Conatus Pharma's liver drug succeeds in mid-stage study

(Reuters) - Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc said its experimental lead drug was more effective than a placebo in a mid-stage study in patients with a form of fatty liver disease. The drug, emricasan, was tested in 38 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, including some sufferers of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more severe form of the condition, the company said on Thursday. Several drugmakers, including Gilead Sciences Inc, Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc and France's Genfit SA, are in the race to develop treatments. The study determined the drug's effectiveness by measuring reductions in biomarkers associated with cell death and inflammation, considered to be drivers of progressive liver disease.



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