Aadi Bioscience Relaunches as Whitehawk Therapeutics Marking Evolution into ADC Company
Aadi Bioscience Relaunches as Whitehawk Therapeutics Marking Evolution into ADC Company
New name reflects focus on accelerating portfolio of advanced ADC therapies with speed, agility and precision
Upon closing of strategic transactions, cash expected to fund operations into 2028 enabling anticipated key clinical data readouts for its ADC assets
Company shares to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol "WHWK" effective March 19, 2025
Company reports financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2024, and will host a conference call tomorrow, March 19 at 8:30 am ET
MORRISTOWN, N.J., March 18, 2025 — Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: WHWK), formerly known as Aadi Bioscience, Inc., an oncology therapeutics company applying advanced technologies to established tumor biology to efficiently deliver improved cancer treatments, today announced it changed its name to Whitehawk Therapeutics, reflecting the Company's evolution and focus on accelerating its portfolio of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with speed, agility and precision. The Company's common stock will begin trading under the ticker "WHWK" effective March 19, 2025.
The three assets in the portfolio are in-licensed from WuXi Biologics and utilize HANGZHOU DAC's advanced ADC technology platform, which consists of a highly stable yet cleavable linker that delivers a Topoisomerase I (TOPO1) inhibitor payload. The platform is coupled with clinically validated tumor targets that are upregulated in high-potential cancer indications, including lung and ovarian. These assets are engineered to produce minimal off-target toxicity, with a higher therapeutic index and greater stability than first-generation predecessors.
"Today marks a transformative moment as we reintroduce ourselves as Whitehawk Therapeutics – a focused oncology company combining science, strategy and execution to swiftly advance our portfolio of promising ADC assets," said David Lennon, President and CEO, Whitehawk Therapeutics. "By leveraging the foundation of well-established tumor biology and integrating cutting-edge technologies, our strategy is designed to address the challenges of treating the most difficult cancers efficiently and effectively. Our goal is to bring all three assets to IND in the next 15 months. Importantly, we believe our robust balance sheet will enable us to see these three assets through early clinical inflections. We are invigorated by the opportunity we have to overcome the limitations of first-generation ADCs to make a meaningful impact for patients."
Recent Operational Highlights:
- All proposals were approved at the Company's Special Meeting of Stockholders on February 28, 2025. Subsequently, the $100 million PIPE financing closed. The closing of the divestiture of Aadi Subsidiary, Inc. ("Aadi Sub") to Kaken Pharmaceuticals ("Kaken") is pending.
- Aadi Bioscience divided into two organizations. Upon the divestiture of Aadi Sub to Kaken, Kaken will assume ownership of Aadi Sub, including the Aadi name, trademark and the FYARRO® business. As of March 18, 2025, the Aadi parent company has become Whitehawk Therapeutics, with a focus on its portfolio of ADC assets.
Fourth Quarter and Full-year 2024 Financial Results:
- Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of December 31, 2024, were $47.2 million as compared to $108.8 million as of December 31, 2023.
- Following closing of the strategic transactions, we expect to have cash and cash equivalents in the range of $170 million to $180 million, including the payment of the upfront and early milestones under the Wuxi ADC agreement.
- Total revenue for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, was $7.2 million, and $26.0 million for the full-year ended December 31, 2024, resulting from sales of FYARRO.
- Net loss for the three months ended December 31, 2024, was $18.3 million as compared to $16.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023. Net loss for the full-year ended December 31, 2024, was $63.7 million, as compared to $65.8 million for the same period in 2023.
About the ADC Portfolio
- HWK-007 represents a differentiated opportunity to potentially be among the first next-wave ADCs in clinical development for high PTK7 expressing cancers. HWK-007 is being evaluated in IND-enabling studies. The Phase 1 trial is planned in non-small cell lung cancer and platinum resistant ovarian cancer, with potential to expand into novel indications (e.g. gastrointestinal, gynecological).
- HWK-016 is the first ADC that targets the membrane-bound portion of MUC16, a glycoprotein often overexpressed in cancers of female origin. HWK-016 is currently being evaluated in IND-enabling studies. The Phase 1 trial is planned in ovarian cancer, with potential to expand into additional indications (e.g. endometrial, cervical).
- HWK-206 is designed to address the neuronal target, SEZ6, which is often overexpressed in cancers of neuroendocrine origin. HWK-206 utilizes a dual epitope binding, or biparatopic, approach which can potentially improve internalization and effectiveness of the ADC. HWK-206 is currently in candidate selection. The Phase 1 trial is planned in small-cell lung cancer and neuroendocrine neoplasms, where there are limited treatment options.
Conference Call Information
The Whitehawk management team is hosting a conference call and webcast tomorrow at 8:30 am ET (5:30 am PT) to provide a corporate update and discuss results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2024.
Participants may access a live webcast of the call and the associated slide presentation on the "Investors & News" page of the Whitehawk Therapeutics website at whitehawktx.com. To participate via telephone, please register in advance at this link. Upon registration, all telephone participants will receive a confirmation email detailing how to join the conference call, including the dial-in number along with a unique passcode and registrant ID that can be used to access the call. A replay of the conference call and webcast will be archived on the Company's website for at least 30 days.
About Whitehawk Therapeutics
Whitehawk Therapeutics is a preclinical stage oncology therapeutics company applying advanced technologies to established tumor biology to efficiently deliver improved cancer treatments. Whitehawk's advanced three-asset ADC portfolio is engineered to overcome the limitations of first-generation predecessors to deliver a meaningful impact for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers. These assets are in-licensed from WuXi Biologics under an exclusive development and global commercialization agreement. More information on the Company is available at www.whitehawktx.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.
AADI BIOSCIENCE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
December 31,
December 31,
2024
2023
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 28,670
$ 62,888
Short-term investments
18,567
45,957
Accounts receivable, net
5,903
5,488
Inventory
5,311
6,427
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
2,836
3,826
Total current assets
61,287
124,586
Property and equipment, net
6,846
4,802
Operating lease right-of-use assets
787
1,169
Other assets
1,399
1,866
Total assets
$ 70,319
$ 132,423
Liabilities and stockholders' equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$ 2,159
$ 5,898
Accrued liabilities
14,647
14,306
Operating lease liabilities, current portion
268
434
Due to licensor payable
5,757
Total current liabilities
17,074
26,395
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion
565
833
Other liabilities
202
Total liabilities
17,841
27,228
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock
2
2
Additional paid-in capital
385,114
374,129
Accumulated other comprehensive income
16
27
Accumulated deficit
(332,654)
(268,963)
Total stockholders' equity
52,478
105,195
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity
$ 70,319
$ 132,423
AADI BIOSCIENCE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except share data and earnings per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
Three months ended
Twelve months ended
December 31,
December 31,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenue
Product sales, net
$ 7,239
$ 6,326
$ 25,983
$ 24,354
Total Revenue
7,239
6,326
25,983
24,354
Operating expenses
Selling, general and administrative
11,051
10,345
36,749
44,549
Research and development
14,347
12,768
51,030
48,929
Restructuring charges
2,638
Cost of goods sold
790
927
3,024
2,809
Total operating expenses
26,188
24,040
93,441
96,287
Loss from operations
(18,949)
(17,714)
(67,458)
(71,933)
Other income (expense)
Foreign exchange gain (loss)
2
(4)
(1)
Interest income
676
1,500
3,925
6,400
Interest expense
(57)
(154)
(231)
Total other income (expense), net
676
1,445
3,767
6,168
Net loss
$ (18,273)
$ (16,269)
$ (63,691)
$ (65,765)
Net loss per share, basic and diluted
$ (0.67)
$ (0.60)
$ (2.36)
$ (2.44)
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, basic and diluted
27,086,979
26,965,909
27,029,942
26,917,967
Summary
/PRNewswire/ -- Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: WHWK), formerly known as Aadi Bioscience, Inc., an oncology therapeutics company applying advanced...