AC Immune reports Q1 2019 financial results and business update

AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a Swiss-based, biopharmaceutical company with a broad clinical-stage pipeline focused on pioneering Precision Medicine in neurodegenerative diseases, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Prof. Andrea Pfeifer, Ph.D., CEO of AC Immune, commented: "Our CHF 300 million cash position, funds operations through Q3 2023, allowing us to achieve multiple potentially transformative goals. This is thanks to SupraAntigenTM and MorphomerTM, our proprietary discovery platforms, which already have generated multiple clinical and preclinical product-candidates and about CHF 300 million in partnering revenues for rights to our industry-leading therapeutic candidates to treat neurodegenerative diseases. We expect multiple developments in 2019, including initiation of a Phase 1 trial of small molecule Tau MorphomerTM, as we advance our new partnership with Eli Lilly, and the interim Phase 1b data on ACI-24 to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Down syndrome."

"Our key near- to medium-term focus is on developing our Tau therapies to treat early and moderate AD based on the growing body of clinical evidence that Tau pathology drives disease progression," added Dr Pfeifer. "As the key opinion leaders have advised, we also are continuing testing of Abeta therapeutics, like ACI-24 and crenezumab, in carefully selected more homogeneous populations for early treatment and prevention, such as AD in Down syndrome patients and familial AD, respectively. The Roadmap to successful therapies for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's requires that we treat earlier in the course of disease and select more homogenous populations using Precision Medicine and, as soon as practical, combination therapies."

Financial Highlights Q1 2019

• Enhanced cash position of more than CHF 300 million as of Q1 2019, following receipt of CHF 80 million upfront payment and USD 50 million convertible equity note as a result of license agreement with Eli Lilly, effective in January 2019.
• Strategic R&D expenditures increased by CHF 1.5 million (+15%) supporting an ongoing ramp-up in R&D activities, primarily driven by investments in our neurodegenerative disease therapeutics development and discovery programs, most notably ACI-35.
• IFRS net income of CHF 63.6 million and Non-IFRS income of CHF 60.7 million.

Research & Development Highlights Q1 2019

• License agreement signed with Lilly to research and develop Tau aggregation inhibitor small molecules for the potential treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. The terms include upfront payment of CHF 80 million, USD 50 million convertible equity note, CHF 60 million in potential near-term milestones, as well as other milestones up to approximately CHF 1.68 billion, and tiered royalty payments in the low double digits.
• Presented new data on alpha-synuclein PET Tracer at the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases Congress (AD/PD)TM Lisbon, Portugal, March 26-31, 2019.
• New clinical data on AC Immune's novel next generation Tau PET-Tracer presented by licensing partner, Life Molecular Imaging, at AD/PDTM.
• Genentech, a member of Roche Group, commenced recruitment for a second Phase 2 trial of AC Immune's anti-Tau monoclonal antibody, RG6100 (MTAAU9937A, RO7105705), in moderate AD, supplementing a separate Phase 2 trial to evaluate its efficacy and safety in participants with prodromal to mild AD.
• Roche discontinued CREAD 1 and CREAD 2, Phase 3 studies of crenezumab and presented an interim analysis of CREAD studies at AD/PDTM on March 27, 2019.
• The landmark Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative (API) trial of crenezumab, for which data are expected in Q1 of 2022, is continuing in cognitively healthy individuals in Colombia with an autosomal dominant mutation who are at high risk of developing familial AD.

Analysis of Financial Statements for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2019

Revenues

Revenues for the first quarter of 2019 increased CHF 73.6 million compared to 2018, driven by recognition of CHF 73.9 million from the right-of-use license and research and development activities. Revenues fluctuate as a result of payments associated with our collaborations with current and potentially new partners, the timing of milestone achievements and the size of each milestone payment.

Research & Development (R&D) Expenses

Total R&D expenditures increased CHF 1.5 million (+15%) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to 2018.

General & Administrative (G&A) Expenses

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, G&A increased CHF 0.6 million (+22%) to CHF 3.3 million. Increase driven by rental and personnel expenses.

IFRS Income/(Loss) for the period

AC Immune had net income after taxes of CHF 63.6 million in 2019 compared with a net loss of CHF 11.6 million for the comparable period in 2018.

Balance Sheet

• The Company had a total cash balance of CHF 302.1 million comprised of CHF 222.1 million in cash and cash equivalents and CHF 80.0 million in short-term financial assets. This compares to CHF 186.5 million as of December 31, 2018. The increase of CHF 115.6 million is principally due to the CHF 80 million upfront payment and USD 50 million convertible equity note with Lilly. Further details are available in our Statements of Cash flows on the accompanying Form 6-K.
• The Company's strong cash balance provides enough capital resources to progress through at least Q3 2023, not considering any incoming milestones.
• The total shareholders' equity position increased from December 31, 2018 to CHF 241.9 million from CHF 177.6 million. Further details are available in our corresponding Financial Statements filed on the accompanying Form 6-K.