Shares of healthcare company Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) are in focus today after it announced topline data from a 12 week Phase2b study (expansion cohort) evaluating the safety and tolerability of EFX as compared to a placebo when combined with an existing GLP-1 receptor agonist in subjects with Type 2 diabetes and F1-F3 liver fibrosis stemming from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
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EFX or efruxifermin is Akero’s lead product candidate and was observed to be generally well-tolerated in the cohort. Further, the study met all key secondary endpoints.
In the study, subjects receiving the combination of EFX and GLP-1 witnessed a 65% relative decrease in liver fat versus a 10% decrease for GLP-1 alone. Further, 88% of the subjects receiving the combination had normalized liver fat versus 10% in subjects receiving GLP-1 alone.
Next, Akero is planning to begin two Phase 3 studies later in 2023 and expects to announce results from a Phase 2b trial (SYMMETRY) in biopsy-confirmed NASH subjects with compensated cirrhosis in the fourth quarter of this year.
Akero shares have skyrocketed nearly 471% over the past year. At the same time, short interest in the stock remains elevated at nearly 9.6% at present.
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