Akero to share NASH drug trial results on Oct. 10, stock rises

Akero Therapeutics

09/10/2023 23:01

** Shares of drug developer Akero Therapeutics  AKRO.O 
rise 20% to $58.25 aftermarket
    ** Company says will hold an investor conference on Oct. 10
at 8 a.m. ET to share results from mid-stage trial of its lead
drug efruxifermin
    ** Trial is studying efficacy of the drug in patients with
compensated cirrhosis due to a type of fatty liver disease known
as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
    ** Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver is scarred
and permanently damaged
    ** A mid-stage trial, in June, showed the drug reduced liver
fat by 65% in certain patients and when added to a diabetes
treatment belonging to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor
agonists, it significantly improved non-invasive markers of
NASH-related disease
    ** Stock down ~12% YTD

 (Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru)
 ((Sriparna.Roy@thomsonreuters.com;))