Single Blog

Atossa Therapeutics Announces Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update

Regulatory Approval To Open Clinical Study of AT-H201 in Australia

Atossa logo

 PDF   Print   View All
Atossa Therapeutics Announces Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update

SEATTLE, Nov. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Atossa Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATOS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company seeking to discover and develop innovative medicines in areas of significant unmet medical need with a current focus on breast cancer and COVID-19, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020, and provided an update on recent company developments.

Key recent developments included:

  • Significantly advanced the development of AT-301 proprietary nasal spray as potential at-home treatment against COVID-19, with completion of a randomized, placebo controlled, double-blinded Phase 1 study and a preliminary assessment of the blinded data indicating that AT-301 was safe and well tolerated by participants at two different dose levels in both single and multiple dose forms over 14 days.
  • Applied for regulatory approval from the European Medical Product Authority to commence a Phase 2 clinical study of Endoxifen in Sweden to reduce mammographic breast density (MBD).
  • Announced interim findings following 18 months of an Expanded Access (or “compassionate use”) single-patient study of Endoxifen. The patient in the study had no cancer recurrence and suffered no side effects. Endoxifen did not cause other safety and tolerability concerns in this patient.

“Our COVID-19 nasal spray program has progressed very well during the quarter, with our Phase 1 study of AT-301 nasal spray demonstrating good safety and tolerability at two different dose levels in both single and multiple dose forms over a 14-day trial period,” said Dr. Steven Quay, Atossa’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are very encouraged by these preliminary results. In the next 30 days we plan to file a pre-IND meeting request with the FDA and, subject to their input, plan to immediately commence a Phase 2 study, either in the U.S. or abroad, in patients recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

“We believe AT-301 nasal spray is unique among the various therapies under development for COVID-19. While other companies are focused on therapies for patients being treated in hospitals, we are developing AT-301 for at-home use for the vast majority of COVID-19 patients who do not require hospitalization. Although great progress has been made by companies developing vaccines, it has become clear that a vaccine won’t provide a complete solution to the pandemic. No vaccine will be 100 percent effective and surveys have shown that many people won’t take a vaccine even when one becomes available. Similar to the seasonal flu where vaccines don’t provide complete community protection and people also rely on therapies, our AT-301 nasal spray therapy should form an important and necessary component of a comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Dr. Quay.

Upcoming 2020 milestones include the following:

  • File pre-IND meeting request with FDA for AT-301 nasal spray for potential at-home treatment of COVID-19.
  • Commence Phase 2 study in Sweden for our Endoxifen to reduce MBD.

September 30, 2020 Financial Results 

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, we have no source of sustainable revenue and no associated cost of revenue.

Operating Expenses: Total operating expenses were approximately $3,509,000 and $10,382,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, consisting of R&D expenses of approximately $1,659,000 and $4,251,000, respectively, and general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses of approximately $1,850,000 and $6,131,000, respectively. Total operating expenses were approximately $3,298,000 and $14,649,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, consisting of R&D expenses of approximately $1,684,000 and $5,747,000, respectively, and G&A expense of approximately $1,614,000 and $8,901,000, respectively. Total operating expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019 decreased approximately $4,267,000 or 29% and for the three months ended September 30, 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019 increased approximately $211,000 or 6%.

Research and Development Expenses: R&D expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2020, were approximately $1,659,000, which were comparable to total R&D expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2019, of approximately $1,684,000. R&D expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, were approximately $4,251,000, a decrease of approximately $1,496,000 or 26% from total R&D expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, of approximately $5,747,000. The decrease in R&D expense is attributed primarily to a decrease in stock-based compensation of approximately $2,165,000, which is a non-cash charge, offset by an increase in salaries, professional fees and clinical trials expenses of approximately $669,000, as compared to the same period in 2019. We expect our R&D expenses to increase for the remainder of 2020 as we seek to commence a study of AT-H201, complete our Phase 1 study of AT-301, launch a Phase 2 clinical trial of Endoxifen in women with high breast density, and continue the development of other indications and therapeutics.

General and Administrative Expenses: G&A expenses were approximately $1,850,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2020, an increase of approximately $236,000, or 15% from the total G&A expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2019, of approximately $1,614,000. The $236,000 increase in G&A expenses for the three month period ended September 30, 2020, is mainly attributed to an increase in legal, professional fees and insurance costs. G&A expenses were approximately $6,131,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, a decrease of approximately $2,770,000, or 31% from the total G&A expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, of approximately $8,901,000. G&A expenses consist primarily of personnel and related benefit costs, facilities, professional services, insurance, and public company related expenses. The decrease in G&A expenses for the nine month period ended September 30, 2020, is mainly attributed to a decrease in stock-based compensation expense of approximately $3,535,000, which is a non-cash charge, offset by an increase in legal, professional fees and insurance costs of approximately $765,000 compared to the same period in 2019. 

As of September 30, 2020, the Company had approximately $9.2 million in cash and cash equivalents.

About Atossa Therapeutics

Atossa Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company seeking to discover and develop innovative medicines in areas of significant unmet medical need with a current focus on breast cancer and COVID-19. For more information, please visit www.atossatherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this press release, which Atossa undertakes no obligation to update, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated or estimated future results, including the risks and uncertainties associated with any variation between interim and final clinical results, actions and inactions by the FDA, the outcome or timing of regulatory approvals needed by Atossa including those needed to commence studies of AT-H201, AT-301 and Endoxifen, lower than anticipated rate of patient enrollment, estimated market size of drugs under development, the safety and efficacy of Atossa’s products, performance of clinical research organizations and investigators, obstacles resulting from proprietary rights held by others such as patent rights, whether reduction in Ki-67 or any other result from a neoadjuvant study is an approvable endpoint for oral Endoxifen, and other risks detailed from time to time in Atossa’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation its periodic reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q, each as amended and supplemented from time to time.

Company Contact:
Atossa Therapeutics, Inc.
Kyle Guse CFO and General Counsel
Office: 866 893-4927
kyle.guse@atossainc.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Core IR
Office:(516) 222-2560
ir@atossainc.com

Source: Atossa Therapeutics, Inc.




ATOSSA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

    As of
September 30,
2020		     As of
December 31,		  
Assets   (Unaudited)     2019  
Current assets                
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 9,105,950     $ 12,581,136  
Restricted cash     110,000       110,000  
Prepaid expenses     1,484,251       862,344  
Research and development tax rebate receivable     439,205       739,656  
Other current assets     178,911       26,130  
Total current assets     11,318,317       14,319,266  
                 
Furniture and equipment, net     25,429       34,350  
Intangible assets, net     45,417       68,542  
Right-of-use asset     31,279       50,479  
Other assets     17,218       17,218  
Total Assets   $ 11,437,660     $ 14,489,855  
                 
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                
Current liabilities                
Accounts payable   $ 682,612     $ 293,171  
Accrued expenses     85,173       77,888  
Payroll liabilities     752,847       899,420  
Lease liability     30,063       39,371  
Other current liabilities     14,671       12,892  
Total current liabilities     1,565,366       1,322,742  
Long term liabilities                
Lease liability long term     1,217       11,108  
Total Liabilities     1,566,583       1,333,850  
                 
Commitments and contingencies                
                 
Stockholders’ equity                
Preferred stock – $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 623 and 671 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively     1       1  
Additional paid-in capital – Series B convertible preferred stock     622,999       670,999  
Common stock – $0.18 par value; 175,000,000 shares authorized; 10,464,250 and 9,130,984 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively     1,883,553       1,643,565  
Additional paid-in capital     111,780,197       104,912,480  
Accumulated deficit     (104,415,673 )     (94,071,040 )
Total Stockholders’ Equity     9,871,077       13,156,005  
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity   $ 11,437,660     $ 14,489,855  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.




ATOSSA THERAPEUTICS, INC. 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(UNAUDITED)

    For the Three Months Ended September 30,     For the Nine Months Ended September 30,  
                                 
    2020     2019     2020     2019  
Operating expenses                                
Research and development   $ 1,659,075     $ 1,684,215     $ 4,250,934     $ 5,747,399  
General and administrative     1,849,741       1,613,983       6,130,698       8,901,197  
Total operating expenses     3,508,816       3,298,198       10,381,632       14,648,596  
Operating loss     (3,508,816 )     (3,298,198 )     (10,381,632 )     (14,648,596 )
Other income     17,745       12,284       36,999       26,846  
Loss before income taxes     (3,491,071 )     (3,285,914 )     (10,344,633 )     (14,621,750 )
Income taxes     –       –       –       –  
Net loss   $ (3,491,071 )   $ (3,285,914 )   $ (10,344,633 )   $ (14,621,750 )
Loss per common share – basic and diluted   $ (0.34 )   $ (0.36 )   $ (1.09 )   $ (1.77 )
Weighted average shares outstanding – basic and diluted     10,162,770       9,130,057       9,496,222       8,283,302  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

Primary Logo
Nov 13, 2020

Privacy

Share this post with your friends

Atossa Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company seeking to discover and develop innovative medicines in areas of significant unmet medical need in oncology, with a current focus on breast cancer and radiation-induced lung injury.

Company

Investor Relations

Contact

Facebook Twitter Linkedin

Copyright © 2023 Atossa Therapeutics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy | Legal | Terms of Use | Expanded Access Policy

Accessibility by WAH

Eric Van Zanten

VP, Investor & Public Relations

Mr. Van Zanten brings over 25 years of corporate communications experience working within the biopharmaceutical, finance and healthcare industries. He will oversee corporate, executive and digital communications, investor relations, thought leadership, and branding for the Company. Prior to joining Atossa, Mr. Van Zanten led corporate affairs at Faron Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on tackling difficult-to-treat cancers via precision macrophage immunotherapy and Urogen Pharma, a commercial stage biotech delivering innovative solutions that treat specialty cancers. 

He was also formerly Head of Commercial and Medical Communications and Director of Oncology Communications at Bristol-Myers Squibb where he helped launch Opdivo, one of the most successful oncology brands ever. Earlier in his career he held communications leadership roles at Deloitte, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Unisys Corporation. Mr. Van Zanten is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, where he received his BA in Political Science and Government.

Heather Rees

Vice President, Finance and Accounting

Ms. Rees brings more than 25 years of experience in finance and accounting leadership roles within publicly traded, IPO startups and global organizations. Prior to her current role, Ms. Rees served as Atossa’s Controller from 2017 through early 2021. She previously spent ten years working as an independent financial consultant serving public and private companies including, Avalara, Getty Images, Fisher Communications, and Flow International. Heather began her career with Deloitte & Touche and worked nine years in the audit practice. Ms. Rees earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Gonzaga University. She is a CPA in the state of Washington (inactive).

 

Delly Behen, PHR, SHRM-CP

VP, Administration & HR

Delly Behen, PHR, SHRM-CP has served as Atossa’s VP, Administration & Human Resources since July 2014. Delly brings over 20 years of human resources, administrative, and operational experience to the company. Her experience includes leading people, culture and administration at various biotech companies throughout the Puget Sound. Most recently, she served as Impel NeuroPharma’s HR Consultant, where she helped grow the company and implement HR policies and procedures. She also held positions with increasing responsibilities at CTI Biopharma. Delly received her B.A. degree from the University of Washington and her HR certification from Seattle Pacific University.

 

B. Heather Fraser, PHD

VP Clinical, Regulatory & CMC

Dr. Fraser brings over 20 years of extensive industry experience in the biotech industry to the Company, recently serving in a leadership role as VP Clinical Operations & Program Management at Cerecor, Inc. She held positions with increasing levels of responsibility at Anthera Pharmaceuticals and CV Therapeutics (acquired by Gilead Sciences) where the roles included preclinical and clinical sciences and regulatory affairs.

Dr. Fraser has experience in drug development across diverse therapeutic areas including psychiatry, central nervous system disorders, cardiovascular disorders, and rare diseases; and she has been involved in all stages of drug development from pre-clinical through Phase 4. Dr. Fraser received her BS in Zoology from the University of British Columbia, her MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Montana and her PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Alberta. She also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Kyle Guse, ESQ, CPA

Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Secretary

Mr. Guse has served as Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Secretary since January 2013. His experience includes more than 20 years of counseling life sciences and other rapid growth companies through all aspects of finance, corporate governance, securities laws and commercialization.

Mr. Guse has practiced law at several of the largest international law firms, including from January 2012 through January 2013 as a partner at Baker Botts LLP and, prior to that, from October 2007 to January 2012, as a partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP. Before working at McDermott Will & Emery, Mr. Guse previously served as a partner at Heller Ehrman LLP. Mr. Guse began his career as an accountant at Deloitte & Touche and he is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of California. Mr. Guse earned a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.B.A. from California State University, Sacramento, and a J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law.

Steven C. Quay, MD, PHD

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Quay has served as Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company since the Company was incorporated in April 2009. Dr. Quay is certified in Anatomic Pathology with the American Board of Pathology, completed both an internship and residency in anatomic pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, and is a former faculty member of the Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Quay is a named inventor on 87 U.S. patents, 130 pending U.S. patent applications, and is named inventor on patents covering five pharmaceutical products that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Quay received an M.D. in 1977 and a Ph.D. in 1975 from the University of Michigan. He received his B.A. degree in biology, chemistry and mathematics from Western Michigan University in 1971. He was selected to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors because of his role as a founder of the Company, as well as his qualifications as a physician and the principal researcher overseeing the clinical and regulatory development of the Company’s pharmaceutical programs.

Shu-Chih Chen, PHD

Director

Dr. Chen has served as founder and director since April 2009. She served as Chief Scientific Officer of the Company since it was incorporated in April 2009 through August 2014. She was an Associate Professor at National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, and served as the principal investigator of an NIH RO1 grant studying tumor suppression by gap junction protein connexin 43 at the Department of Molecular Medicine at Northwest Hospital, Seattle, WA.

She has two issued U.S. patents and 20 pending U.S. patent applications related to cancer therapeutics. Dr. Chen received her Ph.D. degree in microbiology and public health from Michigan State University in 1992 and has published extensively on molecular oncology. She received her B.S. degree in medical technology from National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan in 1984. Dr. Chen was selected to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors because of her role as a founder of the Company and her qualifications in medical technology and as a professor and researcher in the field of cancer therapeutics.

Stephen J. Galli, MD

Director

Dr. Galli has served as a director of the Company since July 2011. Dr. Galli has been a Professor of Pathology and of Microbiology & Immunology and the Mary Hewitt Loveless, M.D., Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California since February 1999. He served as Chair of the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine from 1999 to 2016. Before joining Stanford, he was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He holds 14 U.S. patents and has over 400 publications.

H. Lawrence Remmel, ESQ.

Director

Mr. Remmel has served as a director of the Company since February 2012. He is currently a partner of the law firm Pryor Cashman LLP, located in New York City, where he chairs the Banking and Finance practice group. Mr. Remmel joined Pryor Cashman in 1988. His practice includes corporate and banking financings, issues relating to the Investment Company Act of 1940, and intellectual property and licensing issues, in particular in the biotechnology and biocosmeceutical areas.

Gregory L. Weaver

Director

Mr. Weaver has served as a director of the Company since October 2013. Mr. Weaver is currently serving as a financial consultant for several biopharmaceutical companies. From October 2017 – March 2020, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded biotech company. From October 2015 to August 2017 he served as Chief Financial officer of ProMetic Life Sciences, a publicly traded pharmaceutical company.

Richard I. Steinhart

Director

Mr. Steinhart has served as a director of the Company since March 2014. Mr. Steinhart is currently the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. From October 2015 to June 2017 he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Remedy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a privately held pharmaceuticals company. From January 2014 until he joined Remedy Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Steinhart acted as an independent financial consultant to the Biotechnology and Medical Device Industries.

From April 2006 to December 2013, Mr. Steinhart was an executive at MELA Sciences, Inc., most recently serving as its Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary. From 1992 to 2006, Mr. Steinhart was Managing Director at Forest St. Capital/SAE Ventures. Earlier, he served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Emisphere Technologies from 1991 to 1992 and as General Partner and Chief Financial Officer of CW Group Inc. Mr. Steinhart is a Member of the Board of Directors of Actinium Pharmaceuticals where he is Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. From 2004 to 2012, Mr. Steinhart was a Member of the Board of Directors of Manhattan Pharmaceuticals and was Chairman of the Audit Committee. Mr. Steinhart received his B.B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from Pace University. Mr. Steinhart has been selected to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors because of his qualifications as a business executive and audit committee financial expert, and his prior experience as a Chief Financial Officer, director and committee member of public companies.

Dr. Carl Novina

MD, PHD

Dr. Novina is one of the leading researchers in the field of RNAi therapeutics. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School and an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. He is currently the Principal Investigator of the Novina Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His laboratory has made several important discoveries into the biology of noncoding RNAs, their dysregulation in cancers, and their development as biomedical tools.

Dr. Novina received his M.D. from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2000 and his Ph.D. from Tufts University, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences in 1998. His graduate work has resulted in 10 publications examining transcriptional regulation of TATA-less promoters. In 2014 he received the coveted National Institutes of Health Pioneer Award, which funds bold and innovative research proposals to attack challenging biomedical problems. Dr. Novina has established many collaborations between industry partners and physicians to facilitate his goal of bringing biomedical innovations from bench to bedside.

Dr. Per Hall

MD, PHD

Dr. Hall is widely regarded as a leading researcher in the field of breast cancer and prevention. He is the Head of the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Karolinska Institutet. Dr. Hall is leading the unique KARMA (Karolinska Mammography Project for Risk Prediction of Breast Cancer) Cohort, including over 70,000 women, which is regarded as the best characterized breast cancer cohort in the world and serves as a resource for studies about breast cancer risk assessment and prevention, and the Karisma Intervention Study, which is studying the change in MBD in women taking various doses of oral tamoxifen.

Dr. Makarand (Mak) Jawadekar

PHD

Dr. Mak Jawadekar is currently an independent Pharma Professional. He worked at Pfizer, Inc. based in Groton-New London Connecticut for 28 consecutive years. In 2010, he was a Director, Portfolio Management at Pfizer Inc. During his career at Pfizer, he was responsible for Drug Delivery Technology Assessment function involving external ‘Drug Delivery’ technologies. He has extensive experience in creating and cultivating external partnerships and alliances for Drug Delivery Technologies. He began his professional career at Pfizer Central Research in early 1982, after having completed his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics, under Prof. Ed Rippie at the University of Minnesota.

His 28+ years of experience with Pfizer Global R&D specifically includes Solids R&D, Drug Product formulation/ Dosage Form/ Drug Delivery development, Clinical Trials Supply Manufacturing, Scale-up and Technology Transfer & Research Pharmacy functions. He helped create various Pharma R&D Partnerships, JVs, and Collaborations. He managed several functions/groups within R&D for many years. As a bench Scientist, he worked on many challenging commercial formulations which became multibillion-dollar products for many years for Pfizer Inc. These R & D formulations & Product
development programs included ZOLOFT, ZITHROMAX, VIAGRA faster onset, DIFLUCAN ODT and EXUBERA pulmonary delivery system. He also worked on many “Life Cycle Management “projects for Pfizer’s existing products.

Post Pfizer career, he worked with KKR, a Private Equity group in New York, for acquisition of Capsugel division from Pfizer which Pfizer divested later in 2011. Mak has presented at many professional meetings and has participated in various Panel Discussions/Round Tables around the globe. During February 2018, he worked with Mr. Tonino Lamborghini, Chairman, Tonino Lamborghini S.p.A. from Italy in creating Strategic Collaborations in India, working through India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister, D. Phadanavis.

Currently, he serves on various company Strategic & Scientific Advisory Boards around the globe. Some of the list includes:

  • Actinium Pharma, New York city
  • Applied DNA Technologies, Stony Brook, NY
  • Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, California
  • Tonino Lamborghini SpA, Italy.
  • NMBT, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York
  • Sonnet Bio Therapeutics Inc., Cranbury, NJ
  • Saama Technologies Inc., Campbell, California

Serving on the Board of Directors: (Public Companies)

  • Preveceutical Medical Inc., Vancouver, Canada
  • Cardax Pharma, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Nanoviricides Inc. Shelton, Connecticut

Member of the Board of Directors at a NY based, Non-Profit organization,

  • Abilities Inc.

Dr. Paul Wabnitz

BSC (HONS), MD, PHD, MBA, FRACP

Dr. Wabnitz has extensive experience in clinical development with a unique combination of clinical medicine, pharmacology, toxicology, and industry drug development experience. He has acted as an investigator and Medical Monitor on over 50 first in human Phase I/II clinical trials over the last two years, including several Phase I/II first in human oncology studies, as well as previously being the Executive Medical Director of a leading Australian Phase I clinical unit. 

His scientific background includes a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, a Post Doc at Parke-Davis (Ann Arbor, MI), 6.5 years of drug development industry experience (Pfizer/Esperion), an M.B.A. from the Stephen Ross School of Business (University of Ann Arbor, MI), and a Drug Development certificate in Regulatory Affairs from Temple University (Philadelphia, PA). His clinical background includes a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), and he is a qualified Specialist Physician and Clinical Pharmacologist (Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physician, Australia).