[Rockville, Maryland, Nov. 27, 2018] — HighTide Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Fast Track Designation to its investigational new drug, HTD1801, for the treatment of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Liping Liu, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of HighTide, commented, “NASH represents a rapidly developing field with potential therapeutic options in the pipeline, yet none have made it to the market. At the recent AASLD Liver Meeting, experts in the field generally agreed that modest clinical responses to date are likely to be improved by thoughtful combination approaches. HTD1801, a multifunctional oral therapeutic, was designed to address the complex nature of NASH, especially for patients with comorbid diabetes and/or dyslipidemia. We are pleased by the FDA’s decision and look forward to bringing this much needed solution to millions of patients suffering from this disease.”
“This represents another step forward in our development of HTD1801 for the treatment of liver diseases with no currently approved therapies. We are proceeding with parallel clinical development of HTD1801 for NASH as well as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) for which HTD1801 already received Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation,” said Janice Soreth, M.D., Chief Strategy and Regulatory Officer of HighTide, former Associate Commissioner for Special Medical Programs at the FDA.
FDA’s Fast Track program is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new drugs that are intended to treat serious or life-threatening conditions and that demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs. An investigational drug that receives Fast Track Designation is eligible for more frequent communications between the FDA and the company relating to the development plan and clinical trial design, and may be eligible for priority review if certain criteria are met.
HighTide completed a first in human study of HTD1801 in healthy volunteers. A multi-center Phase 2 trial in adult patients with NASH is scheduled to enroll soon in the United States. A multi-center Phase 2 trial in adult patients with PSC is currently ongoing in the United States.
About HighTide Therapeutics and HTD1801
HighTide Therapeutics Inc., founded in 2011, is dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics for people suffering from chronic liver diseases, gastrointestinal diseases and metabolic disorders with large and unsatisfied market needs.
HTD1801 is a new molecular entity being developed for the treatment of PSC and NASH.
About Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a chronic, complex liver disease characterized by hepatitis – inflammation of the liver – and liver cell damage, which can lead to fibrosis of the liver. NASH can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Prevalence of NASH is on the rise and it may soon surpass hepatitis C as a cause for liver transplant. Currently, there are no approved therapies for NASH.
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