Harpoon Therapeutics Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update

March 14, 2019 Off By BusinessWire
  • Lead Tri-specific T cell Activating Construct (TriTAC) candidate,
    HPN424, continues to advance in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the
    treatment of prostate cancer
  • Initial public offering, successfully completed in February, raised
    approximately $70.7 million in net cash proceeds
  • Advanced HPN328, a DLL3 (Delta-like 3) -targeting TriTAC, for the
    treatment of small cell lung cancer, into IND-enabling studies
  • Webcast and conference call today at 1:30 p.m. PT

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HARP), a clinical-stage
immunotherapy company developing a novel class of T cell engagers, today
reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended
December 31, 2018 and provided a corporate update.

The past year included achievement of significant clinical, scientific
and operational milestones for Harpoon Therapeutics,” said Gerald
McMahon Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Harpoon
Therapeutics. “T cell engagers are gaining momentum as exciting
immuno-oncology therapies and Harpoon has built a proprietary TriTAC
platform to take this approach to a new level. HPN424 has entered a
Phase 1 clinical trial in prostate cancer and HPN536 is poised to enter
clinical development for ovarian and other mesothelin (MSLN) expressing
tumors in the near future, followed by HPN217 targeting B cell
maturation antigen (BCMA) for the potential treatment of multiple
myeloma. In addition, we successfully completed our initial public
offering in February, an important milestone in the company’s history
which further strengthened our balance sheet.”

Our scientific expertise has led to the discovery and development of
three TriTACs on paths for clinical development. We are pleased to
announce today that we have selected an additional drug candidate,
targeting DLL3, for potential clinical development in small cell lung
cancer,” said Holger Wesche, Chief Scientific Officer of Harpoon. “This
candidate, HPN328, has entered IND-enabling studies and we expect a
Phase 1 trial to begin in 2020.”

2018 Business Highlights

  • Advanced our lead TriTAC product candidate, HPN424 into a Phase 1
    clinical trial in prostate cancer. Utilizing its proprietary TriTAC
    platform, Harpoon has developed HPN424, a half-life extending T cell
    engager specifically designed to target prostate specific membrane
    antigen, or PSMA, for the treatment of prostate cancer. PSMA is
    present in 80-95% of patients with advanced prostate cancer. In July,
    Harpoon filed an IND for HPN424 and in August, commenced a Phase 1
    trial. The Phase 1 trial is designed to enroll patients with
    progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in
    two parts, dose escalation and dose expansion. The company is
    currently enrolling patients in the dose escalation part of the trial.
  • Advanced two additional TriTAC product candidates, creating a robust
    development pipeline. The company’s proprietary TriTAC platform was
    designed to advance the therapeutic potential of T cell engagers, with
    a proprietary half-life extended format. Harpoon achieved multiple
    development milestones with its TriTAC pipeline in 2018 and intends to
    have four TriTACs in on-going clinical trials by the end of 2020.

    • HPN536 is a mesothelin-targeting TriTAC, designed as a potential
      therapy for ovarian cancer and other solid tumors. Mesothelin, a
      clinically validated target, is expressed on malignant cells of
      ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, pancreatic carcinoma, non-small cell
      lung cancer and triple-negative breast cancer, among others.
      Harpoon submitted the IND for HPN536 in December and received FDA
      clearance in January 2019. Harpoon anticipates a Phase 1/2a trial
      will commence in the first half 2019.
    • HPN217 is a TriTAC that targets BCMA and is in preclinical
      development for the potential treatment of multiple myeloma. At
      the 2018 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, the
      company released new preclinical data for HPN217 which
      demonstrated BCMA- and T cell-dependent antitumor activity in
      tissue culture and in xenografts modeling multiple myeloma and
      lymphoma. Harpoon expects to file an IND for HPN217 later this
      year.
  • Harpoon raised approximately $89.7 million in two financings in 2018.
    In November, the company closed a Series C equity financing, receiving
    $69.7 million in net proceeds. In July, in connection with the
    successful filing of the IND for HPN424, Harpoon received $20.0
    million in net proceeds for closing the second tranche of its Series B
    equity financing.
  • Harpoon broadened its leadership team, adding expertise to support
    clinical development and public company readiness. Additions in 2018
    included the appointments of Georgia Erbez as Chief Financial Officer
    and Natalie Sacks, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer. Holger Wesche,
    Ph.D., was promoted to Chief Scientific Officer. The leadership team
    at Harpoon has proven expertise in drug development, spanning
    early-stage development of oncology therapies through
    commercialization.
  • Expanded the board with the appointment of three independent
    directors: Jonathan Drachman, M.D., former Chief Medical Officer,
    Seattle Genetics; Scott Myers, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
    Rainier Therapeutics; and Julie Eastland, Chief Business and Financial
    Officer, Rainier Therapeutics. These board members, along with the
    existing directors, provide a wealth of experience in drug
    development, financial strategy and business development.

Recent Developments

  • In January 2019, Harpoon announced preliminary data for HPN424 that
    suggested HPN424 activated T cells in a manner that is consistent with
    target engagement. In addition, early evidence suggested that there
    was sufficient drug exposure during the treatment course to support
    once-weekly dosing. Side effects were consistent with T cell
    activation and were managed clinically.
  • In February 2019, Harpoon successfully completed its initial public
    offering, raising net proceeds of approximately $70.7 million.
  • Harpoon today announced the designation of its fourth TriTAC in
    development, HPN328, for the potential treatment of small cell lung
    cancer (SCLC). HPN328 targets DLL3, a protein highly expressed in a
    majority of SCLC tumors but not in normal tissue. This selective
    expression makes DLL3 an attractive drug target for T cell engagers.
    Harpoon is currently conducting IND-enabling studies and expects to
    initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of HPN328 in 2020.

Anticipated Milestones

Harpoon plans to have three TriTAC product candidates in the clinic by
the end of 2019, with a fourth expected in 2020, as follows:

  • HPN424 – present additional Phase 1 data in the second half of
    2019 at a medical conference
  • HPN536 – initiate Phase 1/2a trial in the first half of 2019
  • HPN217 – initiate Phase 1 trial in the second half of 2019
  • HPN328 – initiate Phase 1 trial in 2020

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Financial Results

  • Harpoon Therapeutics ended 2018 with $89.5 million in cash and cash
    equivalents compared to $29.4 million as of December 31, 2017. Net
    cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31,
    2018 was $88.3 million, primarily comprised of $69.7 million in net
    cash proceeds received from the November 2018 issuance of Series C
    convertible preferred stock and $20.0 million in net cash proceeds
    received from the July 2018 issuance of Series B convertible preferred
    stock as a result of the IND filing for HPN424. Net cash used in
    operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $27.1 million.
  • Net loss for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018 was $9.7
    million compared to $4.9 million for the fourth quarter ended December
    31, 2017. Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $27.4
    million, compared to $16.8 million for the prior year.
  • Revenue for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018 was $1.1
    million compared to $0.7 million for the fourth quarter ended December
    31, 2017. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $4.8
    million, compared to $0.7 million for the prior year. During both
    periods, the revenue primarily consisted of the amortized portion of
    the deferred $17.0 million upfront payment received in October 2017
    under a collaboration agreement with AbbVie.
  • Research and development expense for the fourth quarter ended December
    31, 2018 was $8.7 million compared to $4.8 million for the fourth
    quarter ended December 31, 2017. R&D expense for the year ended
    December 31, 2018 was $26.4 million, compared to $13.6 million for the
    prior year. The increases in both comparative periods were primarily
    due to clinical development expenses and an increase in
    personnel-related expenses, including conducting preclinical studies,
    initiating the first clinical trial for lead product candidate,
    HPN424, and manufacturing activities for four TriTAC product
    candidates in various stages of development.
  • General and administrative expense for the quarter ended December 31,
    2018 was $2.2 million compared to $0.9 million for the quarter ended
    December 31, 2017. General and administrative expenses for the year
    ended December 31, 2018 were $6.1 million, compared to $3.6 million
    for the prior year. The increases over both comparative periods were
    primarily due to an increase in consulting and accounting services
    related to quarterly reviews and year-end audits and an increase in
    headcount.

Conference Call Information

Harpoon will host a conference call and live audio webcast this
afternoon at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss the fourth quarter
and full year 2018 financial results and provide a corporate update.

The live call may be accessed by dialing 866-951-6894 for domestic
callers and 409-261-0624 for international callers and using conference
ID: 2497976. A live webcast of the call will be available online from
the investor relations section of the Harpoon Therapeutics website at https://ir.harpoontx.com/events-and-presentations.

An archived replay of the webcast will be available on Harpoon
Therapeutics’ website shortly after the conference call.

About Harpoon Therapeutics

Harpoon Therapeutics is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company
developing a novel class of T cell engagers that harness the power of
the body’s immune system to treat patients suffering from cancer and
other diseases. T cell engagers are engineered proteins that direct a
patient’s own T cells to kill target cells that express specific
proteins, or antigens, carried by the target cells. Using its
proprietary Tri-specific T cell Activating Construct™ (TriTAC) platform,
Harpoon is developing a pipeline of novel T cell engagers, or TriTACs,
initially focused on the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic
malignancies. For additional information about Harpoon Therapeutics,
please visit www.harpoontx.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words
such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “target,”
“estimate,” “intend” and similar expressions (as well as other words or
expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are based on Harpoon Therapeutics’ expectations and
assumptions as of the date of this press release. Each of these
forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties that could
cause Harpoon Therapeutics’ clinical development programs, future
results or performance to differ significantly from those expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
contained in this press release include, but are not limited to,
statements about the progress, timing, scope and results of clinical
trials, the association of data with treatment outcomes and the timing
and likelihood of development milestones for product candidates. Many
factors may cause differences between current expectations and actual
results, including unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during
preclinical or clinical studies, clinical trial site activation or
enrollment rates that are lower than expected, changes in expected or
existing competition, changes in the regulatory environment, the
uncertainties and timing of the regulatory approval process, and
unexpected litigation or other disputes. Other factors that may cause
Harpoon Therapeutics’ actual results to differ from those expressed or
implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are
discussed in Harpoon Therapeutics’ filings with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” sections contained
therein. Except as required by law, Harpoon Therapeutics assumes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein to
reflect any change in expectations, even as new information becomes
available.

   
Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc.
Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

Three Months Ended December 31,

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

2018   2017 2018   2017
(Unaudited) (Audited)
Revenue
Collaboration and license revenue $ 1,063 $ 708 $ 4,750 $ 708
Total revenue 1,063 708 4,750 708
Operating expenses
Research and development 8,717 4,791 26,368 13,622
General and administrative   2,215   912   6,106   3,614
Total operating expenses   10,932   5,703   32,474   17,236
Loss from operations (9,869 ) (4,995 ) (27,724 ) (16,528 )
Interest income 148 57 395 78
Interest expense (285 )
Other expense   (8 )   (4 )   (37 )   (95 )
Net loss $ (9,729 ) $ (4,942 ) $ (27,366 ) $ (16,830 )
Net loss per share, basic and diluted   (8.15 )   (5.27 )   (25.65 )   (18.81 )
Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic
and diluted
  1,193,797   938,372   1,066,877   894,901
 
 
Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc.
Selected Balance Sheet Data
(Audited)
 
As of December 31,
2018   2017
(in thousands)
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 89,493 $ 29,423
Total assets 102,580 31,872
Total liabilities 26,482 18,974
Total convertible preferred stock 129,577 39,841
Total stockholders’ deficit (53,479 ) (26,943 )

Contacts

Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc.
Georgia Erbez
Chief Financial
Officer
[email protected]

Westwicke Partners, LLC.
Robert H. Uhl
Managing Director
858-356-5932
[email protected]