Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (NYSE:BMY) and Target Pharmasolutions have announced the extension of their partnership. This comes close to a year after the two companies revealed they were collaborating on hepatocellular carcinoma and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
“We are pleased to extend our partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb for TARGET-NASH. We believe this is a testament to the long-term value the TARGET model generates for our industry partners throughout the development and commercialization process,” the chief executive officer of TARGET PharmaSolutions, Meg Powell, said.
Target Model
Under the Target model the two partners will get access to a disease state registry that is robust and which offers unique insights and data vis-à-vis typical patient registries. TARGET-NASH is for instance involved in the evaluation of patients who are afflicted with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Currently there are 2,364 patients enrolled in the study in a total of 55 sites where prospective and retrospective data is being collected from enrolled patients.
In the coming years it is expected that up to 15,000 study participants will be enrolled in TARGET-NASH. A biorepository is also being developed from which stakeholders will get access to translational studies and this includes those of biomarkers and genomics. A steering committee consisting of academics drawn from St Louis University, University of Florida and Virginia Commonwealth University lead the TARGET-NASH initiative.
Primary endpoint
In the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis space Bristol-Myers has a candidate in the mid-stage known as BMS-986036. As a metabolism regulator BMS-986036 achieved a primary endpoint six months ago where a significant liver fat reduction was observed compared to a placebo. Bristol-Myers got the R&D and commercialization rights from Ambrx Inc.
NASH is a chronic disease of the liver which comes about when excessive fat accumulates in the liver. In the United States NASH affects about 15 million people. It is known to lead to cirrhosis, progressive fibrosis, hepatocellular injury and inflammation. By 2020 it is expected that NASH will be the number one reason for liver transplantation. For Americans under the age of 50 it is the number one reason for liver transplants already.
On Friday shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb edged downwards by 0.09% to close the day at $65.29.