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Efruxifermin combined with a GLP-1 receptor agonist reduces liver fat in NASH
Nature Medicine explores the latest translational and clinical research news, with results from a small expansion cohort of the phase 2b SYMMETRY trial in patients with type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
Akero Therapeutics has released topline results from a small expansion cohort of the phase 2b SYMMETRY trial of efruxifermin (formerly AKR-001) for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The cohort tested the effects of combining efruxifermin, an agonist for fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), with an agonist for the receptor for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in patients with biopsy-confirmed NASH and type 2 diabetes. The combination therapy showed an acceptable safety profile, with diarrhea, nausea and increased appetite as the most common side effects. Patients who received both efruxifermin and the GLP-1 receptor agonist showed a 65% reduction in liver fat at 12 weeks, compared with a 10% reduction for those treated with the GLP-1 receptor agonist alone.