Moleculin Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBRX) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Jeff Jones: Got it. Okay. So, I will ask two more questions and then get out of and way to other folks in the queue can ask. As you outlined those two different scenarios for the AML studies, sort of the best case as you move quickly into Phase 2 and then truncate that to have a dialogue with the agency versus say the anticipated with some dose escalation and then a larger, call it Phase 2a. What type of timeframes are we talking in those two scenarios? And then the second question for Jon on the financial side, just how should we think €“ be thinking about the R&D spend trends into 2023 and moving forward?

Walter Klemp: Sure. This is Wally, let me maybe kick off the discussion about timing, but I will defer to Paul, if he wants to tighten what I am about to say. So, if we go down the, let’s say the most optimistic path of what I described, where we truncate the Phase 1b, and we even truncate the Phase 2 expansion. Practically speaking, dose escalation cohorts as you know go three by three, right. So, by definition, you have got to recruit three patients, and then you stop recruiting, because you have to let those patients run their course, meet the DLT cut-off requirements and so forth. So, there is a natural lag that’s built into the dose escalation portions of the trial. And so you really can’t be more than a couple of months of €“ you can’t be faster than a couple of months per cohort, just because of that that those practical considerations, even if you had patients all waiting in line.

Then the next question is, how quickly can you recruit into the expansion phase. And that’s why we added Italy to the roster here. And we are looking at the possibility of even adding more sites. Candidly, the recruitment has been stronger than we expected. And it raises the specter that we might not even get those additional sites open before we get to the expansion part of this trial. And that’s good news. That’s good for us. But I am trying to give you a sense of cadence here. And so if that holds, if the current rate of recruitment holds we could be looking at picking up eight or nine patients in the expansion phase in the span of, let’s say by mid-summer. Now, that’s aggressive. And that’s what if we stay at the pace we are seeing right now, and it does vary from time-to-time.

So, we can’t rely on that. But that’s I am trying to give you a sense of how quickly it could happen. Now, in terms of how long it can happen, I mean the sky is the limit. But practically speaking, if we really decided we wanted to run out the full expected size or planned size of the Phase 2 expansion phase, that could take the rest of the year. And we are longer if for some reason, all of a sudden recruitment falls off. So, on the long end, it’s sort of how high is up, but on the short end, I think you can see why we are feeling like it’s entirely possible by the middle of this year, we could be talking about and to Phase 1 meetings with the agencies. So, that’s why we think this is such an exciting time and why we want people like you focused on what we are doing, because it’s going to happen relatively quickly here we think.

Jeff Jones: Great. Really good color, Wally.

Walter Klemp: Yes.

John Paul Waymack: I would just say and I agree with what Wally said, there are two things that drive how fast this will go. That is, how fast will our investigators recruit patients. And as Wally said, we are very pleased, and how good is our drug, and as we have a say today, we are very pleased with our drug. So, we are optimistic.

Walter Klemp: Jon, do you want to tackle the R&D spend part of that question?