Novartis Secures Chinese Clinical Approval for Tropifexor and LIK066 Combination Therapy for NASH

By Baihuawen

On May 13, Novartis’ Tropifexor capsules and LIK066 tablets were approved for clinical trials in China for the combination treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

NASH is a severe, progressive liver disease caused by excessive fat accumulation in the liver, and it is a leading cause of hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death. Patients with NASH and advanced hepatic fibrosis have an increased risk of liver-related mortality.

LIK066 (licogliflozin) is an SGLT1/2 inhibitor. Tropifexor is a farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist; FXR is a bile acid receptor expressed in tissues and organs such as the liver and gastrointestinal tract, playing a crucial role in bile acid and cholesterol metabolism. The currently approved drug of the same class is obeticholic acid.