Exclusive: Ziopharm CEO Talks Partnerships, Balance Sheet And JPM Healthcare Conference Presentation

Benzinga recently had the chance to speak with ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc. ZIOP 7.2% CEO Dr. Laurence James Neil Cooper about the upcoming JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, partnerships with Intrexon Corp XON 4.15% and Merck & Co., Inc. MRK 2.85% and whether shareholders should be concerned about the company’s rising expenses.

JPMorgan Conference

Cooper will be presenting at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday. Cooper said that his presentation at the conference will focus on the cancer side of Ziopharm’s gene therapy research.

Ziopharm’s viral therapy program involves using engineered adenovirus to control delivery of a cytokine called interleukin 12, or IL-12.

“We have essentially completed the Phase 1 trial,” Cooper told Benzinga. “We expect to be at the FDA to discuss that trial and the next steps, and we are anticipating that we’re going to be a Phase 3 company next year.”

Cooper added that a pivotal trial for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) could be a banner moment for Ziopharm. “I can’t promise, but all the indications are going in that direction,” he said.

Strategic Partnerships

Last year, Ziopharm renegotiated a long-standing partnership with Intrexon for an 80/20 split of unpartnered programs in favor of Ziopharm.

“We renegotiated out relationship with Intrexon for the purposes of essentially looking more like a biotechnology company, in other words a company that if somebody is interested in us, I am not saying they are, but if they were interested in us, they would essentially be able to understand the relationship with Intrexon as a partner with us,” Cooper clarified.

In addition, Merck has partnered with Ziopharm and selected a pair of undisclosed CAR targets, a project about which Cooper says he is “very happy at the moment.”

R&D Spending

Cooper noted that Ziopharm has made a conscious decision to ramp-up its spending in recent quarters.

“We needed to complete essentially the adenoviral trial to get to the FDA so we could turn the corner and be in the pivotal trials,” Cooper told Benzinga. “So our cash position supports all of that, supports our ability to take on the registration trial.”

However, Cooper acknowledged that the cash won’t last forever. When asked about the possibility of raising cash in the coming quarter, Cooper said the company will explore all options.

“We may or may not. We have not made a decision about that,” he said, adding that partnering some of the programs, such as the NK cell program or the adenoviral program, could also help solve any cash issues.

Looking Ahead

When Benzinga asked what investors have in store in coming quarters, Cooper said he is hoping to provide shareholders with some important updates.

“We are really looking…

Click here to continue reading

Want to learn more about how to profit off the stock market? Or maybe you just want to be able to look sophisticated in front of your coworkers when they ask you what you are reading on your Kindle, and you’d prefer to tell them “Oh, I’m just reading a book about stock market analysis,” rather than the usual “Oh, I’m just looking at pics of my ex-girlfriend on Facebook.” For these reasons and more, check out my book, Beating Wall Street with Common SenseI don’t have a degree in finance; I have a degree in neuroscience. You don’t have to predict what stocks will do if you can predict what traders will do and be one step ahead of them. I made a 400% return in the stock market over five years using only basic principles of psychology and common sense. Beating Wall Street with Common Sense is now available on Amazon, and tradingcommonsense.com is always available on your local internet!