Patent ID: 8741867

Claim:
A method for treating a fibrotic disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition to the subject, wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprising a drug carrier and a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule, wherein the drug carrier comprises a liposome and a stellate cell-specific amount of diVA-PEG-diVA, and wherein the double-stranded nucleic acid molecule comprises the structure (A1) set forth below: 5′(N) x —Z3′(antisense strand) 3′Z′—(N′) y - z″ 5′(sense strand) (A1) wherein each of N and N′ is a unmodified or modified ribonucleotide, or an unconventional moiety; wherein each of (N) x and (N′) y is an oligonucleotide in which each consecutive N or N′ is joined to the next N or N′ by a covalent bond; wherein each of Z and Z′ is independently present or absent, but if present independently includes 1-5 consecutive nucleotides or non-nucleotide moieties or a combination thereof covalently attached at the 3′-terminus of the strand in which it is present; wherein z″ may be present or absent, but if present is a capping moiety covalently attached at the 5′-terminus of (N′) y ; wherein each of x and y is independently an integer between 18 and 40; wherein (N) x comprises an antisense sequence to the mRNA coding sequence for human hsp47 exemplified by SEQ ID NO:1 wherein the composition reduces expression of hsp47.