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Gilead to drop simtuzumab and Crohn’s Disease treatment

Published: 07:35 02 Nov 2016 GMT

a woman with a stomach ache
Crohn's disease causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system

US biopharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) will drop simtuzumab from the ongoing development of its fatty liver disease treatment, GS-4997.

Gilead announced a couple of weeks ago that it would be advancing the treatment – also known as selonsertib – through to phase III trials following ‘encouraging’ phase II results.

As part of that recent study, selonsertib was tested both on its own and in combination with its investigational monoclonal antibody simtuzumab.

The latter did not have as big an impact as had been hoped and will not be taken forward into the upcoming phase III trials.

In its third quarter earnings report released yesterday (1 November), Gilead added that another compound, GS-5745, would not be progressed any further for the treatment of Crohn’s Disease.

Simtuzumab and GS-5745 are part of a range of products created using Abzena plc’s (LON:ABZA) Composite Human Antibody technology that its partners have been progressing in clinical development.

Abzena shares closed at 39.62p on Tuesday.

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