Evidence Shows HepDirect Prodrugs Are a Way to Target Drugs to the Liver

Metabasis Therapeutics has announced that an article titled, "Liver-Targeted Drug Delivery Using HepDirect Prodrugs," was published in the February issue of The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

The article presents evidence that HepDirect prodrugs represent a strategy for targeting drugs to the liver and achieving more efficacious therapies to fight chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).

The publication reports on preclinical results from studies of two of Metabasis' HepDirect prodrugs, pradefovir mesylate (previously known as remofovir, or MB06866) for hepatitis B, and MB07133 for primary liver cancer. Both drug candidates are currently being clinically tested in patients.