Akero(US:AKRO) Globenewswireยท2025-05-09 10:15Core Insights - Akero Therapeutics presented promising results from the Phase 2b SYMMETRY trial for efruxifermin (EFX), indicating its potential to improve fibrosis in compensated cirrhosis caused by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) [1][2] Company Overview - Akero Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company focused on developing treatments for serious metabolic diseases with high unmet medical needs, particularly MASH [12] - Efruxifermin (EFX) is Akero's lead product candidate, currently undergoing evaluation in three ongoing Phase 3 studies [11][12] Clinical Trial Results - The SYMMETRY trial involved 182 patients with biopsy-confirmed compensated cirrhosis (F4) due to MASH, with 181 patients receiving EFX or placebo for 96 weeks [10] - At Week 96, 39% of patients treated with EFX 50mg showed fibrosis improvement compared to 15% in the placebo group (p=0.009) [2][3] - In the intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis, 29% of patients in the EFX 50mg group experienced fibrosis improvement versus 11% for placebo (p=0.031) [2][3] Efficacy and Safety - EFX demonstrated a significant increase in treatment effect over time, with a placebo-adjusted treatment effect doubling from 10% at Week 36 to 24% at Week 96 [5] - Non-invasive measures of liver fibrosis and injury, such as ELF test scores and liver stiffness by Fibroscan, showed continued improvement for the EFX 50mg group over 96 weeks [6] - The safety profile of EFX was consistent with previous trials, with mild to moderate gastrointestinal adverse events being the most common [8] Future Directions - Akero plans to continue evaluating EFX across all stages of MASH in the Phase 3 SYNCHRONY program [2] - The company aims to address the complex, multi-system disease state of MASH, including improvements in cardiovascular risk factors linked to the condition [11]