Chairman, joining me are Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Howie McKibbon, and our U.S. Chief Financial Officer, Chris Lesovitz. At the end of the presentation, we'll be taking some questions from the audience. Given the large number of participants, and we had over 500 pre-registered, and we're getting close to that number now, we won't be able to get to all the questions, but we'll do the best we can to address the key issues entered into the Q&A by our guests that have joined us here this morning. This presentation contains certain forward-looking statements and comments about future matters. Please see our cautionary note on the forward-looking statements contained in our 4C press release that was issued to the ASX this morning. I'm now going to turn the call over to Dr. Howie McKibbon. Howie.
Thank you, Vince, and good morning to everyone on the call. Q4 fiscal 2025 was the first full quarter since the commercial launch of Sofdra on February 1st. As you're probably aware, Sofdra is the first and only new chemical entity approved by the FDA to treat primary axillary hyperhidrosis, the third largest dermatology condition, only after acne and atopic derm, a condition affecting around 10 million people in the Unitd States. This is a large and underserved market, which patients experience significant effects on their quality of life. Before turning to the results, I want to highlight three key points. First and foremost, the team has executed extremely well. We hired and trained 27 sales professionals with a strong track record of selling to derms, evidenced by the 79 Presidents Club wins between them, which are awarded only to the top 10% of sales professionals each year.
The sales team quickly generated significant demand for Sofdra in our first two quarters of launch, and we're pleased with the performance, which is on par or better than some of the more successful dermatology companies. We optimized the SendRx fulfillment platform to ensure patients and prescribers had a positive experience with the initial delivery, insurance clearance, and refills of Sofdra . This resulted in a continuous gross to net improvement, a growing number of fully reimbursed prescriptions, and a refill rate well exceeding industry standards. The prior authorization process and the steps needed to expedite payment are well understood, and the impact of high deductible season has largely been mitigated. We also published the clinical trial results for Sofdra for the treatment of primary axillary hyperhidrosis in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, or JAD.
This publication featured data from our two phase III clinical trials, which showed the pooled analysis of the coprimary endpoint, which required a two-point or greater improvement on the HDSM axillary-7 scale, and showed significantly better results for treatment versus control. There's much work to be done, but the team has executed very well, as I said earlier. The second point I want to make is that demand for Sofdra is high, and this is at a time when prescriptions are becoming even more profitable. Total prescriptions shipped in the fourth quarter increased by 324% from 3,222 in Q3 to 13,647 in Q4. Growth was driven by high promotional response rates, as well as high refill rates for Sofdra . The number of unique prescribers increased 115% from 1,075 at the end of the third quarter to 2,316 at the end of the fourth quarter.
Now, we believe that the growing prescriber base, the rise in prescription volume, and the strong refill rate all indicate rapid acceptance of Sofdra 's benefits by both physicians and patients. In Q4, Sofdra 's gross sales reached $20.4 million, up from $4.8 million in Q3, while unaudited net revenue for Botanix was $4.3 million compared to $0.7 million in Q3. The gross to net yield improved throughout the quarter as the company gained more efficiencies of scale, and a growing share of prescriptions received full private payer coverage. The company exited June with a gross to net of 23%. Going forward, the goal is to reach an average gross to net of 30%- 40%, a range that's common among the most successful U.S. dermatology companies, and we'll strive to meet or exceed that. Third, we are well-funded to support Sofdra to profitability.
Outflow is going to decrease and stabilize as our net sales grow. Operating cash flow for the quarter totaled $28.4 million, an $8.4 million rise from Q3. This increase was mainly due to $11.2 million in inventory purchases. No further drug substance purchases will be made in the first half of fiscal year 2026. The higher expenses were partially offset by the initial significant receipts from product sales. We anticipate that cash outflow will decrease quickly next quarter, while Sofdra sales continue to gain momentum. Now, finally, before turning it over to Chris, I want to discuss the growth drivers for fiscal 2026. Given the high promotional response from physicians to direct selling from our sales professionals, the sales force was expanded from 27%- 33%, and the six new fully trained sales professionals began engaging with dermatologists at the start of Q1 fiscal year 2026.
An additional 17 sales reps will complete training during the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 to start selling at the beginning of Q2 to physicians who have not previously seen a representative. This increase in sales staff is not expected to significantly raise costs, as the company is primarily reallocating portions of its existing sales and marketing budget to what is currently the most effective channel to make Botanix a profitable company. As part of the company's ongoing investment in tools and programs to support sales, materials have been created for display in the dermatologist's offices. These materials aim to prompt sufferers of primary axillary hyperhidrosis to inquire about their condition and learn about Sofdra . Medical education is an effective way to communicate the science of Sofdra to dermatologists.
The publication of our phase III data for Sofdra in the prestigious Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology previously mentioned, as well as additional scientific data, was selected for inclusion in poster exhibitions at prominent medical conferences: the Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference for PAs and NPs in May, and the American Academy of Dermatology Innovation Academy in July. Botanix has created a multi-city event series to introduce both the organization and Sofdra to dermatologists. The first Botanix Summer of Sweat event took place in June, with teams of corporate executives hosting events across the United States. These well-attended events have fostered valuable dialogues with dermatologists that allow them to share their experience with Sofdra to both us as well as their peers. Extremely proud of what the team has accomplished in such a short time.
We've created a solid foundation for future growth and a pathway to make Botanix cash flow positive. Now I'll turn it over to our U.S. CFO, Chris Lesovitz, to discuss the company's cash flow further. Over to you, Chris.
Thank you, Howie. I'd like to take a moment to reiterate the strength of our balance sheet at year-end. With $64.9 million in cash and over $27 million in inventory, we are exceptionally well- positioned for a strong start to the fiscal year 2026. As Howie noted, our focus remains on achieving sustainable profitability. To support this, we strategically reallocated resources to expand our sales force, which we believe is the most effective path to driving long-term revenue growth. During Q4, net cash used in operating activities increased from $19.9 million- $28.4 million. Product manufacturing increased by $7.7 million from Q3 to Q4. We made a deliberate investment in drug substance, or API, purchases during Q4 of fiscal year 2025, which means we do not anticipate needing additional API in the first half of 2026.
This forward-looking procurement gives us the inventory stability we need to execute on our growth objectives for the year ahead. Operating costs increased $1.7 million from Q3 to Q4, and staff costs increased $2.3 million, which was driven by an employee option exercise tax payment of $1.6 million, which was prepaid to the company in the previous quarter by the employee. These increases were offset by a $3.5 million increase in cash receipts from the product sales from Q3 to Q4. Financing cash inflow for the quarter was $65.6 million. The company successfully raised $40 million through an institutional placement and secured a debt facility with Trios Capital. The company drew down $30.7 million in capital, incurring transaction costs of $2.6 million.
As of June 30, 2025, the company had a strong balance sheet with $64.9 million in cash and $15.3 million in undrawn debt, which may be accessed upon reaching certain milestones. With stable underlying operating costs, excluding inventory purchases, and expected quarter-on-quarter revenue growth, the company believes it is currently well-funded to reach profitability utilizing its existing cash reserves. We're excited about the opportunities ahead, and we're looking forward to delivering continued growth in fiscal year 2026. Now, I will turn this over to Vince for Q&A.
Thank you, Howie. Chris, we did get a number of questions in here. Let's get started with the ones that we have. Howie, you're going to take this first one here. There were a few questions on what to expect for reporting in the future, and some of the questions came along the line of how often will you communicate? Is there a planned schedule for frequency? What can we expect for reporting in the future, Howie?
I appreciate that, Vince. Thanks for the question. We'll have a call like this, the one we had today, after each 4C filing, a webinar after both the 1/2 and yearly reports, as well as a presentation at the AGM. There are at least seven scheduled, and we'll, of course, present at conferences and roadshows throughout the year for which we'll release information. At a minimum, those seven times, but again, additional information throughout the year as we attend conferences and as there's an opportunity to showcase anything that's pertinent or might deviate from the plan as we roll out additional tactics throughout the year. We'll stick to those 4C filings in a call in this format. The half, yearly, and yearly, we'll certainly have live webinars where you'll be able to ask questions at each of those events.
Okay. This is a follow-up question to that, Howie, and it's around the metrics you'll report on. Will there be a standard format of reporting? One question came in on the July 9th press release noting patients receiving filled prescriptions is a metric that the company will use on an ongoing basis going forward. Do you want to comment on what metrics will you report on?
Sure, Vince. We'll report on the key growth drivers. Total prescriptions filled, gross revenue, net revenues, the gross to net, and cash flow by quarter are all of these things that allow us to calculate what our net sales are going to be, and they're the key drivers to net sales. We'll also provide other data like new prescribers, refill rates, and other key initiatives and milestones for the quarter for each of these calls.
Okay. You know what, Chris, why don't you take the next one here? Can you explain the cost reductions from Q4 to Q1 with the field force increase? Where's the money coming from?
The company is primarily reallocating portions of our existing sales and marketing budgets. We were shifting within the existing operating cost line item in a 4C. All we're doing is just reallocating money from marketing into our sales force to grow the sales force from our 27 reps to our 50 reps. This is how we reallocated those funds.
Yeah, let me add to that, Chris, and Vince. We've spoken about this before. Given the promotional response from the sales representatives, there's an opportunity here to expand to those physicians that we haven't called on. We go back to the first week of launch where we saw physicians writing after only hearing the message one time. We know that they're easily activated. Those sales representatives that have been here, those first 27, they'll shift from a reach to greater physicians to now trying to increase the productivity of the physicians that they're calling on. Now we have an opportunity to activate those physicians that are not called on, and we believe that they'll behave much in the same way that the physicians that were called on back in February for the first time will. We're seeing just that for those six sales professionals that started on July 1st.
This is the quickest pathway to profitability and gives us the opportunity to get there fairly quickly.
Great. Chris, another question for you here. There's a number of questions about this. I'll just ask the one question that gets right to the point. Will you need to raise capital again?
With the $64.9 million in cash we have and over the $27 million in inventory that we've purchased over the past year, we're well positioned, you know, from a balance sheet perspective. Operating cost outflows will decrease over the next quarter and stabilize. With the continued strong demand of Sofdr , all these factors support Sofdra getting to profitability. You know, we just got to go out and hit those revenue numbers, and we should be good for the next couple of quarters. That's it.
That's Chris. Howie, this one for you. Where are the Bloomberg data coming from, and why don't they match your numbers? That's a question probably that's been asked over and over again over the last 30 years, but could you comment on the Bloomberg data, please?
Yeah, sure. Thanks, Vince. Those are actually Symphony data, and Symphony Health gathers its prescription data from multiple sources, and then they project the totals, right? They don't have every prescription that's out there, so they have an algorithm to get there. Though they're typically directionally correct, there's usually a delta between what their projections are and the actuals that can be above or below. Directional growth is a reasonable expectation from those Symphony data. The data we report are actuals without a projection; they come directly from our pharmacy partners. There may be a gap from time to time. There are things we could potentially do in the future if that gap continues, but keep in mind that that's something that's always been there.
Typically, as the launch progresses and we get further into the product lifecycle, they get closer, but also keep in mind that those are projections and there'll be a gap.
Okay. Great. Chris, why don't you take this one on the couple of questions here on the Trump tariffs and how do they impact us, the big beautiful bill and his comment about the 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals? What impact will Botanix be experiencing from that?
We're still going through our analysis of it, but we don't see a material impact of the tariffs that are being announced. Our product is sourced from Japan as well as France, and they both get imported into Canada, and then the product is manufactured within Canada and then imported down to the United States. The only portion of the tariffs that will ultimately affect Botanix is what gets manufactured in Canada. As of right now, we don't really see any material impact of this.
Okay. Thank you, Chris. Howie, there was a clarification question about the $400- $500 price per script. Can you clarify that statement that was made in the past?
You bet. For a fully reimbursed script, that is indeed the case. As you know, at launch, there are a certain amount of prescriptions that, while we work through the prior authorization process, the patient gets that are unreimbursed. That is purposely done for a couple of reasons. Number one, we want the patient and physician to have a very good experience the first time they get the product. We want them to have the benefits of Sofdra , but it also allows us to then work through their prior authorization and turn that prescription into a positive. For simplicity, we report the gross to net at 25% for all of those prescriptions. That said, the gross to net is improving month over month, and we do have a target there of 30%- 40% when we get to steady state.
It is something that allows us to ensure that every patient that has commercial insurance has the opportunity to try Sofdra and that we have the ability then to work through their insurance clearance to make that a profitable prescription.
Thanks, Howie. I could do this, the next one here. There were actually two questions, and they both touched on new products and the platform. First, the first part of that question relative to new products, I mean, obviously, we're always evaluating new opportunities for the company, but right now, all focus is on Sofdra and increasing sales and productivity of the product. All our time and attention is on that right now. That hasn't stopped any of our business development activities on behalf of the company as we look to the future of what Botanix can serve. As for the platform, as noted in the presentation, Howie had mentioned that the platform is fully operational right now. We're quite pleased with how the platform is working and the speed in which it became 100% efficient right from the start.
In the future, as we look to new products, the platform will be able to support that then. Okay. Howie, one question for you here around seasonality. Anything really to expect? Any key learnings from Japan that you might be able to share relative to that?
You know, it's interesting over the summer. We're not certain whether that's seasonality of treatment or seasonality that is occurring because of their promotional efforts. We have seen a minor uptick over the summer. We'll continue to monitor that over time. Of course, we do have multiple promotional programs ongoing. We'll report back and we'll monitor those trends together. I think there's an opportunity to ensure that these patients are thinking about treating their hyperhidrosis all year round now because of their access to the product and their ability to have it to their doorstep whenever they need it.
Vince, just going back to that platform question that you answered, I think we'll also touch upon the fact that last October, we noted that we were going to monitor both digital and we're going to monitor our salesforce promotion to determine which gave you the quickest ROI to get to cash flow positive. Now we're seeing success in both of these, and we'll continue to have the platform service those patients through telehealth. We didn't anticipate such a positive activation rate or promotional response at the physician level, but we did note that this would be the time of year we would determine whether or not to add more sales reps, and we're doing just that. It's a function of doing it in a very phased manner to ensure that we're being efficient, but it also allows us to get to cash flow positive quickly.
Now, post that, digital opportunities there for further growth of the product. This is a balance, but also a balance that we pointed to last October to ensure that we're allowing the data to dictate what we're doing with the dollars to allow us to get to cash flow positive very quickly. We do believe that the dollars that we have on hand, the expense stabilization coupled with the increase in both prescriptions and profitability put us in a very, very positive spot with regard to getting to cash flow positive. It's not our anticipation to come back to the market prior to that, given the data that we see here today.
I could take this next question. There were a couple of questions here about the CBD platform, the anti-infective platform that we were working on here, just what the status of that is. The programs are still there. As we have mentioned in the past, once we acquired Sofdra , all time and attention shifted to commercializing this asset. There were some very positive results that we saw from both the anti-infective programs and most certainly some of the common skin disease programs such as rosacea. Those programs are still sitting in the queue for now, but right now, every dollar is going towards the commercialization of Sofdra and making it a success. Howie, question here about the sales representatives, a couple of them.
What led you to bringing these reps on early in the waves that you did, and what comfort do you have around the sales momentum of Sofdra to be bringing on the expansion of the field force this early?
You bet. Vince, I'll go back to just saying that it's not necessarily, it's not early. This was a planned observation of the data that we have now. Two things are in play here. First of all, because we get the data in real time, we can be nimble with regard to our response. We pointed out that this would be the time period we would make that decision. We're doing it in a phased manner to ensure that we're getting the same promotional response we got from the initial 27. Keep this in mind, right? Those initial 27 were calling on naive physicians or physicians that hadn't been called on in the past. When they went to those offices, the activation or the ability and desire to write prescriptions and send them to SendRx was very high.
It didn't take many visits, and frankly, in the first week, over 100 doctors wrote for the product, having only heard the message once. We have the ability to expand upon that and take advantage of that quick activation. That allows the initial 27 to move toward increasing the productivity or how many prescriptions those physicians write as we go to the product. The new sales representatives will see that same activation rate from physicians, and they'll get to all of the physicians in their territory at least once over the first six weeks and then begin to increase the productivity of those physicians. So on and so forth with the 17. It does give us a phased approach to consistently grow over the next year through activation and productivity. It puts us in a very good spot, and we let the data make the decision for us.
We did see a good response with regard to telehealth, and that's something that will continue. For now, in getting to cash flow positive, we believe in the data to tell us that this is the quickest way to do it. Longer term, we have 6.3 million sufferers out there that are not in the physician's office that we will get to throughout the product lifecycle through telemedicine. We're excited about that opportunity as well. Right now, we're focused on cash flow positive with the dollars that we have, and we believe this gets us there.
Thanks, Howie. I think we have time for just one more question here. If you don't mind answering this, I'll just read the question as it is. I noticed there was not much discussion regarding new patient arrivals. Why the change at this time?
No, thanks, Vince. At the beginning of any drug launch, new patient arrivals are a very useful leading indicator, right, of initial physician activation and their responsiveness. It tells us, you know, based on those 27 reps, and we internally will use the same thing for the six that just started, whether physicians are willing, based on the message, to send patients to SendRx, and how many of them do they send. We saw that quickly rise. What's most important for us now that we have reliable data are prescriptions shipped, refill rates, and gross to net trends, and we focus on those metrics that allow us to understand our projected net sales. Those are those that ultimately measure a paid prescription going through the system and the dollars coming into Botanix . Those are our hard metrics that we look at now.
At the beginning, before you have those trends, we do look at new patient arrivals. Now we see exactly what comes through the system and how quickly they go through the system and what the dollars are associated with each of those prescriptions by payer. Moving forward, and certainly internally, on a daily basis, we look at prescriptions shipped, refill rates, gross to nets, etc.
Thanks, Howie. One participant did note that there was a delay in getting the quarterly activity and 4C report up by the ASX, but it came up a few minutes after the call started. Those of you that did not have an opportunity to view it, it is visible on ASX right now, along with the full 4C report. Thank you all for joining us here this morning and your interest in Botanix Pharmaceuticals. Thank you and goodbye.