BioLineRx in-licenses liver fibrosis project

Israeli drug developer BioLineRx (TASE: BLRX) has signed an exclusive worldwide agreement with Hadasit, the technology transfer company of Hadassah Medical Organization, for the in-licensing of a drug candidate for the treatment of liver fibrosis, and in particular, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

This drug candidate, to be called BL-1210, is the first project to be in-licensed under the framework of the company's strategic collaboration with Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX) for the screening and development of novel drug candidates.

The newly in-licensed pre-clinical project, developed by Prof Rifaat Safadi, head of the Liver Unit, Department of Medicine at Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel, offers a novel mechanism for controlling liver fibrosis through modulation of the immune system. BioLineRx will address the novel drug target that will modulate the immune system to ultimately reduce the liver fibrogenesis and therefore reduce liver scarring. Limiting the fibrosis process this way will potentially control the disease progression.