Early stop in liver disease trial boosts MediciNova

MediciNova Inc. (NASDAQ:MNOV; JASDAQ:4875) shares rose Monday on news it will stop early a Phase IIa trial of tipelukast (MN-001) to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) after an interim analysis showed that the product met the primary endpoint of reducing mean serum triglycerides. The company said it will "accelerate further development" of the candidate, but did not respond to inquiries.

MediciNova climbed $1.93 (19%) to $12.15 on NASDAQ, and gained ¥112 to ¥1352 in Tokyo...