Foghorn cuts 40% of staff after ending Lilly cancer programs

On October 1, 2026, Foghorn Therapeutics said it and Eli Lilly would stop advancing FHD-909 (also called LY4050784), an experimental SMARCA2 inhibitor, after reviewing Phase 1 dose-escalation data. The results did not show enough efficacy to move the drug into an expansion phase.

The companies will also discontinue work on a related selective SMARCA2 degrader and do not expect further collaboration activities.

Foghorn plans to cut about 40% of its workforce, leaving roughly 65 employees. It says the restructuring and pipeline reprioritization should extend its cash runway into the second half of 2029.

Foghorn is redirecting resources toward its other programs, including EP300 and CBP degraders, an oral immunology and inflammation program, and its induced-proximity platform.

The setback follows Foghorn’s earlier decision to stop developing FHD-286 after disappointing results in a leukemia trial.