Companies To Watch: Ocelot Bio

By Wayne Koberstein, Executive Editor, Life Science Leader magazine
Follow Me On Twitter @WayneKoberstein

Focusing a single drug on multiple complications of end-stage liver disease

SNAPSHOT
Ocelot Bio is developing a drug, coded OCE-205, to target multiple complications of end-stage liver disease (ESLD). Ocelot’s lead program, now in a Phase 2 trial, addresses hepatorenal syndrome with acute kidney injury (HRS-AKI). A second program, addressing ascites in the liver, is advancing in preclinical testing for indication and formulation. Ascites, or excess fluid in the peritoneal cavity, is the most common complication of advanced “decompensated” cirrhosis. The central stalk branching into most of the drug’s therapeutic targets is portal hypertension, the common disease mechanism for the various conditions. The entirely “remote” operating company plans to keep its sole focus on OCE-205 for now.