Exhibit 99.1
KALA BIO Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update
-- Enrollment ongoing in CHASE Phase 2b clinical trial of KPI-012 for PCED; topline data expected in 2H 2024 –
-- As of September 30, 2023, $56.1 million in cash and cash equivalents; together with anticipated remaining funding from CIRM award, expected to fund operations into 2Q 2025 --
ARLINGTON, Mass., November 13, 2023 – KALA BIO, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research and development of innovative therapies for rare and severe diseases of the eye, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023 and provided a corporate update.
“We continue to execute diligently against our corporate priorities. We are actively enrolling patients in our CHASE Phase 2b trial of KPI-012 for PCED and are targeting topline safety and efficacy data in the second half of 2024,” said Mark Iwicki, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of KALA BIO. “In parallel, we are advancing our MSC-S pipeline, exploring opportunities to expand KPI-012 into additional corneal indications and evaluating KPI-014 preclinically for inherited retinal degenerative diseases and other back-of-the-eye applications. We look forward to furthering these efforts, as we aim to maximize the potential of our cell-free, regenerative approach to treating rare and severe ocular surface and retinal diseases.”
Third Quarter and Recent Business Highlights:
Development-Stage Pipeline:
KPI-012 is a mesenchymal stem cell secretome (MSC-S), which combines growth factors, protease inhibitors, matrix proteins and neurotrophic factors to potentially correct the impaired corneal healing that is an underlying etiology of multiple severe ocular diseases. KALA believes the multifactorial mechanism of action of its MSC-S program makes it a platform technology and is evaluating the potential development of this technology for multiple rare, front- and back-of-the-eye diseases.
● | CHASE Phase 2b Clinical Trial. KALA is actively enrolling patients in the primary safety and efficacy portion of the CHASE (Corneal Healing After SEcretome therapy) Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating KPI-012 for the treatment of Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defect (PCED), a persistent, non-healing corneal defect or wound that is refractory to conventional treatments which, if left untreated, can lead to significant infection, corneal perforation/scarring and vision loss. KALA is targeting to announce topline data in the second half of 2024. If the results are positive, and subject to discussion with regulatory authorities, KALA believes the CHASE Phase 2b trial could serve as the first of two pivotal trials to support the submission of a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for KPI-012. |
● | KPI-012 Pipeline. KALA is evaluating the potential development of KPI-012 for additional rare, front-of-the-eye diseases, such as Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency and other corneal diseases that threaten vision. |
● | KPI-014 Pre-Clinical Program. KALA has also initiated preclinical studies for its KPI-014 program, evaluating the utility of its MSC-S platform for inherited retinal degenerative diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Stargardt Disease. |
Financial Results:
Cash Position: As of September 30, 2023, KALA had cash and cash equivalents of $56.1 million, compared to $70.5 million as of December 31, 2022. This decrease reflects cash used in operations and a $2.5 million milestone payment to the former Combangio, Inc. (Combangio) shareholders following the dosing of the first patient in the CHASE trial, as well as a prepayment of approximately $10.0 million in principal and fees under KALA’s loan agreement, partially offset by net proceeds of $18.0 million raised under KALA’s at-the-market offering program. Based on its current plans, KALA anticipates that its cash resources as of September 30, 2023, together with anticipated remaining funding under the CIRM award, will enable it to fund operations into the second quarter of 2025.