With the rates of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) rapidly rising, Glympse Bio Inc. and Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings Inc. (Labcorp) have announced new tests that can assess the risk of the liver condition without the traditional biopsy.
Merck & Co. Inc., building on a year-old deal with Aligos Therapeutics Inc., has moved to in-license an early stage nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) oligonucleotide program Aligos had previously advanced independently. The amended deal also gives Merck the right to add a new NASH target to the partnership, in addition to those already part of the agreement. With Aligos eligible to receive up to $460 million in development and commercialization milestones as well as tiered royalties on net sales per target, its rewards could reach $1.38 billion.
LONDON – Metabolic diseases specialist Northsea Therapeutics BV closed a $80 million series C to fund phase II development in two further indications, as it awaits the final results from the phase IIb trial of its lead product, icosabutate, in the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which are due at the start of 2023.
An international collaborative study led by Chinese researchers at Wuhan University is the first to have discovered a new small molecule, termed IMA-1, and shown it to be safe and effective for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mouse and macaque models.
Glaxosmithkline plc (GSK) tapped Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. for its foray into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), as the pair signed an exclusive global licensing deal (excluding China) for GSK to develop and commercialize phase I/II-stage ARO-HSD, Arrowhead’s RNAi therapy targeting HSD17B13.
Metacrine Inc.’s departure, in the wake of mixed phase IIa results, from the fiercely competitive nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) space with farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist MET-642, put a serious dent in shares and brought implications for other players. The San Diego-based firm’s stock (NASDAQ:MTCR) closed at $1.63, down $2.20, or 57%, as its plans to shift emphasis from NASH to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were made known.
Shares of Cohbar Inc. (NASDAQ:CWBR) hit a 52-week high on Aug. 11 following news that a mitochondrial peptide analogue it is testing for the potential treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and obesity, CB-4211, delivered "robust" improvements in key biomarkers of liver damage and glucose levels vs. placebo during a small phase Ia/Ib study.
All the primary endpoints were met in Hepion Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s phase IIa trial of CRV-431 for treating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The market, however, wasn’t celebrating as the Edison, N.J.-based company’s stock (NASDAQ:HEPA) sagged 15.27% on July 13 to close at $1.72 per share.
Sequana Medical NV reported positive results from the second interim analysis of its POSEIDON pivotal study evaluating the Alfapump for the treatment of recurrent or refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis. These latest results, from 26 patients in the roll-in cohort, affirm earlier interim data showing high scores on all primary endpoints and continued improvement in quality of life.
Hightide Therapeutics Inc. presented top-line results of its lead program, HTD-1801, from a multicenter phase II trial in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), which showed the drug candidate reduced alkaline phosphatase levels compared to placebo.
