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Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO   Pharmasset, Inc.
  303-A College Road East
  Princeton, NJ 08540 U.S.A.
  Phone: (609) 613-4100
  Fax: (609) 613-4150
  www.pharmasset.com
  Nasdaq: VRUS

Pharmasset Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2011 Financial Results

PRINCETON, NJ – (July 25, 2011) – Pharmasset, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRUS), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing novel drugs to treat viral infections, today reported financial results and operational highlights for the quarter ended June 30, 2011.

Financial Results

Revenues were $0.2 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2011 compared to $0.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 and include amortization of up-front and subsequent collaborative and license payments received from Roche.

Net cash used in operating activities during the three months ended June 30, 2011 was $22.3 million. Pharmasset held $188.2 million in cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2011.

Total operating expenses for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 were $22.6 million as compared to $15.7 million for the same period in 2010.

Pharmasset reported a net loss of $22.6 million, or $0.60 per share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2011, as compared to a net loss of $16.0 million, or $0.50 per share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

Recent Operational Highlights:

 

 

Bristol-Myers Squibb initiated a combination trial with BMS-790052 and PSI-7977

 

 

Completed enrollment of ELECTRON’s original four arms with PSI-7977

 

 

Expanded the ELECTRON trial with the addition of three new treatment arms

 

 

We were granted a US patent (US patent 7,964,580) titled ‘Nucleoside Phosphoramidate Prodrugs’ covering PSI-7977.

 

 

Pharmasset and Tibotec announced a clinical collaboration to combine PSI-7977 and Tibotec’s TMC435, a protease inhibitor

 

 

Reported SVR24 data from PROTON trial with PSI-7977 in genotype 2 or 3 patients.

 

 

Roche disclosed that it expects to file, in 2014, an application for marketing approval of mericitabine

“Pharmasset had a very successful first half of 2011 with a strong showing at the EASL meeting, the signing of a clinical collaboration with Tibotec and the issuance of a US patent for PSI-7977,” stated Schaefer Price, President and Chief Executive Officer. “The second half of 2011 holds a number of important clinical milestones for us, as we plan to report SVR12 data from both the PROTON and ELECTRON trials. In addition, we plan to initiate the QUANTUM study, our first SVR-focused, interferon free trial with PSI-7977 and PSI-938 in the third quarter.”


LOGO

 

Calendar Year 2011 Anticipated Milestones:

 

 

Report SVR12 data from PROTON trial with PSI-7977 in genotype 1 patients in second half 2011

 

 

Report SVR12 data from ELECTRON trial with PSI-7977 in genotype 2 or 3 patients in second half 2011

 

 

Initiate QUANTUM trial with PSI-7977 and PSI-938 in third quarter 2011.

About Pharmasset

Pharmasset is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing novel drugs to treat viral infections. Pharmasset’s primary focus is the development of oral therapeutics for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Our research and development efforts are focused on nucleoside/tide analogs, a class of compounds which act as alternative substrates for the viral polymerase, thus inhibiting viral replication. We currently have three clinical-stage product candidates advancing in trials in various populations. Our pyrimidine, PSI-7977, an unpartnered uracil nucleotide analog, is currently under study in four Phase 2b trials in patients with HCV genotypes 1 through 6, including abbreviated duration interferon and interferon-free regimens. Our purine, PSI-938, an unpartnered guanosine nucleotide analog, recently reported safety and efficacy data from 14 days of monotherapy as well as 14 days in combination with the pyrimidine, PSI-7977. An SVR-endpoint study of the purine-pyrimidine combination is anticipated to begin in the third quarter of 2011. Mericitabine (RG7128) continues in three Phase 2b trials and one interferon-free trial being conducted through a strategic collaboration with Roche.

Contact

Richard E. T. Smith, Ph.D.

VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

Office+1 (609) 865-0693

Forward-Looking Statements

Pharmasset “Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements,” that involve risks, uncertainties, and other important factors, including, without limitation, the risk of cessation or delay of any of the ongoing or planned clinical trials and/or our development of our product candidates, the risk that the results of previously conducted studies involving our product candidates will not be repeated or observed in ongoing or future studies involving our product candidates, the risk that our collaboration with Roche will not continue or will not be successful, and the risk that any one or more of our product candidates will not be successfully developed and commercialized. For a discussion of risks, uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


LOGO

 

PHARMASSET, INC.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(UNAUDITED)

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

     Three Months Ended
June 30,
    Nine Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2011     2010     2011     2010  

Revenues

   $ 246      $ 249      $ 739      $ 769   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

COSTS AND EXPENSES:

        

Research and development

     18,917        11,505        54,680        32,731   

General and administrative

     3,719        4,200        12,567        12,086   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total costs and expenses

     22,636        15,705        67,247        44,817   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

     (22,390     (15,456     (66,508     (44,048

Investment income

     4        1        8        6   

Other income

     —          —          489        —     

Interest expense

     (219     (565     (927     (1,909
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (22,605     (16,020     (66,938     (45,951

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     —          —          (973     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

   $ (22,605   $ (16,020   $ (65,965   $ (45,951
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share: basic and diluted

   $ (0.60   $ (0.50   $ (1.84   $ (1.54
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighed average shares outstanding:

        

basic and diluted

     37,435,614        32,000,528        35,937,456        29,932,398   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


LOGO

 

PHARMASSET, INC.

BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except par value, share and per share amounts)

 

     As of
June 30,
2011
    As of
September 30,
2010
 
     (unaudited)        

ASSETS

    

CURRENT ASSETS:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 188,226      $ 127,081   

Amounts due from collaboration partner

     —          6   

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     2,078        718   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

     190,304        127,805   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

EQUIPMENT AND LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS:

    

Equipment

     4,767        4,060   

Leasehold improvements

     1,836        1,837   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
     6,603        5,897   

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

     (4,547     (4,184
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total equipment and leasehold improvements, net

     2,056        1,713   

Restricted cash

     100        100   

Other assets

     139        143   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 192,599      $ 129,761   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

    

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

    

Current portion of long-term debt

   $ 3,919      $ 8,705   

Accounts payable

     3,353        5,037   

Accrued expenses

     6,174        5,863   

Deferred rent

     27        25   

Deferred revenue

     985        985   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     14,458        20,615   

Deferred rent

     98        93   

Deferred revenue

     1,232        1,971   

Long-term debt, net of discount of $29 and $150 as of June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, respectively

     477        2,934   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     16,265        25,613   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

    

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

    

Common stock, $0.001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 37,624,362 and 34,043,898 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, respectively

     38        34   

Warrants to purchase 38,727 shares of common stock for $12.05 per share at June 30, 2011, and 127,248 shares of common stock for $12.05 per share at September 30, 2010

     380        1,230   

Additional paid-in capital

     475,348        336,351   

Accumulated deficit

     (299,432     (233,467
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

     176,334        104,148   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 192,599      $ 129,761