- Business
- Humanigen, Inc. operated as a biopharmaceutical firm focused on the clinical development of treatments to modulate immune responses. The company's primary investigational compound was lenzilumab, a monoclonal antibody engineered to specifically bind and neutralize granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). This therapeutic candidate was explored for its potential to mitigate cytokine storm, notably in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, for which it advanced through a Phase 3 study and an additional Phase 2/3 investigation supported by the National Institutes of Health. Beyond respiratory illnesses, lenzilumab was also studied in conjunction with CD19-targeted CAR-T cell therapies and for other inflammatory conditions such as acute Graft versus Host Disease in individuals undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, eosinophilic asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, research extended to lenzilumab's application in patients diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia presenting RAS pathway mutations. The company's developmental portfolio also featured other proprietary Humaneered monoclonal antibodies, including ifabotuzumab, which targets EphA3, and HGEN005, designed to bind EMR1. These agents were being developed for a spectrum of eosinophilic disorders, encompassing eosinophilic leukemia, both as a standalone antibody and as a foundation for innovative CAR-T constructs. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, Humanigen encountered significant challenges, including the denial of Emergency Use Authorization for lenzilumab in COVID-19 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2021. These difficulties ultimately led to the company filing a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on January 3, 2024. Subsequently, in February 2024, substantially all of Humanigen's assets, including its key drug candidates lenzilumab and ifabotuzumab along with their associated clinical data and intellectual property, were acquired by Taran Therapeutics Inc., an entity formed by the former CEO. Humanigen's stock was delisted from Nasdaq in October 2023 and currently trades under HGENQ on the OTC Pink sheets.