Gilead (NASDAQ:GILD) has paid a $100 million milestone payment to Phenex following its licensing deal of Phenex’s Farnesoid X Receptor NASH Phase I clinical program in 2015.
This latest NASH milestone payment re-affirms Immuron’s belief that the LM&A market surrounding NASH technologies will remain extremely attractive, and active, for the foreseeable future.
The company’s long-term strategy is to secure a partner at the right time for its fatty-liver program.
Immuron is currently running three Phase II clinical trials in fatty-liver diseases with its lead product candidate IMM-124E including NASH, ASH (Alcoholic Steatohepatitis) and Pediatric NASH.
Both the ASH and Pediatric NASH trials are funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
IMM-124E works upstream, and on several pathways, to reduce liver inflammation and is thus a completely unique treatment option compared to other leading investigational agents.
IMM-124E has the potential to be one of the backbone therapies for NASH patients.
As the worldwide prevalence of obesity and diabetes reaches epidemic proportions, the unmet need for treatments continues to grow.
In 2015, Pharmaxis’ NASH assets (Phase 1) were licensed by Boehringer ingelheim for a total potential deal value of US$600 million.