Aclaris Therapeutics Q1 2024 Earnings Report $1.21 -0.02 (-1.63%) Closing price 04:00 PM EasternExtended Trading$1.26 +0.05 (+4.13%) As of 05:55 PM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more. Earnings HistoryForecast Aclaris Therapeutics EPS ResultsActual EPS-$0.24Consensus EPS -$0.28Beat/MissBeat by +$0.04One Year Ago EPSN/AAclaris Therapeutics Revenue ResultsActual Revenue$2.40 millionExpected Revenue$1.99 millionBeat/MissBeat by +$410.00 thousandYoY Revenue GrowthN/AAclaris Therapeutics Announcement DetailsQuarterQ1 2024Date5/7/2024TimeN/AConference Call DateTuesday, May 7, 2024Conference Call Time5:00PM ETUpcoming EarningsAclaris Therapeutics' Q1 2025 earnings is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6, 2025, with a conference call scheduled at 5:00 PM ET. Check back for transcripts, audio, and key financial metrics as they become available.Q1 2025 Earnings ReportConference Call ResourcesConference Call AudioConference Call TranscriptSlide DeckPress Release (8-K)Quarterly Report (10-Q)Earnings HistoryACRS ProfileSlide DeckFull Screen Slide DeckPowered by Aclaris Therapeutics Q1 2024 Earnings Call TranscriptProvided by QuartrMay 7, 2024 ShareLink copied to clipboard.There are 9 speakers on the call. Operator00:00:00Good day and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Aclaris Therapeutics First Quarter 2024 Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. After the speakers' presentation, there will be a question and answer Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your speaker today, Kevin Baltazar. Operator00:00:39Please go ahead. Speaker 100:00:42Thank you. I am Kevin Baltazar, Chief Financial Officer for Aclaris. Please note that earlier today, we issued a press release highlighting our Q1 2024 financial results and other business matters. For those of you who have not yet seen it, you will find the release posted under the Press Releases page of the Investors section of our website at www. Aclaristx.com. Speaker 100:01:10In addition, we will be referring to a slide deck entitled ITK Portfolio, which can be found on the Investor Presentations page of the Investors section of our website and furnished as an exhibit to our Form 8 ks that we filed with the SEC earlier today. Joining me today for the call are Neil Walker, our Interim Chief Executive Officer and Joe Monahan, our Chief Scientific Officer. Wally Smith, our Scientific and Business Development Consultant, will also be available for the Q and A portion of the call. Before we begin our prepared remarks, I would like to remind you that various statements we make during this call about the company's future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives for Aclaris' future operations are considered forward looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Our forward looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements. Speaker 100:02:20These risks are described in the Risk Factors section of Aclaris' Form 10 ks for the year ended December 31, 2023, and other filings Aclaris makes with the SEC from time to time. These documents are available under the SEC Filings page of the Investors section of our website at www.aclaristx.com. All the information we provide on this conference call is provided as of today, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward looking statements we may make on this call on account of new information, future events or otherwise. Please be advised that today's call is being recorded and webcast. A link to the webcast can be accessed under the Events page of the Investors section of our website. Speaker 100:03:09I'll now turn the call over to Neil. Speaker 200:03:13Thank you, Kevin. Good afternoon, everyone. Last quarter, we announced that in addition to various cost cutting measures and an overall review of our business strategy, we are also reevaluating the indication selection for ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight, which is our oral small molecule ITK JAK3 inhibitor. Today, I'm pleased to announce that we have decided to move ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight forward in a proof of concept study in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a Th2 cell driven disease and ITK inhibition blocks T cell differentiation, activation and production of IL-four and IL-thirteen. Speaker 200:03:52In fact, there is extensive literature on the role that ITK plays in regulating the signaling pathways that are central to the production of various cytokines by both Th2 cells and mast cells. Today, we will provide an overview of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight and the data we have generated thus far. Joe? Speaker 300:04:13Thank you, Anil. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight is a covalent inhibitor that targets T cell kinase ITK as well as JAK3. ITK is a kinase downstream of the T cell receptor and is important for the regulation of T cell function, while JAK3 is required for the signaling of cytokines that utilize the gamma common receptors such as IL-two, IL-four and IL-fifteen. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight through effective targeting of these 2 critical T cell and cytokine associated pathways provides the potential to treat a broad set of autoimmune diseases. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight was generated from our proprietary Connect drug discovery platform using structure based drug design, focusing on molecules with high reversible affinity containing electrophiles that target the ATP site cysteine positioned similarly in ITK and JAK3. Speaker 300:05:11As shown in Slide 5, covalency and engagement of SYSP-four forty two was demonstrated from the proprietary crystal structure of the ATI 2,138 ITK complex. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight also binds to and engages CYC909 and JAK3, the only JAK iso form with this residue in the ATP site. This cysteine in JAK3 has also been effectively targeted by the drug ritlacitanib, which is Pfizer's recently approved therapy for alopecia areata. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight differentiates from both ritlicitinib and reversible JAK inhibitors, thereby demonstrating unique pharmacology and Slide 6, ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight has similar high potency for inhibiting both ITK and JAK3 signaling in contrast to ritlicitinib, which is less potent on both pathways and demonstrates JAK3 biased pharmacology. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight is selective for JAK3 with no meaningful crossover to other JAK isoforms. Speaker 300:06:19The restricted expression of JAK3 to hematopoietic cells, coupled with the lack of crossover to other JAKs, may result in an improved safety profile for ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight relative to broad spectrum reversible JAK inhibitors. Clear differentiation from the covalent inhibitor ritlacitinib is demonstrated in human whole blood studies shown on Slide 7. The panel on the left compares ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight and ritlacitinib in ITK dependent anti CD3 stimulated interferon gamma production, while the right hand panel compares the 2 compounds in JAK3 dependent IL-two stimulated interferon gamma release. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight is 44.4 times more potent than ritlacitanib in blocking ITK dependent cytokine production and 5.44 more potent in the JAK3 dependent readout. The comparable whole blood potencies of 2,138 on ITK and JAK3 translated to similar impact on the respective PD readouts in the human SAD and MAD studies. Speaker 300:07:26In contrast, at the FDA recommended 50 milligram QD dose of rilacitinib for alopecia areata, Exposures would be expected to inhibit JAK3, but have little impact on the ITK pathway. Now why is ITK an important target? Slide 8 demonstrates the current understanding of the role of ITK in T helper cell differentiation and activation. Of the TAK kinases, ITK alone is required for the differentiation and activation of Th2 and Th17 cells and ITK knockdown or inhibition results in skewing of T helper cells from the Th2, Th17 phenotypes to the Th1, Treg phenotypes. ITK inhibitors have the potential as effective oral drugs to treat diseases driven by Th2 and or Th17 cells such as atopic dermatitis. Speaker 300:08:20ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight has demonstrated activity in a number of preclinical immune inflammatory disease models. Oral activity at various doses of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight in rat adjuvant induced arthritis is shown on Slide 9, evaluating ankle swelling on the left and histology on the right. Similar strong activity is observed with doses in 5 and 15 milligram per kilogram BID as well as 30 milligram per kilogram QD. Activity was also observed in the adoptive T cell transfer model of colitis in the mouse as shown on Slide 10. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight formulated in CHOW protected optimal and distal colon as well as the ileum from inflammation to a greater extent than the anti IL-twelvep40 antibody. Speaker 300:09:12Preclinical studies supported the advancement of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight into Phase 1 SAD and MAD clinical studies as summarized on Slide 11. The drug was generally well tolerated at favorable PK characteristics and demonstrated dose dependent modulation of ITK and JAK3 pharmacodynamic readouts. Slide 12 shows the PK characteristics of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight from the MAD study. Exposures following the final dose on day 15 of the MAD study are shown on the left and dose proportionality is shown on the right. Linear PK is observed with ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight following 2 weeks of dosing with steady state dose proportionality observed for both Cmax and AUC. Speaker 300:09:59Slide 13 shows the pharmacodynamic results across the 2 week dosing period in the MAD study. The left panel is measuring the inhibition of dependent IL-two mRNA following ex vivo stimulation in blood. The middle panel JAK3 dependent interferon gamma production and the right panel interferon gamma production following dual stimulation of the TCR and JAK3 pathways. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight demonstrated dose and time dependent inhibition under all stimulation conditions. 50% to 90% inhibition of the PD readout was observed with doses from 5 to 40 milligrams BID. Speaker 300:10:39Slide 14 shows exposure response analysis from the 3 PD readouts and compares the translation from preclinical human whole blood analysis. These data demonstrate a strong concentration dependent correspondence between EC50s from both the SAD and MAD clinical studies and in vitro human whole blood studies across the 3 stimuli. As expected, similar potency is observed for the ITK pathway, JAK3 and dual stimulation inhibition. Finally, exposures generated from the 5 milligrams to 40 milligrams BID dosing were sufficient to provide meaningful blockade of both pathways. Successful completion of the Phase 1 studies effectively positioned ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight to advance into Phase 2. Speaker 300:11:28The first indication in which ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight will be evaluated is atopic dermatitis. The rationale for which is shown on Slide 15. The dual TCR JAK3 specificity of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight effectively positions it for treatment of atopic dermatitis. The important role of ITK and Th2 cell differentiation and activation, coupled with the efficacy observed with the biologics targeting the Th2 cytokines IL-four and IL-thirteen supports the potential for ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight as an oral alternative to these biologics. Additionally, inhibiting JAK3 should add complementary efficacy through blockade of IL-two and IL-four signaling as evidenced by the efficacy of a number of JAK inhibitors in atopic dermatitis. Speaker 300:12:19The design of the atopic dermatitis study is summarized on Slide 16. This study will be an open label, 12 week, 15 patient study to examine the safety, PK and early signs of efficacy of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. In addition to the clinical readouts, there will be a heavy emphasis on PD markers of pathways and disease in this study. Moreover, we plan to demonstrate the importance of ITK inhibition as a differentiating feature of our molecule. In summary, as shown on Slide 17, ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight is a potential best in class dual inhibitor of ITK and JAK3. Speaker 300:13:03Non clinical potency, activity, ADME and safety studies supported moving the compound into clinical development. The positive data from the SAD and MAD Phase 1 studies provided clinical support to advance ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight into a proof of concept Phase 2 study in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Aclaris is expanding our efforts in the ITK pathway beyond ATI-two 1,138 with discovery efforts focused on next generation ITK inhibitors. While ITK has been of interest to pharmaceutical companies for over 20 years, it has proven to be a difficult to drug kinase as evidenced by the efforts outlined on Slide 19. The research described on this slide have focused on ATP competitive inhibitors and due to poor biochemical efficiency and pharmaceutical properties, they have not advanced in clinical development. Speaker 300:13:58More recently, covalent inhibitors of ITK have been described with the Corvus CPI-eight eighteen early clinical development. Our next generation efforts are focusing on selective inhibition of ITK and a limiting crossover on JAK kinases as shown on Slide 20. Selective targeting of ITK should provide effective modulation of both Th2 and Th17 cell functions with the potential of treating atopic and Th17 driven diseases as summarized on Slide 21. Human and mouse genetic data as well as pharmacological inhibition strongly supports a role for ITK in T cell biology and pathophysiology. This coupled with the fact that this regulated T cells are involved in a number of immune inflammatory diseases validate selective inhibitors of ITK as an approach to treat a broad range of indications. Speaker 200:14:55Thank you, Joe. I'll now turn it over to Kevin to discuss our financial highlights for the quarter. Speaker 100:15:02Thank you, Neil. We continue to maintain a strong balance sheet with a robust cash balance and 0 outstanding debt. We ended the Q1 with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $161,000,000 which was compared to $182,000,000 at year end. Our cost containment initiatives are on track and progressing nicely. Of our total cash expenditures in the Q1, approximately $14,000,000 was related to non recurring payments, including discontinued research and development programs, severance benefits for individuals impacted by the reduction in force announced in December and payments owed to 3rd parties related to the upfront amount received under the SUN licensing agreement. Speaker 100:15:53Activities associated with discontinued programs and the reduction in force are expected to be substantially completed by the Q2 of 2024. As a result, we expect our cash expenditures on a quarterly basis for the remainder of the year to be significantly reduced when compared with the Q1 without giving effect to any potential business development transactions. We continue to evaluate business development opportunities across our portfolio of assets, which could be a source of non dilutive capital in the near term. With that, I will now turn the call back over to Neil for closing remarks. Speaker 200:16:33Thank you, Kevin. We are pleased to provide you with a portfolio update on our decision to shift to atopic dermatitis as the first proof of concept indication for ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight. As a reminder, we are still in the process of reviewing various strategic options moving forward and look forward to providing additional updates in the near term. Kyle, we would now like to poll for questions. Operator00:16:59Thank you. Speaker 400:17:27And for Operator00:17:27our first question, it comes from the line of Roger Song from Jeff. Speaker 400:17:34Great. Thanks for the update and taking our question. Maybe start with the biology question. So for ITK and JAK3 understanding, you're compared to the pen JAK inhibitor has a lot of the advantages. Just curious, how do you think about those ITK and JAK3 in terms of they're having synergistic or additive effects when you inhibit both for those preclinical models. Speaker 400:18:07Just curious if you see any have you compare just JAK3 or ITK alone kind of in the preclinical model? And then I have a follow-up for the clinical question. Thank you. Speaker 200:18:22Yes. Thank you, Roger. I'll start to Joe and or Wally. But yes, that's one of the attractive things about the molecule and was one of our original hypotheses about it that if we could inhibit the JAK 3 and then layer on maybe the hyper boost with ITK, particularly in an indication like atopic where ITK really targets the Th2 effect, we ought to see a more robust effect there. And so we certainly tested that hypothesis out in preclinical models. Speaker 200:18:58And actually, I know you didn't ask this, but going forward, in this initial proof of concept study, we will endeavor to tease out that differential effect through looking at various pharmacodynamic markers to just definitively prove out the ITK contribution from that molecule. And maybe Joe, if you want to add anything there? Speaker 300:19:22Yes. The only thing I would add is that we have profiled JAK3 more selective inhibitor ritlacitanib versus ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight in the adoptive T cell transfer model of colitis and that equivalent doses and exposures, we did see a boost in anti inflammatory activity with 2,138 compared to ritlacitinib. Speaker 400:19:54Got it. Yes, that makes sense. And compared to JAK3, more selective compound, Maybe that's the ITK component, but curious to see the PD marker in the Phase 2 for sure. And then in terms of the Phase 2a, the plan of Phase 2a, you're selecting the 10 mg PID as a dose, understanding you want to be more capital efficient to test the one dose. Just curious, do you think that dose is the best dose you can tell from the preclinical? Speaker 400:20:28And also what the other potential dose, if that dose sees some signal, but what the other dose potentially you will test in the future clinical trial? And then also for the Phase IIa, any powering for those efficacy? What is the ultimate kind of efficacy goal for the Phase IIa in order to move forward? Thank you. Speaker 200:20:56Yes. So from so it is open label. So our main objective is to show the absolute treatment effect. And I think to be fair in this indication, bar in AD, from an efficacy perspective, in set the bar in AD from an efficacy perspective. And historically, we kind of understand the placebo rate. Speaker 200:21:23And then the second or the first question, Joe, do you want to tackle that one? Speaker 300:21:30Yes. So with regard to the dosing, first of all, we do have the ability to go higher than 10 milligrams BID if we choose to. We identified 10 milligrams BID as our dose in this study based on exposures in the various preclinical disease models that we looked at coupled with the data in with rilacitinib in the clinical exposure that they had. I think with this mechanism, it doesn't seem to be driven by Cmax. It doesn't seem to be driven by C trough. Speaker 300:22:03It more likely is driven by a C average. And at the 10 milligrams BID, we have equivalent potency at Cmax as ritlicitinib does against JAK3, significantly more exposure and potency against ITK as we described. And at C average, we have higher level of inhibition of both ITK and JAK3 at this 10 milligram BID dose. So based on the preclinical model and based on comparison to ritlacitanib, that's how we chose the Speaker 400:22:43dose. Excellent. Yes, that answers all the questions I have now. Speaker 200:22:47Thank you. Thank you, Roju. Operator00:22:51Thank you. And for your next question, it comes from the line of Thomas Smith from Leerink Partners. Please go ahead. Speaker 500:23:07Hey, guys. Good afternoon. Thanks for the updates and thanks for taking our questions. Just on the preclinical data, I appreciate all the models in comparison to rilacitinib. I'm just curious if you've generated any data comparing 2,138 versus upadacitinib and selective JAK1 inhibition preclinically? Speaker 500:23:27And any thoughts on how 2,138 is likely to stack up in an indication like atopic dermatitis versus upadacitinib? Speaker 200:23:40Yes, thanks for that question. I think it's I think the X factor here is the ITK inhibition. And when you look at the literature on ITK inhibition in general, it really skews to inhibiting the Th2 cytokine. So it directly acts on IL-four, IL-five, etcetera. And so we really think that that is going to give the JAK3 side a boost. Speaker 200:24:08Joe, Wally, I'm not aware of direct comparisons between a pure covalent JAK3 versus JAK1 specifically in AD. But I think our hypothesis is when you have a dual mechanism that and we've demonstrated synergy, we ought to have an additive effect. So that would be the goal is to outperform upacitin. Speaker 500:24:39Understood. That's helpful. And just on the Phase IIa trial design, can you talk about the rationale a little bit? I guess specifically the choice of an open label design versus maybe a slightly larger placebo controlled design. It sounds like you have some interesting biomarkers identified that you'd like to take a look at here in terms of signal finding. Speaker 500:25:05But I'm just curious in terms of maybe more definitively teasing out the clinical signal here, the choice of the open label trial design? Speaker 200:25:14Well, I think it's a couple of things. One is that, it's a lot easier these days in a relatively competitive environment to enroll studies that have just an active arm. And when we're looking for signal finding, I think our goal is speed. And this study was a very cost efficient way to get a lot of answers. And I think we know what these molecules and different kind of surrogates can do, like if we just compare, if we look at rilacitinib, upacitinib, all these other drug categories, I think we have a good understanding of what the absolute responder rate needs to be across these measures. Speaker 200:25:58Responder rate needs to be across these measures. And so I think that was the balance here, trying to get data as quickly as we can. And if it works out the way we hope and expect, we would certainly be interested in progressing in a little bit larger AD study, but also importantly looking at some of the indications that ritlositinib has already started to blaze the ground on, looking at vitiligo, looking at alopecia areata. So I think there's a couple of different ways to go post this initial AD study. But I think just to go back to the original premise of your question, I don't think that we lose too much in not having a placebo group. Speaker 200:26:45We enhance the enrollment cadence and we get data quicker, which I think is important for us given where we're at, at the moment. Speaker 500:26:55Got it. That makes sense. And just along those lines, Neil, with respect to Study Start, like I understand we're putting together the protocol and the operational preparations are underway. Do you have an early I guess early sense of when we might be able to expect some top line data from the Phase 2A? Speaker 200:27:16I don't think we're giving guidance just yet, Tom, but it's going to be it's definitely going to be within a year of this call, right? So it's I'll give you that as a back end marker, but we'll give more color on that once we get the first patient in. Speaker 500:27:38Got it. Makes sense. All right, guys. Thanks for taking the questions. Operator00:27:45Thank you. And your next question, it comes from the line of Corrine Johnson from Goldman Sachs. Please go ahead. Speaker 600:27:52Good evening. This is Omari on for Kareem. So I had a couple of questions. One is, are you funded to complete the proof of concept study? And then 2, on strategy, where do you see unmet need in atopic dermatitis? Speaker 200:28:07We're certainly funded to complete the study. This is exceedingly cost efficient study, which was kind of by design. And so we're trying to generate data very quickly. This is in contrast to what we had originally proposed at the tail end of last year, which was a study in UC, which was a lot more expensive, going to take a lot more time. So we have a robust balance sheet. Speaker 200:28:37And as Kevin alluded to in his comments, that balance sheet is not going to change too appreciably through the end of the year. And so we feel very comfortable. It's a very small amount of burn while we continue to review various strategic options. And what sorry, what was the first the second question? Speaker 600:29:01Yes. Where do you see the unmet need in atopic dermatitis? Speaker 200:29:05So kind Speaker 600:29:06of going on our strategy? Speaker 200:29:07Yes, we're at the front end of the atopic market. This is where psoriasis was years ago. We certainly I don't think anybody could claim that we've maxed out efficacy in this space. Obviously, dupilumab is a wildly successful drug. But in 60% of the patients, we aren't even getting clear or near clear by week 16 and then 50% of those patients, get a suboptimal response. Speaker 200:29:33So and that's on the biologic side. On the JAK inhibitor side, we have much better efficacy, but there's still a lot of headroom in this space and what we're trying to do here is tease out the ITK effect. We really think this is a strong mechanistic approach to this category and the competitive landscape in AD is, as you can see by clinicaltrials.gov is still in its infancy. It's continuing to evolve. A lot of people are starting to look at that space because they're we aren't where we're at with psoriasis where we're talking about PASI 100s. Speaker 100:30:14Thanks for answering our questions. Speaker 200:30:33Kyle, is there any other questions in the queue? Speaker 100:30:39Our next question or comment comes from the line of Julian Harrison from BIGTIG. Your line is open. Speaker 700:30:48Hi. Thank you for taking my question and for hosting this call. I got on a few minutes late, so apologies if this has already been covered. But I'm wondering if you can remind us of the scope of your IP portfolio related the use of JAK inhibitors for alopecia and how should we be thinking about that opportunity going forward? Speaker 200:31:07Sure. Thanks, Julian. So, yes, we had a long time ago back in 2015, 2016 or so executed transaction with Columbia securing the rights to the method of use IP around utilizing various JAK inhibitors for the treatment of alopecia areata and actually various other types of alopecia. And thus far to date, we have announced 2 royalty deals. 1 is with Lilly for the use of baricitinib for alopecia areata and the other is with Sun Pharma who had acquired Concert, which had a deuterated ruxolitinib and that was also executed late last year. Speaker 200:31:56And so those are the 2 current molecules that we have granted access to utilizing our IP. So we think it's a very valuable estate. Clearly, we've done 2 deals and we'll constantly be looking at ways to enhance the value of that portfolio. Speaker 700:32:21Thank you. Speaker 100:32:25Thank you. Our next question or comment comes from the line of Alex Thompson from Stifel. Mr. Thompson, your line is now open. Speaker 300:32:35Hi, Alex. I guess if you could just talk a little bit more about how this drug differs from the Pfizer compound. And then is there any case for differentiation on the black box warning? Do you guys still expect a black box warning? Thanks. Speaker 200:32:52Sure. Thanks, Alex. I mean, I think until you get through an actual NDA approval process and have those dialogues and whenever you're tickling a jack at this stage, you always have to think about. So in thinking that you'll have a black box. But I do think a lot of the black box warnings, if you look at all of the different JAK inhibitors out there, they're all slightly different. Speaker 200:33:15RINVOX is different than tofacitinib, etcetera. So I think data will drive some of that. And maybe, Joe, you can handle the question about what are the key differentiating features between our drug and irkacitinib? Speaker 300:33:32Yes. I mean, they're both inhibitors that target a similar cysteine residue and they both are potent inhibitors of FACT3. The key differentiation, the way we see it is that rituxitinib has, while it does hit kinases, it's significantly more potent on JAK3 than any type kinase including ITK. And in contrast, ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight, depending on which readout you use, is very similar potency with Tractory ITK. And if the clinical exposures and doses that we plan to use and have used and what ritlafitinib is using, I think it's pretty clear that we will have exposures that similarly block ICK and JAK3 significantly, whereas ritlacitinib is more of a JAK3 biased drug with little impact on ITK at the clinical dose and exposure. Speaker 600:34:33Got it. Thank you. Operator00:34:48Thank you. And one moment for your next question. And for your next question, it comes from the line of Gavin Clark Gartner from Evercore ISI. Please go ahead. Speaker 800:35:05Hey, thanks for taking the question. Apart from the Black Box side of things, I'm just wondering how you believe that providers will view the safety profile relative to the other JAK1s. And specifically, I'm wondering if there are any learnings from the alopecia or even rheumatoid arthritis space that may give some early hints into how they may view this? Thanks. Speaker 200:35:28Yes. Thanks, Gavin. It's a good question because I think on the face you look at it and say, well, it's a black box. And then I mean, I could tell you having practice, oftentimes it's more of a chore for the physician to explain the laundry list of things that could happen. However, I would say that in talking to various colleagues over the last couple of years, I really don't think and I think this is reflected in their sales, I really don't think it's been that big of a hindrance once you explain the issues. Speaker 200:36:03And at the end of the day, patients want their disease to be better. And we know that there really hasn't been much tail off at all. In fact, baricitinib has been growing in alopecia areata. You've seen nice growth with RINVOC atopic dermatitis and there's a reason it provides order of magnitude benefit over biologics for sure. So I think at the end of the day when patients want relief and they know they're going to get it very quickly rather than perhaps waiting 16 weeks for a biologic to kind of take get to max effect, that's important. Speaker 800:36:51Got it. Thanks, Neil. Operator00:36:58I'm showing no further questions at this time. I would now like to turn the conference back to Neil Walker for closing remarks. Speaker 200:37:07Well, thanks everybody for joining our call today. We're excited to provide additional updates in the coming months and appreciate your time. Thank you. Operator00:37:17This concludes today's conference call. 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(NASDAQ:ACRS) Short Interest Up 26.7% in MarchApril 1, 2025 | americanbankingnews.comAclaris Therapeutics assumed with an Overweight at Cantor FitzgeraldMarch 19, 2025 | markets.businessinsider.comTrump to redistribute trillions of dollars Trump’s Final Reset Inside the shocking plot to re-engineer America’s financial system…and why you need to move your money now.April 9, 2025 | Porter & Company (Ad)Scotiabank Initiates Coverage of Aclaris Therapeutics (ACRS) with Sector Outperform RecommendationMarch 8, 2025 | msn.comAclaris Therapeutics initiated with an Outperform at ScotiabankMarch 8, 2025 | markets.businessinsider.comThis Aclaris Therapeutics Insider Increased Their Holding By 1,537% Last YearMarch 5, 2025 | uk.finance.yahoo.comSee More Aclaris Therapeutics Headlines Get Earnings Announcements in your inboxWant to stay updated on the latest earnings announcements and upcoming reports for companies like Aclaris Therapeutics? Sign up for Earnings360's daily newsletter to receive timely earnings updates on Aclaris Therapeutics and other key companies, straight to your email. Email Address About Aclaris TherapeuticsAclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel drug candidates for immune-inflammatory diseases in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Therapeutics and Contract Research. The Therapeutics segment is involved in identifying and developing therapies to address significant unmet needs for immuno-inflammatory diseases. The Contract Research segment provides laboratory services. It develops Zunsemetinib (ATI-450), an MK2 inhibitor which is under Phase 1b/2 trials for the treatment of metastatic breast and pancreatic cancer; ATI-1777, a soft JAK 1/3 inhibitor, completed Phase 2b trails for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and other dermatologic conditions; and ATI-2138, an oral covalent inhibitor of ITK and JAK3 inhibitor under Phase 1 trials as a treatment for T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.View Aclaris Therapeutics ProfileRead more More Earnings Resources from MarketBeat Earnings Tools Today's Earnings Tomorrow's Earnings Next Week's Earnings Upcoming Earnings Calls Earnings Newsletter Earnings Call Transcripts Earnings Beats & Misses Corporate Guidance Earnings Screener Earnings By Country U.S. Earnings Reports Canadian Earnings Reports U.K. Earnings Reports Latest Articles Lamb Weston Stock Rises, Earnings Provide Calm Amidst ChaosIntuitive Machines Gains After Earnings Beat, NASA Missions AheadCintas Delivers Earnings Beat, Signals More Growth AheadNike Stock Dips on Earnings: Analysts Weigh in on What’s NextAfter Massive Post Earnings Fall, Does Hope Remain for MongoDB?Semtech Rallies on Earnings Beat—Is There More Upside?These 3 Q1 Earnings Winners Will Go Higher Upcoming Earnings Bank of New York Mellon (4/11/2025)BlackRock (4/11/2025)JPMorgan Chase & Co. 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There are 9 speakers on the call. Operator00:00:00Good day and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Aclaris Therapeutics First Quarter 2024 Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. After the speakers' presentation, there will be a question and answer Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your speaker today, Kevin Baltazar. Operator00:00:39Please go ahead. Speaker 100:00:42Thank you. I am Kevin Baltazar, Chief Financial Officer for Aclaris. Please note that earlier today, we issued a press release highlighting our Q1 2024 financial results and other business matters. For those of you who have not yet seen it, you will find the release posted under the Press Releases page of the Investors section of our website at www. Aclaristx.com. Speaker 100:01:10In addition, we will be referring to a slide deck entitled ITK Portfolio, which can be found on the Investor Presentations page of the Investors section of our website and furnished as an exhibit to our Form 8 ks that we filed with the SEC earlier today. Joining me today for the call are Neil Walker, our Interim Chief Executive Officer and Joe Monahan, our Chief Scientific Officer. Wally Smith, our Scientific and Business Development Consultant, will also be available for the Q and A portion of the call. Before we begin our prepared remarks, I would like to remind you that various statements we make during this call about the company's future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives for Aclaris' future operations are considered forward looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Our forward looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements. Speaker 100:02:20These risks are described in the Risk Factors section of Aclaris' Form 10 ks for the year ended December 31, 2023, and other filings Aclaris makes with the SEC from time to time. These documents are available under the SEC Filings page of the Investors section of our website at www.aclaristx.com. All the information we provide on this conference call is provided as of today, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward looking statements we may make on this call on account of new information, future events or otherwise. Please be advised that today's call is being recorded and webcast. A link to the webcast can be accessed under the Events page of the Investors section of our website. Speaker 100:03:09I'll now turn the call over to Neil. Speaker 200:03:13Thank you, Kevin. Good afternoon, everyone. Last quarter, we announced that in addition to various cost cutting measures and an overall review of our business strategy, we are also reevaluating the indication selection for ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight, which is our oral small molecule ITK JAK3 inhibitor. Today, I'm pleased to announce that we have decided to move ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight forward in a proof of concept study in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a Th2 cell driven disease and ITK inhibition blocks T cell differentiation, activation and production of IL-four and IL-thirteen. Speaker 200:03:52In fact, there is extensive literature on the role that ITK plays in regulating the signaling pathways that are central to the production of various cytokines by both Th2 cells and mast cells. Today, we will provide an overview of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight and the data we have generated thus far. Joe? Speaker 300:04:13Thank you, Anil. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight is a covalent inhibitor that targets T cell kinase ITK as well as JAK3. ITK is a kinase downstream of the T cell receptor and is important for the regulation of T cell function, while JAK3 is required for the signaling of cytokines that utilize the gamma common receptors such as IL-two, IL-four and IL-fifteen. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight through effective targeting of these 2 critical T cell and cytokine associated pathways provides the potential to treat a broad set of autoimmune diseases. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight was generated from our proprietary Connect drug discovery platform using structure based drug design, focusing on molecules with high reversible affinity containing electrophiles that target the ATP site cysteine positioned similarly in ITK and JAK3. Speaker 300:05:11As shown in Slide 5, covalency and engagement of SYSP-four forty two was demonstrated from the proprietary crystal structure of the ATI 2,138 ITK complex. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight also binds to and engages CYC909 and JAK3, the only JAK iso form with this residue in the ATP site. This cysteine in JAK3 has also been effectively targeted by the drug ritlacitanib, which is Pfizer's recently approved therapy for alopecia areata. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight differentiates from both ritlicitinib and reversible JAK inhibitors, thereby demonstrating unique pharmacology and Slide 6, ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight has similar high potency for inhibiting both ITK and JAK3 signaling in contrast to ritlicitinib, which is less potent on both pathways and demonstrates JAK3 biased pharmacology. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight is selective for JAK3 with no meaningful crossover to other JAK isoforms. Speaker 300:06:19The restricted expression of JAK3 to hematopoietic cells, coupled with the lack of crossover to other JAKs, may result in an improved safety profile for ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight relative to broad spectrum reversible JAK inhibitors. Clear differentiation from the covalent inhibitor ritlacitinib is demonstrated in human whole blood studies shown on Slide 7. The panel on the left compares ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight and ritlacitinib in ITK dependent anti CD3 stimulated interferon gamma production, while the right hand panel compares the 2 compounds in JAK3 dependent IL-two stimulated interferon gamma release. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight is 44.4 times more potent than ritlacitanib in blocking ITK dependent cytokine production and 5.44 more potent in the JAK3 dependent readout. The comparable whole blood potencies of 2,138 on ITK and JAK3 translated to similar impact on the respective PD readouts in the human SAD and MAD studies. Speaker 300:07:26In contrast, at the FDA recommended 50 milligram QD dose of rilacitinib for alopecia areata, Exposures would be expected to inhibit JAK3, but have little impact on the ITK pathway. Now why is ITK an important target? Slide 8 demonstrates the current understanding of the role of ITK in T helper cell differentiation and activation. Of the TAK kinases, ITK alone is required for the differentiation and activation of Th2 and Th17 cells and ITK knockdown or inhibition results in skewing of T helper cells from the Th2, Th17 phenotypes to the Th1, Treg phenotypes. ITK inhibitors have the potential as effective oral drugs to treat diseases driven by Th2 and or Th17 cells such as atopic dermatitis. Speaker 300:08:20ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight has demonstrated activity in a number of preclinical immune inflammatory disease models. Oral activity at various doses of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight in rat adjuvant induced arthritis is shown on Slide 9, evaluating ankle swelling on the left and histology on the right. Similar strong activity is observed with doses in 5 and 15 milligram per kilogram BID as well as 30 milligram per kilogram QD. Activity was also observed in the adoptive T cell transfer model of colitis in the mouse as shown on Slide 10. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight formulated in CHOW protected optimal and distal colon as well as the ileum from inflammation to a greater extent than the anti IL-twelvep40 antibody. Speaker 300:09:12Preclinical studies supported the advancement of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight into Phase 1 SAD and MAD clinical studies as summarized on Slide 11. The drug was generally well tolerated at favorable PK characteristics and demonstrated dose dependent modulation of ITK and JAK3 pharmacodynamic readouts. Slide 12 shows the PK characteristics of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight from the MAD study. Exposures following the final dose on day 15 of the MAD study are shown on the left and dose proportionality is shown on the right. Linear PK is observed with ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight following 2 weeks of dosing with steady state dose proportionality observed for both Cmax and AUC. Speaker 300:09:59Slide 13 shows the pharmacodynamic results across the 2 week dosing period in the MAD study. The left panel is measuring the inhibition of dependent IL-two mRNA following ex vivo stimulation in blood. The middle panel JAK3 dependent interferon gamma production and the right panel interferon gamma production following dual stimulation of the TCR and JAK3 pathways. ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight demonstrated dose and time dependent inhibition under all stimulation conditions. 50% to 90% inhibition of the PD readout was observed with doses from 5 to 40 milligrams BID. Speaker 300:10:39Slide 14 shows exposure response analysis from the 3 PD readouts and compares the translation from preclinical human whole blood analysis. These data demonstrate a strong concentration dependent correspondence between EC50s from both the SAD and MAD clinical studies and in vitro human whole blood studies across the 3 stimuli. As expected, similar potency is observed for the ITK pathway, JAK3 and dual stimulation inhibition. Finally, exposures generated from the 5 milligrams to 40 milligrams BID dosing were sufficient to provide meaningful blockade of both pathways. Successful completion of the Phase 1 studies effectively positioned ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight to advance into Phase 2. Speaker 300:11:28The first indication in which ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight will be evaluated is atopic dermatitis. The rationale for which is shown on Slide 15. The dual TCR JAK3 specificity of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight effectively positions it for treatment of atopic dermatitis. The important role of ITK and Th2 cell differentiation and activation, coupled with the efficacy observed with the biologics targeting the Th2 cytokines IL-four and IL-thirteen supports the potential for ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight as an oral alternative to these biologics. Additionally, inhibiting JAK3 should add complementary efficacy through blockade of IL-two and IL-four signaling as evidenced by the efficacy of a number of JAK inhibitors in atopic dermatitis. Speaker 300:12:19The design of the atopic dermatitis study is summarized on Slide 16. This study will be an open label, 12 week, 15 patient study to examine the safety, PK and early signs of efficacy of ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. In addition to the clinical readouts, there will be a heavy emphasis on PD markers of pathways and disease in this study. Moreover, we plan to demonstrate the importance of ITK inhibition as a differentiating feature of our molecule. In summary, as shown on Slide 17, ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight is a potential best in class dual inhibitor of ITK and JAK3. Speaker 300:13:03Non clinical potency, activity, ADME and safety studies supported moving the compound into clinical development. The positive data from the SAD and MAD Phase 1 studies provided clinical support to advance ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight into a proof of concept Phase 2 study in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Aclaris is expanding our efforts in the ITK pathway beyond ATI-two 1,138 with discovery efforts focused on next generation ITK inhibitors. While ITK has been of interest to pharmaceutical companies for over 20 years, it has proven to be a difficult to drug kinase as evidenced by the efforts outlined on Slide 19. The research described on this slide have focused on ATP competitive inhibitors and due to poor biochemical efficiency and pharmaceutical properties, they have not advanced in clinical development. Speaker 300:13:58More recently, covalent inhibitors of ITK have been described with the Corvus CPI-eight eighteen early clinical development. Our next generation efforts are focusing on selective inhibition of ITK and a limiting crossover on JAK kinases as shown on Slide 20. Selective targeting of ITK should provide effective modulation of both Th2 and Th17 cell functions with the potential of treating atopic and Th17 driven diseases as summarized on Slide 21. Human and mouse genetic data as well as pharmacological inhibition strongly supports a role for ITK in T cell biology and pathophysiology. This coupled with the fact that this regulated T cells are involved in a number of immune inflammatory diseases validate selective inhibitors of ITK as an approach to treat a broad range of indications. Speaker 200:14:55Thank you, Joe. I'll now turn it over to Kevin to discuss our financial highlights for the quarter. Speaker 100:15:02Thank you, Neil. We continue to maintain a strong balance sheet with a robust cash balance and 0 outstanding debt. We ended the Q1 with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $161,000,000 which was compared to $182,000,000 at year end. Our cost containment initiatives are on track and progressing nicely. Of our total cash expenditures in the Q1, approximately $14,000,000 was related to non recurring payments, including discontinued research and development programs, severance benefits for individuals impacted by the reduction in force announced in December and payments owed to 3rd parties related to the upfront amount received under the SUN licensing agreement. Speaker 100:15:53Activities associated with discontinued programs and the reduction in force are expected to be substantially completed by the Q2 of 2024. As a result, we expect our cash expenditures on a quarterly basis for the remainder of the year to be significantly reduced when compared with the Q1 without giving effect to any potential business development transactions. We continue to evaluate business development opportunities across our portfolio of assets, which could be a source of non dilutive capital in the near term. With that, I will now turn the call back over to Neil for closing remarks. Speaker 200:16:33Thank you, Kevin. We are pleased to provide you with a portfolio update on our decision to shift to atopic dermatitis as the first proof of concept indication for ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight. As a reminder, we are still in the process of reviewing various strategic options moving forward and look forward to providing additional updates in the near term. Kyle, we would now like to poll for questions. Operator00:16:59Thank you. Speaker 400:17:27And for Operator00:17:27our first question, it comes from the line of Roger Song from Jeff. Speaker 400:17:34Great. Thanks for the update and taking our question. Maybe start with the biology question. So for ITK and JAK3 understanding, you're compared to the pen JAK inhibitor has a lot of the advantages. Just curious, how do you think about those ITK and JAK3 in terms of they're having synergistic or additive effects when you inhibit both for those preclinical models. Speaker 400:18:07Just curious if you see any have you compare just JAK3 or ITK alone kind of in the preclinical model? And then I have a follow-up for the clinical question. Thank you. Speaker 200:18:22Yes. Thank you, Roger. I'll start to Joe and or Wally. But yes, that's one of the attractive things about the molecule and was one of our original hypotheses about it that if we could inhibit the JAK 3 and then layer on maybe the hyper boost with ITK, particularly in an indication like atopic where ITK really targets the Th2 effect, we ought to see a more robust effect there. And so we certainly tested that hypothesis out in preclinical models. Speaker 200:18:58And actually, I know you didn't ask this, but going forward, in this initial proof of concept study, we will endeavor to tease out that differential effect through looking at various pharmacodynamic markers to just definitively prove out the ITK contribution from that molecule. And maybe Joe, if you want to add anything there? Speaker 300:19:22Yes. The only thing I would add is that we have profiled JAK3 more selective inhibitor ritlacitanib versus ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight in the adoptive T cell transfer model of colitis and that equivalent doses and exposures, we did see a boost in anti inflammatory activity with 2,138 compared to ritlacitinib. Speaker 400:19:54Got it. Yes, that makes sense. And compared to JAK3, more selective compound, Maybe that's the ITK component, but curious to see the PD marker in the Phase 2 for sure. And then in terms of the Phase 2a, the plan of Phase 2a, you're selecting the 10 mg PID as a dose, understanding you want to be more capital efficient to test the one dose. Just curious, do you think that dose is the best dose you can tell from the preclinical? Speaker 400:20:28And also what the other potential dose, if that dose sees some signal, but what the other dose potentially you will test in the future clinical trial? And then also for the Phase IIa, any powering for those efficacy? What is the ultimate kind of efficacy goal for the Phase IIa in order to move forward? Thank you. Speaker 200:20:56Yes. So from so it is open label. So our main objective is to show the absolute treatment effect. And I think to be fair in this indication, bar in AD, from an efficacy perspective, in set the bar in AD from an efficacy perspective. And historically, we kind of understand the placebo rate. Speaker 200:21:23And then the second or the first question, Joe, do you want to tackle that one? Speaker 300:21:30Yes. So with regard to the dosing, first of all, we do have the ability to go higher than 10 milligrams BID if we choose to. We identified 10 milligrams BID as our dose in this study based on exposures in the various preclinical disease models that we looked at coupled with the data in with rilacitinib in the clinical exposure that they had. I think with this mechanism, it doesn't seem to be driven by Cmax. It doesn't seem to be driven by C trough. Speaker 300:22:03It more likely is driven by a C average. And at the 10 milligrams BID, we have equivalent potency at Cmax as ritlicitinib does against JAK3, significantly more exposure and potency against ITK as we described. And at C average, we have higher level of inhibition of both ITK and JAK3 at this 10 milligram BID dose. So based on the preclinical model and based on comparison to ritlacitanib, that's how we chose the Speaker 400:22:43dose. Excellent. Yes, that answers all the questions I have now. Speaker 200:22:47Thank you. Thank you, Roju. Operator00:22:51Thank you. And for your next question, it comes from the line of Thomas Smith from Leerink Partners. Please go ahead. Speaker 500:23:07Hey, guys. Good afternoon. Thanks for the updates and thanks for taking our questions. Just on the preclinical data, I appreciate all the models in comparison to rilacitinib. I'm just curious if you've generated any data comparing 2,138 versus upadacitinib and selective JAK1 inhibition preclinically? Speaker 500:23:27And any thoughts on how 2,138 is likely to stack up in an indication like atopic dermatitis versus upadacitinib? Speaker 200:23:40Yes, thanks for that question. I think it's I think the X factor here is the ITK inhibition. And when you look at the literature on ITK inhibition in general, it really skews to inhibiting the Th2 cytokine. So it directly acts on IL-four, IL-five, etcetera. And so we really think that that is going to give the JAK3 side a boost. Speaker 200:24:08Joe, Wally, I'm not aware of direct comparisons between a pure covalent JAK3 versus JAK1 specifically in AD. But I think our hypothesis is when you have a dual mechanism that and we've demonstrated synergy, we ought to have an additive effect. So that would be the goal is to outperform upacitin. Speaker 500:24:39Understood. That's helpful. And just on the Phase IIa trial design, can you talk about the rationale a little bit? I guess specifically the choice of an open label design versus maybe a slightly larger placebo controlled design. It sounds like you have some interesting biomarkers identified that you'd like to take a look at here in terms of signal finding. Speaker 500:25:05But I'm just curious in terms of maybe more definitively teasing out the clinical signal here, the choice of the open label trial design? Speaker 200:25:14Well, I think it's a couple of things. One is that, it's a lot easier these days in a relatively competitive environment to enroll studies that have just an active arm. And when we're looking for signal finding, I think our goal is speed. And this study was a very cost efficient way to get a lot of answers. And I think we know what these molecules and different kind of surrogates can do, like if we just compare, if we look at rilacitinib, upacitinib, all these other drug categories, I think we have a good understanding of what the absolute responder rate needs to be across these measures. Speaker 200:25:58Responder rate needs to be across these measures. And so I think that was the balance here, trying to get data as quickly as we can. And if it works out the way we hope and expect, we would certainly be interested in progressing in a little bit larger AD study, but also importantly looking at some of the indications that ritlositinib has already started to blaze the ground on, looking at vitiligo, looking at alopecia areata. So I think there's a couple of different ways to go post this initial AD study. But I think just to go back to the original premise of your question, I don't think that we lose too much in not having a placebo group. Speaker 200:26:45We enhance the enrollment cadence and we get data quicker, which I think is important for us given where we're at, at the moment. Speaker 500:26:55Got it. That makes sense. And just along those lines, Neil, with respect to Study Start, like I understand we're putting together the protocol and the operational preparations are underway. Do you have an early I guess early sense of when we might be able to expect some top line data from the Phase 2A? Speaker 200:27:16I don't think we're giving guidance just yet, Tom, but it's going to be it's definitely going to be within a year of this call, right? So it's I'll give you that as a back end marker, but we'll give more color on that once we get the first patient in. Speaker 500:27:38Got it. Makes sense. All right, guys. Thanks for taking the questions. Operator00:27:45Thank you. And your next question, it comes from the line of Corrine Johnson from Goldman Sachs. Please go ahead. Speaker 600:27:52Good evening. This is Omari on for Kareem. So I had a couple of questions. One is, are you funded to complete the proof of concept study? And then 2, on strategy, where do you see unmet need in atopic dermatitis? Speaker 200:28:07We're certainly funded to complete the study. This is exceedingly cost efficient study, which was kind of by design. And so we're trying to generate data very quickly. This is in contrast to what we had originally proposed at the tail end of last year, which was a study in UC, which was a lot more expensive, going to take a lot more time. So we have a robust balance sheet. Speaker 200:28:37And as Kevin alluded to in his comments, that balance sheet is not going to change too appreciably through the end of the year. And so we feel very comfortable. It's a very small amount of burn while we continue to review various strategic options. And what sorry, what was the first the second question? Speaker 600:29:01Yes. Where do you see the unmet need in atopic dermatitis? Speaker 200:29:05So kind Speaker 600:29:06of going on our strategy? Speaker 200:29:07Yes, we're at the front end of the atopic market. This is where psoriasis was years ago. We certainly I don't think anybody could claim that we've maxed out efficacy in this space. Obviously, dupilumab is a wildly successful drug. But in 60% of the patients, we aren't even getting clear or near clear by week 16 and then 50% of those patients, get a suboptimal response. Speaker 200:29:33So and that's on the biologic side. On the JAK inhibitor side, we have much better efficacy, but there's still a lot of headroom in this space and what we're trying to do here is tease out the ITK effect. We really think this is a strong mechanistic approach to this category and the competitive landscape in AD is, as you can see by clinicaltrials.gov is still in its infancy. It's continuing to evolve. A lot of people are starting to look at that space because they're we aren't where we're at with psoriasis where we're talking about PASI 100s. Speaker 100:30:14Thanks for answering our questions. Speaker 200:30:33Kyle, is there any other questions in the queue? Speaker 100:30:39Our next question or comment comes from the line of Julian Harrison from BIGTIG. Your line is open. Speaker 700:30:48Hi. Thank you for taking my question and for hosting this call. I got on a few minutes late, so apologies if this has already been covered. But I'm wondering if you can remind us of the scope of your IP portfolio related the use of JAK inhibitors for alopecia and how should we be thinking about that opportunity going forward? Speaker 200:31:07Sure. Thanks, Julian. So, yes, we had a long time ago back in 2015, 2016 or so executed transaction with Columbia securing the rights to the method of use IP around utilizing various JAK inhibitors for the treatment of alopecia areata and actually various other types of alopecia. And thus far to date, we have announced 2 royalty deals. 1 is with Lilly for the use of baricitinib for alopecia areata and the other is with Sun Pharma who had acquired Concert, which had a deuterated ruxolitinib and that was also executed late last year. Speaker 200:31:56And so those are the 2 current molecules that we have granted access to utilizing our IP. So we think it's a very valuable estate. Clearly, we've done 2 deals and we'll constantly be looking at ways to enhance the value of that portfolio. Speaker 700:32:21Thank you. Speaker 100:32:25Thank you. Our next question or comment comes from the line of Alex Thompson from Stifel. Mr. Thompson, your line is now open. Speaker 300:32:35Hi, Alex. I guess if you could just talk a little bit more about how this drug differs from the Pfizer compound. And then is there any case for differentiation on the black box warning? Do you guys still expect a black box warning? Thanks. Speaker 200:32:52Sure. Thanks, Alex. I mean, I think until you get through an actual NDA approval process and have those dialogues and whenever you're tickling a jack at this stage, you always have to think about. So in thinking that you'll have a black box. But I do think a lot of the black box warnings, if you look at all of the different JAK inhibitors out there, they're all slightly different. Speaker 200:33:15RINVOX is different than tofacitinib, etcetera. So I think data will drive some of that. And maybe, Joe, you can handle the question about what are the key differentiating features between our drug and irkacitinib? Speaker 300:33:32Yes. I mean, they're both inhibitors that target a similar cysteine residue and they both are potent inhibitors of FACT3. The key differentiation, the way we see it is that rituxitinib has, while it does hit kinases, it's significantly more potent on JAK3 than any type kinase including ITK. And in contrast, ATI-two thousand one hundred and thirty eight, depending on which readout you use, is very similar potency with Tractory ITK. And if the clinical exposures and doses that we plan to use and have used and what ritlafitinib is using, I think it's pretty clear that we will have exposures that similarly block ICK and JAK3 significantly, whereas ritlacitinib is more of a JAK3 biased drug with little impact on ITK at the clinical dose and exposure. Speaker 600:34:33Got it. Thank you. Operator00:34:48Thank you. And one moment for your next question. And for your next question, it comes from the line of Gavin Clark Gartner from Evercore ISI. Please go ahead. Speaker 800:35:05Hey, thanks for taking the question. Apart from the Black Box side of things, I'm just wondering how you believe that providers will view the safety profile relative to the other JAK1s. And specifically, I'm wondering if there are any learnings from the alopecia or even rheumatoid arthritis space that may give some early hints into how they may view this? Thanks. Speaker 200:35:28Yes. Thanks, Gavin. It's a good question because I think on the face you look at it and say, well, it's a black box. And then I mean, I could tell you having practice, oftentimes it's more of a chore for the physician to explain the laundry list of things that could happen. However, I would say that in talking to various colleagues over the last couple of years, I really don't think and I think this is reflected in their sales, I really don't think it's been that big of a hindrance once you explain the issues. Speaker 200:36:03And at the end of the day, patients want their disease to be better. And we know that there really hasn't been much tail off at all. In fact, baricitinib has been growing in alopecia areata. You've seen nice growth with RINVOC atopic dermatitis and there's a reason it provides order of magnitude benefit over biologics for sure. So I think at the end of the day when patients want relief and they know they're going to get it very quickly rather than perhaps waiting 16 weeks for a biologic to kind of take get to max effect, that's important. Speaker 800:36:51Got it. Thanks, Neil. Operator00:36:58I'm showing no further questions at this time. I would now like to turn the conference back to Neil Walker for closing remarks. Speaker 200:37:07Well, thanks everybody for joining our call today. We're excited to provide additional updates in the coming months and appreciate your time. Thank you. Operator00:37:17This concludes today's conference call. 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