Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of oral drug delivery platforms, announced it has completed enrollment of all patients in a Phase 2 trial of its oral insulin capsule ORMD-0801 for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. An estimated 1.5% to 6.5% of adults in the U.S., or between 4 million and 17 million people, have NASH and about half of these also have diabetes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
The double-blind, multi-center trial with clinical sites in the U.S. and Israel is assessing the safety and potential efficacy of ORMD-0801 in Type 2 diabetes patients with NASH. Efficacy endpoints including safety and percentage change in liver fat content, liver fibrosis, and liver steatosis from baseline are measured via MRI-PDFF following 12 weeks of dosing.
"There is currently no drug approved to treat this disease, leaving NASH with a serious unmet medical need. With direct action on the liver, we believe that ORMD-0801 has the potential to address over 50% of people with diabetes who also suffer from NASH, a population with unfortunately increased mortality. We look forward to analyzing and reporting topline data, which we expect will confirm our prior pilot study's efficacy and safety results,"
Oramed Chief Executive Officer, Nadav Kidron
The global market for drugs to treat NASH is expected to reach $84 billion by 2029, according to a publication by Research and Markets on the Global Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Drugs Market.
About NASH
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is a serious, progressive liver disease caused by a buildup of fat in the liver and accompanied by inflammation, liver cell damage, and in some cases, scarring of the liver. Over time, NASH may progress to cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, and even death. Currently, no pharmacotherapy is globally approved for the treatment of NASH, and people with NASH are left with very few treatment options.
About Oramed Pharmaceuticals
Oramed Pharmaceuticals is a platform technology pioneer in the field of oral delivery solutions for drugs currently delivered via injection. Established in 2006, with offices in the United States and Israel, Oramed has developed a novel Protein Oral Delivery (POD™) technology. Oramed is seeking to transform the treatment of diabetes through its proprietary lead candidate, ORMD-0801, which is being evaluated in two pivotal Phase 3 trials and has the potential to be the first commercial oral insulin capsule for the treatment of diabetes. In addition, Oramed is developing an oral GLP-1.