Ionis Could Be A Factor In MASH With Positive Phase II Data

As the industry awaits the potential first approval of a metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) drug on 14 March, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. may have worked its way into the race to follow Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s THRβ agonist resmetirom into the market, unveiling top-line Phase II data on 13 March for its antisense DGAT2 inhibitor ION224 that met statistical significance for biopsy-demonstrated improvement in disease score along with a secondary endpoint of MASH resolution.

In the 51-week study, two doses of ION224 – 120mg and 90 mg, each dosed subcutaneously once a month – met the primary endpoint of at least a two-point reduction...