,000L plus, at higher purity and a lower cost of production.

For OXB’s own assets, the aim is to generate data in proof-of-concept Phase I/II trials. After that OXB could elect to continue development into Phase III or out-license at that stage. We note that out-licensing at proof-of-concept data would return higher economic value than deals made at an earlier stage, such as with AXO-Lenti-PD. Furthermore, with the strengthened balance sheet after the AZN vaccine deal, OXB is in a position to look for bolt-on acquisitions that complement the pipeline or enhance technology capabilities. OXB will assess partnering opportunities with academic institutions or companies and will also look at potential in-licensing opportunities that are further on in the clinic; these will likely be assets that are ready to enter the clinic. OXB has expressed a particular interest in liver indications such as haemophilia, where AAV therapies have shown proof of concept and LVVs have inherent advantages based on their ability to integrate into the host genome, potentially enabling a one-off treatment for any age.

2021 outlook: Riding the crest of the capacity wave

OXB has highlighted expected newsflow for the year (Exhibit 1). OXB is one of few global LVV manufacturers with capacity in a thriving cell and gene therapy industry and management expects to both increase the number of partners and expand the number of programs with existing partners. Discussions and feasibility studies with multiple potential partners are ongoing. With three suites dedicated to manufacture of the AZN COVID-19 vaccine, OXB expects total cumulative revenues from this program to exceed £100m by the end of FY21. There is potential for the original 18-month clinical supply agreement signed September 2020 to be extended for vaccine supply in FY22 and FY23. We anticipate an update in H221 and note that OXB could look to increase the number of dedicated suites depending on the demand for vaccines.

Exhibit 1: Key 2021 inflection points

Source: OXB corporate presentation

OXB is pursuing a hybrid model and plans to progress internal candidates from its proprietary gene therapy portfolio towards the clinic (see above). With the strengthened balance sheet, OXB could acquire complementary assets and technologies as it looks to further its position as a world leader in LVV and develop its presence in other vectors (adenoviral vectors and AAV). While we note the Boehringer Ingelheim partnership has moved beyond LVV, the first partnership that focuses on other vectors specifically will be a key inflection point for the company, vastly increasing its addressable market and further diversifying revenue streams.

OXB has been investing for growth in Oxbox and Windrush Court as vector manufacturing capacity continues to be constrained globally. Investment in Oxbox has enabled OXB to capitalise on the opportunity of manufacturing the AZN COVID-19 vaccine. All four suites in the first phase of development are now fully operational, with almost half of the facility (39,000 sq ft) still available for future expansion. OXB is also expanding its laboratory space and work is currently ongoing at Windrush Court (32,000 sq ft) to convert office space to GMP laboratories to meet the expected near-term demand in commercial development and analytics. OXB has also invested in offices and GMP laboratories at the Windrush Innovation Centre (32,000 sq ft), which will focus on innovation and technological advances to support both the product pipeline and the LentiVector platform. With the conversion of office space in Windrush Court underway, the group has taken a lease on a new 11,000 ft site within the Oxford Business Park, near to Oxbox, as a new corporate head office.

Valuation

Our revised valuation is £846m (£10.27/share), from £711m (£8.92/share) previously. Our valuation is based on a risk-adjusted net present value (NPV) of partnered products plus contributions from OXB’s propriety CGT portfolio for OXB-302 (haematological cancers) and OXB-203 (wet AMD), Exhibit 2.

The main changes relate to the AZN COVID-19 vaccine partnership (outlined above), timing of AXO-Lenti-PD launch (now forecast 2026 instead of 2024) and the Sanofi/Bioverativ partnership. We have removed both the preclinical haemophilia A (Factor VIII) and B (Factor IX) assets (previously 55.7p/share and 19.0p/share respectively). Due to the early stage of these assets, they had a disproportionate weighting in the terminal value; we have therefore brought forward the end of the forecast period to better reflect the current portfolio’s stage of development and the mix of products within it. Based on OXB’s new strengthened balance sheet and diversified business model, we have also increased the terminal value growth rate to 2%. We have also increased the probability of AZN COVID-19 vaccine-related revenues to 100% given its approval globally ex US, and increased the forecast revenue to £87.5m in FY21 (vs £15.0m previously), £87.5m in FY22 (vs £7.0m previously) and £55.0m in FY23 (vs zero previously). We include net cash of £65.9m (80p/share) at 31 March 2021 and a terminal value (£4.26/share). Our valuation does not capture the group’s ability to deliver on new customers and expand existing partnerships, or the long-term potential of the COVID-19 vaccine opportunity. For extensive details of our valuation, please see our Outlook note, Vector innovation key to cell and gene evolution.

Exhibit 2: Valuation summary

Product/partner/indication/status

Estimated launch year

Peak royalties (£m)

Peak manufacturing revenue (£m)

Probability of success

NPV
(£m)

rNPV
(£m)

rNPV per share (p/share)

Kymriah / Novartis / r/r pALL / Approved in US and in EU

Launched

3

2

100%

37

37

45.09

Kymriah / Novartis / DLBCL / Approved in US and in EU

Launched

21

13

100%

96

96

116.68

Kymriah / Novartis / r/r Follicular lymphoma (US NDA submission 2021)

2022

4

3

80%

28

22

26.85

2nd CAR-T / Novartis / Cancers / Phase I

2025

24

29

20%

85

21

25.87

3rd CAR-T / Novartis / Cancers / Phase I

2025

2

2

20%

21

4

5.18

OTL-101 / Orchard / ADA-SCID / Phase II/III

2024

0

1

70%

4

3

3.28

OTL-201 / Orchard / Sanfilippo A synd / Phase I

2025

11

9

5%

35

6

6.75

Juno (BMS) collaboration on undisclosed CAR-T/TCR-T therapies; assumptions are for JCAR018 in pALL and r/r NHL

2025

2

6

30%

62

16

19.84

Beam therapeutics - undisclosed assumption CAR-T for AML

2029

6

1

5%

21

1

1.30

COVID-19 vaccine / AZN / AAV supply agreement

N/A

N/A

N/A

100%

64

64

77.59

AXO-Lenti-PD / NA / Parkinson's / Phase I/II

2026

106

24

30%

409

146

177.24

OXB-302 / NA / Cancer / Preclinical

2025

56

9

5%

102

5

5.55

OXB-203 / NA / Wet AMD / Preclinical

2027

117

13

5%

165

8

10.20

Total pipeline and partnership value

 

 

 

 

430

521.42

Terminal value

351

425.53

Net cash at 31 March 2021

66

79.97

Total

846

1026.93

Source: Edison Investment Research

Financials: A year of two halves

OXB reported FY20 total revenues of £87.7m (+37% y-o-y from £64.1m). Licence fees, milestone and royalty (LMR) revenue was reported at £19.2m in FY20 (FY19: £16.8m), benefiting from a £7.8m ($10m) licence fee from the Juno/BMS partnership and contributions for Kymriah royalties (undisclosed). Bioprocessing/commercial development revenues, which are historically more predictable, grew to £68.5m (+45%, FY19: £47.3m), driven by new customers AZN, Beam Therapeutics and Juno/BMS.

Operating expenses increased 23% to £51.7m in FY20 (FY19: £41.9m) as the group invested in headcount, facility costs and related spend on Oxbox and Windrush Court plus the investment required for the development and manufacture of batches of AZN COVID-19 vaccine. The group significantly increased its average headcount to 609 in 2020 compared to 500 in 2019 (673 at FY20 year-end). R&D and bioprocessing costs increased to £29.7m (FY19: £22.6m) and £10.7m (FY19: £7.4m) respectively in FY20. The group reported an operating EBITDA profit of £7.3m and an operating loss of £5.7m. Costs accelerated in H220, after the cash preservation measures put in place in H120 due to general uncertainties of the pandemic. R&D expenses are expected to rise in FY21 as the group invests in its proprietary CGT portfolio as well as development of its platform to accelerate its ambition to industrialise vector manufacturing.

Capital expenditure in FY20 was £13.4m vs £25.8m in FY19, which was driven mainly by the build and fit of Oxbox that completed in December 2019 and expansion of the business as a whole. Capex for FY21 is expected to be higher than FY20 due to the expansion being undertaken at both Windrush Court and Windrush Innovation Centre. OXB reported a cash position of £46.7m at 31 December 2020, following a successful £38.3m (net) equity raise in June 2020. The cash position reported at 31 March 2021 was £65.9m, as cash benefited from the timings of AZN payments relating to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Post period, OXB upgraded guidance for its expected cumulative revenue related to the AZN COVID-19 vaccine to in excess of $100m (from in excess of £50m) by the end of 2021, such that OXB now expects significant growth in group operating EBITDA in FY21 (from FY20 results guidance of operating EBITDA above 2020 levels). We forecast £159.1m in total revenues and a £18.3m operating profit in FY21, as we estimate the top line is set to benefit from £87.5m of AZN COVID-19 vaccine-related revenues. Following OXB’s successful manufacture of large-scale batches of the COVID-19 vaccine and based on the encouraging early data of continued vaccine efficacy against new and emerging variants, we assume that AZN will extend the vaccine supply agreement for an additional 18 months (to September 2023). For FY22, we forecast vaccine-related revenues of £87.5m contributing to total revenues of £173.4m and an operating profit of £27.7m. We highlight that our FY22 vaccine-related revenues (and thus profitability assumptions for the year) are contingent on our assumption that OXB/AZN extend the current vaccine supply agreement. We note that multiple sensitivities remain around this figure, including cost sensitivities in R&D, facilities and personnel, the extent of bioprocessing revenue, milestone payments and the execution of any new deals.

Exhibit 3: Financial summary

Accounts: IFRS; year end 31 December; £000s

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021e

2022e

Income statement

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total revenues

37,590

66,778

64,060

87,728

159,100

173,420

Cost of sales

(18,442)

(33,261)

(35,723)

(41,655)

(80,431)

(82,324)

Gross profit

19,148

33,517

28,337

46,073

78,669

91,096

Administrative expenses

(7,276)

(7,433)

(11,881)

(11,262)

(11,825)

(12,416)

R&D and bioprocessing costs

(21,611)

(19,216)

(29,924)

(40,469)

(48,563)

(50,991)

Other income/(expense)

1,774

1,064

884

795

0

0

Exceptionals and adjustments

2,297

5,983

(1,883)

(831)

0

0

Operating profit/(loss)

(5,668)

13,915

(14,467)

(5,694)

18,281

27,689

Finance income/(expense)

(6,093)

(8,901)

(6,422)

(878)

275

331

Reported PBT

(11,761)

5,014

(20,889)

(6,572)

18,556

28,020

Income tax expense (includes exceptionals)

2,744

2,527

4,823

327

(1,855)

(2,801)

Reported net income

(9,017)

7,541

(16,066)

(6,245)

16,701

25,218

Basic average number of shares, m

61.9

65.2

72.7

79.9

82.4

82.4

Basic EPS (p)

(14.6)

11.6

(22.1)

(7.8)

20.3

30.6

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

(2,645)

13,535

(4,550)

8,265

28,553

39,155

Adjusted EBIT

(7,020)

9,178

(10,337)

(1,574)

18,281

27,689

Adjusted PBT

(13,113)

277

(16,759)

(2,452)

18,556

28,020

Adjusted EPS (p)

(16.7)

4.3

(16.4)

(2.7)

20.3

30.6

 

 

 

 

 

Balance sheet

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment

25,370

31,791

61,932

72,304

82,048

91,598

Intangible assets

97

117

95

73

77

80

Other non-current assets

2,954

14,966

3,964

3,605

3,605

3,605

Total non-current assets

28,421

46,874

65,991

75,982

85,730

95,283

Cash and equivalents

14,329

32,244

16,243

46,743

55,095

66,209

Inventories

3,332

4,251

2,579

6,912

7,052

7,217

Trade and other receivables

17,088

26,585

30,045

53,926

54,486

54,639

Other current assets

2,232

2,446

8,070

365

239

239

Total current assets

36,981

65,526

56,937

107,946

116,871

128,305

Non-current loans and borrowings

36,864

41,153

0

0

0

0

Contract liabilities and deferred income

0

6,434

5,005

3,518

3,518

3,518

Other non-current liabilities

630

1,566

13,352

15,209

17,064

19,866

Total non-current liabilities

37,494

49,153

18,357

18,727

20,582

23,384

Trade and other payables

8,690

11,422

14,297

19,716

19,832

20,299

Contract liabilities and deferred income

13,072

17,084

14,162

28,264

28,264

20,764

Other current liabilities

0

0

482

4,475

4,475

4,475

Total current liabilities

21,762

28,506

28,941

52,455

52,571

45,538

Equity attributable to company

6,146

34,741

75,630

112,746

129,447

154,665

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flow statement

 

 

 

 

Operating profit/(loss)

(5,668)

13,915

(14,467)

(5,694)

18,281

27,689

Depreciation and amortisation

4,375

4,357

5,787

9,839

10,272

11,467

Share based payments

945

1,246

2,247

3,289

0

0

Other adjustments

(1,326)

(8,012)

1,886

831

0

0

Movements in working capital

141

(2,292)

(2,089)

(12,154)

(583)

(7,352)

Income taxes paid

4,512

3,654

3,128

7,005

126

0

Cash from operations (CFO)

2,979

12,868

(3,508)

3,116

28,096

31,803

Capex

(1,969)

(10,148)

(25,774)

(13,358)

(20,020)

(21,020)

Acquisitions & disposals net

0

0

6,272

2,523

0

0

Other investing activities

38

52

104

34

275

331

Cash used in investing activities (CFIA)

(1,931)

(10,096)

(19,398)

(10,801)

(19,745)

(20,689)

Net proceeds from issue of shares

385

19,808

53,363

39,336

0

0

Movements in debt

8,361

0

(43,589)

0

0

0

Interest paid

(10,800)

(4,665)

(2,513)

0

0

0

Other financing activities

0

0

(356)

(1,151)

0

0

Cash from financing activities (CFF)

(2,054)

15,143

6,905

38,185

0

0

Increase/(decrease) in cash and equivalents

(1,006)

17,915

(16,001)

30,500

8,351

11,114

Currency translation differences and other

0

0

0

0

0

0

Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

15,335

14,329

32,244

16,243

46,743

55,095

Cash and equivalents at end of period

14,329

32,244

16,243

46,743

55,095

66,209

Net (debt) cash

(22,535)

(8,909)

16,243

46,743

55,095

66,209

Source: Oxford Biomedica accounts, Edison Investment Research


General disclaimer and copyright

This report has been commissioned by Oxford Biomedica and prepared and issued by Edison, in consideration of a fee payable by Oxford Biomedica. Edison Investment Research standard fees are £49,500 pa for the production and broad dissemination of a detailed note (Outlook) following by regular (typically quarterly) update notes. Fees are paid upfront in cash without recourse. Edison may seek additional fees for the provision of roadshows and related IR services for the client but does not get remunerated for any investment banking services. We never take payment in stock, options or warrants for any of our services.

Accuracy of content: All information used in the publication of this report has been compiled from publicly available sources that are believed to be reliable, however we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this report and have not sought for this information to be independently verified. Opinions contained in this report represent those of the research department of Edison at the time of publication. Forward-looking information or statements in this report contain information that is based on assumptions, forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable, and therefore involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of their subject matter to be materially different from current expectations.

Exclusion of Liability: To the fullest extent allowed by law, Edison shall not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential losses, loss of profits, damages, costs or expenses incurred or suffered by you arising out or in connection with the access to, use of or reliance on any information contained on this note.

No personalised advice: The information that we provide should not be construed in any manner whatsoever as, personalised advice. Also, the information provided by us should not be construed by any subscriber or prospective subscriber as Edison’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect, any transaction in a security. The securities described in the report may not be eligible for sale in all jurisdictions or to certain categories of investors.

Investment in securities mentioned: Edison has a restrictive policy relating to personal dealing and conflicts of interest. Edison Group does not conduct any investment business and, accordingly, does not itself hold any positions in the securities mentioned in this report. However, the respective directors, officers, employees and contractors of Edison may have a position in any or related securities mentioned in this report, subject to Edison's policies on personal dealing and conflicts of interest.

Copyright: Copyright 2021 Edison Investment Research Limited (Edison).

Australia

Edison Investment Research Pty Ltd (Edison AU) is the Australian subsidiary of Edison. Edison AU is a Corporate Authorised Representative (1252501) of Crown Wealth Group Pty Ltd who holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (Number: 494274). This research is issued in Australia by Edison AU and any access to it, is intended only for "wholesale clients" within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001 of Australia. Any advice given by Edison AU is general advice only and does not take into account your personal circumstances, needs or objectives. You should, before acting on this advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. If our advice relates to the acquisition, or possible acquisition, of a particular financial product you should read any relevant Product Disclosure Statement or like instrument.

New Zealand

The research in this document is intended for New Zealand resident professional financial advisers or brokers (for use in their roles as financial advisers or brokers) and habitual investors who are “wholesale clients” for the purpose of the Financial Advisers Act 2008 (FAA) (as described in sections 5(c) (1)(a), (b) and (c) of the FAA). This is not a solicitation or inducement to buy, sell, subscribe, or underwrite any securities mentioned or in the topic of this document. For the purpose of the FAA, the content of this report is of a general nature, is intended as a source of general information only and is not intended to constitute a recommendation or opinion in relation to acquiring or disposing (including refraining from acquiring or disposing) of securities. The distribution of this document is not a “personalised service” and, to the extent that it contains any financial advice, is intended only as a “class service” provided by Edison within the meaning of the FAA (i.e. without taking into account the particular financial situation or goals of any person). As such, it should not be relied upon in making an investment decision.

United Kingdom

This document is prepared and provided by Edison for information purposes only and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation for investment in any securities mentioned or in the topic of this document. A marketing communication under FCA Rules, this document has not been prepared in accordance with the legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination of investment research.

This Communication is being distributed in the United Kingdom and is directed only at (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments, i.e. investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "FPO") (ii) high net-worth companies, unincorporated associations or other bodies within the meaning of Article 49 of the FPO and (iii) persons to whom it is otherwise lawful to distribute it. The investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to such persons. It is not intended that this document be distributed or passed on, directly or indirectly, to any other class of persons and in any event and under no circumstances should persons of any other description rely on or act upon the contents of this document.

This Communication is being supplied to you solely for your information and may not be reproduced by, further distributed to or published in whole or in part by, any other person.

United States

Edison relies upon the "publishers' exclusion" from the definition of investment adviser under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and corresponding state securities laws. This report is a bona fide publication of general and regular circulation offering impersonal investment-related advice, not tailored to a specific investment portfolio or the needs of current and/or prospective subscribers. As such, Edison does not offer or provide personal advice and the research provided is for informational purposes only. No mention of a particular security in this report constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell or hold that or any security, or that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person.

Frankfurt +49 (0)69 78 8076 960

Schumannstrasse 34b

60325 Frankfurt

Germany

London +44 (0)20 3077 5700

280 High Holborn

London, WC1V 7EE

United Kingdom

New York +1 646 653 7026

1185 Avenue of the Americas

3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036

United States of America

Sydney +61 (0)2 8249 8342

Level 4, Office 1205

95 Pitt Street, Sydney

NSW 2000, Australia

Frankfurt +49 (0)69 78 8076 960

Schumannstrasse 34b

60325 Frankfurt

Germany

London +44 (0)20 3077 5700

280 High Holborn

London, WC1V 7EE

United Kingdom

New York +1 646 653 7026

1185 Avenue of the Americas

3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036

United States of America

Sydney +61 (0)2 8249 8342

Level 4, Office 1205

95 Pitt Street, Sydney

NSW 2000, Australia

General disclaimer and copyright

This report has been commissioned by Oxford Biomedica and prepared and issued by Edison, in consideration of a fee payable by Oxford Biomedica. Edison Investment Research standard fees are £49,500 pa for the production and broad dissemination of a detailed note (Outlook) following by regular (typically quarterly) update notes. Fees are paid upfront in cash without recourse. Edison may seek additional fees for the provision of roadshows and related IR services for the client but does not get remunerated for any investment banking services. We never take payment in stock, options or warrants for any of our services.

Accuracy of content: All information used in the publication of this report has been compiled from publicly available sources that are believed to be reliable, however we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this report and have not sought for this information to be independently verified. Opinions contained in this report represent those of the research department of Edison at the time of publication. Forward-looking information or statements in this report contain information that is based on assumptions, forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable, and therefore involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of their subject matter to be materially different from current expectations.

Exclusion of Liability: To the fullest extent allowed by law, Edison shall not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential losses, loss of profits, damages, costs or expenses incurred or suffered by you arising out or in connection with the access to, use of or reliance on any information contained on this note.

No personalised advice: The information that we provide should not be construed in any manner whatsoever as, personalised advice. Also, the information provided by us should not be construed by any subscriber or prospective subscriber as Edison’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect, any transaction in a security. The securities described in the report may not be eligible for sale in all jurisdictions or to certain categories of investors.

Investment in securities mentioned: Edison has a restrictive policy relating to personal dealing and conflicts of interest. Edison Group does not conduct any investment business and, accordingly, does not itself hold any positions in the securities mentioned in this report. However, the respective directors, officers, employees and contractors of Edison may have a position in any or related securities mentioned in this report, subject to Edison's policies on personal dealing and conflicts of interest.

Copyright: Copyright 2021 Edison Investment Research Limited (Edison).

Australia

Edison Investment Research Pty Ltd (Edison AU) is the Australian subsidiary of Edison. Edison AU is a Corporate Authorised Representative (1252501) of Crown Wealth Group Pty Ltd who holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (Number: 494274). This research is issued in Australia by Edison AU and any access to it, is intended only for "wholesale clients" within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001 of Australia. Any advice given by Edison AU is general advice only and does not take into account your personal circumstances, needs or objectives. You should, before acting on this advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. If our advice relates to the acquisition, or possible acquisition, of a particular financial product you should read any relevant Product Disclosure Statement or like instrument.

New Zealand

The research in this document is intended for New Zealand resident professional financial advisers or brokers (for use in their roles as financial advisers or brokers) and habitual investors who are “wholesale clients” for the purpose of the Financial Advisers Act 2008 (FAA) (as described in sections 5(c) (1)(a), (b) and (c) of the FAA). This is not a solicitation or inducement to buy, sell, subscribe, or underwrite any securities mentioned or in the topic of this document. For the purpose of the FAA, the content of this report is of a general nature, is intended as a source of general information only and is not intended to constitute a recommendation or opinion in relation to acquiring or disposing (including refraining from acquiring or disposing) of securities. The distribution of this document is not a “personalised service” and, to the extent that it contains any financial advice, is intended only as a “class service” provided by Edison within the meaning of the FAA (i.e. without taking into account the particular financial situation or goals of any person). As such, it should not be relied upon in making an investment decision.

United Kingdom

This document is prepared and provided by Edison for information purposes only and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation for investment in any securities mentioned or in the topic of this document. A marketing communication under FCA Rules, this document has not been prepared in accordance with the legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination of investment research.

This Communication is being distributed in the United Kingdom and is directed only at (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments, i.e. investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "FPO") (ii) high net-worth companies, unincorporated associations or other bodies within the meaning of Article 49 of the FPO and (iii) persons to whom it is otherwise lawful to distribute it. The investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to such persons. It is not intended that this document be distributed or passed on, directly or indirectly, to any other class of persons and in any event and under no circumstances should persons of any other description rely on or act upon the contents of this document.

This Communication is being supplied to you solely for your information and may not be reproduced by, further distributed to or published in whole or in part by, any other person.

United States

Edison relies upon the "publishers' exclusion" from the definition of investment adviser under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and corresponding state securities laws. This report is a bona fide publication of general and regular circulation offering impersonal investment-related advice, not tailored to a specific investment portfolio or the needs of current and/or prospective subscribers. As such, Edison does not offer or provide personal advice and the research provided is for informational purposes only. No mention of a particular security in this report constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell or hold that or any security, or that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person.

Frankfurt +49 (0)69 78 8076 960

Schumannstrasse 34b

60325 Frankfurt

Germany

London +44 (0)20 3077 5700

280 High Holborn

London, WC1V 7EE

United Kingdom

New York +1 646 653 7026

1185 Avenue of the Americas

3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036

United States of America

Sydney +61 (0)2 8249 8342

Level 4, Office 1205

95 Pitt Street, Sydney

NSW 2000, Australia

Frankfurt +49 (0)69 78 8076 960

Schumannstrasse 34b

60325 Frankfurt

Germany

London +44 (0)20 3077 5700

280 High Holborn

London, WC1V 7EE

United Kingdom

New York +1 646 653 7026

1185 Avenue of the Americas

3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036

United States of America

Sydney +61 (0)2 8249 8342

Level 4, Office 1205

95 Pitt Street, Sydney

NSW 2000, Australia

More on Oxford Biomedica

View All

Latest from the Healthcare sector

View All Healthcare content

Research: Consumer

La Doria — Looking ahead with confidence

La Doria has posted another strong quarter, with revenue and EBITDA growth notwithstanding the strong base. Revenue growth was mainly price-driven, and mostly driven by the UK business. While the outlook for the sector remains favourable, the company continues to expect revenues and volumes to fall during 2021 as consumption gradually returns to normal and following the exceptionally strong performance during FY20. Management expects EBITDA to improve as the benefits of the investment plan start to flow through in full. We leave our estimates unchanged.

Continue Reading

Subscribe to Edison

Get access to the very latest content matched to your personal investment style.

Sign up for free