Leveraging enterohepatic physiology to address unmet needs in gastrointestinal medicine.

Angel City Bio is a physician-scientist founded pharmaceutical company developing differentiated treatments for gastrointestinal disease, focused on indications where clinical need is well-defined but pharmacology has stalled.

Lead Program Vesudra
Second Program ACB1
Indications GLP-1 metabolic complications  ·  Crohn's ileitis
Approach

Taking advantage of the body's native physiology.

Bile acids are unusually versatile molecules: emulsifying lipids, signaling to the gut and liver, and undergoing near-complete reuptake at the terminal ileum. Our programs work with this biology to increase efficacy and safety.

Riding enterohepatic recirculation gives us "multiple shots on goal" for our drugs' disease targets. Two programs are in active development today, with shared scientific underpinnings that support a broader pipeline over time.

01

A platform, not a single program

Two programs are in active development today, drawing on the same scientific foundation. The platform is positioned to support additional indications without starting from scratch.

02

Physician-originated

Programs originate from observed patient need and are shaped by physicians working with these patients.

03

Capital-efficient by design

Validated actives, 505(b)(2) pathways, and international fast-track routes lead to drugs on the market on lean budgets and expedited timelines.

Pipeline

Two programs, both addressing well-defined clinical gaps.

VESUDRA
Optimized hepatobiliary protection for the GLP-1 era.
Indication Hepatobiliary complications of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy: gallstone formation and elevated transaminases during rapid weight loss.
Approach Fixed-dose UDCA + icosapent ethyl in a proprietary phospholipid-based colloidal delivery system. FDA-approved excipients throughout.
Status Provisional patent filed. Formulation development and preclinical PK in progress.
Formulation / Preclinical PK / Human Bridging / Approval
Pathway 505(b)(2) pathway referencing Actigall and Vascepa. No Phase 1/2/3 clinical trials required. International market launch ahead of US NDA.
ACB1
A non-immunosuppressive oral therapy for Crohn's ileitis.
Indication Crohn's ileitis. The ileum is the most commonly involved site of Crohn's disease, and the most refractory to current therapies.
Approach Oral bile acid-drug conjugate that exploits native ileal uptake to deliver its active moiety directly to the site of disease.
Status Proof-of-concept data support efficacy and the proposed pharmacokinetic profile.
Discovery / Preclinical / Clinical Phases / Approval
Profile Oral and non-immunosuppressive. Designed as a combination partner for biologics and small molecules across the IBD landscape.
The Need

Clinical reality is moving faster than the standard of care.

Both patient populations are expanding, and current therapies leave meaningful clinical gaps.

~18M1
GLP-1 patients by 2029

U.S. patients projected to be on GLP-1 receptor agonists for obesity or metabolic disease.

Source: UBS GLP-1 forecast, 2024
2.3×2
Gallbladder disease risk on GLP-1

Increased relative risk of gallbladder disease in patients receiving GLP-1 therapy for weight loss. Risk scales with the magnitude of weight loss, and is expected to grow as next-generation agents drive deeper, faster reductions.

Source: He et al., JAMA Intern Med, 2022
~64%3
of Crohn's involves the ileum

The terminal ileum is the most commonly involved site of Crohn's disease, and the most refractory to current therapies.

Source: Thia et al., Gastroenterology, 2010 (PMID: 20637205)
Team

Founded by physicians with direct expertise in our indications.

Wael El-Nachef
MD, PhD
Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Physician-scientist and practicing gastroenterologist. Research training at UCLA and Caltech, with a focus on translating bench insights to the bedside.

Najwa El-Nachef
MD
Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer

Inflammatory bowel disease clinical trialist with experience leading IBD studies across all phases of development.

Wael Salem
MD, MS, MPhil
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Physician with formal training in pharmacoeconomics. Previously built a human-grade laboratory from the ground up in fertility medicine.

Contact

Open to strategic conversations.

We're actively in dialogue with potential commercial partners, investors, and clinical collaborators. If our pipeline aligns with your strategic interests, we'd welcome the conversation.

Inquiries
contact@angelcity.bio
Affiliations
startAD/HealthX · Creative Destruction Lab
Engagement
Partnership  ·  Investment  ·  Collaboration
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