Rigel Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $20.9 million for third quarter of 2014

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today reported financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2014.

For the third quarter of 2014, Rigel reported a net loss of $20.9 million, or $0.24 per share, compared to a net loss of $23.8 million, or $0.27 per share, for the same period of 2013. Weighted average shares outstanding for the third quarters of 2014 and 2013 were 87.8 million and 87.4 million, respectively.

Rigel reported total operating expenses of $21.0 million for the third quarter of 2014, compared to $23.9 million for the same period in 2013. The decrease in operating expenses was primarily due to the completion of two Phase 2 studies in 2013 and a workforce reduction implemented in September 2013, partially offset by an increase in research and development costs in the third quarter of 2014 related to Rigel's FIT program, a Phase 3 clinical program with fostamatinib in patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, Rigel reported a net loss of $68.6 million, or $0.78 per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss of $72.2 million, or $0.83 per basic and diluted share, for the same period of 2013.

As of September 30, 2014, Rigel had cash, cash equivalents and available for sale securities of $157.7 million, compared to $212.0 million as of December 31, 2013. Rigel expects to end 2014 with cash and investments in excess of $135.0 million, which is expected to be sufficient to fund operations into the third quarter of 2016. 

FIT Program Update

The FIT Phase 3 clinical program was initiated in July 2014 and consists of two identical multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to evaluate the potential of fostamatinib to increase the blood platelet counts of patients with chronic ITP. One trial will enroll patients from predominantly US and UK-based sites while the other is more internationally focused. Rigel expects that the top line results of these two studies will be reported separately; with the US/UK-based study results expected by the end of 2015 and the other study results expected in the first quarter of 2016.

Recent Events

In October 2014, Rigel earned a milestone payment of $2.5 million from partner AstraZeneca for moving forward R256 toward clinical studies for the potential treatment of moderate to severe chronic asthma.

"We continue to focus on fostamatinib with our ongoing Phase 3 studies in ITP and the Phase 2 study in IgA nephropathy which is expected to begin shortly," said James M. Gower, chairman and chief executive officer of Rigel. "Additionally, we are also pleased with AstraZeneca's decision to move R256 forward in their development pipeline."