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• Total revenue of $12 million, compared to $317 million in Q1 2022
• Total cumulative partnered program starts of 101, up 20% from Q1 2022
• Net loss of $0.14 per share on a basic and diluted basis, compared to net earnings of $0.59 (basic) and $0.54 (diluted) per share in Q1 2022

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--$ABCL--AbCellera (Nasdaq: ABCL) today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2023. All financial information in this press release is reported in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

“In the first quarter we have continued to execute on our strategy of building the industry's preferred engine for the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics. Notably, new data on our T-cell engager platform demonstrates that we can generate TCEs with superior properties on a highly accelerated timeline, and against challenging tumor targets,” said Carl Hansen, Ph.D., founder and CEO of AbCellera. “As we progress further into 2023, we remain steadfast in our strategy of building best-in-world capabilities for the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics.”

Q1 2023 Business Summary

• Earned $12.2 million in total revenue.
• Generated a net loss of $40.1 million, compared to net earnings of $168.6 million in Q1 2022.
• Reached a cumulative total of 177 programs under contract with 41 different partners.
• Maintained a cumulative total of 101 partnered program starts.
• Reporting the advancement of one additional molecule into the clinic, bringing the cumulative total to nine molecules in the clinic.

Key Business Metrics

AbCellera added three partnered programs in Q1 2023 to reach a cumulative total of 177 programs under contract (up from 158 on March 31, 2022) that are either completed, in progress, or under contract with 41 different partners as of March 31, 2023 (up from 36 on March 31, 2022). AbCellera maintained a cumulative total of 101 partnered program starts in Q1 2023 (up from 84 on March 31, 2022). AbCellera’s partners advanced an additional molecule into the clinic in Q1 2023, bringing the cumulative total of molecules in the clinic to nine (up from six on March 31, 2022).

Discussion of Q1 2023 Financial Results

• Revenue – Total revenue was $12.2 million, compared to $316.6 million in Q1 2022. The partnership business generated research fees of $10.6 million, compared to $9.3 million in Q1 2022. Milestone payments were $1.3 million and licensing revenue was $0.4 million.
• Research & Development (R&D) Expenses – R&D expenses were $52.6 million, compared to $26.4 million in Q1 2022, reflecting continuing investments in the capacity and capabilities of AbCellera’s engine for antibody discovery and development, and in co-development programs.
• Sales & Marketing (S&M) Expenses – S&M expenses were $3.8 million, compared to $2.4 million in Q1 2022. The increase reflects continued investments in business development.
• General & Administrative (G&A) Expenses – G&A expenses were $15.1 million, compared to $14.3 million in Q1 2022, with the increase driven by investments to support the growth of the company.
• Net Loss – Net loss of $40.1 million, or $(0.14) per share on a basic and diluted basis, compared to net earnings of $168.6 million, or $0.59 per share on a basic and $0.54 on a diluted basis in Q1 2022.
• Liquidity – $821.5 million of total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities.

Conference Call and Webcast

AbCellera will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss these results today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time).

The live webcast of the earnings conference call can be accessed on the Events and Presentations section of AbCellera’s Investor Relations website. A replay of the webcast will be available through the same link following the conference call.

About AbCellera Biologics Inc.

AbCellera is breaking the barriers of conventional antibody discovery to bring better medicines to patients, sooner. AbCellera’s engine integrates expert teams, technology, and facilities with the data science and automation needed to propel antibody-based medicines from target to clinic in nearly every therapeutic area with precision and speed. AbCellera provides innovative biotechs and leading pharmaceutical companies with a competitive advantage that empowers them to move quickly, reduce cost, and tackle the toughest problems in drug development. For more information, please visit www.abcellera.com.

Definition of Key Business Metrics

We regularly review the following key business metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections, and make strategic decisions. We believe that the following metrics are important to understand our current business. These metrics may change or may be substituted for additional or different metrics as our business develops.

Number of discovery partners represents the unique number of partners with whom we have executed partnership contracts. We view this metric as an indication of the competitiveness of our engine and our level of market penetration. The metric also relates to our opportunities to secure programs under contract.

Programs under contract represent the number of antibody development programs that are under contract for delivery of discovery research activities. A program under contract is counted when a contract is executed with a partner under which we commit to discover or deliver antibodies against one selected target. A target is any relevant antigen for which a partner seeks our support in developing binding antibodies. We view this metric as an indication of commercial success and technological competitiveness. It further relates to revenue from access fees. The cumulative number of programs under contract with downstream participation is related to our ability to generate future revenue from milestone payments and royalties.

Partnered program starts represent the number of unique programs under contract for which we have commenced the discovery effort. The discovery effort commences on the later of (i) the day on which we receive sufficient reagents to start discovery of antibodies against a target and (ii) the day on which the kick-off meeting for the program is held. We view this metric as an indication of our operational capacity to execute on programs under contract. It is also an indication of the selection and initiation of discovery projects by our partners and the resulting potential for near-term payments. Cumulatively, partnered program starts with downstream participation indicate our total opportunities to earn downstream revenue from milestone fees and royalties in the mid- to long-term.

Molecules in the clinic represent the count of unique molecules for which an Investigational New Drug, or IND, New Animal Drug, or equivalent under other regulatory regimes, application has been approved based on an antibody that was discovered either by us or by a partner using licensed AbCellera technology. Where the date of such application approval is not known to us, the date of the first public announcement of a clinical trial will be used for the purpose of this metric. We view this metric as an indication of our near- and mid-term potential revenue from milestone fees and potential royalty payments in the long term.

AbCellera Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. All statements contained in this release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our ability to develop, commercialize and achieve market acceptance of our current and planned products and services, our research and development efforts, and other matters regarding our business strategies, use of capital, results of operations and financial position, and plans and objectives for future operations.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are described under “Risk Factors,” “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in the documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. We caution you that forward-looking statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our projections of the future, about which we cannot be certain. As a result, the forward-looking statements may not prove to be accurate. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our views as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law.

Source: AbCellera Biologics Inc.