BRIEF — French biotech raises $44 million to fight NASH

French biotech firm Inventiva has announced a successful fundraising round totalling $44 million, the largest portion of which will be invested in efforts to combat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a severe liver disease.

The company projects to have Phase IIb study results for the use of its orphan therapy lanifibranor in NASH by the second quarter of 2019, along with reports on its effectiveness treating systemic sclerosis.

Inventiva's most prominent investors include San Francisco, USA-based investment firm BVF Partners and Novo Holdings.

The NASH treatment market is projected to reach values of up to $35 billion worldwide.