Claret Capital Partners Commits €43M to Inventiva's €130M Financing for Pivotal MASH Phase 3 Trial
Key Insights
Claret Capital Partners (search) has invested €43 million as part of Inventiva's €130 million debt financing to support late-stage clinical development of lanifibranor.
Lanifibranor is an oral once-daily pan-PPAR agonist currently in the Phase 3 NATiV3 trial for MASH, with top-line results expected in Q4 2026.
MASH affects an estimated 20–25% of patients with fatty liver disease globally and is projected to become the leading cause of liver transplants for women in the US.
Claret Capital Partners (search), Europe's largest independent growth debt fund manager, has committed €43 million to Inventiva as part of a broader €130 million debt financing package, the firms announced on June 16, 2026. The funding is designed to propel lanifibranor, Inventiva's oral pan-PPAR agonist, through the final stages of its pivotal Phase 3 NATiV3 clinical trial in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (search) (MASH), with top-line results anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The financing, provided alongside funds and accounts managed by BlackRock (search), totals up to €130 million in committed tranches, with an additional uncommitted tranche of up to €20 million. It forms part of a comprehensive capital structure optimization strategy, including both debt and equity financing, initially announced by Inventiva on June 2, 2026.
Lanifibranor: A Differentiated Oral Approach to MASH
Inventiva, headquartered in Dijon, France, is advancing lanifibranor as a once-daily oral therapy that simultaneously activates all three subtypes of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (search) (PPARs). This pan-PPAR mechanism targets the metabolic, inflammatory, and fibrotic pathways central to MASH pathophysiology, a progressive liver disease in which fat accumulation triggers chronic inflammation and scarring.
The disease burden is substantial. MASH affects an estimated 20–25% of patients already diagnosed with fatty liver disease globally, representing a largely underserved population. Without treatment, the condition can advance to cirrhosis or liver failure and is projected to become the leading cause of liver transplants for women in the United States, according to research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Phase 3 NATiV3 Trial and Anticipated Milestones
The NATiV3 pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial is currently evaluating lanifibranor for the treatment of adult patients with MASH. The company has guided that top-line data from the study are expected in Q4 2026, a milestone that could pave the way for regulatory filings.
Andrew Obenshain, Chief Executive Officer of Inventiva, expressed strong conviction in the program: "The data we have generated in our Phase 2b clinical trials gives us deep conviction in lanifibranor's potential as a differentiated oral therapy for patients living with MASH if approved. With this transaction, we believe Inventiva will be well-positioned, scientifically, operationally, and financially, to lead our program through anticipated defining milestones and beyond."
Investor Perspectives
Daniel Mallon, Principal at Claret Capital Partners (search), highlighted the strategic timing of the investment: "It is great to be able to support Inventiva at a pivotal stage in its clinical journey. The Company has demonstrated encouraging clinical progress through its Phase 2b results and we look forward to the outcome of its Phase 3 trial anticipated later this year. This financing provides additional flexibility as Inventiva moves towards anticipated key clinical and regulatory milestones in 2026 and 2027."
Joey Mason, Life Sciences Venture Partner at Claret Capital Partners (search), underscored the firm's commitment to late-stage biotech companies: "This investment demonstrates the type of support we can provide to late stage biotechs — even listed ones — with exciting assets who need the firepower to get them to the next stage."
Claret's Expanding Life Sciences Footprint
The investment in Inventiva represents one of several recent late-stage European listed biotech investments by Claret Capital, which has also backed Cinclus Pharma and Abivax. The firm brings over 25 years of experience in financing innovative technology and life sciences sectors, with a stated aim of supporting management teams and their venture capital partners while minimizing dilution and maximizing shareholder value.
Inventiva is publicly listed on both the Euronext Paris regulated market (compartment B) and the Nasdaq Global Market in the United States, trading under the ticker IVA on both exchanges.