FDA OKs Iqirvo, First-in-Class PPAR Treatment for Primary Biliary Cholangitis

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval for Iqirvo (elafibranor; Ipsen) for treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in adults who do not respond adequately to UDCA or as monotherapy in patients unable to tolerate UDCA. 

PBC is a rare, chronic cholestatic liver disease that destroys interlobular bile ducts and leads to cholestasis and liver fibrosis. Left untreated, the disease can worsen over time, leading to cirrhosis and liver transplant and, in some cases, premature death. PBC also harms quality of life, with patients often experiencing severe fatigue and pruritus.

Iqirvo, an oral dual peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor (PPAR) alpha and delta agonist, is the first new drug approved in nearly a decade for treatment of PBC. 

Accelerated approval of Iqirvo for PBC was based on data from the phase 3 ELATIVE trial published last year in The New England Journal of Medicine

Source: MEDspace