linafexor

Linafexor (CS0159) is an oral small-molecule drug candidate developed by CasCade Therapeutics (凯思凯迪), a Shanghai-based biotech founded in 2017 that focuses on metabolic diseases targeting nuclear receptors and GPCRs . The compound acts on bile acid metabolism pathways and has advanced furthest in trials for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), with U.S. Phase II for MASH completed and China Phase III for PBC underway as of early 2026 . It holds FDA Breakthrough Therapy and Orphan Drug designations .

A notable strategic angle is its potential in combination with GLP-1 drugs for weight loss: preclinical data cited by CasCade co-founder Huaqiang Xu showed CS0159 could reduce semaglutide dosing tenfold while tripling weight-loss effect and mitigating muscle loss . The company is also building a long-acting peptide sustained-release delivery platform, positioning it to address side-effect and compliance limitations of injectable GLP-1 therapies .