France-based Abivax SA has disclosed evidence that obefazimod, its small molecule drug candidate for inflammatory bowel disease and the subsets Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, has shown evidence of anti-fibrotic activity. This has been illustrated in both preclinical human fibroblast and in vivo animal models of the disease. The data were presented at the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization’s 21st Annual Congress in Stockholm on 21 February.
Fibrosis, or scarring, describes an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins in the body resulting from chronic inflammation or injury. In the worst case, it can lead to organ malfunction and death.
Obefazimod was originally developed to treat HIV. But during discovery, Abivax identified inflammatory bowel diseases as more promising targets. It was discovered that the drug’s mechanism of action involved the upregulation of an anti-inflammatory micro-RNA in the nucleus of cells that reduces inflammatory mediators.
At the conference, Abivax reported preclinical evidence that obefazimod led to a reduction of around 50% in a biomarker of active fibrosis and a 30% reduction in a fibroblast activation marker. “The emerging preclinical evidence of anti-fibrotic activity is particularly compelling, as fibrosis remains an area of profound unmet need,” said Fabio Cataldi, the company’s chief medical officer, in a statement. Fresh clinical data on obefazimod are expected in the second and fourth quarters of this year.
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