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Terns Pharmaceuticals to Present Preclinical Data on Two Lead Programs at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Annual Meeting 2019

April 1, 2019 Off By BusinessWire

TERN-101 Demonstrated Potency as an Agonist of FXR Nuclear Hormone
Receptor

TERN-201 Demonstrated Potency as an Inhibitor of SSAO (VAP-1)

SAN MATEO, Calif. & SHANGHAI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced presentation of preclinical
data on its two lead programs at The International Liver Congress™ 2019,
the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the
Liver (EASL) in Vienna, Austria, April 10-14. TERN-101 reduced liver
steatosis, inflammation, ballooning, and fibrosis in a preclinical model
of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and TERN-201 reduced
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score (NAS) and
fibrosis in preclinical models of NASH.

“We believe TERN-101 and TERN-201 have the potential to be meaningful
new treatments for NASH, a condition with no existing treatment options,
and the data we are presenting at EASL reinforces our confidence,” said
Erin Quirk, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Terns. “Both of our lead
programs remain on track to generate clinical data in 2019, and we look
forward to continuing our work towards our goal of developing effective
and safe combination therapies for patients with NASH and liver
fibrosis.”

Details of the presentations are as follows:

Title: A novel farnesoid X receptor agonist, TERN-101, reduces
liver steatosis, inflammation, ballooning, and fibrosis in a murine
model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
Presentation Number: FRI-313
Session: Poster:
NAFLD: Experimental and pathophysiology
Date / Time: Friday,
April 12, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. CEST
Presenter: Dr. Kevin Klucher

Title: A novel Semicarbazide-Sensitive Amine Oxidase inhibitor,
TERN-201, reduces NAS and fibrosis in rodent models of non-alcoholic
steatohepatitis
Presentation Number: FRI-314
Session: Poster:
NAFLD: Experimental and pathophysiology
Date / Time: Friday,
April 12, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. CEST
Presenter: Dr. Kevin Klucher

Key highlights from the poster “A novel farnesoid X receptor agonist,
TERN-101, reduces liver steatosis, inflammation, ballooning, and
fibrosis in a murine model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis”:

TERN-101, when administered in diet-induced obese (DIO) models of
NASH, caused a dose-dependent increase in FXR-mediated gene
expression, showing on-target activity, and induced pathways that
modulate lipid metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis.
All doses of TERN-101 markedly reduced the NAFLD activity score,
demonstrating reductions in liver steatosis, hepatocellular
ballooning, inflammation, and triglycerides.
Liver fibrosis was significantly reduced by all dose levels of
TERN-101.

Key highlights from the poster “A novel Semicarbazide-Sensitive Amine
Oxidase inhibitor, TERN-201, reduces NAS and fibrosis in rodent models
of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis”:

NAFLD activity score was reduced by TERN-201 treatment, with a 42%
reduction from baseline at 20 mg/kg, primarily driven by a reduction
in hepatocellular ballooning (80% reduction from baseline).
TERN-201 significantly reduced liver inflammation and fibrosis in a
preclinical fibrosis model.

Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) Agonism and TERN-101

FXR is a nuclear receptor that is highly expressed in the liver and
small intestine. Bile acids (BA) are natural ligands of FXR, and their
binding with and activation of FXR is critical to the regulation of
cellular pathways that modulate BA synthesis, lipid metabolism,
inflammation and fibrosis. It is believed by many in the scientific
community that FXR agonism and activation has potential as a new
treatment modality for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and
non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). TERN-101 is a potent non-bile acid
FXR agonist being developed as a therapeutic for NASH.

Semicarbazide-Sensitive Amine Oxidase (SSAO) Inhibition and TERN-201

SSAO, also known as VAP-1 (Vascular Adhesion Protein-1), is a
dual-function amine oxidase which increases oxidative stress through the
generation of H₂O₂ and promotes recruitment of
white blood cells in the liver, which results in increased oxidative
stress, inflammation and hepatic fibrosis. The level of surface SSAO is
upregulated in the vasculature of inflamed tissues, and soluble SSAO
levels are elevated in patients with NASH. Inhibition of SSAO is
believed to have therapeutic benefit for the treatment of NAFLD, NASH
and other chronic fibrotic liver diseases. TERN-201 is a potent SSAO
inhibitor which provides an additional treatment mechanism for NASH by
reducing oxidative stress and recruitment of white blood cells to the
liver.

About Terns Pharmaceuticals

Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company
that is focused on the discovery and development of medicines for
chronic liver disease and cancer. Based in China and the United States,
the company is advancing a pipeline of small molecule drug candidates
for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cancer,
across multiple modalities. Terns leverages world class expertise in
disease biology, medicinal chemistry, and clinical development, in order
to bring promising new therapies to patients in China and other global
markets.

For more information, visit www.ternspharma.com
and www.ternspharma.com.cn.