Conatus liver drug shows positive results in mid-stage trial

Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc said its experimental drug, emricasan, succeeded in reducing the presence of a protein fragment in patients with liver cirrhosis in a mid-stage trial.

Data showed a statistically significant reduction in the protein fragment, caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18 (cCK18), when compared with a placebo in the overall patient population.

cCK18, an important marker of liver cell death, is elevated in patients with advanced liver disease and cirrhosis, the company said.

(Reporting by Shailesh Kuber; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)