Łódź firm produces fat-busting drug which could save 450 million globally from liver disease
Medication that could help over 400 million people worldwide suffering from liver disease has been developed by a company in Łódź.
Pharmaceutical firm Pharmena has completed trials of a drug based upon the 1-MNA molecule which can help sufferers of the most severe form of non-alcoholic steatohepatitus (NASH), a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease characterized by the presence of an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver.
This is a lifestyle disease linked to obesity and diabetes. NASH is a degenerative disease that can lead to liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.
The new drug will be able to help sufferers of diseases such as liver cirrhosis.
Konrad Palka, president of the company said: "The results of our study in the new disease indication, which we received from our partner today, turned out very positively.
“The drug showed activity in the NASH unit at fixed doses adopted for animal models, and the drug showed a positive effect in reducing liver fibrosis.
“From the results obtained in NASH, as well as the significant effect of 1-MNA on markers of inflammation (results from the second phase of clinical trials), we can conclude that 1-MNA is a promising candidate for the drug in this indication and in the treatment of liver fibrosis."
Pharmena president Konrad Palka said that tests on the drug had so far been positive.
NASH is expected to be the leading cause of liver transplants in the USA in 2020 and the value of the market for treatment by 2025 could reach as much as $40 billion.
As the rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes continue to grow globally the need for treatment options will also grow and lead to high demand for pharmaceutical solutions.
Another potential application for the 1-MNA molecule is for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare disease for which effective therapies are sought and has a global market value of about $5 billion.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitus (NASH) is a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease characterized by the presence of an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver.
In June this year, Pharmena ordered pre-clinical studies of 1-MNA on an animal model in the second indication of PAH to determine the effective dose of the drug. The end of the research process is to take place this year.
The company switched to the main market on the Warsaw Stock Exchange on April 12th this year.
It had been on the NewConnect market since August 2008.
