YS Biopharma Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: YS), a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing, manufacturing, and delivering new generations of vaccines and therapeutic biologics for infectious diseases and cancer, today announced its unaudited consolidated financial results for the first nine months of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024.
Dr. David Shao, Director, President, and CEO of the Company, commented, “During the first nine months of fiscal year 2024, our topline continued to be impacted by the lingering effects of a finished product inventory shortage caused by the supply chain disruptions at our YSJA rabies vaccine manufacturing facilities. Importantly, in recent months, our operational enhancements have normalized vaccine production and improved our inventory situation. As a top rabies vaccine producer in China, we maintained our leadership position in the marketplace, with an estimated double-digit year-over-year growth in product sales during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. We also made steady progress on the pipeline front, with positive interim results from the ongoing Phase III clinical trial of our next-generation PIKA rabies vaccine, and our YS-HBV-002 immunotherapeutic vaccine has been granted clinical trial approval by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration.”
Dr. David Shao continued, “At the corporate level, since late 2023 we have embarked on a comprehensive series of initiatives aimed at fortifying our foundation for future growth. These include restructuring the Board of Directors and senior management team, as well as streamlining organizational reporting lines and decision-making processes. Additionally, we’ve implemented measures to enhance internal controls and governance. Starting in March 2024, we took further steps forward, including prioritizing our preclinical and clinical pipeline and optimizing human resources across all our subsidiaries in the U.S., China, and Singapore. We also implemented more effective cost controls in our manufacturing, sales, marketing, and general administrative functions. These initiatives are ongoing and will remain a focus through the end of fiscal 2025. We are confident these efforts will serve as pillars for our future growth. Looking ahead, we will continue to advance our product portfolio towards commercialization, focus on operational efficiencies, and leverage our refined inventory strategy and robust sales network to build sustainable shareholder value.”
Ms. Brenda Wu, CFO of the Company, added, “For the first nine months of our fiscal 2024, we recorded revenues of RMB438.1 million (US$61.9 million), primarily due to the lingering effects of supply chain disruptions affecting raw materials supply chains, manufacturing operations, and production output at our YSJA rabies vaccine production facilities. We recorded gross profit of RMB351.7 million (US$49.7 million) and expanded our gross margin by 3 percentage points to 80.3%. Our cash totaled RMB222.6 million (US$31.4 million) as of December 31, 2023. We remain committed to driving long-term shareholder value through strategic business enhancements and by capitalizing on emerging growth opportunities.”
Business Updates
YSJATM Rabies Vaccine
YS Biopharma’s marketed vaccine product, YSJATM rabies vaccine, was the first aluminum-free lyophilized rabies vaccine launched in China. Since the Company commenced production at its current GMP-compliant facilities in February 2020, and commercialization of the product in late 2020, market intake of the Company’s YSJA rabies vaccine has been consistent and strong. As of December 31, 2023, YS Biopharma maintained its leadership position as one of the top rabies vaccine producers in China, having sold more than 25.6 million doses of YSJATM rabies vaccines to approximately 1,746 Chinese Center(s) for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) customers, which is over 60% of CDC customers in China since October 2020.
Clinical Pipeline
YS Biopharma continues to prioritize and advance its portfolio of innovative product candidates under various clinical development stages, including PIKA rabies vaccine, PIKA YS-ON-001, and PIKA YS-HBV-002.
PIKA Rabies Vaccine
- On April 9, 2024, the Company announced positive interim results from the ongoing Phase III clinical trial of its next-generation PIKA Rabies Vaccine. The interim results indicate the PIKA Rabies Vaccine has met the primary endpoints of the trial and has the potential to achieve best-in-class accelerated protection and meet the WHO’s goal of a one-week rabies vaccine regimen to replace the conventional three- or four-week regimens.
PIKA YS-ON-001
- PIKA YS-ON-001 is designed as an immunological therapeutical agent against cancers. The Company has completed the Phase I clinical trial of PIKA YS-ON-001 in China.
PIKA YS-HBV-002
- On April 18, 2024, the Company announced that its YS-HBV-002, the second generation of immunotherapeutic vaccine, designed to treat patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B virus infection, was granted clinical trial approval by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration. In light of the approval, the Company is preparing to initiate a Phase I clinical trial for YS-HBV-002 in the Philippines, which is expected to begin in June 2024.
First Nine Months of Fiscal 2024 Financial Results
Total Revenues
Total revenues were RMB438.1 million (US$61.9 million) in the first nine months of fiscal 2024, compared to RMB581.2 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2023, a decrease of 24.6%. This was primarily due to the lingering effects of supply-chain disruptions affecting the Company’s manufacturing operations and production, which reduced batch approvals and doses available for sale; offset by the increases in product price by approximately RMB3.0 per dose.
Gross Profit
Gross profit was RMB351.7 million (US$49.7 million), an 80.3% gross margin, compared to RMB449.0 million, or a 77.3% gross margin, in the comparable period of fiscal 2023.
Selling and Marketing Expenses
Selling and marketing expenses in the first nine months of fiscal 2024 were RMB229.2 million (US$32.4 million), compared to RMB224.5 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2023. This was primarily attributable to an increase in promotional and marketing services fees as the Company continued to promote its YSJA rabies vaccine.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses in the first nine months of fiscal 2024 were RMB142.8 million (US$20.2 million), compared to RMB68.6 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2023. This change was primarily attributable to increases in provisions for inventory impairment and provisions for trade receivables.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses were RMB244.7 million (US$34.5 million) in the first nine months of fiscal 2024, compared to RMB221.8 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2023. The change was primarily driven by the increase in testing and clinical trial fees associated with the Company’s PIKA rabies vaccine and Hepatitis B vaccines.
Net Loss
Net loss for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 was RMB252.3 million (US$35.6 million), compared with RMB64.2 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2023.
Balance Sheet
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had cash of RMB222.6 million (US$31.4 million), compared with RMB370.4 million as of March 31, 2023.
About YS Group
YS Group is a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing, manufacturing, and delivering new generations of vaccines and therapeutic biologics for infectious diseases and cancer. It has developed a proprietary PIKA® immunomodulating technology platform and a new generation of preventive and therapeutic biologics targeting Rabies, Coronavirus, Hepatitis B, Influenza, Shingles, and other virus infections. YS Biopharma operates in China, the United States, Singapore, and the Philippines, and is led by a management team that combines rich local expertise and global experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. For more information, please visit investor.ysbiopharma.com.
