Ardelyx Reports Fourth Quarter 2018 Financial Results and Recent Highlights

FREMONT, Calif., March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardelyx, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARDX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing first-in-class medicines to improve treatment choices for people with cardiorenal diseases, today reported business highlights and financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018.

"Over the last year, we made significant progress towards developing our lead product candidate, tenapanor, and executing on our plan to provide patients with this first-ever, non-binder treatment option for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia for patients on dialysis," said Mike Raab, president and chief executive officer of Ardelyx. "We enter 2019 well-positioned with two years of cash on hand to deliver on our strategic goals to report results from two Phase 3 clinical trials during the second half of the year and to prepare for commercialization of our novel therapy."

Key Accomplishments in 2018

    --  Initiated the PHREEDOM clinical trial, the company's second Phase 3
        clinical trial of tenapanor for hyperphosphatemia in patients with
        end-stage renal disease who are on dialysis. Topline results from this
        trial are expected in the fourth quarter of 2019.
    --  Initiated the Phase 3 AMPLIFY clinical trial, designed to evaluate
        expanded use of tenapanor as an adjunctive therapy to phosphate binders.
        Results from the AMPLIFY clinical trial are currently expected in the
        second half of 2019.
    --  Reported the unique mechanism of action for tenapanor to inhibit
        paracellular phosphate absorption in Science and Translational Medicine.
    --  Submitted and received acceptance of the filing of a New Drug
        Application for U.S. marketing authorization of tenapanor for patients
        with IBS-C. The target action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee
        Act (PDUFA) is September 12, 2019.
    --  Raised approximately $100 million through equity and debt financing to
        support further development and commercial launch preparation for
        tenapanor for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia.
    --  Received a $5 million milestone payment in February 2019 from the
        company's collaboration partner, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, for the initiation
        of a Phase 2 clinical study of tenapanor for hyperphosphatemia patients
        on dialysis in Japan.

Full Year 2018 Financial Results

    --  Cash Position: As of December 31, 2018, Ardelyx had total capital
        resources including cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of
        $168.1 million compared to total capital resources including cash, cash
        equivalents and short-term investments of $134.0 million as of December
        31, 2017.
    --  Revenue and Cost of Revenue: Total revenues were $2.6 million in the
        year ended December 31, 2018 related to the company's ex-U.S.
        collaboration partnerships, and cost of revenues was $0.5 million
        related to payments due to AstraZeneca in accordance with the company's
        termination agreement entered into with AstraZeneca in June 2015.
    --  R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses were $69.4 million for
        the year ended December 31, 2018, a decrease of $6.1 million, or 8%,
        compared to $75.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The
        decrease consisted of a $1.1 million decrease in external program costs
        primarily due to discontinuation of the RDX7675 program and the
        reduction of activities associated with the RDX8940 program that was
        partially offset by an increase in expense related to the company's
        tenapanor programs. There was a $5.0 million decrease in internal
        program costs primarily due to a decrease in personnel costs, including
        stock-based compensation costs as a result of a reduction in force
        during the third quarter of 2017, and a related decrease in research and
        development activities.
    --  G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses were $23.7 million for
        the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $0.5 million, or 2%,
        compared to $23.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. The
        increase was primarily due to an increase in professional services and
        stock-based compensation expense, partially offset by a reduction in
        personnel costs due to reduction in force during the third quarter of
        2017.
    --  Net Loss: Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2018, was $91.3
        million compared to a net loss of $64.3 million for the year ended
        December 31, 2017.

Financial Guidance

Ardelyx maintains its expectation that its cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund the company's operations until at least early 2021 based on its current operating plans.

About Ardelyx, Inc.
Ardelyx is focused on enhancing the way people with cardiorenal diseases are treated by developing first-in-class medicines. Ardelyx's cardiorenal pipeline includes the Phase 3 development of tenapanor for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are on dialysis, and RDX013, a potassium secretagogue program for the potential treatment of high potassium, or hyperkalemia, a problem among certain patients with kidney and/or heart disease. In addition, Ardelyx has completed Phase 3 development of tenapanor for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and submitted a new drug application, or NDA, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the treatment of patients with IBS-C which has been granted a target action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of September 12, 2019. To efficiently bring its treatments to market, Ardelyx is pursuing strategic collaborations for tenapanor for IBS-C and hyperphosphatemia in certain territories. Ardelyx has established agreements with Kyowa Hakko Kirin in Japan, Fosun Pharma in China and Knight Therapeutics in Canada. For more information, please visit http://www.ardelyx.com/ and connect with us on Twitter @Ardelyx.

Forward Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Ardelyx, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995, including the potential for Ardelyx's product candidates in treating the diseases and conditions for which they are being developed, the potential for the use of tenapanor as monotherapy and in combination with phosphate binders as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia, Ardelyx's expected timing for receipt of data from its ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials of tenapanor for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in ESRD patients, and Ardelyx's expectations regarding the exhaustion of its current capital resources. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the development of Ardelyx's product candidates or Ardelyx's future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the clinical development process, the uncertainties associated with the regulatory approval process, and the uncertainties in the drug commercialization process. Ardelyx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to Ardelyx's business in general, please refer to Ardelyx's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 6, 2019, and its future current and periodic reports to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


                                                      
        
              Ardelyx, Inc.


                                           
            
         Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets


                                                        
           (In thousands)




                                                            
            
              December 31,    
     
     December 31,
                                                                                                              2017
                                                                                         2018



                                                             
            
              (Unaudited)                   (1)



     
              Assets



     Cash and cash equivalents                                                       $78,768               $75,383



     Short-term investments                                                           89,321                58,593



     Accounts receivable                                                                  85                10,796



     Unbilled license revenue                                                          5,000



     Property and equipment, net                                                       5,611                 8,032



     Prepaid and other assets                                                          4,547                 5,099



     Total Assets                                                                   $183,332              $157,903





                 Liabilities and stockholders' equity


      Accounts payable and other current liabilities                                  $16,728               $17,871



     Uncharged license fees                                                            1,000



     Loan payable, long term                                                          49,209



     Other long-term liabilities                                                         582                   720



     Stockholders' equity                                                            115,813               139,312


      Total liabilities and stockholders' equity                                     $183,332              $157,903


     (1) Derived from the audited financial statements included on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.


                                                                    
              
                Ardelyx, Inc.


                                                           
           
                Consolidated Statements of Operations


                                                           
           (In thousands, except share and per share amounts)




                                                                        Three Months Ended                                          Twelve Months Ended
                                                                December 31,                                                December 31,



                                                                              2018                                            2017                               2018        2017



                                                       
         
             (Unaudited)                                    (Unaudited)                       (Unaudited)        (1)



     
                Revenue:



     Licensing revenue                                  
         $                 -                                        $42,000                             $2,320     $42,000



     Other revenue                                                             85                                                                               287



                           Total revenues                                       85                                          42,000                              2,607      42,000



     Cost of revenue                                                                                                       8,400                                466       8,400



                           Gross Profit                                         85                                          33,600                              2,141      33,600




     
                Operating expenses:



     Research and development                                             $22,036                                         $17,159                            $69,373     $75,484


      General and administrative                                             5,425                                           5,479                             23,715      23,231



     Total operating expenses                                              27,461                                          22,638                             93,088      98,715


                   (Loss) income from operations                          (27,376)                                         10,962                           (90,947)   (65,115)



     Interest expense                                                     (1,438)                                                                          (3,534)



     Other income                                                             950                                             331                              3,187       1,955


      Benefit from (provision for) income
       taxes                                                                     2                                         (1,179)                               (4)    (1,179)



                   Net (loss) income                                     $(27,862)                                        $10,114                          $(91,298)  $(64,339)



                   Net (loss) income per common share,
                    basic                                                  $(0.45)                                          $0.21                            $(1.62)    $(1.36)



                   Shares used in computing net (loss)
                    income per share, basic                             62,108,906                                      47,528,183                         56,219,919  47,435,331



                   Net (loss) income per common share,
                    diluted                                                $(0.45)                                          $0.21                            $(1.62)    $(1.36)



                   Shares used in computing net (loss)
                    income per share, diluted                           62,108,906                                      48,724,123                         56,219,919  47,435,331

               (1)     Derived from the
                audited financial
                statements included on Form
                10-K for the year ended
                December 31, 2017.

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SOURCE Ardelyx