On February 2, 2025, Barclays upgraded Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) to an "Overweight" rating, with the stock priced at $54.08. Akero Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for serious metabolic diseases. Its lead product candidate, efruxifermin (EFX), targets liver diseases like metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
The upgrade by Barclays comes after Akero's stock experienced a significant surge, doubling in value over a week. This 106% increase followed the release of promising data from a mid-stage study of EFX. The phase IIb SYMMETRY study showed that 39% of patients receiving a 50mg dose of EFX experienced cirrhosis reversal without worsening MASH, compared to 15% in the placebo group.
The study's results highlight EFX's potential in treating liver disease associated with MASH. In an Intent-to-Treat analysis, 29% of the 50mg EFX group achieved cirrhosis reversal without MASH worsening, compared to about 12% in the placebo group. These findings have fueled optimism about EFX's future impact, as highlighted by Akero's CEO, Dr. Andrew Cheng.
Akero's stock, currently priced at $54.08, reflects a slight decrease of 2.31% or $1.28. The stock has fluctuated between $52.89 and $55.875 during the day. Over the past year, AKRO has reached a high of $58.4 and a low of $15.32. The company's market capitalization is approximately $4.06 billion, with a trading volume of 1,374,809 shares on the NASDAQ exchange.
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