Akero's drug for fatty liver disease misses main trial goal (updated)

Akero Therapeutics

10/10/2023 12:30

(Adds shares in paragraph 2, details in paragraph 3 and 4)
       Oct 10 (Reuters) - Akero Therapeutics  AKRO.O  said on
Tuesday a mid-stage trial for its drug to treat a type of fatty
liver disease showed improvement in patients, but the results
were not statistically significant, sending its shares down 63%
in premarket trading. 
    About 22-24% of the patients with nonalcoholic
steatohepatitis (NASH) who were given the drug, efruxifermin,
experienced at least one stage of improvement in scarring of the
liver at the end of 36 weeks, depending on the dosage, compared
to 14% of patients who were given placebo, the company said. 
    The 153-patient trial, however, met secondary goals, with
63% of patients who were given the lower dose and 60% of those
on higher dose experiencing resolution of NASH symptoms,
compared to 26% of those on placebo.
    

 (Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru)
 ((Leroy.Dsouza@thomsonreuters.com ; https://twitter.com/LeroyLeo7;))