Author information
1Pinnacle Clinical Research, San Antonio, TX, USA. Electronic address: sharrison@pinnacleresearch.com.
2 Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
3 Saiseikai Suita Hospital, Suita City, Osaka, Japan.
4 Oschner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.
5 Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
6 Gastro One, Germantown, TN, USA.
7 The Institute for Liver Health, Chandler, AZ, USA.
8 Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India.
9 University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
10 Texas Liver Institute, University of Texas Health San Antonio, TX, USA.
11 Liver Institute of Virginia, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Richmond, VA, USA.
12 Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, USA.
13 Pinnacle Clinical Research, Austin, TX, USA.
14GI Specialists of Georgia, Marietta, GA, USA.
15 Institute of Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK & Newcastle NIHR Biomedical Research Center, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
16 Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio, Sevilla, Spain.
17 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
18 Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) plays a key role in hepatocyte injury, inflammation, and fibrosis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We evaluated the safety and anti-fibrotic effect of selonsertib, a selective inhibitor of ASK1, in patients with advanced fibrosis due to NASH.
METHODS: We conducted two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials of selonsertib in patients with NASH and bridging fibrosis (F3, STELLAR-3) or compensated cirrhosis (F4, STELLAR-4). Patients were randomized 2:2:1 to receive selonsertib 18 mg, selonsertib 6 mg, or placebo once daily for 48 weeks. Liver biopsies were performed at screening and week 48 and noninvasive tests of fibrosis (NITs) were evaluated. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients with ≥1-stage improvement in fibrosis without worsening of NASH at week 48. Additional endpoints included changes in NITs, progression to cirrhosis (in STELLAR-3), and liver-related clinical events.
RESULTS: Neither trial met the primary efficacy endpoint. In STELLAR-3, fibrosis improvement without worsening of NASH was observed in 10% (31/322, p=0.49 vs placebo), 12% (39/321, p=0.93 vs placebo), and 13% (21/159) of patients in the selonsertib 18 mg, selonsertib 6 mg, and placebo groups, respectively. In STELLAR-4, the primary endpoint was achieved in 14% (51/354; p=0.56), 13% (45/351; p=0.93), and 13% (22/172) of patients, respectively. Although selonsertib led to dose-dependent reductions in hepatic phospho-p38 expression indicative of pharmacodynamic activity, it had no significant effect on liver biochemistry, NITs, progression to cirrhosis, or adjudicated clinical events. The rates and types of adverse events were similar among selonsertib and placebo groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Forty-eight weeks of selonsertib monotherapy had no anti-fibrotic effect in patients with bridging fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis due to NASH.