Shares of the clinical-stage biotech Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) are currently trading at $27.83 with a gain of over $15.56 (126.81%).
What did ARKO double today ?
Let’s first understand what NAFLD is. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major public health concern because of its increased prevalence worldwide and potentially severe sequelae. NAFLD is a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. NAFLD encompasses a broad spectrum of liver disorders, ranging from simple steatosis to the more severe form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), that may progress to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. The hallmark of NAFLD is triglyceride (TG) accumulation in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. This arises from an imbalance between lipid acquisition (ie, fatty acid uptake and de novo lipogenesis [DNL]) and removal (ie, mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation [FAO] and export as a component of very low-density lipoprotein [VLDL] particles).
Shares of the clinical-stage biotech Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) are up by over 125% at the time of writing this article. The company reported a positive phase 2b trial for the experimental nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) candidate known as efruxifermin (EFX).
As per the press release, EFX met the study’s primary endpoint of at least a one-stage improvement in liver fibrosis with no worsening of NASH by week 24 as well as a key secondary endpoint consisting of NASH resolution without worsening of fibrosis. Treatment with EFX was significantly better than placebo control group on each of the endpoints across both the high dose (50mg) and the low dose arm (28mg) of the study.
