Knight Therapeutics Reports First Quarter 2021 Results


MONTREAL, May 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Knight Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: GUD) ("Knight" or “the Company”), a leading pan-American (ex-US) specialty pharmaceutical company, today reported financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2021. All currency amounts are in thousands except for share and per share amounts. All currencies are Canadian unless otherwise specified.

Q1 2021 Highlights

Financials

  • Revenues were $46,069, an increase of $230 or 1% over prior year.
  • Gross margin generated of $20,580 or 45% compared to $19,860 or 43% in prior year.
  • Adjusted EBITDA1 was $5,580, an increase of $2,383 or 75% over prior year.
  • Interest income generated of $1,998 a decrease of $2,651 or 57% over prior year.
  • Net income was $3,558 compared to net loss of $9,477 in prior year.
  • Cash inflow from operations was $17,207 compared to cash outflow of $21,167 in prior year.

Corporate Developments

  • Promoted Amal Khouri to Chief Business Officer.
  • Purchased 3,557,340 common shares through a Normal Course Issuer Bid (“NCIB”) for an average cost of $18,592.

Products        

  • Launched Ibsrela™ in Canada for the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation ("IBS-C").

Strategic Investments

  • Disposed of 315,600 common shares of Medexus for total proceeds of $2,624.
  • Received distributions of $4,336 from strategic fund investments and realized a gain of $3,031.

Key Subsequent Events

  • Entered into a definitive agreement with Novartis to acquire the exclusive rights to manufacture, market and sell Exelon® in Canada and LATAM for an upfront payment of USD 168,000 ($211,2602) and a milestone payment of up to USD 12,000 ($15,0902).
  • Shareholders re-elected James C. Gale, Jonathan Ross Goodman, Samira Sakhia, Robert N. Lande, Michael J. Tremblay, Nicolás Sujoy and Janice Murray on the Board of Directors.
  • Announced leadership change with Samira Sakhia assuming role of CEO and Jonathan Goodman assuming role of Executive Chairman effective September 1, 2021.
  • Purchased 512,271 common shares through its NCIB for an aggregate cost of $2,695.

“We are continuing to execute on multiple fronts. I am excited to report that our key launch brands in Latin America, including Cresemba®, Halaven®, Lenvima®, Trelstar® and Nerlynx® in Canada grew 116% compared to the prior year quarter.   We continue to progress on our integration activities and have commenced implementation of our ERP, CRM and HR and learning management systems. On the business development front, we executed on another transformational transaction with the acquisition of Exelon® from Novartis for Canada and Latin America, said Samira Sakhia, President and Chief Operating Officer of Knight Therapeutics Inc. “I am humbled and honored to be leading talented Knights in Canada and across Latin America as we continue to execute on our strategy of acquiring, in-licensing and developing innovative medicines and high quality treatments for Latin America and Canada.”

1
Adjusted EBITDA is not defined terms under IFRS, refer to the definitions below for additional details.
2Converted to CAD using the closing foreign exchange rate, actual amount in CAD will vary depending on the exchange rate on the close of the transaction


SELECT FINANCIAL RESULTS & BALANCE SHEET ITEMS

[In thousands of Canadian dollars]

   Change
 Q1-21  Q1-20  $1%2
     
Revenues46,069  45,839 230 1%
Gross margin 20,580  19,860 720 4%
Selling and marketing 7,613  10,114  2,501 25%
General and administrative 7,082  8,418  1,336 16%
Research and development 2,818  2,749  (69)3%
Amortization of intangible assets 5,302  6,039  737 12%
Operating loss (2,235)(7,460)5,225 70%
Interest income(1,998)(4,649)(2,651)57%
Interest expense 660  1,147 487 42%
Foreign exchange loss4,201  4,907 706 14%
Net income (loss)3,558  (9,477)13,035 N/A
Basic net earnings (loss) per share0.028  (0.013)0.041 N/A
Adjusted EBITDA35,580 3,197 2,383 75%
     
1 A positive variance represents a positive impact to net income (loss) and a negative variance represents a negative impact to net income (loss)
2 Percentage change is presented in absolute values
3 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure, refer to section “Non-IFRS measure: EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA” for additional details


   Change
 03-31-2112-31-20$  %1
     
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities382,381392,225(9,844)3%
Trade and other receivables              104,310               116,510(12,200)10%
Inventory              55,044               56,505(1,461)3%
Financial assets193,922               193,955(33)0%
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities45,69344,828865 2%
Bank loans38,19251,770(13,578)26%
1 Percentage change is presented in absolute values

Revenue: For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, revenues increased by $230 or 1% as a result of an increase in sales from new product launches, partially offset by the depreciation in the LATAM currencies. Excluding the impact of hyperinflation and under constant currency, revenues would have increased by $4,123, which is mainly attributable to the launch of Cresemba®, Lenvima®, Halaven®, Nerlynx® and certain BGx products as well as Trelstar®, which Knight began commercializing in April 2020.

Gross margin: For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, the gross margin increased from 43% to 45% compared to the same period in the prior year due to lower inventory provision and product mix, partially offset by re-negotiation of certain license agreements and the depreciation of the LATAM currencies. The gross margin would have been 47%, an increase of 2%, from 45% after excluding the adjustment of hyperinflation accounting in accordance with IAS 29.

Selling and marketing: The decrease of $2,501 or 25% for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 compared to the same period in the prior year is due to $1,133 of expected credit loss that was recorded in Q1 20 compared to none in Q1 21 and $783 due to the depreciation of the LATAM currencies.

General and administrative: For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, the general and administrative expenses decreased by $1,336 or 16% as compared to the same period in prior year driven by $671 in savings due to restructuring activities and $789 due to the depreciation of the LATAM currencies.

Amortization of intangible assets: For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, amortization of intangible assets decreased by $737, or 12%, mainly explained by the depreciation in the LATAM currencies partially offset by the amortization of intangible assets acquired during 2020.

Interest income: Interest income is the sum of interest income on financial instruments measured at amortized cost and other interest income. For the quarter, interest income was $1,998, a decrease of 57% or $2,651 compared to the same prior year period due to a decrease in interest rates, the average cash and marketable securities balances and a lower average loan balance.

Interest expense: The interest expense relates to interest incurred on bank loans. For the quarter ended March 31, 2021 interest expenses was $660, a decrease of $487 or 42% compared to the same period in the prior year due to decrease in the average loan balance outstanding.

Adjusted EBITDA: For the three-month period ended March 31, 2021, adjusted EBITDA was $5,580, an increase of $2,383 or 75% compared to the same period last year. The variance is explained by the above mentioned increase in gross margin and decrease in operating expenses.

Net income or loss: For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, net income was $3,558 compared to a net loss of $9,477 for the same period last year. The variance mainly resulted from the above-mentioned items as well as a net gain on the revaluation of financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss of $9,473 in the first quarter of 2021 versus a loss of $6,730 in the prior year period.

Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities: As at March 31, 2021, Knight had $382,381 in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, a decrease of $9,844 or 3% as compared to December 31, 2020. The variance is primarily due to cash outflows related to the shares repurchased through NCIB, the bank loans repaid by Knight offset by cash generated from operating activities.

Financial assets: There is no significant variance for financial assets. However, given the nature of the fund investments there could be significant fluctuations in the fair value of the underlying assets. More specifically, an investment held within Sectoral Asset Management (“Sectoral”) fund, Atea Pharmaceutics Inc (“Atea”), announced in October 2020, the closing of its initial public offering at a public offering price of USD 24 per share. The shares held by Sectoral are subject to a 180-day lockup period. As at March 31, 2021, Atea’s share price closed at USD 61.75 compared to USD 41.78 as at December 31, 2020. As at May 12, 2021, Atea’s share price closed at USD 19.74 Should the share price of Atea remain at this level, the Company would record a loss of approximately $15.2M.

Bank Loans: As at March 31, 2021, bank loans were at $38,192, a decrease of $13,578 as compared to the prior period, mainly due to loan repayment of $8,848 and a further decrease of $4,854 due to the foreign exchange revaluation.

Product Updates

On March 1, 2021 the Company launched Ibsrela™ (tenapenor) for the treatment of IBS-C. The Company entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Ardelyx to commercialize Ibsrela™ in Canada in March 2018. Ibsrela™ is a first-in-class small molecule treatment for IBS-C. Ardelyx received regulatory approval for Ibsrela™ from the US FDA in September 2019. On April 17, 2020, the Company announced that Ibsrela™ was approved by Health Canada.

On April 23, 2021, the Company announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the exclusive rights to manufacture, market and sell Exelon®, indicated for the symptomatic treatment of mild to moderately severe dementia in people with Alzheimer's disease, in Canada and Latin America (“Territory”). In addition, the Company obtained an exclusive license to use the intellectual property and the Exelon trademark in the Territory. At closing, Knight will pay USD 168,000 ($211,2601) in cash and may pay up to USD 12,000 ($15,0901) upon the achievement of certain conditions. For the year ended December 31, 2020, Exelon® sales in the Territory were approximately USD 47,000.

The closing of this transaction is subject to the completion of the anti-trust clearance process in Brazil. In conjunction with closing, Knight will enter into a transition service agreement until transfer of marketing authorization, on a country by country basis during which Knight will receive a net profit transfer. Knight will begin distributing Exelon upon transfer of marketing authorization, on a country by country basis.

NCIB

On July 10, 2020, the Company announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange approved its notice of intention to launch an additional NCIB (‘2020 NCIB”). Under the terms of the 2020 NCIB, Knight may purchase for cancellation up to 10,856,710 common shares of the Company which represented 10% of its public float as at July 6, 2020. The 2020 NCIB commenced on July 14, 2020 and will end on the earlier of July 13, 2021 or when the Company completes its maximum purchases under the 2020 NCIB. Furthermore, Knight entered into an agreement with a broker to facilitate purchases of its common shares under the 2020 NCIB. Under Knight’s automatic share purchase plan, the broker may purchase common shares which would ordinarily not be permitted due to regulatory restrictions or self-imposed blackout periods. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2021, the Company purchased 3,557,340 common shares, for an aggregate cash consideration of $18,592, of which $44 remains to be settled as at March 31, 2021. Subsequent to the quarter, the Company purchased an additional 512,271 common shares, for an aggregate cash consideration of $2,695.

1 Converted using the March 31, 2021 closing foreign exchange rate, actual amount in CAD will vary depending on the exchange rate on the close of the transaction.


Conference Call Notice 

Knight will host a conference call and audio webcast to discuss its first quarter results today at 8:30 am ET. Knight cordially invites all interested parties to participate in this call.

Date: Friday, May 14, 2021
Time: 8:30 a.m. ET
Telephone: : Toll Free 888-506-0062 or International 973-528-001
Webcast: www.gud-knight.com or Webcast
This is a listen-only audio webcast. Media Player is required to listen to the broadcast.

Replay: An archived replay will be available for 30 days at www.gud-knight.com


About Knight Therapeutics Inc. 

Knight Therapeutics Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Canada, is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring or in-licensing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products for Canada and Latin America. Knight owns Biotoscana Investments S.A., a pan-Latin American specialty pharmaceutical company. Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s shares trade on TSX under the symbol GUD. For more information about Knight Therapeutics Inc., please visit the company's web site at www.gud-knight.com or www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This document contains forward-looking statements for Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries. These forward-looking statements, by their nature, necessarily involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Knight Therapeutics Inc. considers the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable at the time they were prepared but cautions the reader that these assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries, may ultimately prove to be incorrect. Factors and risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations are discussed in Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s Annual Report and in Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2020 as filed on www.sedar.com. Knight Therapeutics Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events, except as required by law.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Investor Contact: 
Knight Therapeutics Inc. 
Samira SakhiaArvind Utchanah
President & Chief Operating OfficerChief Financial Officer
T: 514.484.4483 ext.122T. 514.484.4483 ext. 115
F: 514.481.4116F. 514.481.4116
Email: info@knighttx.comEmail: info@knighttx.com
Website: www.gud-knight.comWebsite: www.gud-knight.com



IMPACT OF HYPERINFLATION

[In thousands of Canadian dollars]

The Company applies IAS 29, Financial Reporting in Hyperinflation Economies, as the Company's Argentine subsidiaries used the Argentine Peso as their functional currency. IAS 29 requires that the financial statements of an entity whose functional currency is the currency of a hyperinflationary economy be adjusted based on an appropriate general price index to express the effects of inflation. If the Company did not apply IAS 29, the effect on the Company's operating income would be as follows:

Q1-21

 Reported
under IFRS 

 Excluding impact
of IAS 29

 Variance
$1 %2
     
Revenues46,069 46,082  (13)0%
Cost of goods sold25,489 24,376  (1,113)5%
Gross margin20,580 21,706  (1,126)5%
Gross margin (%)45% 47%   
     
Expenses    
Selling and marketing7,613 7,614  1  0%
General and administrative7,082 6,874  (208)3%
Research and development2,818 2,770  (48)2%
Amortization of intangible assets5,302 5,086  (216)4%
Operating loss(2,235) (638) (1,597)250%
A positive variance represents a positive impact to net income due to the application of IAS 29 and a negative variance represents a negative impact to net income due to the application of IAS 29
2 Percentage change is presented in absolute values



CONSTANT CURRENCY

[In thousands of Canadian dollars]

Financial results at constant currency allow results to be viewed without the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates thereby facilitating the comparison of results period over period. The presentation of results under constant currency is considered to be a non-GAPP measure and does not have any standardized meaning under GAAP. As a result, the information presented may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

Financial results at constant currency are obtained by translating the prior period results at the average foreign exchange rates in effect during the current period. Furthermore, with respect to Argentina, for both Q1-20 and Q1-21, the Company excludes the impact of hyperinflation and translates the results at the average exchange rate in effect for each of the periods.

 Q1-21Q1-20 VarianceQ1-20 Impact of FX on 2020
Excluding impact of IAS 29
 Constant
Currency
 $1
 %2 $1 %2
        
Revenues46,082 41,959 4,123 10%45,488 (3,529)8%
Cost of goods sold24,376 22,045 (2,331)11%25,015 2,970 12%
Gross margin21,706 19,914 1,792 9%20,473 (559)3%
Gross margin (%)47% 47%   45%   
        
Expenses       
Selling and marketing7,614 9,250 1,636 18%9,988 738 7%
General and administrative6,874 7,545 671 9%8,334 789 9%
Research and development2,770 2,632 (138)5%2,721 89 3%
Amortization of intangible assets5,086 5,112 26 1%5,559 447 8%
Operating loss (638) (4,625)3,987 86%(6,129)1,504 25%
EBITDA5,160 1,018  4,142 407%1,217 (199)16%
Adjusted EBITDA5,580  2,395  3,185 133%3,197 (802)25%
1 A positive variance represents a positive impact to net income and a negative variance represents a negative impact to net income
Percentage change is presented in absolute values


RECONCILIATION TO ADJUSTED EBITDA
[In thousands of Canadian dollars]

Non-IFRS measures: EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

The Company discloses non-IFRS measures that do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. The Company believes that shareholders, investment analysts and other readers find such measures helpful in understanding the Company’s financial performance and in interpreting the effect of the GBT Transaction on the Company. Non-IFRS financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not have been calculated in the same way as similarly named financial measures presented by other companies.

The Company uses the following non-IFRS measures:

EBITDA: Operating loss adjusted to exclude amortization and impairment of intangible assets, depreciation, PPA accounting adjustments, and the impact of IAS 29 (accounting under hyperinflation) but to include costs related to leases. In addition, EBITDA does not reflect the portion of GBT’s results attributable to the non-controlling interests.

Adjusted EBITDA: EBITDA adjusted for acquisition costs and non-recurring expenses.

Adjustments include the following:

  • With the adoption of IFRS 16, the lease payments of Knight are not reflected in operating expenses. The IFRS 16 adjustment approximates the cash outflow related to leases of Knight.
  • Acquisition costs relate to costs incurred on legal, consulting and advisory fees for the acquisition of GBT and products.
  • Other non-recurring expenses relate to expenses incurred by Knight that are not due to, and are not expected to occur in, the ordinary course of business. For the quarter ended March 31, 2021, Knight recorded one-time costs of $70 related to restructuring activities including severance to certain employees as part of restructuring and integration of GBT.

For the three-month period ended March 31, the Company calculated EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA as follows:

 Q1-21 Q1-20 
Operating loss (2,235)(7,460)
Adjustments to operating loss:  
Amortization of intangible assets5,302 6,039 
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment and ROU assets1,406 1,724 
Lease costs (IFRS 16 adjustment)(694)(834)
Impact of PPA accounting 632 
Impact of IAS 291,381 1,116 
EBITDA5,160 1,217 
Acquisition and transaction costs350 216 
Other non-recurring expenses70 1,764 
Adjusted EBITDA5,580 3,197 



INTERIM CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

[In thousands of Canadian dollars]
[Unaudited]



As at
  
March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
   
ASSETS  
Current  
Cash and cash equivalents 271,218 229,592
Marketable securities 111,163 147,316
Trade receivables 52,682 62,515
Other receivables 10,046 12,413
Inventories 55,044 56,505
Prepaids and deposits 2,007 2,214
Other current financial assets 40,069 34,431
Income taxes receivable 7,855 7,115
Total current assets 550,084 552,101
   
Marketable securities— 15,317
Prepaids and deposits 2,875 4,208
Right-of-use assets 3,623 4,035
Property, plant and equipment 22,476 22,127
Investment properties 1,414 1,539
Intangible assets 146,227 156,547
Goodwill 74,091 77,725
Other financial assets 153,853 159,524
Deferred income tax assets 2,137 2,432
Other long-term receivables 41,582 41,582
  448,278 485,036
Assets held for sale 2,433 2,539
Total assets 1,000,795 1,039,676

 



INTERIM CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (continued)

[In thousands of Canadian dollars]
[Unaudited]

 March 31, 2021 December 31, 2020 
   
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY  
Current  
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 45,385  44,512 
Lease liabilities 1,530  1,875 
Other liabilities 1,768  1,291 
Automatic share purchase plan liability 31,272   
Bank loans 38,192  51,770 
Income taxes payable 14,390  13,559 
Other balances payable 3,408  1,053 
Total current liabilities 135,945  114,060 
   
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 308  316 
Lease liabilities 2,174  2,543 
Other balances payable 12,687  14,900 
Deferred income tax liabilities 20,206  21,616 
Total liabilities 171,320 153,435 
   
Shareholders’ Equity  
Share capital 641,461  694,351 
Warrants 117  117 
Contributed surplus 19,242  18,731 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (12,552)(1,503)
Retained earnings 181,207  174,545 
Total shareholders’ equity 829,475  886,241 
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity 1,000,795  1,039,676 



INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (LOSS)

[In thousands of Canadian dollars, except for share and per share amounts]
[Unaudited]

 Three months ended March 31,
 
 2021 2020 
   
Revenues46,069 45,839 
Cost of goods sold 25,489 25,979 
Gross margin 20,580 19,860 
   
Expenses  
Selling and marketing 7,613 10,114 
General and administrative 7,082 8,418 
Research and development 2,818 2,749 
Amortization of intangible assets 5,302 6,039 
Operating loss (2,235)(7,460)
   
Interest income on financial instruments measured at amortized cost (886)(3,383)
Other interest income (1,112)(1,266)
Interest expense 660 1,147 
Other income (112)(25)
Net (gain) loss on financial instruments measured at fair value through profit or loss (9,473)6,730 
Net loss on mandatory tender offer liability 487 
Realized gain on sale of asset held for sale (2,948)
Realized gain on automatic share purchase plan (2,869)
Foreign exchange loss 4,201 4,907 
Loss on hyperinflation             60 277 
Income (loss) before income taxes           4,427 (10,517)
   
Income tax   
Current648 3,001 
Deferred            221 (4,041)
Income tax expense (recovery)            869 (1,040)
Net income (loss) for the period           3,558 (9,477)
   
Attributable to:  
Shareholders of the Company 3,558 (1,709)
Non-controlling interests (7,768)
   
Attributable to shareholders of the Company  
Basic earnings (loss) per share0.03 (0.01)
Diluted earnings (loss) per share0.03 (0.01)
   
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding  
Basic128,841,383 135,144,152 
Diluted128,843,728 135,436,500 




INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

[In thousands of Canadian dollars]
[Unaudited]

 Three months ended March 31,
 
 2021 2020  
OPERATING ACTIVITIES  
Net income (loss) for the period3,558 (9,477)
Adjustments reconciling net income to operating cash flows:  
Depreciation and amortization6,708 7,763 
Net (gain) loss on financial instruments(9,473)6,730 
Unrealized foreign exchange loss4,657 4,907 
Other operating activities1,452 (8,457)
 6,902 1,466 
Changes in non-cash working capital and other items10,628 (22,472)
Interest payments on bank loans(323)(161)
Cash inflow (outflow) from operating activities17,207 (21,167)
   
INVESTING ACTIVITIES  
Purchase of marketable securities(31,792)(13,415)
Proceeds on maturity of marketable securities83,156  76,446 
Proceeds from distribution of funds4,336 2,090 
Other investing activities220 70,909 
Cash inflow from investing activities55,920 136,030 
   
FINANCING ACTIVITIES  
Repurchase of common shares through Normal Course Issuer Bid(18,549)(13,311)
Principal repayment on bank loans(8,848)(731)
Other financing activities(630)11,168 
Cash outflow from financing activities(28,027)(2,874)
   
Increase in cash and cash equivalents during the period45,100 111,989 
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period229,592 174,268 
Net foreign exchange difference(3,474)685 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period271,218 286,942 
   
Cash and cash equivalents271,218 286,942 
Short-term marketable securities111,163 246,575 
Long-term marketable securities 59,061 
Total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities382,381 592,578