Midatech Pharma Plc (LON:MTPH; NASDAQ: MTP), a drug delivery technology company focused on improving the bio-delivery and biodistribution of medicines, has announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2022 which will also be made available on the Company’s website at www.midatechpharma.com.
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Company announced the following in the six months ended 30 June 2022:
Q-Sphera
· In January, an extension of its R&D collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV (Janssen) to focus on maximising drug loading and optimising in vitro duration of release for an undisclosed Janssen experimental molecule;
· In March, another R&D collaboration with Janssen on a second large molecule, also focused on maximising drug loading and optimising in vitro duration of release;
MTX110
· In June, granting by the FDA of Fast Track Designation for MTX110 in the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM); and
· Also in June, granting of Orphan Medicine Designation for MTX110 for the treatment of glioma by the European Medicines Agency.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
· Total revenue for 1H22 was £0.47m (1H21: £0.40m). Total revenue represents income from R&D collaborations;
· Research and development costs in 1H22 increased by 20% to £2.41m (1H21: £2.01m) as a result of increased costs associated with MTX110 as the Company prepares for its Phase I study in rGBM;
· Administrative expenses increased by 12% in 1H22 to £1.85m (1H21: £1.66m) primarily due to increased legal and professional expenses;
· Net cash used in operating activities (after changes in working capital) in 1H22 was £3.54m, compared with £3.11m in 1H21.
· The Company’s cash balance at 30 June 2022 was £6.42m.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW
In the first half of 2022 we focused on two things: building on our Q-protein discovery work in 2021 and preparing MTX110 for a Phase I study in rGBM. We have also expanded our business development efforts through outreach and partnering conferences.
Q-Sphera pipeline
The Company’s Q-Sphera technology employs proprietary 3-D printing techniques to encapsulate drugs in polymer-based bioresorbable microspheres which may be injected to form depots in the body which release drugs over predictable, sustained periods from one week to several months. Progress of the Q-Sphera pipeline in 1H22 includes:
Proteins (incl mAb) formulation
There are no approved long-acting injectable formulations of biologic products such as mAbs or other high molecular weight proteins primarily because they are delicate and easily de-natured in manufacture. In 2021 we demonstrated the successful encapsulation of an exemplar monoclonal antibody (mAb) and most importantly, preservation of its functional and structural integrity and antigen binding in vitro.
In 1H22, we continued to expand and develop our in-house capabilities around the encapsulation of high molecular weight proteins. We are developing methods for the successful encapsulation of bispecific T cell engager molecules (BiTEs) and Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs), both of which have shown utility in oncology settings.
MTX213 and MTX223
In 1H22, we signed R&D collaboration agreements with Janssen to focus on maximising drug loading and optimising in vitro duration of release for two large molecules nominated by Janssen. Thus far, we have completed the first work package and are currently engaged on the second.
We believe there are opportunities to leverage the Company’s Q-Sphera technology through the targeted, intratumoral delivery of metabolic modulating agents in combination with standard-of-care treatments. Such an approach could delay (or help to overcome) resistance to standard-of-care treatment and increase patient survival. Targeted, intratumoral delivery could also improve efficacy and lower systemic side effects. The Company’s experiments in intratumoral delivery, while promising, are at an early stage and will require more time, effort and cost before validation. The Company has recently filed a patent designed to protect its early findings.
MTX110
MTX110, a novel formulation of panobinostat administered through convection enhanced delivery, is in clinical development for intractable brain cancers including Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) and Glioblastoma (GBM).
Building on the in vivo data that were presented at the 2020 annual meeting of The Society of Neuro-Oncology which demonstrated the efficacy of MTX110 against two GBM cell lines in an ectopic tumour model and subsequent in vitro data which demonstrated the potency, at therapeutic concentrations, of MTX110 against a further four patient-derived GBM cell lines we began planning a Phase I pilot study in recurrent GBM patients. All preparations for the study are complete and we expect to enrol the first patient at the beginning of the fourth quarter 2022 at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Duke University. GBM is the most common and devastating primary malignant brain tumour in adults encompassing 14.3% of all primary brain and central nervous system neoplasms(1). With an incidence of approximately 3.2 per 100,000 population in the USA, approximately 12,300 people in the USA are diagnosed with GBM per annum(2).
The ongoing second Phase I study in DIPG at Columbia University is in the process of recruiting the last of 10 patients.
Funding
The Company had £6.42 million cash in hand as at 30 June 2022. Consistent with previous announcements, the Company has sufficient cash resources to fund operations into the first quarter of 2023. The Board is actively considering options for extending the Group’s cash runway.
Outlook
Overall, we are pleased with the progress we have made in the first half of 2022. We are particularly excited about the impending start of our first study in GBM using the same drug and delivery system that demonstrated encouraging results in the first Phase I study in DIPG.
Sources:
1. (1) Low JT, Ostrom QT, Cioffi G, Neff C, Waite KA, Kruchko C, Barnholtz-Sloan JS. Primary brain and other central nervous system tumors in the United States (2014-2018): A summary of the CBTRUS statistical report for clinicians. Neurooncol Pract. 2022 Feb 22;9(3):165-182. doi: 10.1093/nop/npac015. PMID: 35601966; PMCID: PMC9113389.
2. (2) Stupp R, Taillibert S, Kanner AA, et al. Maintenance Therapy With Tumor-Treating Fields Plus Temozolomide vs Temozolomide Alone for Glioblastoma: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association. 2015;314(23):2535-2543.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2022 are discussed below:
Key performance indicators:
| 1H 2022 | 1H 2021 | |
| Total gross revenue(1) | £0.47m | £0.40m |
| Customer revenue (2) | £0.47m | £0.40m |
| R&D costs | £2.41m | £2.01m |
| R&D as % of operating costs | 57% | 55% |
| Loss from operations | £3.78m | £3.23m |
| Net cash outflow for the period | £3.63m | £3.34m |
(1) Total revenue represents income from R&D collaborations plus grant revenue.(2) Customer revenue represents collaboration income only.
Midatech’s KPIs focus on the key areas of operating results, R&D spend and cash management. These measures provide information on the core R&D operations. Additional financial and non-financial KPIs may be adopted in due course.
Revenues
Total revenue for the six months to 30 June 2022 was £0.47m compared to £0.40m in the first six months of 2021, an increase of 17%. Revenue in 1H22 and 1H21 was entirely comprised of income from R&D collaborations with Janssen. There was no grant income in 2022 or 2021.
Research and Development
R&D costs in 1H22 increased by £0.40m or 20% to £2.41m compared with £2.01m in 1H21. The percentage of R&D costs as a percentage of operating costs also increased in the period to 57% from 55%. R&D costs in 1H22 reflected increases in MTX110 clinical costs of £0.2m as the company prepares for its Phase 1 clinical trial and an increase in staff costs of £0.4m as the company increases its in-house capabilities. This was offset by a reduction of £0.1m in R&D expense on pre-clinical programs and patent costs as the Group rationalised its patent portfolio.
Administrative Costs
Administrative expenses in 1H22 increased by 12% to £1.85m from £1.66m. Administrative costs in 1H22 reflected an increase in legal and professional fees of £0.1m and travel costs of £0.1m as a result of the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and resumption of in-person conferences.
Finance Income and Expense
Finance income during the period included a gain in respect of an equity settled derivative financial liability of £0.4m in addition to interest earned on cash deposits. There was no interest income in the prior period.
Finance expense in the period related to lease liabilities. In the prior period this included a loss in respect of an equity settled derivative financial liability of £0.1m.
Cash Flows
Cash outflows from operating activities in 1H22 were £3.54m compared to £3.11m in 1H21 driven by a net loss of £3.06m (1H21: £3.15m) and after negative working capital of £0.05m (1H21: negative £0.05m) and other negative non-cash items totalling £0.43m (1H21: positive £0.09m).
Net cash used in investing activities in 1H22 of £0.02m (1H21: £0.15m) included purchases of property, plant and equipment of £0.03m.
Net cash used in financing activities in 1H22 was £0.08m (1H21: £0.08m) reflecting principally the payments on lease liabilities in 2022. In 1H21 the Group repaid the final Spanish government loan of £0.1m which was offset by the proceeds from the exercise of warrants of £0.08m.
Overall, cash decreased by £3.63m in 1H22 compared to a decrease of £3.34m in 1H21. This resulted in a cash balance at 30 June 2022 of £6.42m compared with £4.20m at 30 June 2021 and £10.06m at 31 December 2021.
Going concern
Midatech has experienced net losses and significant cash outflows from cash used in operating activities over the past years as it has developed its portfolio. As at 30 June 2022 the Group had total equity of £7.49m (£10.45m at 31 December 2021), it incurred a net loss after tax for the six months to 30 June 2022 of £3.06m (1H20: £3.15m) and used cash in operating activities of £3.54m (1H21: £3.12m) for the same period. As at 30 June 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of £6.42m.
The Group’s future viability is dependent on its ability to raise cash from financing activities to finance its development plans until commercialisation, generate cash from operating activities and to successfully obtain regulatory approval to allow marketing of its development products. The Group’s failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on its financial condition and ability to pursue its business strategies
The Directors have prepared cash flow forecasts and considered the cash flow requirement for the Company for the next three years including the period 12 months from the date of approval of this interim financial information. These forecasts show that further financing will be required during the first quarter of 2023 assuming, inter alia, that certain development programmes and other operating activities continue as currently planned. This requirement for additional financing in the short term represents a material uncertainty that may cast doubt upon the Group and Parent Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
The Directors are currently evaluating a number of near-term funding options potentially available to the Group, including fundraising and the partnering of assets and technologies of the Company. After considering the uncertainties, the Directors consider it is appropriate to continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing these financial statements.
Stephen Stamp
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Midatech Pharma
