Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) announced that data from preclinical studies evaluating LG-7501 were featured in a poster presentation today at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Boston. Ligand is developing novel small molecule inhibitors of NS5B polymerase for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) using its HepDirect™ liver-targeting technology platform. LG-7501 is a HepDirect prodrug designed for increased liver targeting, potentially improving clinical efficacy and safety.
In preclinical studies, Ligand evaluated the pharmacokinetics and liver targeting of LG-7501. LG-7501 is a HepDirect prodrug of 2'-C methylguanosine, a clinically validated NS5B polymerase inhibitor. HepDirect liver targeting of 2'-C methylguanosine and other active nucleosides may be an effective method to improve efficacy while reducing systemic side effects in HCV treatment. LG-7501 efficiently targeted the liver with reduced systemic distribution in preclinical models, providing proof-of-concept with a clinically validated HCV treatment.
The key findings include: