Laurent Levy
Analyst · Jefferies. Please ask your question
Thank you, Kate. I would like to welcome everyone participating via conference call and webcast today. As Kate mentioned, we issued a press release yesterday, not only highlighting the company’s first quarter operating activities, but also identifying some of the key changes taking place at Nanobiotix. Before we open the call for Q&A, I would like to take a moment both to touch on our progress and outline how we plan to move forward to optimize our operational activities to advance the development of NBTXR3 and drive shareholder value in the near and long-term. Our strategy has been focused on three key development priorities. One, securing initial U.S. approval of NBTXR3 as a treatment for locally advanced head and neck cancer. Two, developing NBTXR3 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy as a treatment for advanced cancer and foundation for immunotherapy treatment. And three, leveraging our strategy collaborations to advance and expand the potential profile of NBTXR3 in additional cancer indication, both as a single agent and combination therapy. Our fundamental strategy remain unchanged. And during the first quarter of 2022, we’ve made significant progress toward this goal. The most significant milestone was of course the randomization of the first patient in our pivotal Phase 3 trial in head and neck cancer. This achievement reflects the extraordinary commitment, dedication and hard work of the entire Nanobiotix team and the tremendous support of investigator and patients. While there is a considerable work ahead will remain driven by our belief in the potential benefit of NBTXR3, and look forward to continuing our efforts to secure approval and fulfill a critical need for patients. The second truly significant advancement during the first quarter relates to our immuno-oncology combination program. This program has been exciting from the start and the data from the ongoing Study 1100 evaluating NBTXR3 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy has suggested NBTXR3 maybe a potent immunostimulant capable, not only of financing response to anti-PD-1 treatment for those that already benefit from treatment, but also overcoming primary and secondary resistant to anti-PD-1 treatment for many more that do not. The data generated by this program combined with the potentially transformative benefit for patient has increased our sense of urgency to identify and appropriate and expedient path to market. In particular, we believe that given the historically low overall response rate to anti-PD-1 treatment and the significant number of patient that demonstrates either a primary or secondary resistant to therapy, pursuing a registration program, targeting patient with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer will have developed primary or secondary resistant to anti-PD-1 therapy I receive the area of high as unmet medical need. And last year, we initiated a dialup with FDA regarding a potential registration program in this indication. While we have not yet submitted a full protocol for FDA review, we have received preliminary written command from the agency suggesting that a single control trial, including a pre-specified comparative analysis on overall response rate may be suitable to support accelerated approval with verification of clinical benefit based on overall survival results from the same trial. Given the consistently eye overall response rate, we have seen across our clinical trial, including Study 1100 in which only one patient has experienced progressive disease following administration of our product in combination with pembro or nivo. We are encouraged by the opportunity this could represent to accelerate development of NBTXR3 in combination with IO. And define an attractive path to registration in an area of significant unmet need. Although, the next several months we will be working to develop a final protocol informed by the data generated from our ongoing study and in line with the guidance received to date. We currently expect to submit this protocol to the FDA for review early next year. Finally, in addition to this advancement in our single agent and combination program or partners, MD Anderson continue to advance their research and reported the first case study on safety and feasibility of NBTXR3 in pancreatic cancer. As we all know, pancreatic cancer continues to be a devastating and incredibly challenging disease to treat. And we are encouraged by the success of this program so far, and really look forward to the completion of this dose escalations study later this year. As each of these accomplishment suggests Nanobiotix has made substantial progress against its fundamental strategic goal and has a clear line of sight to multiple significant potential value driver for the business. However, as each of us know the pressure of the biotech sector agreements and prolonged volatility in the financial market are appear likely. While the current condition of the capital market do not change our fundamental value proposition, they do require us to apply the same innovative thinking to our corporate finance and development strategy as we have applied to the creation of NBTXR3. In this regard, we are exploiting the interim flexibility of our pipeline and adapting our current development plans to maintain targeted research effort, focus on the continued execution of our ongoing pivotal Phase 3 study in locally advanced head and neck cancer. Along with the continuation of our IO combination Study 1100 and the development of the registration path from IO combination therapy. Having validated the novel physical mechanism of action of NBTXR3 and produce a portfolio of preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the potential safety, feasibility and efficacy across multiple indication and therapeutic combination. We are well-positioned to focus our effort on building an initial franchise focused on the treatment of head and neck cancer. With the confidence that this results achieve will build a solid foundation for future expansion. In prioritizing late stage program and strategy collaboration, the company plans to deprioritized direct funding in several areas, including modifying or postponing additional company sponsor clinical trial that are not required to advance our priority pathway. This include delaying post marketing study previously planned to support our CE mark in soft tissue sarcoma as well as modifying the protocol from Study 102 to allow for reduction in post treatment follow up from 24 months to 12 months. Adjustment to Study 102 will meaningfully reduce cost associated with the study without materially impacting the value generated by this program. As you will recall, Study 102 is fully enrolled and all the patients have completed treatment. In fact, most of the patients will have reached the 24 months follow-up at the time where we’ll stop the trial. Based on this modification, we expect to provide top line data from Study 102 in mid-2023. In prior to changes – in our clinical program, we will be reducing ongoing and previously planned for clinical research, including development, activities related to the company’s subsidiary, Curadigm. In addition to the cost setting afforded by the plan reduction in near-term clinical and preclinical activity, these changes also allow us to make corresponding adjustment to our manufacturing activities and leverage our existing clinical supplies to support our ongoing program and further reduce our near-term expenses. Finally, two years of operating in a pandemic are change all of us do business and Nanobiotix is no exception. We have take quickly to adjust operational infrastructure to accommodate remote work and promote connectivity across a global footprint. At this time, we can further leverage that efficiency and innovation by reducing satellite office facilities to generate further savings, while retaining our primary offices and manufacturing facilities in Paris. In addition to a plan reduction of physical footprint and in light of plan adjustment our development program, we are denying any expansion of our team until operational needs and circumstances were end. I would now like to turn the call over to Bart, who will address additional measures we are taking to extend or run away and strengthen our financial flexibility. Bart?