Local Pharmaceutical Company Receives $30 Million Milestone Payment

Pasadena-based Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it received a $30 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline Plc earlier this month following the start of a late-stage clinical trial of a drug to treat a liver disease.

The drug, GSK4532990, is being developed for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, a chronic liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. NASH is a leading cause of liver transplantation in the United States.

The Phase 2b clinical trial is testing the safety and efficacy of GSK4532990 in adults with pre-cirrhotic NASH. The trial is expected to enroll up to 246 participants.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. The company’s RNA interference, or RNAi, platform is designed to silence disease-causing genes without harming healthy cells.

GSK is a global healthcare company that develops and commercializes medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. The company’s research and development focuses on areas of unmet medical need, including respiratory, HIV/AIDS, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

The milestone payment from GSK is part of an exclusive license agreement between the two companies. Under the agreement, GSK has an exclusive license to develop and commercialize GSK4532990 in all territories except Greater China. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals retains the rights to develop and commercialize the drug in Greater China.

The clinical trial of GSK4532990 is an important milestone for Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals. If the drug is successful, it could be a major breakthrough in the treatment of NASH.