The US regulator granted special designation to the biotech company’s HCB101 candidate, providing development incentives for the rare disease treatment.
TAIPEI, SHANGHAI and SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HanchorBio, Inc. (TPEx: 7827), a global clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing next-generation immunotherapies for oncology and autoimmune diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to HCB101 for the treatment of gastric cancer. The designation covers gastric cancer broadly, including advanced gastric adenocarcinoma in both HER2-positive and HER2-negative subtypes. This milestone underscores the significant unmet medical need in gastric cancer and provides important regulatory support for the continued clinical development of HCB101 in this patient population.
This designation marks the first FDA Orphan Drug Designation for HanchorBio, representing a significant regulatory milestone for the company and further validating its strategy of advancing differentiated immunotherapies in areas of high unmet medical need.
HCB101 is a next-generation CD47–SIRPα pathway inhibitor, engineered as an affinity-optimized and toxicity-mitigated SIRPα-IgG4 Fc fusion protein. The molecule is designed to restore macrophage-mediated phagocytosis and enhance antigen presentation while minimizing the hematologic toxicities that have historically limited earlier CD47-targeting approaches, enabling rational combination with established standards of care.
“Receiving our first FDA Orphan Drug Designation is a major milestone for HanchorBio and important validation of our scientific, regulatory, and development strategy,” said Scott Liu, PhD, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of HanchorBio. “Gastric cancer remains an area of profound unmet medical need, and this designation reinforces our commitment to developing differentiated immunotherapies that can meaningfully improve outcomes for patients. This designation strengthens HCB101’s profile as a globally relevant asset and represents a strategically important step as we advance the program toward U.S. and international development. It further supports our ongoing engagement with multinational partners as we explore collaboration and licensing opportunities for HCB101 and our broader immunotherapy pipeline.”
Gastric cancer is a rare disease in the United States, with prevalence well below the FDA’s statutory threshold for orphan designation. Despite advances in targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibition, outcomes, particularly in the second-line setting, remain poor, with limited durability of response and substantial treatment-related toxicity.
HCB101 is currently being evaluated in multiple ongoing clinical studies, including a Phase 1b/2a trial (NCT06771622) assessing HCB101 in combination with ramucirumab and paclitaxel in second-line advanced gastric cancer. Early clinical findings have demonstrated promising antitumor activity with a safety profile consistent with the molecule’s differentiated design.
Alvin Luk, PhD, MBA, CCRA, President & Chief Medical Officer (Group) and Chief Executive Officer (U.S.A.) of HanchorBio, added, “The FDA’s decision reflects the seriousness of gastric cancer and the clinical rationale underlying HCB101’s development. HCB101’s IgG4-based SIRPα-Fc design was intentionally selected to support repeated dosing and combination strategies as an innate immune checkpoint backbone in solid tumors. In a second-line gastric cancer setting, where standard regimens offer limited durability, the depth of tumor shrinkage and consistency of response observed to date, while remaining compatible with standard ramucirumab-paclitaxel administration, support the continued global advancement of HCB101 for patients with significant unmet need.”
Orphan Drug Designation provides certain development incentives, including eligibility for tax credits on qualified clinical trial expenses, exemption from FDA user fees, and the potential for seven years of market exclusivity upon approval in the United States.
HanchorBio plans to continue advancing HCB101 through global clinical development while exploring its potential as a backbone immunotherapy across multiple solid tumor indications.For more information, please visit: https://www.HanchorBio.com
