Published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, these results offer encouraging news for patients with PSC, for which there are currently no effective treatments short of liver transplantation. The trial also lays the groundwork for a pivotal phase 3 study to further evaluate the drug’s effectiveness, which could lead to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

“In the trial, nebokitug demonstrated that it has the potential to change the lives of patients with PSC by reducing fibrosis and inflammation, which should lead to improved outcomes,” said Christopher Bowlus, chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at UC Davis Health and one of the lead authors of the publication. “These results are good news for patients with PSC, who are in desperate need of an effective, FDA-approved therapy.”