Madrigal Cements Case For Hepatic Fat Reduction, Other NASH Benefits With MGL-3196

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s updated 36-week biopsy data for its THR beta agonist MGL-3196 in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) shows a statistically significant ability to reduce hepatic fat across multiple measures, likely positioning the compound to enter Phase III development in early 2019.

Seen for nearly two years as a trailing star in NASH, where four other companies already have advanced candidates into Phase III, MGL-3196 lost a bit of its luster in September when Viking Therapeutics Inc.’s Phase II candidate from the same class showed even greater fat-reduction capability (mean reduction of 58%) – albeit in a small, 12-week study in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a precursor to NASH. (Also see "Viking’s Liver Fat Reduction Data Portend A New Competitor In NASH" - Scrip, 18 September, 2018