BioAmber improves yields, plant uptime in Q3

BioAmber’s Q3 2016 results highlight that sales of bio-succinic acid in Q3 were $3.7 million, an increase of 45 per cent over the previous quarter. As well, the unit cost of bio-succinic acid continues to improve with Q3 2016 reporting a further 12 per cent reduction vs Q2 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).

For more information visit www.bio-amber.com