Novartis, Pfizer Advance Their NASH Ambitions Separately, As Partners

Neither Novartis AG nor Pfizer Inc. has entered Phase III in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) yet, but it seems that the smaller companies ahead in development should be keeping a wary eye on the two big pharmas’ NASH programs, and not just because of their developing clinical trial partnership in the space.

Novartis unveiled new data during the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases meeting 8-12 November in Boston that it thinks could position tropifexor (LJN452), a non-bile acid farnesoid X receptor agonist, as best in class. If the Swiss pharma is right about tropifexor’s overall risk/benefit profile, that would make for a significant shot across the bow of Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc., which is expected to be the first company to obtain approval for a NASH drug with its FXR agonist obeticholic acid (OCA)