AbbVie Bails On Harpoon’s Multiple Myeloma Drug Amid Highly Competitive Environment

Harpoon said it plans to complete the Phase I study of its anti-BCMA immuno-oncology agent HPN217 and use the data to support the next phase of development for the drug.

AbbVie decided not to exercise its option for Harpoon's multiple myeloma drug candidate • Source: Shutterstock

Harpoon Therapeutics’s BCMA-directed T-cell engager candidate for multiple myeloma faces a murky path ahead following a decision by partner AbbVie Inc. not to move forward with the asset, amid a market for anti-BCMA drugs that has become increasingly crowded.

The South San Francisco, CA-based biotech company said 13 September that AbbVie had decided not to exercise its exclusive license option for HPN217, Harpoon’s anti-BCMA tri-specific T-cell activating (TriTAC) drug, meaning that the agreement will terminate effective 12 October

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