Lanifibranor (IVA-337)

IVA337 acts as a pan‐PPAR agonist with moderate and balanced activity on the three PPAR isoforms. IVA337 50% effective concentration (EC50) levels for the human PPARs (hPPARs) were 1.63E-06 M for PPARα, 8.49E-07 M for PPARδ, and 2.28E-07 M for PPARγ. IVA337 EC50 levels for the rodent PPARs were 3.78E-07 M for PPARα, 1.55E-06 M for PPARδ, and 2.23E-07 M for PPARγ. IVA337 inhibits PDGF-induced proliferation, stiffness-induced activation, and TGF-β1-induced overexpression of fibrotic genes in hHSCs (human primary hepatic stellate cells)^[2].

Human primary HSCs were seeded on plastic six-well plates for 7 days in complete medium with either DMSO 0.1% or a compound (IVA337, 3 µM). hHSC activation was evaluated with western blot by measuring the expression of α‐smooth muscle actin (α-SMA).

Following a single oral dose (10 mg/kg in methyl cellulose as vehicle) of IVA-337 in C57Bl6 mice, plasma pharmacokinetic parameters are evaluated. The Cmax, Tmax and AUCinf are 10710 ng/mL, 1 h and 29367 h·(ng/mL), respectively. The anti-diabetic effect of IVA-337 was evaluated in db/db mice, an obese rodent model of type 2 diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, marked hyperglycemia. Treatment of db/db mouse with IVA-337 for 5 days induces a dose dependent and significant decrease of circulating glucose levels: 40% at 10 mg/kg, and 58% at 30 mg/kg. In the same study abnormal plasma triglycerides levels observed in this disease model were markedly corrected following treatment with IVA-337: 33% at 10 mg/kg, and 45% at 30 mg/kg. IVA-337 has no effect on hematocrit, plasma volume or heart weight. IVA-337 demonstrates excellent anti-hyperglycemic and hypolipidemic efficacy in the db/db mouse model, and a significant anti-fibrotic activity in the mouse CCl4-induced liver fibrosis model^[1]. IVA337 controlled body weight gain, adiposity index, and serum triglyceride increases; it decreased liver steatosis, inflammation, and ballooning^[2].