Eiger BioPharmaceuticals plunges after deaths in end-stage trial of HDV therapy

Eiger Biopharmaceuticals

08/12/2022 15:25

** Shares of Eiger BioPharmaceuticals Inc  EIGR.O  slump
74.5% to 98 cents, top pct loser across U.S. stock exchanges
     ** The therapy developer reports two deaths in end-stage
study of its therapy lonafarnib for Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV)
    ** One patient treated with peginterferon alfa, which is the
 medication used to treat hepatitis C and hepatitis B, died due
to decompensated cirrhosis that was attributed to the therapy -
EIGR
    ** Cirrhosis causes acute deterioration in liver function
    ** Co says the other death in the oral therapy was deemed
"unrelated" to the study
    ** Lonafarnib is being studied in two regimens - in an oral
therapy with ritonavir and a combination therapy with
peginterferon alfa - in patients with chronic HDV, a serious
liver disease caused by the virus
    ** In the lonafarnib treatment groups, 8% and 14% of
patients, respectively, reported serious treatment-emergent
gastrointestinal adverse events, says co
    ** At least 9% and 8% of patients discontinued treatment
from the lonafarnib oral and combination therapy arms,
respectively
    ** Including session's losses, stock down ~80% YTD 
 (Reporting by Sriparna Roy)
 ((Sriparna.Roy@thomsonreuters.com;))