Fibrotech Therapeutics Pty Ltd (ABN 47 119 745 970) was formed in May 2006 to develop novel drug candidates for the treatment of the fibrosis prevalent in such chronic conditions as kidney and heart failure.

These novel compounds were discovered and developed by a group of scientists from the University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital and Bio21 Institute. Fibrotech has patented more than 120 analogues that have been shown to significantly inhibit fibrosis in mesangial cells and cardiac fibroblasts. The company’s lead compound has been shown to significantly inhibit (i) the progression of renal fibrosis in the ren-2 rat model of diabetic nephropathy and cardiomyopathy (ii) and the progression of cardiac fibrosis following myocardial infarction (MI) in rats.

The initial clinical indication being pursued by Fibrotech is diabetic nephropathy. While the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) have been shown to delay the progression of diabetic nephropathy and have been approved by the FDA for their renoprotective efficacy, to date no drugs have been approved which treat the pathological fibrosis associated with diabetic nephropathy. Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which can only be managed with dialysis or kidney transplantation.