XOMA Royalty Corporation (NASDAQ: XOMA) has significantly expanded its biotech royalty portfolio and reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2024, highlighting substantial growth in its asset base and progress toward sustainable cashflow.
The company, which specializes in acquiring future economics associated with pre-commercial and commercial therapeutic candidates, doubled its royalty and milestone portfolio to over 120 assets through five strategic transactions completed in 2024.
Strategic Portfolio Expansion
"Our balanced approach to building the scale of XOMA Royalty's portfolio by selectively acquiring royalty economics across the lifecycle of drug development is beginning to bear fruit," stated Owen Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of XOMA Royalty. "With over $100 million in cash on hand and a clear path to sustainable cashflow from royalties alone, we are well-positioned to further our goal of driving value for patients and shareholders alike."
The company's commercial royalty portfolio now includes six assets, supported by VABYSMO® (faricimab), OJEMDA™ (tovorafenib), and MIPLYFFA™ (arimoclomol). Additionally, its Phase 3 portfolio has grown to 11 assets, with several key readouts expected in 2025.
Key Acquisitions and Transactions
XOMA Royalty completed several strategic acquisitions in 2024, including:
- A $15 million royalty monetization agreement with Twist Bioscience, acquiring 50% of future milestones and royalties in over 60 partnered early-stage programs
- A $22 million deal with Daré Bioscience for economic interests in three assets, including XACIATO™ vaginal gel 2%, Ovaprene® contraceptive, and Sildenafil Cream 3.6%
- An $8 million acquisition of economic interest in DSUVIA® (sufentanil sublingual tablet) from Talphera, Inc.
The company also completed two whole company acquisitions:
- Kinnate Biopharma, which added approximately $7.8 million in cash and five assets to XOMA's portfolio
- Pulmokine Inc., securing milestone and royalty interest in Gossamer Bio and Chiesi Farmaceutici's seralutinib, a Phase 3 asset being studied in pulmonary arterial hypertension
FDA Approvals and Milestone Achievements
Two assets in XOMA's portfolio received FDA approval in 2024:
- Day One's OJEMDA™ (tovorafenib) for pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG), which earned XOMA a $9.0 million milestone payment and generated $2.7 million in income from sales in 2024
- Zevra's MIPLYFFA™ (arimoclomol) for Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC)
Additionally, XOMA received an $8.1 million payment related to Day One's sale of its priority review voucher.
Financial Performance
For the fourth quarter of 2024, XOMA Royalty recorded total income and revenues of $8.7 million, compared to $1.8 million in the same period of 2023. For the full year, total income and revenues reached $28.5 million, a significant increase from $4.8 million in 2023.
"Based upon the anticipated incoming cash payments from royalties alone, we have line of sight on becoming cash flow positive on a consistent basis," said Tom Burns, Chief Financial Officer of XOMA Royalty. "The transient expenses associated with the Kinnate and Pulmokine acquisitions that impacted our 2024 financial results are coming to a close. We expect our R&D and G&A expenses to normalize in the second half of 2025."
Despite the revenue growth, the company reported a net loss of $4.0 million for the fourth quarter and $13.8 million for the full year of 2024, primarily due to $30.9 million in non-cash credit losses on purchased receivables. This still represents an improvement from the net losses of $20.1 million and $40.8 million for the corresponding periods in 2023.
As of December 31, 2024, XOMA Royalty had cash and cash equivalents of $106.4 million (including $4.8 million in restricted cash). In 2024, the company received $46.3 million in cash receipts, including $20.0 million in royalties and commercial payments, $19.3 million in other receipts from purchased receivables, and $7.1 million from licensees.
Looking Ahead to 2025
XOMA Royalty anticipates several key events in 2025, including:
- Completion of enrollment and topline results from Rezolute's Phase 3 clinical trial for ersodetug in congenital hyperinsulinism
- Presentation of topline results from Gossamer Bio's Phase 3 PROSERA study for seralutinib in pulmonary arterial hypertension
- Initiation of Phase 3 clinical trials for multiple assets, including Takeda's mezagitamab for immune thrombocytopenia and Daré Bioscience's Sildenafil Cream for female sexual arousal disorder
These milestones could potentially generate additional revenue streams for XOMA as the company continues to build its portfolio and move toward sustainable profitability.
Business Model and Strategy
XOMA Royalty's business model involves acquiring the potential future economics associated with pre-commercial and commercial therapeutic candidates that have been licensed to pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies. When XOMA acquires these future economics, the seller receives non-dilutive, non-recourse funding they can use to advance their internal drug candidates or for general corporate purposes.
This approach allows XOMA to build a diversified portfolio of assets across various stages of development, creating multiple potential revenue streams while helping biotech companies achieve their goals of improving human health.
