BioLineRx signs agreement with Hadasit for in-licensing of BL-1210

On Monday, BioLineRx signed an agreement with Hadasit for the in-licensing of BL-1210, a drug candidate for the treatment of liver fibrosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, according to a press release.

“After jointly screening and evaluating a wide range of pre-clinical and clinical therapeutic candidates, we are excited with the selection of this potential treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis to be developed as part of our multi-year partnership with Novartis, especially since there are no approved treatments for this prevalent condition,” Kinneret Savitsky, CEO of BioLineRx, said in the release. “Under the collaboration, Novartis will provide us with valuable professional advice and consultancy throughout the development process.”

Researchers at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem developed BL-1210, which is the first project in-licensed under BioLineRx’s collaboration with Novartis Pharma AG, which began in 2014. BL-120 works by modulating the immune system to reduce liver fibrogenesis and scarring.

Novartis invested $10 million in BioLineRx as part of their agreement in the future co-development of Israeli-sourced novel drug candidates.

“This project fits our strategic focus on the immunology space, since it works through modulation of the immune system” Savitsky said. “Upon successful completion of the feasibility stage, we plan to advance the project at full steam. We also expect to bring additional promising projects to the collaboration by the end of the year.” – by Will Offit

Disclosure: Savitsky is an employee of BioLineRx.