(Reuters) – Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Monday a late-stage trial showed that its experimental drug helped reduce liver fat and certain lipids in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an inflammatory disease of the liver.

The drug resmetirom was found to be safe and well-tolerated when given in doses of 80 and 100 mg once a day in the 972-patient trial.

“These positive results … support our conviction that resmetirom has the potential to be the first medication approved for the treatment of patients with NASH and liver fibrosis,” Chief Executive Officer Paul Friedman said.

NASH is a chronic liver disease characterized by excess fat, inflammation and cell damage in liver that can cause fibrosis or scarring of the organ, ultimately leading to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

It is estimated that about 5% of adults in the United States have NASH, according to the Liver Fondation, but there is no approved treatment for the ailment.

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