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Lineage Cell Therapeutics Reports First Quarter 2022 Financial Results and Provides Business Update

BusinessWire

CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$LCTX #LineageCellTherapeutics—Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American and TASE: LCTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing allogeneic cell therapies for unmet medical needs, today reported financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2022. Lineage management will host a conference call and webcast today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time/1:30 p.m. Pacific Time to discuss its first quarter 2022 financial and operating results and to provide a business update.

“The first quarter of this year was highlighted by the rapid launch of new cell therapy programs in hearing loss and vision disorders and conducting tech transfer activities to support our alliance with Roche and Genentech for our dry AMD program,” stated Brian M. Culley, Lineage CEO. “Our broad strategic plan is to position Lineage as a leader in regenerative medicine through the transplant of specific cell types to treat significant unmet medical needs. As part of that plan, we have expanded our cell therapy pipeline to five distinct programs, each offering an opportunity to impact various diseases. We believe our ability to, in just a matter of months, advance from a product concept to generating new intellectual property to support the manufacture of specific cell types, is not only illustrative of the power and efficiency of our platform but also a competitive advantage compared to others in this field. Looking forward, our focus is on clinical and regulatory execution across our portfolio. We are working to advance OPC1 and VAC2 into their next phases of clinical testing, in spinal cord injury and oncology, respectively, as well as advancing our auditory neuron and photoreceptor programs through preclinical development and toward pre-IND meetings with FDA. We believe the combination of our disciplined use of capital and current balance sheet will support multiple years of progress, during which we anticipate reaching significant events with each of our clinical and preclinical programs.”

Recent milestones include:

Some of the events and milestones anticipated by Lineage in the rest of 2022 include:

Balance Sheet Highlights

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $78.1 million as of March 31, 2022.

First Quarter Operating Results

Revenues: Lineage’s revenue is generated primarily from research grants, royalties, and licensing fees. Total revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $5.2 million, an increase of $4.8 million as compared to $0.4 million for the same period in 2021. The increase was primarily related to licensing fees recognized from deferred revenues in connection with the $50.0 million upfront licensing payment received in the first quarter of 2022 from Roche.

Operating Expenses: Operating expenses are comprised of research and development (“R&D”) expenses and general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses. Total operating expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $11.5 million, an increase of $4.2 million as compared to $7.3 million for the same period in 2021, primarily attributable to a $3.5 million non-recurring expense related to the potential settlement of the litigation concerning our 2019 acquisition of Asterias (“Asterias Litigation”).

R&D Expenses: R&D expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $3.0 million, a decrease of $0.4 million as compared to $3.4 million for the same period in 2021. The decrease was driven by $0.7 million in lower expenses for the OPC1 program, partially offset by $0.2 million and $0.1 million in higher expenses to support the VAC program and OpRegen related expenses to support the Roche Collaboration, respectively. Another $0.1 million of the offsetting increase was related to initial costs to support the new auditory neuron cell therapy program.

G&A Expenses: G&A expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $8.5 million, an increase of $4.6 million as compared to $3.9 million for the same period in 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to the $3.5 million non-recurring expense related to the potential settlement of the Asterias Litigation, and $0.5 million in share-based compensation.

Loss from Operations: Loss from operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was $6.4 million, a decrease of $0.7 million as compared to $7.1 million for the same period in 2021.

Other Income/(Expenses), Net: Other income (expenses), net for the three months ended March 31, 2022 reflected other expense, net of ($0.7) million, compared to other income, net of $5.6 million for the same period in 2021. The net change of ($6.3) million was primarily related to the gain on sale of marketable securities in the prior year.

Net Loss Attributable to Lineage: The net loss attributable to Lineage for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was $7.1 million, or $0.04 per share (basic and diluted), compared to a net loss attributable to Lineage of $1.4 million, or $0.01 per share (basic and diluted), for the same period in 2021.

Conference Call and Webcast

Interested parties may access today’s conference call by dialing (866) 888-8633 from the U.S. and Canada and (636) 812-6629 from elsewhere outside the U.S. and Canada and should request the “Lineage Cell Therapeutics Call”. A live webcast of the conference call will be available online in the Investors section of Lineage’s website. A replay of the webcast will be available on Lineage’s website for 30 days and a telephone replay will be available through May 20, 2022, by dialing (855) 859-2056 from the U.S. and Canada and (404) 537-3406 from elsewhere outside the U.S. and Canada and entering conference ID number 1875641.

About Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

Lineage Cell Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel cell therapies for unmet medical needs. Lineage’s programs are based on its robust proprietary cell-based therapy platform and associated in-house development and manufacturing capabilities. With this platform Lineage develops and manufactures specialized, terminally differentiated human cells from its pluripotent and progenitor cell starting materials. These differentiated cells are developed to either replace or support cells that are dysfunctional or absent due to degenerative disease or traumatic injury or administered as a means of helping the body mount an effective immune response to cancer. Lineage’s clinical programs are in markets with billion dollar opportunities and include five allogeneic (“off-the-shelf”) product candidates: (i) OpRegen, a retinal pigment epithelial cell therapy in Phase 1/2a development for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, which is being developed under a worldwide collaboration with Roche and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group; (ii) OPC1, an oligodendrocyte progenitor cell therapy in Phase 1/2a development for the treatment of acute spinal cord injuries; (iii) VAC2, a dendritic cell therapy produced from Lineage’s VAC technology platform for immuno-oncology and infectious disease, currently in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer; (iv) ANP1, an auditory neuronal progenitor cell therapy for the potential treatment of auditory neuropathy; and (v) PNC1, a photoreceptor neural cell therapy for the treatment of vision loss due to photoreceptor dysfunction or damage. For more information, please visit www.lineagecell.com or follow the company on Twitter @LineageCell.

Forward-Looking Statements

Lineage cautions you that all statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, in some cases, can be identified by terms such as “believe,” “aim,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “design,” “intend,” “expect,” “could,” “can,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” “would,” “contemplate,” “project,” “target,” “tend to,” or the negative version of these words and similar expressions. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: the collaboration and license agreement with Roche and Genentech, activities expected to occur thereunder, the potential to receive upfront, milestone and royalty consideration payable to Lineage thereunder; the potential benefits of treatment with OpRegen; the power and efficiency of Lineage’s platform and its competitive advantages; the ability of Lineage’s resources to support multiple years of progress; the potential future achievements of Lineage’s clinical and preclinical programs; the timing of potential FDA interactions, and of anticipated clinical trials and clinical data updates; and plans and expectations of Lineage’s products in development. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Lineage’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release, including, but not limited to, the risk that positive findings in early clinical and/or nonclinical studies of a product candidate may not be predictive of success in subsequent clinical and/or nonclinical studies of that candidate; the risk that competing alternative therapies may adversely impact the commercial potential of OpRegen; the risk that Roche and Genentech may not be successful in completing further clinical trials for OpRegen and/or obtaining regulatory approval for OpRegen in any particular jurisdiction; the risk that Lineage may not be able to manufacture sufficient clinical quantities of its product candidates in accordance with current good manufacturing practice; risks and uncertainties inherent in Lineage’s business and other risks discussed in Lineage’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Lineage’s forward-looking statements are based upon its current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included under the heading “Risk Factors” in Lineage’s periodic reports with the SEC, including Lineage’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC and its other reports, which are available from the SEC’s website. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. Lineage undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.

LINEAGE CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(IN THOUSANDS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 31, 2022

(Unaudited)

 

 

December 31, 2021

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CURRENT ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

78,062

 

 

$

55,742

 

Marketable equity securities

 

 

1,882

 

 

 

2,616

 

Accounts and grants receivable, net

 

 

515

 

 

 

50,840

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

1,413

 

 

 

2,351

 

Total current assets

 

 

81,872

 

 

 

111,549

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NONCURRENT ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

4,548

 

 

 

4,872

 

Deposits and other long-term assets

 

 

639

 

 

 

630

 

Goodwill

 

 

10,672

 

 

 

10,672

 

Intangible assets, net

 

 

46,789

 

 

 

46,822

 

TOTAL ASSETS

 

$

144,520

 

 

$

174,545

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CURRENT LIABILITIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

$

8,957

 

 

$

27,969

 

Lease liabilities, current portion

 

 

719

 

 

 

801

 

Financing lease, current portion

 

 

31

 

 

 

30

 

Deferred revenues

 

 

14,885

 

 

 

18,119

 

Liability classified warrants, current portion

 

 

1

 

 

 

197

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

24,593

 

 

 

47,116

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LONG-TERM LIABILITIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax liability

 

 

2,076

 

 

 

2,076

 

Deferred revenues, net of current portion

 

 

30,821

 

 

 

32,454

 

Lease liability, net of current portion

 

 

1,781

 

 

 

1,941

 

Financing lease, net of current portion

 

 

26

 

 

 

30

 

Liability classified warrants and other long-term liabilities

 

 

5

 

 

 

30

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES

 

 

59,302

 

 

 

83,647

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred shares, no par value, authorized 2,000 shares; none issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021

 

 

–

 

 

 

–

 

Common shares, no par value, 250,000 shares authorized; 169,727 and 169,477 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively

 

 

435,818

 

 

 

434,529

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

(5,087

)

 

 

(5,211

)

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(344,184

)

 

 

(337,097

)

Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. shareholders’ equity

 

 

86,547

 

 

 

92,221

 

Noncontrolling (deficit)

 

 

(1,329

)

 

 

(1,323

)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

85,218

 

 

 

90,898

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

$

144,520

 

 

$

174,545

 

LINEAGE CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)

(UNAUDITED)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

REVENUES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collaboration revenues

 

$

4,865

 

 

$

–

 

Royalties

 

 

372

 

 

 

293

 

Grant revenues

 

 

–

 

 

 

98

 

Total revenues

 

 

5,237

 

 

 

391

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of sales

 

 

(176

)

 

 

(112

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross profit

 

 

5,061

 

 

 

279

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OPERATING EXPENSES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

2,988

 

 

 

3,394

 

General and administrative

 

 

8,469

 

 

 

3,935

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

11,457

 

 

 

7,329

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(6,396

)

 

 

(7,050

)

OTHER INCOME/(EXPENSES):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income, net

 

 

1

 

 

 

2

 

Gain on sale of marketable securities

 

 

–

 

 

 

6,024

 

Unrealized (loss) gain on marketable equity securities

 

 

(735

)

 

 

1,239

Unrealized gain on warrant liability

 

 

221

 

 

 

18

 

Other (expenses), net

 

 

(184

)

 

 

(1,681

)

Total other income (expenses), net

 

 

(697

)

 

 

5,602

LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAXES

 

 

(7,093

)

 

 

(1,448

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred income tax benefit

 

 

–

 

 

 

–

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NET LOSS

 

 

(7,093

)

 

 

(1,448

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

 

 

6

 

 

 

32

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NET LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO LINEAGE CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

$

(7,087

)

 

$

(1,416

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NET LOSS PER COMMON SHARE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BASIC

 

$

(0.04

)

 

$

(0.01

)

DILUTED

 

$

(0.04

)

 

$

(0.01

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BASIC

 

 

169,647

 

 

 

158,725

 

DILUTED

 

 

169,647

 

 

 

158,725

 

LINEAGE CELL THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(IN THOUSANDS)

(UNAUDITED)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

 

$

(7,087

)

 

$

(1,416

)

Net loss allocable to noncontrolling interest

 

 

(6

)

 

 

(32

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss attributable to Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gain on sale of marketable securities

 

 

–

 

 

(6,024

)

Unrealized loss/(gain) on marketable equity securities

 

 

735

 

 

(1,239

)

Depreciation expense, including amortization of leasehold improvements

 

 

150

 

 

 

174

 

Amortization of right-of-use asset

 

 

(4

)

 

 

10

 

Amortization of intangible assets

 

 

32

 

 

 

112

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

1,106

 

 

 

539

 

Common stock issued for services

 

 

–

 

 

 

102

 

Change in unrealized gain on warrant liability

 

 

(221

)

 

 

(18

)

Foreign currency remeasurement and other gain

 

 

75

 

 

 

1,712

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts and grants receivable

 

 

50,321

 

 

(135

)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

573

 

 

(92

)

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

 

(18,905

)

 

 

(1,031

)

Deferred revenue and other liabilities

 

 

(4,865

)

 

 

(86

)

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

 

 

21,904

 

 

(7,424

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from the sale of OncoCyte common shares

 

 

–

 

 

 

10,064

 

Proceeds from the sale of HBL common shares

 

 

–

 

 

 

21

 

Purchase of equipment and other assets

 

 

(46

)

 

 

(11

)

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

 

 

(46

)

 

 

10,074

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from employee options exercised

 

 

379

 

 

 

1,717

 

Common shares received and retired for employee taxes paid

 

 

(8

)

 

 

(13

)

Proceeds from exercise of subsidiary warrants

 

 

2

 

 

 

–

Proceeds from sale of common shares

 

 

148

 

 

 

19,873

 

Payments for offering costs

 

 

–

 

 

(614

)

Repayment of lease liability

 

 

(8

)

 

 

–

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

513

 

 

 

20,963

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

 

(42

)

 

 

(80

)

NET INCREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH

 

 

22,329

 

 

 

23,533

 

CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At beginning of the period

 

 

56,277

 

 

 

33,183

 

At end of the period

 

$

78,606

 

 

$

56,716

 

 

Contacts

Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. IR
Ioana C. Hone

(ir@lineagecell.com)

(442) 287-8963

Solebury Trout IR
Justin Frantz

(jfrantz@soleburytrout.com )

(617) 221-9100

Russo Partners – Media Relations
Nic Johnson or David Schull

Nic.johnson@russopartnersllc.com
David.schull@russopartnersllc.com
(212) 845-4242

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