GENFIT is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare and life-threatening liver diseases. Both parties are confident that this collaboration has the potential to tackle key issues in ACLF providing the framework to strengthen dialogue among patients’ associations, regulators and learned societies.

On the occasion of the EASL Congress 2024 in Milan, Italy, EF CLIF and GENFIT hosted a joint event to announce their partnership aimed at advancing the understanding and treatment of ACLF. The event gathered 50 attendees and counted with the participation of representatives from both organizations as well as key stakeholders in the liver health community.

Richard Moreau, Director of EF CLIF, presented our mission to address unmet medical needs in decompensated cirrhosis and the pioneering work conducted by the EASL-CLIF Consortium in defining the diagnostic criteria for ACLF. He emphasized our goals of describing clinically relevant molecular features, developing predictive biomarkers, and identifying new therapeutic targets in our efforts to achieving precision medicine. 

Pascal Prigent, Chief Executive Officer of GENFIT, emphasized the company’s longstanding commitment to liver disease therapies and its ongoing dedication to addressing the unmet medical need for innovative treatments for ACLF.

Dean Hum, Chief Scientific Officer of GENFIT, presented the company’s ACLF pipeline, showcasing five assets with complementary mechanisms of action designed to tackle key pathways in ACLF. He outlined GENFIT’s strategic roadmap for building a portfolio of drug candidates specifically targeted towards addressing ACLF. Hum emphasized how GENFIT’s industrial drug discovery and diagnostics expertise aligns with EF CLIF’s academic excellence and leadership in chronic liver disease research, creating a synergy that translates into real benefits for patients. 

Next, Donna Cryer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Global Liver Institute (GLI), presented GLI’s strategic initiatives with patient empowerment and advocacy as the cornerstones of their activities. She highlighted GLI’s global impact through strategic partnerships and the organization’s efforts to shape public policy and promote liver health.

Milan Mishovikj, Vice-President of the European Liver Patients’ Association (ELPA),  presented ELPA’s contributions to the liver health space, focusing on member engagement, policy advocacy, and scientific partnerships. He showcased ELPA’s role in EU-funded projects on decompensated cirrhosis and ACLF fostering patient engagement and involvement in research.

The event marked the official start of our partnership with GENFIT. Richard Moreau, who expressed his enthusiasm for this collaboration, said: “Together, we aim to advance the understanding of ACLF pathophysiology and develop novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of this syndrome.” This collaboration shows both organizations’ dedication to patient-centered healthcare and their commitment to strengthening relationships with GLI and ELPA as they work together toward a shared goal.