US $80 million to develop Nash new therapy Novartis to reach R & D cooperation

Today, pliant therapeutics, a biomedical company dedicated to the development of new therapies for fibrotic diseases, announced a strategic R & D cooperation agreement with Novartis to jointly develop the α V β 1 integrin inhibitor, pin-1474, and three other integrin candidates Pin-1474 is a preclinical candidate drug developed by pliant for the treatment of liver fibrosis caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) Pliant is expected to submit its ind application to the US FDA by the end of the year Nash is a serious nonalcoholic fatty liver disease The progression of Nash can cause liver fibrosis For NASH patients who have already developed liver fibrosis, reversing liver fibrosis is a very important treatment goal, because the continuation of liver fibrosis will lead to liver cirrhosis and permanent loss of liver function Pliant's R & D strategy is to target the TGF - β signal pathway, which is the key mechanism leading to fibrosis The way to target the TGF - β signal pathway is to specifically antagonize the TGF - β signal pathway in fibrotic tissue by inhibiting integrin Extensive inhibition of TGF - β signaling has been shown to cause adverse systemic side effects The tissue-specific inhibition of TGF - β signal can avoid side effects and maximize the therapeutic effect The company's leading candidate drug, pln-1474, is an oral small molecule inhibitor capable of selectively inhibiting α V β 1 integrin In preclinical studies, it was found that pln-1474 could specifically inhibit α V β 1 integrin, block TGF - β activation, and reduce the growth of fibrosis tissue in the liver According to Bernard Coulie, MD, chief executive officer of pliant, the liver tissue-specific anti fibrosis effect of pln-1474 may reduce the potential risk of tolerance R & D pipeline of pliant company (photo source: pliant company website) According to the terms of the agreement, Novartis will make an advance payment of US $80 million to pliant, including its equity investment in the company Novartis will be licensed exclusively by pln-1474 worldwide and will support the development of three other candidate drugs Pliant will be responsible for the phase 1 test development of pln-1474 After that, Novartis will take over and be responsible for all development, manufacturing, and commercial development Upon successful completion of the drug development, pliant is entitled to potential milestone payments, as well as a share of future sales of the drug under this joint development "Preclinical data show that pln-1474 is a potential clinical candidate drug with potential advantages, and also demonstrate our approach to the treatment of Nash related advanced liver fibrosis through selective inhibition of α V β 1 integrin," Bernard, President and CEO of pliant, Inc "We believe that Novartis' capabilities in drug development can help us develop new therapies for fibrotic diseases and provide patients with new treatment options," Coulie, MD, said reference material: [1] Pliant Therapeutics Announces Strategic Collaboration to Develop Novel Therapies for NASH and Fibrotic Diseases, Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https:// [2] Novartis bets $80M on Pliant's preclinical NASH prospect, Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https:// A kind of