Trending News Today: Liver Fibrosis Treatment Achieves Main Goal of Late-Stage Study

Intercept Pharmaceuticals' treatment, obeticholic acid (OCA), for patients with liver fibrosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) achieved the primary goal of its phase 3 study, the company said in a press release. According to Intercept, the analysis showed that once-daily 25-mg dosage of OCA met the goal of fibrosis improvement with no worsening of NASH after 18 months. The study also demonstrated that a numerically greater proportion of patients in both arms achieved the primary goal of NASH resolution with no worsening of liver fibrosis, but was not statistically significant, according to the findings.

A new study indicates that the frequency and duration of migraine attacks may be associated with concurrent mood disorders, The American Journal of Managed Care reported. According to the article, the study of more than 100 patients also determined that concurrent mood disorders have an impact on migraine-related disability. Of the patients who had disability, the severity of mood changes was associated with the rate of disability, the article reported.

Investigational combination treatment NKTR-214 (Nektar Therapeutics) plus nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol-Myers Squibb) showed signs of tumor reduction in patients with bladder cancer in an early-stage study, Reuters reported. According to the article, of the 27 patients with urothelial cancer, 19% showed complete response after being treated with the combination therapy. The treatment triggered a response in 48% of 27 patients, the article reported.