(Reuters) – Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Friday its experimental drug to treat patients with serious liver scarring or cirrhosis due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) did not meet the main goal of a late-stage study.
The drug, obeticholic acid, when compared to placebo, was not statistically significant in improving fibrosis, which refers to a build up of scar tissue, with no worsening of NASH after 18 months of therapy.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is a serious progressive liver disease caused by excessive fat accumulation in the organ.
The data highlights “the importance of treating liver fibrosis due to NASH before it progresses to cirrhosis,” said Intercept’s Chief Medical Officer M. Michelle Berrey.
Intercept said it was on track to resubmit its marketing application for treating fibrosis due to NASH by the end of the year and that submission will not be affected by the efficacy results of the study.
Trading in Intercept’s shares have been halted after the news.
(Reporting by Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
