According to a story from Proactive Investors, the biotechnology company Conatus Pharmaceuticals recently reported that the company’s drug Emricasan failed to achieve the primary endpoint in a Phase 2b clinical trial. The drug was being tested as a treatment for the liver disease nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Conatus is dedicated to the development of treatments for liver diseases.
About Nonalcoholic Steatohepatisis
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a type of liver disease in which fat is deposited in the liver independent of excessive alcohol consumption. This disease can progress rapidly. Risk factors include metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. There also appears to be some genetic component to the disease as well. This condition also increases the risk of other health problems and liver cancer. Men also seem to be at greater risk, getting the disease as almost twice the rate that women do. Symptoms of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis include jaundice, malaise, fatigue, and abdominal pain or discomfort. Without treatment, the liver can become scarred and the patient may need a liver transplant. However, the condition can also be managed with proper diet, the use of certain medications, and exercise. To learn more about nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, click here.
About Emricasan
The news was not good for the company’s stock shares, which lost about half of their value after the announcement of the news. Although the drug did not perform to expectations, the company has not yet decided to abandon the testing of Emricasan in this indication entirely. Conatus is also waiting on the completion of additional ongoing trials before it will make any other decisions going forward.
Emricasan is fundamentally an anti-inflammatory drug which is designed to inhibit the activity of caspases. Caspases are a group of enzymes that are important as regulators of cell functions that could result in an inflammatory response or the death of the cell. While death of cells is a normal bodily process that is happening continuously, excessive cell death can lead to serious health concerns and commonly occurs as part of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
These results do not bode well for the future of this drug as a treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatisis, but future research results will have the final say.
