Escient Pharmaceuticals Announces Data Presentations Highlighting the Preclinical and Clinical Development of EP547 at AASLD The Liver Meeting® Digital Experience 2021

By: Escient Pharmaceuticals via Business Wire

November 04, 2021 at 08:07 AM EDT

EP547, a potent, highly selective MrgprX4 antagonist, represents a novel, targeted approach to the treatment of cholestatic and uremic pruritus

Escient Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage, Mas-Related G Protein-Coupled Receptor (Mrgpr)-based platform company focused on discovering and developing novel MOA-targeted, first-in-class, oral, once-daily therapies to address serious, unserved medical needs, today announced the presentation of data related to the company’s EP547 clinical development program at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) The Liver Meeting^® Digital Experience 2021, being held virtually November 12 – 15, 2021. Abstracts are now available on the organization’s website and the posters will become available beginning at 8 a.m. ET, Friday, November 12 in the virtual poster hall.

Details of the presentations at The Liver Meeting are as follows:

Presentation Title: Development of EP547: A Potent, Highly Selective MrgprX4 Inverse Agonist for the Treatment of Cholestatic and Uremic Pruritus

Session Title: Human Cholestatic and Autoimmune Liver Diseases: PBC/PSC and Other Cholestatic Disease

Poster #: 1262

Presenter: Adam Yeager, PhD, Escient Pharmaceuticals, Chemistry

Presentation Title: First-in-Human Study of EP547, a Potent and Highly Selective MrgprX4 Inverse Agonist in Development for Treatment of Cholestatic Pruritus

Session Title: Human Cholestatic and Autoimmune Liver Diseases: PBC/PSC and Other Cholestatic Disease

Poster #: 1272

Presenter: Kristin Taylor, PhD, Escient Pharmaceuticals, Clinical Development

Presentation Title: Rationale for MrgprX4 Antagonism as a Treatment for Cholestatic and Uremic Pruritus

Session Title: Human Cholestatic and Autoimmune Liver Diseases: PBC/PSC and Other Cholestatic Disease

Poster #: 1297

Presenter: Lisa Dvorak, Escient Pharmaceuticals, Biology

In addition, the results of a patient survey conducted by the PBC Foundation and funded by Escient, which focused on the unmet need in cholestatic pruritus, will also be presented:

Presentation Title: Unmet Need in Cholestatic Pruritus Emphasized by Patients with PBC: Results from PBC Foundation App Survey

Session Title: Human Cholestatic and Autoimmune Liver Diseases: PBC/PSC and Other

Poster #: 1310

Presenter: Robert Mitchell-Thain, PBC Foundation

About EP547 for Cholestatic and Uremic Pruritus

EP547 is a potent, highly selective small molecule antagonist of MrgprX4, a receptor expressed on sensory itch neurons in the skin that is activated by multiple itch-inducing metabolites (pruritogens) including bile acids, bilirubin and related heme metabolites. These pruritogens can be markedly elevated in many chronic liver and kidney diseases. By blocking these pruritogens from activating MrgprX4, Escient believes EP547 has the potential to effectively treat both cholestatic and uremic pruritus.

Pruritus is a common, often severe, and life-altering condition in patients with chronic liver and kidney disease. Pruritus occurs in 30-100% of adult and pediatric patients with various forms of cholestatic disease and in up to 55% of adult patients with chronic kidney disease, including those with end-stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis. Drug development to address cholestatic and uremic pruritus has been hampered by the lack of basic biological understanding of the relevant mechanisms. Current pharmacological treatment options for cholestatic and uremic pruritus are non-specific, only marginally effective, and/or have significant side effects, resulting in an unmet need for new, targeted treatments that are both safe and effective.

About Escient Pharmaceuticals

Escient Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage, Mas-Related G Protein-Coupled Receptor (Mrgpr)-based platform company focused on discovering and developing novel MOA-targeted, first-in-class, oral, once-daily therapies to address serious, unserved medical needs. Our platform is based on the novel biology of eight Human Mrgprs, expressed in various cell types and tissues, chiefly sensory neurons and immune cells, that provide multiple product opportunities across a broad range of therapeutic areas. The two most advanced programs are focused on new chemical entity antagonists targeting MrgprX4 and MrgprX2 for the treatment of cholestatic/uremic pruritus, and a broad range of mast-cell mediated disorders, respectively. Based in San Diego, Calif., Escient is led by an experienced team of biotechnology entrepreneurs with specific expertise in GPCR drug discovery and development and funded by top-tier life science investors, including The Column Group, 5AM Ventures, Sanofi Ventures, Cowen Healthcare Investors, Redmile Group, Perceptive Advisors, Osage University Partners.

Visit www.escientpharma.com to learn more.