Cibus cuts nine-month cash burn by nearly a fifth as rice and fragrance work advances

Cibus (Nasdaq: CBUS) spent less cash in the first nine months of 2026 than a year earlier, with operating outflow down by about 19% to $30.2 million, according to its third-quarter results published on 12 November. The company still expects to finish the year burning cash at an annualised net rate of about $35 million.

On the product side, Cibus said its rice traits that confer tolerance to herbicides did well in field trials in Latin America. The traits are now being evaluated in the proprietary varieties of Interoc, a customer, in Ecuador. The material available does not include trial data, details of the agronomic results or a date for any commercial launch, so the revenue potential of the programme cannot be gauged from the update.

Cibus also said it has begun manufacturing its first two biofragrance ingredients. Its partner has signed off both for use, which indicates the work has gone beyond development. Volumes, pricing and customer names were not disclosed.

A separate programme in Indian Mustard has also started, and the company said a partner is paying for it. Funding from a partner usually shifts some of the development cost away from the company's own balance sheet, although the amount involved was not given. The regulatory status of the rice traits in Ecuador or elsewhere was not set out in the available material.