Echo Therapeutics Announces Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Echo Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECTE), a company developing its needle-free Symphony® tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring system and its Prelude® SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, today announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2012. Echo’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as filed with the SEC, is available through Echo’s website at www.echotx.com.

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Recent Corporate Highlights

• Echo announced that Platinum-Montaur Life Sciences, LLC will provide the Company a credit facility of up to $20 million. This transaction will provide the Company with significant, yet flexible, financial resources to fund its development and growth plans.
• Echo announced positive results from its clinical study conducted at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This study is the second of two studies in critically ill patients that demonstrated that Symphony successfully and continuously monitored glucose levels in the intensive care unit.
• Echo signed an amended license agreement with Ferndale Pharma Group, Inc. that expanded the territory in which Ferndale can develop, market and sell Prelude for needle-free skin preparation prior to the application of topical 4% lidocaine cream.
• Echo was included in the Russell Microcap® Index when Russell Investments rebalanced its family of U.S. indexes. A company’s membership in the Russell Microcap Index, which remains in place for one year, means that it is automatically included in the appropriate growth and value style indexes.
• At the 72^nd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, Echo presented an expanded analysis of data from its clinical trial of Symphony in subjects with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Following the oral presentation, Echo hosted a panel discussion on hospital-based glucose control with Key Opinion Leaders in glycemic control. Video highlights are available: http://echotx.com/events.shtml.
• David Walton, who has nearly two decades of strategic healthcare marketing experience, joined Echo as Vice President of Marketing and Commercial Development. Dave leads global strategic marketing planning for Symphony and other new products in the Company’s growth strategy.

“Montaur’s financial commitment, together with the recent positive clinical results of Symphony and the appointment of Dave Walton to lead our global marketing effort, represent important achievements for Echo as we progress toward regulatory clearance and commercialization,” commented Patrick T. Mooney, M.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Echo Therapeutics. “In the second half of the year, our focus is to establish plans for CE Mark and FDA pivotal trials for Symphony, advancing toward European and U.S. regulatory clearances and, ultimately, Symphony’s commercial launch.”

Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results

Echo’s net loss for the second quarter of 2012 was $3.2 million, or ($0.08) per share, compared to $2.0 million, or ($0.06) per share, for the second quarter of 2011. Operating loss for the second quarter of 2012 was $3.5 million compared to $1.8 million for the second quarter of 2011. Research and development expenses were $2.2 million for the second quarter of 2012 compared to $1.0 million in the prior year. The increase in research and development expenses are primarily related to increased manufacturing, development and clinical expenses, as well as personnel costs. General and administration expenses were $1.3 million for the second quarter of 2012 versus $1.0 million in the prior year. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to increased personnel and facility costs, as well as legal and other Nasdaq and public company expenses. Echo reported a cash balance of approximately $3.1 million as of June 30, 2012.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

The statements in this press release that are not historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to regulatory approvals and the success of Echo’s ongoing studies, including the safety and efficacy of Echo’s Symphony tCGM and Prelude SkinPrep Systems, the failure of future development and preliminary marketing efforts related to Echo’s Symphony tCGM and Prelude SkinPrep Systems, Echo’s ability to secure additional commercial partnering arrangements, risks and uncertainties relating to Echo’s and its partners’ ability to develop, market and sell diagnostic and transdermal drug delivery products based on its skin permeation platform technologies, including the Symphony tCGM and Prelude SkinPrep Systems, the availability of substantial additional equity or debt capital to support its research, development and product commercialization activities, and the success of its research, development, regulatory approval, marketing and distribution plans and strategies, including those plans and strategies related to its Symphony tCGM and Prelude SkinPrep Systems. These and other risks and uncertainties are identified and described in more detail in Echo’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. Echo undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

For More Information:
Christine H. Olimpio
Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
(215) 717-4104
colimpio@echotx.com

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