Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GLMD) Works to Treat Advanced-Stage Fatty Liver Disease with Aramchol Drug

May 1, 2015

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd (GLMD) CFO Josh Blacher says that in clinical studies its product candidate aramchol has displayed significant activity in reducing liver fat concentration. This reduction may be critical in patients suffering from NASH, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

“It’s our belief, based on our research and scientific literature, that the excessive fat is in fact the root cause of the liver’s deterioration,” Blacher says. “As such, we believe that if you can inhibit the production and accumulation of liver fat, you prevent the domino effect of the inflammation. So that’s in fact what we are aiming to do, and that is our mechanism of action: to inhibit the production and retention of liver fat.”

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Blacher says the NASH market currently has no improved drugs, yet is estimated to be between 5% and 10% of the adult population.

“It is thought to be one of the largest unmet medical needs in the U.S. right now. The estimates by Wall Street analysts for the market potential are between $10 billion and $70 billion a year, so this is a big one with nothing on the market,” Blacher says.