Whitehawk Appoints Dr. Dugan as CMO to Advance ADC Programs into Clinical Development

Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst

Source: PRnewswire

Updated: Dec 01 2025

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WHWK+1.85%

Should l Buy WHWK?

Source: PRnewswire

Leadership Enhancement: Whitehawk Therapeutics appoints Dr. Margaret Dugan, who has over 30 years of global oncology drug development experience, as Chief Medical Officer, aiming to leverage her expertise to enhance the company's clinical development capabilities in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and accelerate their clinical progress.
Rich Clinical Development Experience: Dr. Dugan has overseen more than 12 Phase 1 clinical programs and successfully facilitated regulatory approvals for drugs like capmatinib and ceritinib, which will provide valuable regulatory strategy support for Whitehawk's ADC portfolio, enhancing its market competitiveness.
Rapid Advancement of Clinical Programs: While serving as CMO at Dracen Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Dugan successfully advanced the company's first clinical program through Phase 1 and secured Fast Track designation, an experience that will aid Whitehawk in achieving swift clinical translation for its ADC projects.
Innovative Treatment Prospects: Dr. Dugan emphasizes that Whitehawk's ADC portfolio features unique target selection and differentiated profiles, which are expected to offer significant therapeutic opportunities for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers, further solidifying the company's strategic position in oncology treatment.

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Analyst Views on WHWK

Wall Street analysts forecast WHWK stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for WHWK is 7.00 USD with a low forecast of 7.00 USD and a high forecast of 7.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

3 Analyst Rating

1 Buy

2 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 2.710

Low

7.00

Averages

7.00

High

7.00

Current: 2.710

Low

7.00

Averages

7.00

High

7.00

Oppenheimer

Outperform

initiated

2026-02-05

New

Reason

Oppenheimer

Price Target

AI Analysis

2026-02-05

New

initiated

Outperform

Reason

Oppenheimer initiated coverage of Whitehawk Therapeutics with an Outperform rating and $6 price target. The firm sees Whitehawk as "a promising early player in the ADC space" and expects preclinical data this spring to support its approach and portfolio across multiple validated targets. All three of Whitehawk's antibody-drug conjugates are anticipated to enter the clinic in 2026, says the analyst, who notes that HWK-007 is currently enrolling a Phase 1 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer.

JonesResearch

Soumit Roy

initiated

2025-12-22

Reason

JonesResearch

Soumit Roy

Price Target

2025-12-22

initiated

Reason

JonesResearch analyst Soumit Roy initiated coverage of Whitehawk Therapeutics with a Buy rating and $7 price target. The company is positioned to achieve "potentially best-in-class designation" in the next-generation antibody-drug conjugates landscape, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm views Whitehawk as an "undervalued" pure play next-generation TOP1i ADC company that is targeting "validated but under crowded antigens."

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About WHWK

Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc., formerly Aadi Bioscience, Inc., is a preclinical stage oncology therapeutics company applying advanced technologies to established tumor biology to efficiently deliver improved cancer treatments. Its advanced three-asset antibody drug conjugate (ADC) portfolio is engineered to overcome the limitations of first-generation predecessors to deliver a meaningful impact for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers. Its assets include HWK-007, HWK-016 and HWK-206. HWK-007 represents a differentiated opportunity to potentially be among the first next-wave ADCs in clinical development for high PTK7-expressing cancers. 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 being evaluated in IND-enabling studies. HWK-206 is designed to address the neuronal target, SEZ6, which is often overexpressed in cancers of neuroendocrine origin.

About the author

Emily J. Thompson

Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.

Whitehawk Initiates Phase 1 Trial for HWK-007, Initial Data Expected Early 2027

Jan 08 2026PRnewswire

Trial Initiation: Whitehawk Therapeutics has received FDA clearance for its Phase 1 trial of HWK-007, which is now actively recruiting participants to evaluate its efficacy in lung and ovarian cancers, potentially offering new treatment options for patients.
IND Submission: The company submitted an IND for HWK-016 to the FDA in December 2025, with plans to initiate Phase 1 trials this quarter targeting high MUC16-expressing ovarian and endometrial cancers, thereby expanding its therapeutic pipeline.
Technological Edge: Both HWK-007 and HWK-016 leverage Whitehawk's advanced ADC technology platform, which combines a highly stable yet cleavable linker to enhance tumor targeting while minimizing off-target toxicity, aiming to improve treatment outcomes.
Market Opportunity: PTK7 is the third most highly expressed tumor marker among clinically validated ADC targets, present in approximately 70% of tumors, positioning Whitehawk's new drugs to fill a significant market gap and address unmet medical needs.

Whitehawk Initiates Phase 1 Trial for HWK-007, Initial Data Expected Early 2027

Jan 08 2026Newsfilter

Trial Launch: Whitehawk Therapeutics has announced the active recruitment for its Phase 1 trial of HWK-007, aimed at evaluating its efficacy in PTK7-expressing tumors such as lung and ovarian cancers, marking a significant advancement in the company's oncology drug development.
IND Submission: The company submitted an IND for HWK-016 to the FDA in December 2025, with a Phase 1 trial expected to start this quarter focusing on high MUC16-expressing ovarian and endometrial cancers, further expanding its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) pipeline.
Platform Advantages: Whitehawk's ADC technology platform features a highly stable yet cleavable linker designed to maximize tumor targeting while minimizing off-target toxicity, which is expected to provide more effective treatment options for patients and enhance market competitiveness.
Data Release Expectations: The company anticipates reporting initial clinical data for both HWK-007 and HWK-016 in early 2027, which will provide crucial validation for the efficacy of its ADC programs and potentially drive future market opportunities.