Hybrigenics
Written by
Hybrigenics |
First patients enrolled in AML Phase II trial |
H116 results and business update |
Pharma & biotech |
6 December 2016 |
Share price performance
Business description
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Hybrigenics is a research client of Edison Investment Research Limited |
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Hybrigenics has started dosing the first patients in France and the US in a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II study in elderly or frail acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients. Data are expected in Q418 or H119. Additionally, an open-label Phase II study in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in combination with imatinib continues; an update will be provided by Q117. Hybrigenics has an R&D collaboration with Servier focused on oncology, from which it received a €1.5m milestone payment in H216. Our updated valuation is €146.1m or €4.1/share.
Year |
Revenue (€m) |
PBT* |
EPS* |
DPS |
P/E |
Yield |
12/14 |
6.8 |
(2.2) |
(8.5) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
12/15 |
6.5 |
(3.9) |
(11.4) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
12/16e |
7.5 |
(4.2) |
(11.8) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
12/17e |
8.0 |
(4.4) |
(12.4) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
Note: *PBT and EPS are normalised, excluding amortisation of acquired intangibles, exceptional items and share-based payments, according to IFRS.
Phase II trial in AML starts, CML study continues
During H216 Hybrigenics commenced dosing of the first patients in France and the US in its Phase II trial in AML patients unfit for chemotherapy. The company will test inecalcitol vs placebo in 110 patients and present overall survival data in Q418 or H119. Furthermore, a Phase II study in patients with CML in combination with imatinib continues; an update is expected by Q117. The collaboration with Servier has been renegotiated and is now focused on oncology. Hybrigenics received a €1.5m milestone payment from Servier. An additional €12m is due on completion of undisclosed development and regulatory targets. In vitro data showing the increase of CD38 expression were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).
Company reports H116 results
For the first half of 2016 services revenues increased by 5% to €1.7m vs €1.5m in H115. Research subsidies, subleases, services to subleasers and current year research tax credits amounted to €1m vs €0.9m in H115, which drove total revenues to €2.7m (vs €2.8m in H115). No research payments from Servier were received in H116; the €1.5m milestone payment will be recognised in H216. Operating expenses are €4m vs €3.8m in H115. Cash burn was c €3m for H116 vs €2.8 in H115, and cash and equivalents stood at €8.4m, which provides funding into 2017.
Valuation: Updated valuation of €146.1m or €4.1/share
We are updating our valuation to €146.1m or €4.1/share vs €137m and €3.8 per share previously. We are now including the €12m risk-adjusted milestone payments from the collaboration with Servier, updating for end-2016 cash, rolling the valuation forward in time and making other minor adjustments.
Phase II study in AML starts, H116 results published
Hybrigenics has enrolled the first patients in a Phase II study of inecalcitol in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. The study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that will recruit 110 patients (55 in the US and 55 in France) unfit for chemotherapy. Daily oral inecalcitol (4mg) or placebo will be administered to patients that can only receive monthly cycles of decitabine infusions. The trial’s protocol is the same for France and the US, with the primary endpoint of overall survival and secondary endpoints of response rate and tolerance. The first patient was enrolled in September 2016 in France and in November 2016 in the US. Data will read out in late 2018 or H119. This clinical study builds on preclinical data presented at the 12th International Congress on Targeted Anticancer Therapies in 2014, in which inecalcitol prolonged survival and reduced splenomegaly (increase in spleen size and weight) in animal models of AML.
Furthermore, Hybrigenics is running an open-label, exploratory Phase II study in patients with CML in combination with imatinib (Gleevec, Novartis). Inecalcitol in combination with imatinib has demonstrated synergistic effects in experiments in vitro by inhibiting the proliferation of CML stem cells, which are involved in relapse. The trial aims to replicate this effect and prolong remission or eliminate the disease altogether. It started in January 2015 and is expected to end in H117, with an interim update by Q117.
Inecalcitol has also been tested in a Phase II study in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Clinical data in early-stage untreated patients with CLL were published in July 2014 showing that inecalcitol was able to slow the progression of disease in half of patients. Of 21 evaluable CLL patients, 11 experienced stabilisation of disease as measured by their blood lymphocyte counts (BLC), including one patient who achieved a 95% decrease in BLC after 10 months of treatment. In CLL, inecalcitol is positioned as a treatment that can delay the start of chemotherapy. This programme is awaiting further funding before commencing Phase III trials.
Hybrigenics has to date met the oncology research targets of its agreement with Servier. Hybrigenics and Servier have a research agreement to explore new inhibitors of Ubiquitin-Specific Proteases (USPs). After completing this milestone, Hybrigenics received a payment of €1.5m. Up to €12m development and regulatory milestone payments are associated with this R&D programme in oncology.
The company presented additional in vitro data at the 58th annual meeting of ASH in San Diego, US. New data showed that inecalcitol stimulates the expression of CD38 in cell lines of multiple myeloma (MM), which indicates that inecalcitol could increase the response to anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies in this indication.
Exhibit 1: Clinical pipeline (all inecalcitol)
Indication |
Status |
Setting |
Notes |
CLL |
Phase II completed |
Monotherapy/untreated/ |
21 untreated pts dosed with 2mg oral inecalcitol for at least five months; disease progression was halted in 11 patients (52% of cases). Designated as orphan drug in the EU/US. Next stage is Phase III disease progression study. |
CML |
Phase II ongoing with potential interim results in 2016 |
+ first-line treatment/stable chronic phase |
50 pts across six centres. |
AML |
Phase II start mid-2016 |
Newly diagnosed frail or elderly pts ineligible for standard chemo + decitabine or azacitidine |
Trials in the US and France started. Primary completion date June 2018. Designated as orphan drug in the US and EU. |
CRPC |
Phase IIa completed |
+ docetaxel/all |
Dose-finding and safety study established daily 4mg oral dose – 40 out of 47 of patients exhibited an 85% reduction in PSA levels within three months, compared to a 65% reduction in PSA levels on docetaxel alone (in external registration study). Phase IIb proof-of-concept next development stage. |
Source: Hybrigenics, Edison Investment Research
Inecalcitol’s IP is secured until 2030 in the EU and until 2031 in the US and other key countries. Moreover, inecalcitol has orphan drug designation in the EU and US for AML and CLL. Hybrigenics is in the process of applying for orphan status in CML in the EU and US.
H116 financial results released
For the first half of 2016 services revenues increased by 5% to €1.7m vs €1.5m in H115. Total revenues including subsidies and research tax credits amounted to €2.7m (vs €2.8m in H115). We forecast H216 services revenues of €2.5m, reflecting the seasonality of the business in which approximately one-third of services revenues occur in the first half of the year and two-thirds in the second half. We project FY16 revenues of €7.6m (vs c €6.5m in FY15), which include the €1.5m milestone payment from Servier.
Operating expenses were c €4m in H116, similar to H115 (€3.8m). We model a 10% uptick in the second half of 2016 due to R&D expenses, mostly from the AML study. This would result in total expenses of €8.2m vs €7m in 2015, and an operating profit of almost €5m for FY16, vs €4.4m in 2015.
During H116 cash burn was c €3m, similar to €2.8 in H115. At the end of H116, cash and equivalents were €8.4m, which we expect to provide funding well into 2017. We project a cash shortfall at the end of 2017; thus, we include €1m as long-term debt. There will be another shortfall in 2018, which can be covered by other forms of funding such as a capital raise or a partnership. The undrawn €5m equity line with Yorkville will expire at end of 2016 and the company does not plan to use it.
Updating our DCF-based valuation to €146.1m
We are updating our valuation to €146.1m or €4.1/share vs €137m and €3.8 per share previously. The main changes are the inclusion of risk-adjusted milestone payments from the collaboration with Servier. We also update for end-2016 cash, roll the model forward in time and include a slower uptake in CLL. The main value driver is inecalcitol, while we value the Services Division at 2x FY16e revenue at €8.4m.
Exhibit 2: Valuation assumptions for inecalcitol
Status |
Launch date |
Peak sales ($m) |
Risk adjustment |
Market penetration |
Royalty |
|
Inecalcitol CLL – US |
Phase III ready |
2023 |
180 |
30% |
15% |
25% |
Inecalcitol CLL – EU |
Phase III ready |
2023 |
180 |
30% |
15% |
N/A |
Inecalcitol CML |
Phase II |
2020 |
257 |
30% |
15% |
25% |
Inecalcitol AML – US |
Phase II |
2020 |
62 |
30% |
15% |
25% |
Inecalcitol AML – EU |
Phase II |
2020 |
45 |
30% |
15% |
N/A |
Source: Edison Investment Research
Exhibit 3: rNPV valuation
Driver |
Value per share (€) |
Value (€m) |
Inecalcitol CLL – US |
0.8 |
29.0 |
Inecalcitol CLL – EU |
2.1 |
76.0 |
Inecalcitol AML – US |
0.3 |
12.2 |
Inecalcitol AML – EU |
0.6 |
23.2 |
Inecalcitol CML |
1.5 |
55.2 |
Milestones |
0.3 |
11.5 |
Services Division |
0.2 |
8.4 |
Servier collaboration |
0.1 |
2.3 |
Risk-adjusted expenses including R&D |
(0.6) |
(22.3) |
Tax |
(1.6) |
(56.6) |
Net cash at end FY16 |
0.2 |
7.2 |
Total |
4.1 |
146.1146.1 |
Number of shares |
35.8 |
Source: Edison Investment Research
Exhibit 4: Financial summary
€'000s |
2014 |
2015 |
2016e |
2017e |
||
Year end 31 December |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
||
PROFIT & LOSS |
||||||
Revenue |
|
|
6,774 |
6,483 |
7,542 |
8,010 |
Cost of sales |
(3,417) |
(3,858) |
(4,244) |
(4,583) |
||
Gross profit |
3,357 |
2,625 |
3,298 |
3,426 |
||
EBITDA |
|
|
(2,081) |
(3,811) |
(4,266) |
(4,380) |
Operating profit (before GW and except) |
|
(2,170) |
(3,961) |
(4,416) |
(4,530) |
|
Intangible amortisation |
(89) |
(150) |
(150) |
(150) |
||
Exceptionals |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Share-based payments |
(201) |
(225) |
(236) |
(248) |
||
Operating profit |
(2,539) |
(4,414) |
(4,880) |
(5,006) |
||
Net interest |
(26) |
49 |
177 |
87 |
||
Profit before tax (norm) |
|
|
(2,209) |
(3,874) |
(4,239) |
(4,444) |
Profit before tax (reported) |
|
|
(2,499) |
(4,327) |
(4,703) |
(4,920) |
Tax |
0 |
(14) |
0 |
0 |
||
Profit after tax (norm) |
(2,209) |
(3,888) |
(4,239) |
(4,444) |
||
Profit after tax (reported) |
(2,578) |
(4,341) |
(4,703) |
(4,920) |
||
Average number of shares outstanding (m) |
25.9 |
34.2 |
35.8 |
35.8 |
||
EPS - normalised (c) |
|
|
(8.5) |
(11.4) |
(11.8) |
(12.4) |
EPS - FRS 3 (c) |
|
|
(9.7) |
(12.7) |
(13.1) |
(13.7) |
Dividend per share (c) |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
||
Gross margin (%) |
50% |
40% |
44% |
43% |
||
EBITDA margin (%) |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
||
Operating margin (before GW and except) (%) |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
||
BALANCE SHEET |
||||||
Fixed assets |
|
|
1,837 |
1,717 |
1,463 |
1,233 |
Intangible assets |
1,023 |
820 |
670 |
520 |
||
Tangible assets |
598 |
585 |
504 |
423 |
||
Investments |
216 |
312 |
289 |
290 |
||
Current assets |
|
|
15,708 |
19,584 |
15,348 |
11,907 |
Stocks |
262 |
150 |
165 |
126 |
||
Debtors |
1,701 |
1,513 |
1,760 |
1,869 |
||
Cash |
9,644 |
11,716 |
7,218 |
3,707 |
||
Other |
4,101 |
6,205 |
6,205 |
6,205 |
||
Current liabilities |
|
|
(3,018) |
(2,135) |
(2,139) |
(2,142) |
Creditors |
(2,116) |
(1,787) |
(1,789) |
(1,791) |
||
Short-term borrowings |
(862) |
(288) |
(288) |
(288) |
||
Other |
(40) |
(60) |
(62) |
(64) |
||
Non-current liabilities |
|
|
0 |
(629) |
(629) |
(1,629) |
Long-term borrowings |
0 |
(114) |
(114) |
(1,114) |
||
Other |
0 |
(515) |
(515) |
(515) |
||
Net assets |
|
|
14,527 |
18,537 |
14,043 |
9,369 |
CASH FLOW |
||||||
Operating cash flow |
|
|
(3,042) |
(5,262) |
(4,528) |
(4,450) |
Net interest |
49 |
28 |
177 |
87 |
||
Tax |
0 |
(14) |
0 |
0 |
||
Capex |
(455) |
(395) |
(147) |
(147) |
||
Payment of deferred consideration |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Capitalisation of development costs |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Expenditure on intangibles |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Acquisitions/disposals |
0 |
(153) |
0 |
0 |
||
Financing |
11,619 |
8,331 |
0 |
0 |
||
Dividends |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Net cash flow |
8,171 |
2,535 |
(4,498) |
(4,510) |
||
Opening net debt/(cash) |
|
|
(1,611) |
(8,782) |
(11,314) |
(6,816) |
HP finance leases initiated |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Other |
(1,000) |
(3) |
0 |
0 |
||
Closing net debt/(cash) |
|
|
(8,782) |
(11,314) |
(6,816) |
(2,305) |
Source: Company accounts, Edison Investment Research
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