ENYO Pharma, based in Lyon, France, is developing highly selective FXR agonists—lead candidate Vonafexor and fast follower EYP651—as once-daily oral treatments for renal diseases. Vonafexor showed an effect on renal function (eGFR) in the Phase 2 LIVIFY study of patients with kidney impairment and fibrotic liver disease, and preclinical Alport syndrome and CKD mouse models showed beneficial effects on kidney remodeling and function. In 2023 Vonafexor received Orphan Drug Designation from both the EMA and the FDA for Alport syndrome. ENYO recently received FDA clearance of its IND to initiate the Phase 2 Alpestria-1 study in Alport syndrome. The company plans to further profile Vonafexor in other kidney diseases such as Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). A recent financing will support the Alpestria-1 study and continued clinical development. ENYO Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small-molecule therapeutics that mimic virus strategies to modulate host cellular functions. Its lead candidate, EYP001, is an orally bioavailable synthetic non-steroidal, non-bile acid FXR agonist currently in phase Ib and is planned to enter two Phase II trials in chronic HBV and NASH before the end of 2018. ENYO positions EYP001 as targeting cccDNA to pursue an HBV cure and reports efficacy in preclinical NASH models with differentiated C4/FGF19 pharmacology. A second asset, EYP002, is a first-in-class chemical series slated for IND-enabling studies in H2 2018 and planned to enter the clinic by 2019. The company has built a discovery engine based on a database of virus–human protein–protein interactions to discover cellular targets and design small molecules. ENYO was incorporated in January 2014 and is headquartered in Lyon, France, with a subsidiary in Melbourne, Australia. ENYO Pharma is focused on developing treatments for viral infections and other infectious diseases through modulation of host cell biology, building on an internal drug development programme around an autophagy target. Its MIMESIS project expands prior feasibility work to an industrialised screening effort using a proprietary library of 10,000 small molecules and original peptides designed to disrupt protein:protein interactions and modulate intracellular targets. The library will be screened in phenotypic assays for inhibitors of several viruses (Influenza, RSV, HRV, Zika), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and for inducers of immunogenic cell death in tumors. With a total MIMESIS budget of €3.6 million over 24 months, most promising chemistries will enter hit‑to‑lead optimisation programmes funded within the EU grant. Those optimisation efforts targeting novel intracellular mechanisms are intended to generate new intellectual property. Upon completion of MIMESIS, ENYO plans to further optimise its best chemical series internally or in collaboration with pharmaceutical partners up to clinical proof of concept. ENYO Pharma develops therapeutics that block interactions between viral proteins and human intracellular proteins, targeting host cellular functions required for viral replication. The company’s platform arose from work by an Inserm team in Lyon and has produced licensed patents and identified new human drug targets. Its flagship programme targets hepatitis B, with plans to accelerate clinical development following a new financing round. ENYO expects Phase I trials in the first half of 2016 and Phase II trials in chronic hepatitis B patients by 2017. The company says the approach may limit resistance and could apply to other severe viruses, including emerging influenza strains. The recent financing is intended to speed rollout of the hepatitis B programme and broader discovery efforts.

Total raised

$117M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Jan 2024