Terns Says Phase IIa Data Show Superior NASH Safety Profile In FXR Class

Roughly three years into its effort to develop combination therapy addressing the various pathologies of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has unveiled Phase II data demonstrating that its most advanced candidate – FXR agonist TERN-101 – offers the clinical benefits of its class with potentially a better safety and tolerability profile.

The Foster City, CA-based firm told an investor call on 14 June that TERN-101 is the first FXR agonist to produce a study in NASH patients with no treatment discontinuations due to drug-related adverse events. Previously, the class – led by Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s obeticholic acid (OCA) – has been plagued by reports of pruritus and increased levels of LDL cholesterol in clinical trials