Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) shares have jumped through the roof and are hovering above their 52-week highs in today’s pre-market session after the clinical-stage company’s lead candidate, efruxifermin (EFX) met its primary endpoint in a Phase2b trial.
The data from the HARMONY study evaluating EFX for pre-cirrhotic non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) showed, that “41% and 39% of EFX-treated patients, respectively, experienced at least a one-stage improvement in liver fibrosis with no worsening of NASH by week 24, compared with 20% for the placebo arm.”
Importantly, patients treated with EFX also showed improvements in liver fat, liver enzymes, noninvasive fibrosis markers, glycemic control, lipoproteins, and body weight.
Further, the study also met its secondary endpoint with patients achieving NASH resolution without any deterioration of fibrosis.
NASH, a serious type of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, affects about 17 million people in the U.S. and is the fastest growing cause of liver transplants and liver cancer in the U.S. as well as Europe.
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