SAN CARLOS, Calif., Aug. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allakos Inc. (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: ALLK), a biotechnology company developing antibodies for the treatment of allergic, inflammatory and proliferative diseases, today provided a business update and reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.
Recent Allakos Events
- Initiated the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 trial of intravenous (IV) AK006 in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria.
- Completed dosing in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled subcutaneous (SC) AK006 cohort in healthy volunteers.
- Reported safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamic (PD) results from the Phase 1 trial of IV AK006 in healthy volunteers.
- Presented preclinical data at the 2024 European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Annual Congress on mast cell inhibition with AK006.
Upcoming Allakos Anticipated Milestones
- Report safety, PK, and PD results from the Phase 1 trial of SC AK006 in healthy volunteers in Q3 2024.
- Report randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled data from the Phase 1 trial of AK006 in patients with CSU at year end 2024.
Cash Guidance
Allakos ended the second quarter of 2024 with $123.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments. Allakos’ financial outlook, restructuring activities and estimated cash runway as reported by the Company in January 2024 remain unchanged. The Company reiterates that the restructuring activities will extend the cash runway into mid-2026 and continues to expect to end 2024 with total cash, cash equivalents and investments in the range of $81 to $86 million. The Company reiterates that an estimated $30 million of closeout, severance and other costs will be paid in 2024 in connection with exiting the lirentelimab development program, of which we have spent $13 million to date in the first six months of 2024. Approximately $1 million of these payments were made in the second quarter of 2024.
Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Allakos ended the second quarter of 2024 with $123.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments resulting in a net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and investments of $16.2 million during the second quarter of 2024.
Research and development expenses were $19.4 million in the second quarter of 2024 compared to $27.3 million in the second quarter of 2023, a decrease of $7.9 million. This quarter over quarter decrease is attributed to $2.5 million of lower contract research and development costs, primarily due to halting lirentelimab development, $2.5 million of decreased compensation costs and a $2.9 million decrease in other research and development expenses.
General and administrative expenses were $9.2 million for the second quarter of 2024 compared to $10.5 million for the second quarter of 2023, a decrease of $1.3 million. The quarter over quarter change included $0.7 million of decreased compensation costs and $0.6 million of decreased other general and administrative expenses.
Allakos reported a net loss of $26.7 million in the second quarter of 2024 compared to $35.1 million in the second quarter of 2023. Net loss per basic and diluted share was $0.30 for the second quarter of 2024 compared to $0.41 in the second quarter of 2023.
About Allakos
Allakos is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics that target immunomodulatory receptors present on immune effector cells involved in allergy, inflammatory and proliferative diseases. Activating these immunomodulatory receptors allows for the direct targeting of cells involved in disease pathogenesis and, in the setting of allergy and inflammation, has the potential to result in broad inhibition of inflammatory cells. The Company’s most advanced product candidate is AK006. AK006 targets Siglec-6, an inhibitory receptor expressed on mast cells. Mast cells are widely distributed in the body and play a central role in the inflammatory response. Inappropriately activated mast cells have been identified as key drivers in a number of severe diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, eyes, skin, lungs and other organs. In preclinical studies, AK006 appears to provide deep mast cell inhibition and, in addition to its inhibitory activity, reduce mast cell numbers. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.allakos.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, Allakos’ expected timing of reporting data from its clinical trial of AK006; cash guidance and runway; and restructuring. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from current expectations and beliefs, including but not limited to: Allakos’ stages of clinical drug development; Allakos’ ability to timely initiate and complete clinical trials for AK006; Allakos’ ability to obtain required regulatory approvals for its clinical trials; uncertainties related to the enrollment of patients in its clinical trials; Allakos’ ability to demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy of its product candidates in its clinical trials; uncertainties related to the success of clinical trials, regardless of the outcomes of preclinical testing or early-stage trials; Allakos’ ability to obtain regulatory approvals to market its product candidates; market acceptance of Allakos’ product candidates; uncertainties related to the projections of the size of patient populations suffering from the diseases Allakos is targeting; Allakos’ ability to advance additional product candidates beyond AK006; uncertainties related to Allakos’ ability to realize the contemplated benefits of its restructuring and related reduction in force; Allakos’ ability to accurately forecast financial results; Allakos’ ability to obtain additional capital to finance its operations, research and drug development; Allakos’ ability to maintain the listing of our common stock on Nasdaq; general economic and market conditions, both domestic and international; domestic and international regulatory obligations; and other risks. Information regarding the foregoing and additional risks may be found in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in documents that Allakos files from time to time with the SEC. These documents contain and identify important factors that could cause the actual results for Allakos to differ materially from those contained in Allakos’ forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Allakos specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Allakos’ views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
Source: Allakos Inc.
Investor Contact:
Adam Tomasi, President
Alex Schwartz, VP Strategic Finance and Investor Relations
ir@allakos.com
Media Contact:
Denise Powell
denise@redhousecomms.com
| ALLAKOS INC. UNAUDITED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (in thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
| June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||||
| Operating expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 19,422 | $ | 27,280 | $ | 54,246 | $ | 60,358 | ||||||||
| General and administrative | 9,211 | 10,537 | 20,109 | 22,505 | ||||||||||||
| Impairment of long-lived assets | — | — | 27,347 | — | ||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 28,633 | 37,817 | 101,702 | 82,863 | ||||||||||||
| Loss from operations | (28,633 | ) | (37,817 | ) | (101,702 | ) | (82,863 | ) | ||||||||
| Interest income | 1,959 | 2,697 | 3,954 | 5,375 | ||||||||||||
| Other expense, net | (2 | ) | — | (74 | ) | (36 | ) | |||||||||
| Net loss | (26,676 | ) | (35,120 | ) | (97,822 | ) | (77,524 | ) | ||||||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on investments | (11 | ) | (171 | ) | (41 | ) | 125 | |||||||||
| Comprehensive loss | $ | (26,687 | ) | $ | (35,291 | ) | $ | (97,863 | ) | $ | (77,399 | ) | ||||
| Net loss per common share: | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted | $ | (0.30 | ) | $ | (0.41 | ) | $ | (1.11 | ) | $ | (0.90 | ) | ||||
| Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding: | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted | 88,644 | 86,646 | 88,342 | 86,246 | ||||||||||||
| ALLAKOS INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands) | ||||||||
| June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Assets | ||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 26,496 | $ | 66,440 | ||||
| Investments | 96,625 | 104,354 | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 4,805 | 9,095 | ||||||
| Total current assets | 127,926 | 179,889 | ||||||
| Property and equipment, net | 16,590 | 33,369 | ||||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 10,228 | 24,136 | ||||||
| Other long-term assets | 1,714 | 6,216 | ||||||
| Total assets | $ | 156,458 | $ | 243,610 | ||||
| Liabilities and stockholders’ equity | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 16,119 | $ | 1,764 | ||||
| Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 19,761 | 34,814 | ||||||
| Total current liabilities | 35,880 | 36,578 | ||||||
| Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion | 36,579 | 38,215 | ||||||
| Total liabilities | 72,459 | 74,793 | ||||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | ||||||||
| Common stock | 89 | 88 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 1,300,200 | 1,287,156 | ||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive gain (loss) | 9 | 50 | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (1,216,299 | ) | (1,118,477 | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 83,999 | 168,817 | ||||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 156,458 | $ | 243,610 | ||||
