Benzinga | Jun 23, 2021 07:33AM EDT

Arrowhead Presents Positive Interim Clinical Data on ARO-HSD Treatment in Patients with Suspected NASH at EASL International Liver Congress

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ARWR) today presented positive interim results from AROHSD1001, an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical study of ARO-HSD, the company's investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic being developed as a treatment for patients with alcohol-related and nonalcohol related liver diseases, such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), at The International Liver Congress - The Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). The data demonstrate that ARO-HSD is the first investigational therapeutic to achieve robust reductions in messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of hepatic HSD17B13, leading to reductions in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), a liver enzyme typically elevated in liver diseases including NASH.

Javier San Martin, M.D., chief medical officer at Arrowhead, said: "Genetic studies have recently shown that HSD17B13 is a compelling target for multiple forms of liver disease. It is exciting to present clinical data at EASL demonstrating that ARO-HSD is the first investigational medicine using any therapeutic modality to achieve inhibition of HSD17B13 in patients. It is also highly encouraging to see ALT levels drop significantly following just two doses of ARO-HSD. These data and the strong genetic evidence of HSD17B13 as a potential therapeutic target provide us with increased confidence as we consider the design of potential late-stage clinical studies for ARO-HSD."