Vanda Pharmaceuticals Reports First Quarter 20...( ROCKVILLE Md. April 29 /- Vanda Pharm...)

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: VNDA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of clinical-stage product candidates for central nervous system disorders, today announced financial and operational results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2009.

Vanda reported a net loss of $6.5 million for the first quarter of 2009, compared to $7.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2008. Total expenses for the first quarter of 2009 were $6.6 million, compared to $7.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2008. Research and development (R&D) expenses for the first quarter of 2009 were $2.3 million, compared to $3.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2008. The decrease in R&D expenses in the first quarter of 2009 relative to the fourth quarter of 2008 is primarily due to the decrease in regulatory consulting and other professional fees.

As of March 31, 2009, Vanda's cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities totaled approximately $42.6 million. As of March 31, 2009, a total of approximately 26.7 million shares of Vanda common stock were outstanding. Net loss per common share for the first quarter of 2009 was $0.24, compared to $0.28 for the fourth quarter of 2008.

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

On November 6, 2008, Vanda submitted a Complete Response to the not approvable action letter that the Company received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 25, 2008 regarding iloperidone. The FDA accepted the Complete Response for review and has set a new target action date of May 6, 2009. Pending a response from the FDA, Vanda is concentrating its efforts on the design and evaluation of clinical development options for tasimelteon, its compound for sleep and mood disorders, including
'/>"/>