Akero Therapeutics

Also Clin2 MASH cirrhosis; undisclosed programs RD undisclosed

Akero Therapeutics is developing treatments for patients with serious metabolic diseases. Many metabolic diseases, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), are marked by high unmet medical need. NASH is caused by excess storage of fat in the liver which causes liver inflammation and scarring. Akero is using a licensed engineered protein called efruxifermin (EFX) and developing it to treat the metabolic dysfunction that occurs in NASH patients. EFX is a differentiated Fc-FGF21 fusion protein that mimics native FGF21 to alleviate cellular stress and regulate metabolism. Building on positive Phase 2a results, EFX is now being used in Phase 2b clinical trials in pre-cirrhotic patients.