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The EMERGE study was designed in accordance with FDA recommendations outlined in the FDA Guidance Document, Migraine: Developing Drugs for Acute Treatment, February 2018.
ASCEND™ Phase 3 open-label long-term safety trial
In August, Satsuma initiated patient enrollment in the ASCEND open-label safety and tolerability trial in which patients will treat their migraines on an as-needed basis with STS101 for up to 12 months. The trial is expected to enroll up to 300 migraine patients, with at least 150 treating a minimum of two attacks per month with STS101 over a six-month period and at least 50 over a 12-month period.
Expansion of Intellectual Property Portfolio
Satsuma continues to expand its intellectual property portfolio, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issuing two U.S. patents relating to STS101, one owned and one exclusively licensed by Satsuma, with expiration dates in 2039 and 2037, respectively, not including any potential adjustments or extensions of term. The issuance of these patents brings the total number of issued U.S. patents exclusively licensed or owned by Satsuma to ten, and in total, Satsuma currently has exclusive license rights under more than sixty U.S. and foreign patents and pending applications. The Company believes that the breadth of its intellectual property portfolio reflects the highly innovative and differentiated nature of the proprietary dry-powder nasal delivery and formulation technologies incorporated in STS101.
Financial Results for Third Quarter 2020
Net loss for the third quarter 2020 was $12.0 million, or $0.69 per share of common stock, compared to a net loss of $8.3 million, or $2.26 per share of common stock, for the same period in 2019. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had $82.1 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. Based on current operating plans, the Company believes it has sufficient financial resources to fund operations through the end of 2021.
Research and development expenses were $8.8 million for the third quarter 2020, compared to $7.4 million for the same period of 2019. Third quarter expenses increased by $1.5 million, primarily due to additional expenses for the EMERGE clinical trial activities, development and production of clinical trial materials, as well as increases in salaries and employee-related expenses partially offset by a decrease in travel expenses of $0.2 million, as a result of reduced travel due to COVID-19.
General and administrative expenses were $3.4 million for the third quarter 2020, compared to $1.0 million for the same period of 2019. Third quarter expenses increased by $2.4 million, primarily due to an increase of $1.1 million of director and officer liability insurance, professional fees for legal, consulting, accounting, tax and other services, an increase of $0.5 million of payroll and personnel expenses, including salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation expenses, due to increase in headcount and an increase of $0.8 million in pre-commercialization expenses.
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