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La Jolla Reports Favorable Trial Results for Liver-Disease Treatment
5:32p ET March 10, 2014 (Dow Jones) Print
La Jolla Reports Favorable Trial Results for Liver-Disease Treatment

By John Kell
$18.39
7.49 (68.68%)

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. (LJPC) touted positive Phase 2 trial results for a chronic liver-disease treatment, saying the results showed "significant impropharmavement in kidney function."
Investors cheered the news, sending shares up 24% to $13.50 in after-hours trading.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, chronic kidney disease includes conditions that damages kidneys and as the disease worsens, can result in wastes that build to high levels in a patient's blood and make the individual feel sick. An estimated 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease, the foundation estimates.
La Jolla said its treatment was well tolerated, saying out of the 121 patients enrolled in the Phase 2 trial, 117 completed treatment and there were no serious adverse events in those that took the dosage compared with the placebo group.
The company said there was also a statistically significant reduction level in circulating levels of galecin-3, which is a target of the treatment. La Jolla has said galecin-3 has been implicated in a number of diseases, and increased circulating levels are associated with chronic organ failure.