New data boost efficacy picture, but safety concerns remain for NASH hopeful

USA-based liver specialist Intercept Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ICPT) has presented further Phase III data from the REGENERATE study of obeticholic acid (OCA) in patients with liver fibrosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

While the firm foregrounded supportive efficacy data, concerns over the safety profile are likely to be behind a share sell-off in early trading on Thursday. The stock was down over 10% since the opening bell in New York.

Intercept has already reported that the trial met the primary endpoint of fibrosis improvement, with 23.1% of people in the test group and 11.9% of those on placebo achieving this end.