Esperion outlines more milestones
Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) added $2.58 (11%) to $27 on Thursday in the wake of positive Phase IIb results for the company's cholesterol-lowering molecule ETC-1002 in patients with hypercholesterolemia, with or without statin intolerance. The company also outlined its timetable for releasing other Phase II data for ETC-1002 in 1H15.
The data for study ETC-1002-008, announced after market close on Wednesday, showed the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator and ATP citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor led to LDL-cholesterol lowering of 30% at the 180 mg dose and 27% at the 120 mg dose after 12 weeks vs. 21% with ezetimibe (p<0.0001 and p=0.0008). In combination with ezetimibe, the high and low doses reduced LDL-c by 48% and 43% (p<0.0001 for both vs. ezetimibe alone). ...