Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc (LXRX) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Advances and ...

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Fri, Mar 7, 2025, 12:17 AM 5 min read

Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments: $238 million as of December 31, 2024, compared to $170 million as of December 30, 2023.
Revenue: $26.6 million in Q4 2024 and $31.1 million for the full year 2024.
MEA Revenue: $1.7 million in Q4 2024 and $6 million for the full year 2024.
Upfront Payment: $25 million received from the Vatrice licensing agreement.
Research and Development Expenses: $26.7 million in Q4 2024, up from $14.8 million in Q4 2023; $84.5 million for the full year 2024.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses: $32.3 million in Q4 2024, comparable to $32.6 million in Q4 2023; $143.1 million for the full year 2024, up from $114 million in 2023.
Net Loss: $33.8 million or $0.09 per share in Q4 2024, compared to $49.8 million or $0.20 per share in Q4 2023; $200.4 million or $0.32 per share for the full year 2024, compared to $177.1 million or $0.80 per share in 2023.
2025 Operating Expenses Guidance: Expected to be in the range of $135 million to $145 million.
2025 Research and Development Expenses Guidance: Expected to be in the range of $100 million to $105 million.
2025 G&A Expenses Guidance: Expected to be in the range of $35 million to $40 million.

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 3 Warning Signs with LXRX.

Release Date: March 06, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:LXRX) reported a significant increase in cash equivalents and short-term investments, ending 2024 with $238 million compared to $170 million in 2023.
The company achieved early completion of enrollment for the Progress Phase 2B study of Pelliappodin, showing promising results in diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP).
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:LXRX) made substantial progress in the pivotal Phase 3 Sonata HCM study of cytogaflozin for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), with patient enrollment proceeding as planned.
The company entered a significant licensing agreement with Viris for the commercialization of Sotolozen outside the US and Europe, enhancing its business development efforts.
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:LXRX) demonstrated strong financial performance with a reported revenue of $26.6 million in the fourth quarter and $31.1 million for the full year 2024, including a $25 million upfront payment from the Vatrice licensing agreement.

Negative Points

Research and development expenses increased significantly to $26.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 from $14.8 million in the same period of 2023, reflecting higher investments in clinical trials.
The company reported a net loss of $33.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, although this was an improvement from the $49.8 million loss in the corresponding period of 2023.
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:LXRX) ceased all promotional efforts for MEPA in the US due to a challenging market access environment dominated by major SGLT2 inhibitors.
Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased to $143.1 million for the full year 2024, up from $114 million in 2023, driven by higher marketing costs and employee-related expenses.
The company faces potential challenges in the commercialization of its therapies, particularly in the US market, where it plans to navigate a different payer situation for HCM compared to heart failure.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Can you provide details on the clinical development plan for LX 9,851, particularly regarding its use as a monotherapy or in combination with other drugs? A: Craig Granowitz, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, explained that LX 9,851 is being developed both as a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies. It can be used alone or after discontinuation of a GLP-1 agonist. The phase one program will focus on weight loss efficacy, tolerability, and mechanistic differentiation from GLP-1 mechanisms. Michael Exton, CEO, added that they are open to partnerships to maximize the potential of LX 9,851.

Q: How is enrollment progressing for the Sonata HCM study, and when do you expect to complete it? A: Craig Granowitz stated that enrollment is progressing well, with sites open in the US and internationally. They aim to enroll about 500 patients and expect to have final study results by the end of 2026, with an FDA filing in early 2027.

Q: What are the next steps for Pillovapidin following the phase 2B study results? A: Michael Exton mentioned that they plan to have an end-of-phase-two meeting with the FDA in the second half of the year and aim to start phase 3 trials by the end of 2025. The 10 mg dose showed promising results, and they are confident in its potential for phase 3.

Q: Could the recent phase 2B study for Pillovapidin be considered a pivotal trial? A: Craig Granowitz noted that while it could be considered supportive, their base assumption is not to count it as pivotal. They plan to conduct two pivotal phase 3 trials, each with 300-400 patients, powered similarly to the current trials.

Q: What are your commercialization plans for Cytoflozin in HCM, especially in different regions? A: Michael Exton explained that outside the US and Europe, commercialization is licensed to Viatris. In Europe, they seek a partner, while in the US, they plan to commercialize it themselves, leveraging the unique position of Cytoflozin as the first SGLT inhibitor for HCM.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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