Incyte (INCY) Q1 Earnings Beat, Sales Miss on Soft Jakafi
Incyte Corporation INCY reported mixed results for the first quarter of 2021, with earnings beating estimates but sales missing the same, as lead drug Jakafi’s performance wasn’t impressive. Evidently, shares are down in pre-market trading.
Shares of the company have lost 1.7% in the year so far compared with the industry’s 3% decline.
The company reported adjusted earnings of 67 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings of 65 cents. The company had reported a loss of 2.86 per share in the year-ago quarter.
Total revenues came in at $604.7 million, increasing 6% year over year but falling short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $656 million.
Quarter in Detail
Total product revenues came in at $504.8 million, up from $486.7 million in the year-ago quarter. Jakafi revenues came in at $465.7 million, growing only 1% from the year-ago quarter but missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $509 million. The year-over-year growth rate in Jakafi net product revenues was affected by a decline in new patient starts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Net product revenues of Iclusig amounted to $25.6 million, down from $27.2 million in the year-ago quarter.
Pemazyre, which was approved in April 2020, generated $13.5 million in sales during the quarter compared with $14 million in the previous quarter.
Jakavi (name outside the United States) royalty revenues from Novartis NVS for commercialization in ex-U.S. markets grew 16% to $65.6 million. Olumiant’s product royalty revenues from Eli Lilly LLY came in at $32.2 million, up 27%.
Incyte also earned royalties on Novartis’ Tabrecta sales, amounting to $2 million in the quarter. The drug was approved in May 2020.
R&D expenses were $277 million, down 74% from the year-ago quarter. The decline was due to an upfront consideration of $805 million related to its collaborative agreement with MorphoSys MOR incurred during the year-ago quarter. Excluding the impact of the upfront consideration and milestones, research and development expenses increased approximately 5%, driven by pipeline development costs.
SG&A expenses amounted to $123.3 million, up from $97.5 million in the prior-year quarter.
2021 Guidance Reiterated
The company expects Jakafi revenues of $2.1-$2.2 billion for 2021. Other Hematology/Oncology net product revenues (currently include Iclusig in Europe and Pemazyre in the United States) are projected in the range of $145-$160 million.
Pipeline and Regulatory Update
The supplemental new drug application (sNDA) seeking approval of Jakafi for the treatment of steroid-refractory chronic GVHD has been accepted for Priority Review by the FDA. The agency has set a target action date of Jun 22, 2021.
In March, the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) seeking approval of retifanlimab in squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCAC) was validated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The FDA had earlier accepted the biologics license application (BLA) for the same indication.
The NDA seeking approval of ruxolitinib cream for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) has been accepted for Priority Review by the FDA, with a target action date of Jun 21, 2021.
In April, Incyte and Lilly announced that the FDA extended the review period for the sNDA for baricitinib for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis by three months to allow time for additional data analyses.
Our Take
Incyte’s performance in the first quarter was unimpressive, as Jakafi net sales were affected by typical seasonal effects and softer patient demand growth due to the ongoing pandemic. Nevertheless, the uptake of Pemazyre and Monjuvi is encouraging and should boost sales.
Incyte Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Incyte Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Incyte Corporation Quote
The company’s efforts to diversify its revenue base are encouraging as well and the label expansion of Jakafi in additional indications will further boost sales.
Incyte currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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