Lipocine Proposes Phase 2 Trial for Cirrhosis Drug
FDA has accepted a Lipocine IND to begin a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study to evaluate the therapeutic potential of LPCN 1148, an oral prodrug of bioidentical testosterone, for treating liver cirrhosis in adult males. The planned study is a prospective, multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled 52-week trial in male cirrhotic patients awaiting a liver transplant. The study is expected to begin later this year or early 2021. “Low testosterone affects up to 90% of cirrhotic men, and is a predictor of mortality and increased adverse events including ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and clinically significant portal hypertension,” the company says.