Boston Pharmaceuticals Licenses NASH Development Candidate from Novartis

-- BOS-580 Has Potential to Reduce Liver Fat and Fibrosis in Patients with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis --

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boston Pharmaceuticals today announced an agreement with Novartis through which Boston Pharmaceuticals will license worldwide development and commercial rights to the drug candidate BOS-580, for the treatment of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH).

NASH occurs in 12 percent of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) when the liver becomes inflamed and fibrotic. A deficiency in fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) favors the development of steatosis, inflammation, hepatocyte damage and fibrosis in the liver of mouse models. BOS-580 is an injectable, genetically engineered variant of human FGF21.

With an optimized, well-tolerated dosing regimen that demonstrates significant hepatic fat reduction and reduced circulating markers of fibrosis, BOS-580 has the potential to be a best-in-class FGF21 agonist.

“As a complex disease with many comorbidities, NASH is an important therapeutic target without effective therapies,” said Robert Armstrong, PhD, CEO of Boston Pharmaceuticals. “Novartis has designed the BOS-580 product candidate with a differentiated profile. We are very pleased to build on their high-quality research to develop an innovative potential new therapy for NASH patients.”

This is the fourth molecule Boston Pharmaceuticals has licensed from Novartis. In 2018, the company acquired three novel anti-infective programs from the Novartis Infectious Diseases portfolio for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections.

About Boston Pharmaceuticals
Boston Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that leverages an experienced drug development team to advance a portfolio of high value candidates that address important unmet medical needs. The Company partners with innovative biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to acquire drug development candidates. We employ unencumbered decision making, follow the data and advance only those programs that meet our stringent development hurdles. Following clinical proof of concept, we establish value creating partnerships with the world’s leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies or advance programs through commercialization. We are continuously seeking new opportunities to leverage our model to create a path to value for our partners and patients. Boston Pharmaceuticals is a portfolio company of Gurnet Point Capital, a Cambridge, MA based private equity firm focused on healthcare investing. For more information, please visit www.bostonpharmaceuticals.com.