1. Scrip
  2. >>Business

Life After NASH For CymaBay: An Interview With CEO Sujal Shah

 
• By Joseph Haas

With up to $100m from Abingworth and a recent $75m FOPO, CymaBay has runway to await pivotal data in primary biliary cholangitis in 2023 for seladelpar, after the candidate failed in NASH. It sees a significant market opportunity in the second-line setting cornered by Intercept.

Sujal Shah of CymaBay Pharmaceuticals.
CymaBay CEO Sujal Shah

Having shelved its PPAR delta agonist seladelpar for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in late 2019 due to safety issues, CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc. followed a familiar route for NASH failures by focusing development on second-line therapy for primary biliary cholangitis. Although the indication has been pursued by multiple companies in the NASH field, including Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.and Genfit SA, CymaBay believes seladelpar has a chance to grow the market – and it has a low-risk financing agreement with Abingworth that will help it explore PBC and perhaps other liver indications with seladelpar.

CymaBay initiated the global Phase III RESPONSE trial of seladelpar in PBC in 2021, CEO Sujal Shah told Scrip in...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Business

Sanofi Revels In More Positive Rilzabrutinib Data

 
• By Kevin Grogan

The oral BTK inhibitor impresses in a Phase II trial for IgG4-related disease.

BioNTech To Buy mRNA Rivals CureVac

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

The $1.25bn buyout is a simple deal for BioNTech, bringing new mRNA R&D and manufacturing capacity while also ending a bothersome patent dispute.

Is Zydus’s Agenus Deal Opportunistic Or Strategic?

 
• By Vibha Ravi

Will Zydus’s acquisition and licensing deal with Agenus turn out to be a strategic move towards building an oncology portfolio or an opportunistic one driven by a venture capital mindset?

Biogen Lays Out Cadence For Felzartamab Data In Kidney Diseases

 
• By Jessica Merrill

The first Phase III data for the CD38-targeting antibody is expected in 2027 in antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplant patients, followed by other indications.

More from Scrip

Citeline Japan Awards 2025 - Enter Now!

 
• By Ian Haydock and Lisa Takagi

The 14 July deadline for the Citeline Japan Awards 2025 in Tokyo is approaching fast, so here's a reminder to take a look at the categories and criteria and be sure to get those submissions in by this date. Sponsorship opportunities and tables for the event are also available.

Crisis Or Opportunity? US MFN Policy Could Test Japan’s Appetite For Reforms

 
• By Lisa Takagi

While the adoption of most favored nation drug pricing in the US stands to affect Japanese biopharma firms now heavily reliant on this market, it might also present an opportunity for pricing and policy reforms at home.

Biogen Lays Out Cadence For Felzartamab Data In Kidney Diseases

 
• By Jessica Merrill

The first Phase III data for the CD38-targeting antibody is expected in 2027 in antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplant patients, followed by other indications.