HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE:RCUS), a clinical-stage, global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing differentiated molecules and combination therapies for people with cancer, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 and provided a pipeline update on its six clinical-stage molecules targeting TIGIT, the adenosine axis (CD73 and dual A2a/A2b receptor), HIF-2a and PD-1 across multiple common cancers. In addition, today Arcus announced encouraging results from the third interim analysis of the ongoing Phase 2 ARC-7 study. In this interim analysis, both domvanalimab-containing arms continued to show meaningful differentiation compared to zimberelimab alone across multiple efficacy measures, including overall response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DoR). The clinical activity of zimberelimab alone was in line with established anti-PD-1 therapies in this patient population. At the time of data cut off, no unexpected safety signals were observed.
“We are optimistic about the potential for and committed to the goal of domvanalimab becoming a best-in-class anti-TIGIT antibody,” said Terry Rosen, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Arcus. “The results from our most recent interim analysis further support the significant investment we and Gilead are making in the domvanalimab program, which is on track to increase from two ongoing to four Phase 3 studies by year-end and include expansion into new areas of unmet need with broader populations in lung and upper gastrointestinal cancers. Moreover, with a strong cash balance and six clinical-stage molecules across multiple cancer types, we are well-positioned to develop potentially practice-changing therapies for cancer patients in need of better treatment options.”
Anti-TIGIT program (domvanalimab and AB308)
Update on ARC-7:
Summary of Efficacy and Safety Observations from IA3:
Other Anti-TIGIT Updates:
2022 Anti-TIGIT Milestones:
Etrumadenant (A2a/A2b adenosine receptor antagonist)
Recent Etrumadenant Updates:
2022 Etrumadenant Milestones:
Quemliclustat (small molecule CD73 inhibitor)
2022 Quemliclustat Milestones:
AB521 (HIF-2a inhibitor)
Recent AB521 Updates:
2022 AB521 Milestones:
Discovery Programs:
Financial Results for the First Quarter 2022
Arcus Ongoing and Announced Clinical Studies
Trial Name | Arms | Setting | Status | NCT No. |
Lung Cancer | ||||
ARC-7 | zim vs. dom + zim vs. dom + etruma + zim | 1L NSCLC (PD-L1 ≥ 50%) | Ongoing Randomized Phase 2 | |
PACIFIC-8 | dom + durva vs. durva | Curative-Intent Stage 3 NSCLC | Ongoing Registrational Phase 3 | |
ARC-10 | dom + zim vs. zim vs. chemo | 1L NSCLC (PD-L1 ≥ 50%) | Ongoing Registrational Phase 3 | |
STAR-121 | dom + zim + chemo vs pembro + chemo | 1L NSCLC (PD-L1 all-comers) | Planned Registrational Phase 3 | TBD |
EDGE-Lung | dom + zim + (quemli or etruma) | 1L/2L NSCLC (lung cancer platform study) | In Planning Phase 2 | TBD |
Gastrointestinal Cancers | ||||
ARC-9 | etruma + zim + mFOLFOX vs. SOC | 2L/3L/3L+ CRC | Ongoing Randomized Phase 2 | |
ARC-21 | dom + zim ± chemo | 1L/2L Upper GI Malignancies | Ongoing Phase 2 | |
STAR-221 | dom + zim + chemo vs. SOC | GI Malignancies | Planned Registrational Phase 3 | TBD |
Pancreatic Cancer | ||||
ARC-8 | quemli + zim + gem/nab-pac vs. quemli + gem/nab-pac | 1L, 2L PDAC | Ongoing Randomized Phase 1/1b | |
Prostate Cancer | ||||
ARC-6 | etruma + zim + SOC vs. SOC (Adding sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy) combination cohorts) | 2L/3L CRPC | Ongoing Randomized Phase 2 | |
Various | ||||
ARC-12 | AB308 + zim | Advanced Malignancies | Ongoing Phase 1/1b | |
ARC-14 | AB521 | Healthy Volunteer | Ongoing |
Carbo/pem: carboplatin/pemetrexed; dom: domvanalimab; durva: durvalumab; etruma: etrumadenant; gem/nab-pac: gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel; quemli: quemliclustat; R/R: relapsed/refractory; SOC: standard of care; zim: zimberelimab CRC: colorectal cancer; CRPC: castrate-resistant prostate cancer; GI: gastrointestinal; NSCLC: non-small cell lung cancer; PDAC: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
About the Gilead Collaboration
In May 2020, Gilead and Arcus entered into a 10-year collaboration that provided Gilead immediate rights to zimberelimab and the right to opt into all other Arcus programs arising during the collaboration term. In November 2021, Gilead and Arcus amended the collaboration in connection with Gilead’s option exercise for three of Arcus’s then-clinical stage programs. For all other programs that are in clinical development or new programs that enter clinical development thereafter, the opt-in payments are $150 million per program. Gilead’s option, on a program-by-program basis, expires after a specified period of time following the achievement of a development milestone for such program and Arcus’s delivery to Gilead of the requisite qualifying data package. Concurrent with the May 2020 collaboration agreement, Gilead and Arcus entered into a stock purchase agreement under which Gilead made a $200 million equity investment in Arcus. That stock purchase agreement was amended and restated in February 2021 in connection with Gilead’s increased equity stake in Arcus from 13% to 19.7%, with an additional $220 million investment.
Gilead and Arcus are co-developing and equally share global development costs for five clinical candidates, including domvanalimab, an Fc-silent anti-TIGIT antibody, etrumadenant, a dual adenosine A2a/A2b receptor antagonist, and zimberelimab, an anti-PD1 antibody.
About Arcus Biosciences
Arcus Biosciences is a clinical-stage, global biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated molecules and combination medicines for people with cancer. In partnership with industry partners, patients and physicians around the world, Arcus is expediting the development of first- or best-in-class medicines against well characterized biological targets and pathways and studying novel, biology-driven combinations that have the potential to help people with cancer live longer. Founded in 2015, the company has expedited the development of six investigational medicines into clinical studies, including new combination approaches that target TIGIT, PD-1, the adenosine axis (CD73 and dual A2a/A2b receptor) and most recently, HIF-2a. For more information about Arcus Biosciences’ clinical and pre-clinical programs, please visit www.arcusbio.com or follow us on Twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements regarding events or results to occur in the future contained herein, including, but not limited to, Arcus’s expectation that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities on-hand are sufficient to fund operations into 2026, the potential of Arcus’s molecules, upcoming data presentations, the projected achievement of clinical study milestones and their associated timing (including under the captions “2022 Anti-TIGIT Milestones,” “2022 Etrumadenant Milestones,” “2022 Quemliclustat Milestones,” “2022 AB521 Milestones,” and “Discovery Programs”), and additional clinical studies in planning or expected to be initiated this year are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Arcus’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: risks associated with preliminary and interim data not being guarantees that future data will be similar; the unexpected emergence of adverse events or other undesirable side effects; difficulties or delays in initiating or conducting clinical trials due to difficulties or delays in the regulatory process, enrolling subjects or manufacturing or supplying product for such clinical trials, all of which may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; Arcus’s dependence on the collaboration with Gilead for the successful development and commercialization of its optioned molecules; difficulties associated with the management of the collaboration activities or expanded clinical programs; changes in the competitive landscape for Arcus’s programs; and the inherent uncertainty associated with pharmaceutical product development and clinical trials. Risks and uncertainties facing Arcus are described more fully in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, filed on May 9, 2022 with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Arcus disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update, supplement or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release except to the extent required by law.
The Arcus name and logo are trademarks of Arcus Biosciences, Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
ARCUS BIOSCIENCES, INC. Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (unaudited) (In thousands, except share and per share amounts) | ||||||||
|
| Three Months Ended |
| |||||
|
| March 31, |
| |||||
|
| 2022 |
|
| 2021 |
| ||
Revenues: |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Other collaboration revenue |
| $ | 10,066 |
|
| $ | 9,461 |
|
License and development service revenue |
|
| 7,939 |
|
|
| - |
|
Total revenues |
|
| 18,005 |
|
|
| 9,461 |
|
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Research and development |
|
| 61,211 |
|
|
| 66,387 |
|
General and administrative |
|
| 23,974 |
|
|
| 15,821 |
|
Total operating expenses |
|
| 85,185 |
|
|
| 82,208 |
|
Loss from operations |
|
| (67,180 | ) |
|
| (72,747 | ) |
Non-operating income (expense): |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Interest and other income, net |
|
| 582 |
|
|
| 154 |
|
Effective interest on liability for sale of future royalties |
|
| (391 | ) |
|
| - |
|
Total non-operating income, net |
|
| 191 |
|
|
| 154 |
|
Net loss before income taxes |
|
| (66,989 | ) |
|
| (72,593 | ) |
Income tax expense |
|
| (1,004 | ) |
|
| - |
|
Net loss |
|
| (67,993 | ) |
|
| (72,593 | ) |
Other comprehensive loss |
|
| (3,399 | ) |
|
| (46 | ) |
Comprehensive loss |
| $ | (71,392 | ) |
| $ | (72,639 | ) |
Net loss per share, basic and diluted |
| $ | (0.96 | ) |
| $ | (1.08 | ) |
Weighted-average number of shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share |
|
| 71,194,778 |
|
|
| 67,082,161 |
|
Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data (unaudited) (In thousands) | ||||||||
|
| March 31, |
|
| December 31, |
| ||
|
| 2022 |
|
| 2021(1) |
| ||
Cash, cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities |
| $ | 1,342,370 |
|
| $ | 681,298 |
|
Total assets |
|
| 1,543,427 |
|
|
| 1,591,898 |
|
Total liabilities |
|
| 746,848 |
|
|
| 750,448 |
|
Total stockholders’ equity |
|
| 796,579 |
|
|
| 841,450 |
|
(1) Derived from the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 23, 2022. |
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Investor Inquiries: Pia Banerjee Head of Investor Relations & Strategy (617) 459-2006 pbanerjee@arcusbio.com Media Inquiries: Holli Kolkey VP of Corporate Communications (650) 922-1269 hkolkey@arcusbio.com
Source: Arcus Biosciences, Inc.