Keryx to Hold Investor Conference Call
11 November 2003 - 1:08AM
UK Regulatory
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2003 Financial Results
- Keryx to Hold Investor Conference Call Tomorrow,
Tuesday, November 11, 2003 at 10:00 AM EST -
NEW YORK, Nov. 10 -- Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Nasdaq: KERX; London AIM: KRX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the
acquisition, development and commercialization of novel pharmaceutical
products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases, including diabetes
and cancer, today announced the financial results for the third quarter ended
September 30, 2003.
The net loss for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 of $(1,556,000), or
$(0.07) per share, was $1,476,000 less than the net loss of $(3,032,000), or
$(0.15) per share, for the year ago quarter. The decrease in net loss was
primarily attributable to a $1,301,000 reduction in research and development
expenses and a reduction of $174,000 in general and administrative expenses,
resulting primarily from restructuring programs initiated in 2002 and 2003.
The decrease was partially offset by lower interest income in the third
quarter of 2003, as compared to the third quarter of 2002.
At September 30, 2003, the Company had cash, cash equivalents, interest
receivable and investment securities of $19.7 million, compared to cash, cash
equivalents, interest receivable and investment securities of $21.0 million at
June 30, 2003 and $24.1 million at December 31, 2002.
Commenting on the quarter, Michael S. Weiss, Keryx's Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, said, "I am very pleased with the progress we have made to
date, as we recently satisfied a major milestone which was the initiation of
our Phase II/III U.S.-based clinical program for KRX-101, our advanced
clinical-stage drug candidate for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. We
are also honored to have the support of the Collaborative Study Group, and its
tremendous success and experience in this disease area, in this clinical
program. We are excited about getting the program underway and strongly
believe that the data from the Phase II portion of this Phase II/III clinical
program will corroborate the robust results achieved in our 223-patient
European Phase II study." Mr. Weiss added, "During the quarter, in connection
with our S.O.A.R. program for KRX-101, we also initiated important scientific
collaborations with leading investigators who we hope will help us unlock
additional potential clinical applications for KRX-101 beyond diabetic
nephropathy and shed additional light on the drug's mechanistic
characteristics. We look forward to announcing additional S.O.A.R.
collaborations in the near future."
Commenting on the financial results for the quarter, Mr. Weiss said, "In
this quarter we proved once again that we are an extremely cost conscience
organization that is able to achieve much on a modest budget. Our core group
of highly-focused, highly-skilled individuals remains focused on building
value in KRX-101 and in-licensing or acquiring additional pipeline products."
Keryx will host a conference call tomorrow, Tuesday, November 11, 2003 at
10:00 am EST. In order to participate in the conference call, please call
1-866-527-8676 (U.S.), 1-866-485-2399 (Canada), 1-800-227-297 (Israel),
0-800-917-4613 (UK), 0-800-903-025 (France), 0-800-563-309 (Switzerland), and
0-800-182-6846 (Germany).
The audio recording of the conference call will be available for replay at
www.keryx.com, for a period of 15 days after the call.
ABOUT KERYX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: KERX; London AIM: KRX) is a
biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and
commercialization of novel pharmaceutical products for the treatment of life-
threatening diseases, including diabetes and cancer. Keryx is developing KRX-
101 (sulodexide), a novel first-in-class oral heparinoid compound, for the
treatment of diabetic nephropathy, for which Keryx is currently conducting its
U.S.-based Phase II/III clinical program. Keryx also has an active in-
licensing program designed to identify and acquire clinical-stage drug
candidates. Additionally, Keryx is seeking partners for its KinAce(TM) drug
discovery technology and related products. Keryx Biopharmaceuticals is
headquartered in New York City.
Some of the statements included in this press release, particularly those
anticipating future financial performance, timelines for the completion of the
KRX-101 Phase II/III clinical trial program and the release of data from this
program, growth and operating strategies and similar matters, are forward-
looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. For those
statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking
statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Important factors may cause our actual results to differ materially,
including: our ability to successfully complete cost-effective clinical trials
of KRX-101; the success of the S.O.A.R. program and its ability to develop
uses for KRX-101 that can impact a number of disease states beyond diabetic
nephropathy; the continued costs of our restructuring, including potential
claims resulting from the termination of the operations of our subsidiaries in
Israel; and other risk factors identified from time to time in our SEC
reports, including, but not limited to, the report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2002, and our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended September 30, 2003. Any forward-looking statements set forth in this
news release speak only as of the date of this news release. We do not intend
to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances that occur after the date hereof. This press release and prior
releases are available at www.keryx.com. The information in Keryx's website is
not incorporated by reference into this press release and is included as an
inactive textual reference only.
(Tables to Follow)
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Selected Consolidated Financial Data
(Thousands of US Dollars, Except Share and Per Share Data)
Statement of Operations:
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
September 30, September 30,
(unaudited) (unaudited)
2003 2002 2003 2002
OPERATING EXPENSE:
Research and Development
Non-cash compensation $-- $(195) $(515) $ (1,539)
Other research and
development 810 2,306 4,735 7,565
Total research and
development 810 2,111 4,220 6,026
General and administrative
Non-cash compensation $17 $2 $69 $(6)
Other general and
administrative 763 952 2,632 3,344
Total general and
administrative 780 954 2,701 3,338
LOSS FROM OPERATIONS (1,590) (3,065) (6,921) (9,364)
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Financing income, net 34 69 184 403
Taxes on income -- (36) (116) (25)
NET LOSS $(1,556) $(3,032) $(6,853) $(8,986)
NET LOSS PER COMMON SHARE
Basic and diluted $(0.07) $(0.15) $(0.33) $(0.45)
SHARES USED IN COMPUTING
NET LOSS PER COMMON SHARE
Basic and diluted 21,107,158 19,907,185 20,623,339 19,898,246
Balance Sheet:
September 30, December 31,
2003 2002
(unaudited) (audited)
Cash, cash equivalents, interest
receivable and investment securities $19,743 $24,131
Total assets 20,487 29,103
Accumulated deficit (52,355) (45,502)
Stockholders' equity 19,182 26,330
KERYX CONTACT:
Ron Bentsur
Vice President - Finance & Investor Relations
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Tel: 212.531.5965
E-mail: ron@keryx.com
SOURCE Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
-0- 11/10/2003
/CONTACT: Ron Bentsur, Vice President - Finance & Investor Relations of
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-212-531-5965, or ron@keryx.com /
/Web site: http://www.keryx.com /
(KERX)
END