Intercept Seeks Long-Term Data To Build Ocaliva Market In PBC

BOSTON – Ocaliva (obeticholic acid) became the first new drug to market for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in 19 years with its June launch in the US, but its indication as second-line therapy in a chronic condition left lots of treatment questions and potential safety gaps for other PBC candidates to target. Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc. CEO Mark Pruzanski explained in a Nov. 15 interview during the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases meeting that his company is working toward long-term outcomes data that might mitigate some of those perceived gaps.

Ocaliva is a bile acid analog that inhibits the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and is in Phase III development for...