MediciNova says new liver drug shows promise and speeds up tests
Summary
In a swift change of fortune, La Jolla’s MediciNova is accelerating development of a liver disease drug because it shows strong signs of effectiveness in patients, the company said this week. The market potential for tipelukast in liver diseases and other ailments explains investor response, according to an article on the Motley Fool website. “Nonetheless, the drug candidate could potentially be used more generally to treat high triglyceride levels, which are widely considered to be a contributing factor in heart disease,” Chatsko wrote. MediciNova said as much in its announcement, stating the latest results combined with earlier testing indicate that tipelukast has potential to help “a wide range of patients” with high triglycerides, apart from the liver diseases. The drug’s ability to inhibit genetic activity involved in fibrosis and inflammation also made it attractive for treating liver disease.