Novartis and Pfizer link up to advance the treatment of NASH

Pharma giants Novartis (NOVN: VX) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) have inked a  clinical development agreement which will include a study combining tropifexor and one or more Pfizer compounds for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), potentially a potential $20 billion to $35 billion market.

The financial details of this transaction, which is non-exclusive, are not disclosed. Novartis’ shares were up 2.54% to 87.04 Swiss francs by early afternoon, while Pfizer rose 2.42% to $43.63 in early trading.

"Novartis has a leading development portfolio in non-viral liver diseases and I believe especially in our combination therapies. Liver diseases, including NASH, are multifaceted with various factors that contribute to the progression of the disease. This makes them difficult to treat with a single compound," said Eric Hughes, global development unit head, immunology, hepatology and dermatology. "We want to collaborate with multiple partners to drive the science and understanding of how to treat non-viral liver diseases. Targeting different pathways in NASH with a broad array of therapies is an essential strategy to bring the best treatments to patients,” he added.