BioAmber Reports Third Quarter 2016 Financial and Operational Results

MONTREAL, Nov. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - BioAmber Inc. (NYSE: BIOA), a leader in renewable materials, today announced financial and operational results for the three months ending September 30, 2016. 

Highlights

• Q3 2016 Sales of bio-succinic acid were $3.7 million, an increase of 45% over the previous quarter
• The unit cost of bio-succinic acid continues to improve with Q3 2016 reporting a further 12% reduction vs Q2 2016
• The Sarnia plant operations continue to improve with fermentation yields, plant uptime and percentage of 'on-spec' products all increasing in Q3 vs Q2 2016
• Cash on hand was $15.9 million as of September 30^th, 2016, compared to cash on hand of $5.5 million as of June 30^th, 2016
• Jean-Francois Huc, BioAmber's Chief Executive Officer stated: "We have continued to validate our production process at a commercial scale with our biotechnology, as measured by fermentation performance, achieving operating targets since inception. Our purification process has also improved every quarter since we started up Sarnia, while our plant uptime and percentage of on-spec product continue to meet target levels." He added, "We will steadily increase our throughput towards full capacity and focus on further efficiency gains throughout our production process."

Q3 2016 Financial Results

Revenues for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 were $3.7 million.  The 45% increase relative to the previous quarter was driven by an increase in the quantity of bio-succinic acid sold.

Cost of goods sold for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 was $5.0 million.  The cost of goods per unit sold decreased by 12% in Q3 2016 relative to the previous quarter, as a result of the greater volume of succinic acid sold and improved operating performance, including higher yields, higher plant uptime and higher percentage of on-spec product in Q3 2016, relative to the previous quarter.

Research and development expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 were $1.8 million, significantly lower than the $6.0 million incurred in the same period last year. The lower R&D expenses were the result of two factors.  First, certain non-recurring Sarnia commissioning and start-up costs incurred in Q3 2015 were recorded as research and development expenses.  Second, the Company has streamlined its R&D efforts over the past year, given that Sarnia is operational.

Sales and marketing expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 were $479,000, down from the $921,000 incurred in the same period last year. This was due to the expanded commercial role that Mitsui assumed in 2016, particularly in Asia, which allowed the Company to reduce the size of its global commercial team.  As a result, there has been a decrease in sales and marketing salaries, benefits and associated costs, including stock-based compensation and travel expenses.

General and administrative expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 were $1.8 million, down from $2.2 million for the same period last year. This was the result of the Company's efforts to reduce headcount at the corporate level, which resulted in a decrease in salaries & benefits, recruitment costs and stock-based compensation expense.  These efforts were partially offset by an increase in Sarnia headcount as the facility transitioned from construction to production.

Depreciation of property and equipment and amortization of intangible asset expense were $1.2 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, up significantly from $123,000 for the same period last year. This increase was due to the depreciation of Sarnia facility assets following the beginning of production in Q4 2015.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2016, the Company incurred a net financial charge of $3.2 million, compared to a financial gain of $1.6 million for the same period last year.  This $4.7 million variation was mainly due to a non-cash mark-to-market adjustment change of $3.4 million on the warrants that were issued at the time of the initial public offering (IPO Warrants), as well as an adjustment on warrants issued in June 2009 and April 2011 (Legacy Warrants). It was also due to an increase in the end of term charge of $602,000 and to interest and other charges of $600,000 in connection with the repayment of the outstanding Tennenbaum loan in September 2016.

The Company recorded a net loss attributable to BioAmber Inc. shareholders of $6.2 million, or a loss of $0.21 per share for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, compared to a net loss of $7.0 million, or a loss of $0.27 per share for the same period last year.

The Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 was $7.4 million, or a loss of $0.26 per share, compared to an Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders of $9.4 million, or a loss of $0.36 per share for the same period last year.  Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders is a non-GAAP financial metric that excludes the impact of the change in fair value of the IPO and Legacy Warrants and the grant income from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC).  

Please refer to Annex A: "Non-GAAP Financial Information—Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders" for more information regarding this non-GAAP financial metric.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

BioAmber will discuss these results on a live audio webcast, which will be available on the Internet to investors, members of the news media and the general public at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on November 3, 2016. To access the webcast of the conference call, go to the company's website, www.bio-amber.com.   Audio of the teleconference is also available by dialing: 

North American callers:  +1 (888) 390-0546     International callers: (416) 764-8688

Teleconference replays will be available through November 10, 2016: Domestic: 1-888-390-0541
International: 416-764-8677   Passcode: 534811#   A replay of the webcast will also be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live webcast on BioAmber's website, for a period of 30 days.

About BioAmber

BioAmber (NYSE: BIOA) is a renewable materials company. Its innovative technology platform combines biotechnology and catalysis to convert renewable feedstock into building block materials that are used in a wide variety of everyday products including plastics, paints, textiles, food additives and personal care products.  For more information visit www.bio-amber.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements related to the beginning of our commercial operations and the ramping-up of our sales for our Sarnia Bio-SA facility.   All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements.  These statements often include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may" or similar expressions.  Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond BioAmber's control.  BioAmber's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors. 

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur and the timing of events and circumstances and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.  All such statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by BioAmber, see disclosures contained in BioAmber's public filings with the SEC including, the "Risk Factors" section of BioAmber's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the recent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

ANNEX A: Non-GAAP Financial Information

Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders

BioAmber presents Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders as a supplemental measure of BioAmber's performance.  Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders is a non-GAAP financial metric that excludes, for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, the impact of the change in fair value of the IPO warrants and the Legacy Warrants and the STDC grant income. Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders is a non-GAAP financial metric that excludes, for the quarter ended September 30, 2015, the impact of the change in fair value of the IPO warrants and the Legacy Warrants. The above items are excluded from BioAmber's Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders because these items are non-cash in nature, or because the amount and timing of these items are either unpredictable or not driven by current operating results and renders comparisons with prior periods and competitors less meaningful.  BioAmber believes Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders is a useful measure for analysts and investors to evaluate BioAmber's future ongoing performance as this measure allows for a more meaningful comparison of BioAmber's projected cash earnings and performance with its historical results from prior periods and to the results of its competitors.  Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders corresponds more closely to the cash operating income generated from BioAmber's business and allows investors to gain an understanding of the factors and trends affecting the ongoing cash earnings capabilities of BioAmber's business.

Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders has certain limitations in that it does not take into account the impact of certain expenses to BioAmber's consolidated statements of operations.  In evaluating Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders, you should be aware that in the future BioAmber may incur expenses similar to the adjustments in this presentation. BioAmber's presentation of Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders should not be construed as an inference that BioAmber's future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Adjusted Net Loss Attributable to BioAmber Inc. Shareholders is not a measurement of BioAmber's financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, operating income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP.

SOURCE BioAmber Inc.