Axcella up 34% premarket on positive action of dietary supplement in NAFLD

Ultra-thinly traded micro cap Axcella (NASDAQ:AXLA) jumps 34% premarket on light volume in reaction to topline results from a study evaluating dietary supplements AXA1125 and AXA1957 in 102 people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The company says AXA1125 showed greater and more consistent reductions in clinically relevant biomarkers versus placebo than AXA1957.

Specifically, participants receiving AXA1125 experienced a 23% mean reduction in liver fat content compared to a 6% reduction for placebo. The mean reduction in the liver enzyme ALT (biomarker of liver stress/damage) was 22% versus a 7% reduction in the control arm.

On the safety front, both supplements were generally well-tolerated. The most common treatment-related adverse events (occurred in at least 10% of subjects) were gastrointestinal effects (diarrhea, nausea, reduced appetite) and upper respiratory infection. Most were mild and “transient” resolving in two-to-three weeks.

The company is going with AXA1125 for its candidate for NASH.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3570048-axcella-up-34-premarket-on-positive-action-of-dietary-supplement-in-nafld