Following the news that Novo Nordisk and Gilead Sciences have partnered on a clinical trial combining drugs to treat the progressive fatty liver disease NASH, Kajal Jaddoo, Associate Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:  

“Currently, treatment options for NASH are limited and populations are increasingly developing the disease fueled by obesity and diabetes. This partnership will enable Gilead to strengthen its position in NASH even further; in addition Novo will expand its portfolio beyond diabetes as the two companies combine their clinical expertise. If the combination drug receives approval, a new and effective therapy will be available to patients encouraging more innovation and we may see similar partnerships from other pharma companies.

“Novo is presently testing semaglutide, already approved to treat diabetes, as a once-daily treatment for NASH in Phase 2. Although the drug is expected to reach blockbuster status in diabetes alone, it is also forecasted to generate high sales within the NASH market, reaching $1.3bn sales in 2026, according to GlobalData. On the other hand, Gilead’s two pipeline drugs, cilofexor and firsocostat, are expected to reach $365m and $164m by 2026, respectively.”