Hookipa Pharma announces focus on two strategic areas

HOOKIPA Pharma (HOOK) announced that the Company will focus its resources in two strategic areas: prioritize the clinical development of a randomized trial for its HB-200 program in human papillomavirus 16 positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, HNSCC, and its two Gilead-partnered (GILD) infectious disease cure programs for hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus. In the first-line setting HB-200, in combination with pembrolizumab, has demonstrated best-in-class antigen specific T cell activation and has doubled the historic objective response rates of standard of care treatment alone. The totality of the HB-200 data presents a clear opportunity for HOOKIPA to advance this program in a randomized trial starting in mid-2024. “HOOKIPA has a tremendous opportunity to transform treatment of multiple disease areas using an entirely new class of medicines,” said Joern Aldag, Chief Executive Officer at HOOKIPA. “As we move forward with our randomized trial for HB-200 in combination with pembrolizumab, we have made an important decision to focus our resources and pursue this opportunity in earnest. We will focus on clinical delivery and execution so that we can help address a significant unmet need for patients with advanced HPV16+ head and neck cancer.”