Research and Development expenses were $9.5 million for first quarter 2020, as compared to $12.9 million for first quarter 2019. The decrease was primarily due to lower clinical trial related expenses, including clinical material costs.
General and Administrative expenses were $5.2 million for first quarter 2020, as compared to $4.1 million for first quarter 2019. The increase was primarily due to increases in employee-related costs, including stock-based compensation, from increased headcount.
Total operating expenses include totalnon-cash expenses of $2.0 million for first quarter 2020, as compared to $1.4 million for the same period in 2019. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had 24.6 million of common shares outstanding.
About Eiger
Eiger is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization offirst-in-class, well-characterized drugs for serious rare and ultra-rare diseases for patients with high unmet medical needs, for which no approved therapies exist.
Eiger has completed NDA and MAA submissions for lonafarnib for the treatment of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS or Progeria) and Progeroid Laminopathies. Eiger has also established a global Managed Access Program, expected to span more than 40 countries, to ensure all children and young adults with Progeria and Progeroid Laminopathies have access to treatment.
The company’s lead program is in Phase 3, developing lonafarnib, afirst-in-class oral prenylation inhibitor for the treatment of Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) infection. The company is also advancing peginterferon lambda, afirst-in-class interferon, toward registration for the treatment of HDV. For additional information about Eiger and its clinical programs, please visit www.eigerbio.com.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding our future financial condition, timing for and outcomes of clinical results, business strategy and plans and objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include terminology such as “believe,” “will,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “contemplate,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “should,” “plan,” “expect,” “predict,” “could,” “potentially” or the negative of these terms. Forward-looking statements are our current statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things, our anticipating significant milestones in 2020, the timing of our ongoing and planned clinical development, including the potential for approval of our lonafarnib product candidate in the US and EU for Progeria and Progeroid Laminopathies; our progression and enrollment of our Phase 3D-LIVR study in HDV; our ability to maintain supply of our clinical trial materials; our announcement of data from the trial of lambda and lonafarnib boosted with ritonavir for HDV (LIFT); our plans to advance Peginterferon Lambda in HDV in the US and EU; our plans for continued advancement of avexitide in registration trials;
