Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:ARWR) has signed an exclusive license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) related to Arrowhead’s experimental RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic ARO-HSD. The drug is now the subject of a Phase 1/2 study focusing on the drug’s potential as a treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which involves liver inflammation and can cause cirrhosis and liver failure.…
The promise of mitochondria-based therapeutics for NASH
Although nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the most common types of chronic liver disease in the U.S., it is a disease that is unfamiliar to many Americans. Despite this, its prevalence is increasing, and by some estimates, 27 million Americans will be living with NASH by 2030. NASH is a progressive condition that starts…
Noninvasive liver exam plays role in fighting viral hepatitis and fatty liver disease
Millions of Americans who are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) will develop a chronic infection that, if left untreated, can cause serious health problems, including liver disease, cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. More than one-third of HCV-infected individuals progress to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis, and among those with cirrhosis, about 3–5% per year…
Ben Carson joins Galectin Therapeutics as ‘special consultant’
Former HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, Sr. will assist Galectin Therapeutics Inc. (NSDQ: GALT) with the development of its galectin-3 inhibitor, belapectin. The drug is a potential treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is also known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Galectin Therapeutics has an ongoing Phase 2b/3 trial to investigate belapectin’s potential in treating cirrhosis…
How COVID-19 has affected Big Pharma and biotech
Biotechnology traces its roots to the Neolithic era when early civilizations discovered how to ferment grains to prepare alcoholic brews and bread. It wasn’t until genetic engineering became mainstream in the mid-1970s, however, that biotechnology, as we know it today, was launched. The field continues to evolve today. The advent of new technology has revolutionized the market…