UNITED STATES

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

 

Washington, DC 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 5, 2021

 

Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   001-36856   46-2783806
(State or other jurisdiction   (Commission   IRS Employer
of incorporation or organization)   File Number)   Identification No.)

 

    399 Thornall Street, First Floor    
    Edison, NJ 08837    
    (Address of principal executive offices)    

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (732) 902-4000

 

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class:   Trading Symbol(s)   Name of each exchange on which registered:
Common Stock   HEPA   Nasdaq Capital Market

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

¨   Written communication pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨   Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).  Emerging growth company x

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  x

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 8.01 Other Events

 

On January 5, 2021, Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that management will participate in two virtual investor conferences in January. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

(d) Exhibits

 

99.1 Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release dated January 5, 2021

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

Dated: January 5, 2021

 

  HEPION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
   
   
  By: /s/ Robert Foster               
    Robert Foster
    Chief Executive Officer

 

-2-

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Hepion Pharmaceuticals to Participate in Upcoming January Virtual Investor Conferences

 

EDISON, N.J., January 5, 2021 - Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEPA, “Hepion”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)-driven therapeutic drug development for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (“NASH”) and liver disease, announced today that management will participate in two virtual investor conferences in January.

 

· H.C. Wainwright BioConnect 2021 Conference (January 11-14, 2021): Hepion’s pre-recorded presentation will be available for approximately 90 days on its website at www.hepionpharma.com under "Events" in the Investors section, beginning on Monday, January 11, 2021.

 

· Biotech Showcase 2021 Digital (January 11-15, 2021): Hepion’s on-demand presentation is available to registered conference participants via the Biotech Showcase digital platform.

 

About Hepion Pharmaceuticals

 

The Company's lead drug candidate, CRV431, is a potent inhibitor of cyclophilins, which are involved in many disease processes. CRV431 is currently in clinical-phase development for the treatment of NASH, with the potential to play an important role in the overall treatment of liver disease - from triggering events through to end-stage disease. CRV431 has been shown to reduce liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma tumor burden in experimental models of NASH; and has demonstrated antiviral activities towards HBV, HCV, and HDV through several mechanisms, in preclinical studies.

 

Hepion has created a proprietary AI platform, called AI-POWR™, which stands for Artificial Intelligence - Precision Medicine; Omics (including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and lipidomics); World database access; and Response and clinical outcomes. Hepion intends to use AI-POWR™ to help identify which NASH patients will best respond to CRV431, potentially shortening development timelines and increasing the delta between placebo and treatment groups. In addition to using AI-POWR™ to drive its ongoing Phase 2a NASH program, Hepion will use the platform to identify additional potential indications for CRV431 to expand the company's footprint in the cyclophilin inhibition therapeutic space.

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Stephen Kilmer

Hepion Pharmaceuticals Investor Relations

Direct: (646) 274-3580

skilmer@hepionpharma.com