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 The drug, obeticholic acid, was tested in patients with
non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a form of liver inflammation,
for which there is no approved treatment.
The company said on Monday liver scarring did not worsen in 46
percent of NASH patients who were given the drug, compared with 21
percent in the placebo group.
Intercept said on Jan. 9 it had stopped the trial after the drug
showed statistically significant improvement in patients.
The company's shares quadrupled on that day but lost some of those
gains in the past few months as investors raised questions about the
drug's side-effects and awaited full clinical results of the trial.
"The fear that investors had regarding the safety of the drug have
now been put to rest with this update," Oppenheimer analyst Akiva
Felt told Reuters.
"The statistically significant results of the trial are also a
positive new development."
The company said it plans to start late-stage trials for the drug in
the first half of 2015.
The drug is also being tested as a treatment for primary biliary
cirrhosis, an autoimmune disease in which bile ducts in the liver
are destroyed.
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Intercept also posted a profit in the second quarter ended June 30
compared with a loss a year earlier, helped by a one-time gain
related to revaluation of warrants.
Intercept's shares were up 53 percent at $358.07 after the bell.
(Reporting By Amrutha Penumudi)
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