Redpoint Bio decreases third quarter net loss to $1.8 million

Nov 9 2010

Redpoint Bio Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: RPBC), a company focused on the development of healthier foods and beverages and new approaches to the treatment of diabetes and obesity, today announced financial and operational results for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2010.

For the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2010, Redpoint recorded no revenue and $0.5 million of revenue, respectively.  The revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 were related to an upfront payment in connection with a Licensing and Commercialization Agreement that the Company entered into with International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. ("IFF") in June 2010.  For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009, Redpoint recorded no revenue and $1.9 million of revenue, respectively.  The revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 were primarily from the Company's prior collaboration with Givaudan.

Research and development expenses for the third quarter of 2010 were $0.8 million, compared to $1.2 million for the third quarter of 2009. Research and development expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 were $2.5 million, compared to $4.6 million in the same period of 2009. The decrease in expenses was primarily attributable to the reductions in workforce as a result of the corporate restructurings that the Company announced in February and May of 2009.

General and administrative expenses for the third quarter of 2010 were $0.9 million, compared to $1.2 million for the third quarter of 2009. General and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 were $2.9 million, compared to $4.2 million in the same period of 2009.

Redpoint reported a net loss for the third quarter of 2010 of $1.8 million, or $0.02 per common share, compared to $2.4 million, or $0.03 per common share, for the third quarter of 2009.

The net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was $4.9 million, or $0.06 per common share, compared to $7.0 million, or $0.09 per common share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2009.

Redpoint had approximately $1.6 million in cash and cash equivalents at September 30, 2010. In addition, in October 2010, RP44, the Company's all-natural sweetness enhancer, was determined to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), triggering a $0.5 million milestone payment which is due to the Company in connection with its June 2010 license agreement with IFF. Additionally, Redpoint is in the process of selling a portion of its New Jersey State net operating loss carryforwards and in November, the Company received notification that its diabetes program had been approved for a grant in the amount of approximately $0.25 million in connection with the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program under section 48D of the Internal Revenue Code. The Company believes that its current capital resources, and the amounts expected to be received from the aforementioned milestone payment and government programs, are sufficient to meet its operating and capital requirements through April 2011.

Third Quarter Highlights and Recent Developments

In June 2010, the Company entered into a license and commercialization agreement with IFF, a global leader in the food and beverage industry, covering the commercialization of RP44, Redpoint's all-natural sweetness enhancer. In October 2010, IFF received notification by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) that RP44 had been determined to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), triggering a $0.5 million milestone payment which is due in November 2010.

Redpoint also recently reported that it had advanced its discovery program for all-natural enhancers of salty taste. The objective of the salt enhancer program is to identify natural flavor ingredients that can provide a significant reduction in the amount of sodium in food and beverage products, yet maintain the salty taste that consumers desire.

Redpoint is using its proprietary MOG assay technology for its salt enhancer discovery program. The MOG technology was developed specifically to deal with the complex sensory and experimental issues associated with the discovery of all-natural compounds, which are often derived from plant or fermentation sources containing complex mixtures of taste ingredients. Historically, natural tastants or enhancers have been discovered by trial and error using human tasters. The MOG is an enabling technology that facilitates high throughput screens of tastant libraries and natural product extracts by rodents trained to discriminate specific taste standards. MOG-trained rodents are "expert" taste testers capable of rapidly identifying taste from small samples with a high level of accuracy, providing an effective means of evaluating the taste properties of complex natural product extracts.

Redpoint originally developed its MOG technology to discover natural high-potency sweeteners and sweetener enhancers. More recently, Redpoint scientists have developed and optimized a high-throughput salt-taste detection system, in which MOG-trained rodents discriminate salt from other essential tastes (savory, sweet, sour, and bitter). The MOG approach will be used to evaluate the salt-tasting and salt-enhancing potential of natural sources such as fermentation products and edible plant extracts, with a focus on isolating active components from ingredients already used in the food industry.

Regarding its diabetes research program, in July 2010, the Company announced the issuance of a patent covering methods of using a high-throughput screen to discover certain modulators of the TRPm5 ion channel. In November 2010, the Company received notification that its diabetes program had been approved for a grant in the amount of approximately $0.25 million in connection with the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program under section 48D of the Internal Revenue Code. The TRPm5 ion channel was originally identified as an important component of taste signaling circuits responsible for sensing sweet, savory, and bitter compounds on the tongue. Recently, an emerging body of scientific evidence has demonstrated that the TRPm5 ion channel is also found in the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract, suggesting a potential role in the regulation of metabolism and satiety.

Specifically, TRPm5 may be involved in the secretion of important hormones like GLP1 and insulin that control sugar uptake and metabolism. Consequently, modulators of TRPm5 could potentially find application as a new therapy for adult-onset diabetes and obesity. Redpoint is seeking a large pharmaceutical company as a partner for a collaborative research and development program to further develop its TRPm5 modulators for diabetes and obesity therapeutic applications.