Altimmune Drug Cuts Heavy Drinking in Mid-stage Trial for Alcohol Use Disorder

July 28 (Reuters) - Altimmune said on Tuesday its experimental drug helped patients with alcohol use disorder cut back on heavy drinking ⁠in a mid-stage trial, sending the company's shares 10% higher in premarket trading. The drug, pemvidutide, showed a placebo-adjusted reduction ⁠of 1.45 heavy drinking days per week in the trial, which tested a 2.4 mg dose ⁠in about 100 patients with ‌moderate to severe alcohol use disorder over 24 weeks. Ahead of the trial results, Jefferies analysts had forecast a placebo-adjusted reduction of about 0.9 to 1.1 heavy drinking days per week. The drug, which is also being tested for weight loss, activates both glucagon and GLP-1 ‌receptors. Its effect on GLP-1 receptors suppresses appetite and regulates cravings, and ​the results ‌could potentially expand pemvidutide's market, if ‌it secures approval for alcohol use disorder. "While cross-trial comparisons to (Novo Nordisk's) semaglutide are challenging, we think pemvi's initial ⁠efficacy results look encouraging," Leerink Partners analyst Thomas ‌Smith said. The drug also met ⁠key secondary goals of the ​study, including increasing the proportion of patients ‌who achieved a two-level reduction in World Health Organization risk drinking levels and those reporting no heavy drinking days during the final four weeks of treatment. Pemvidutide was generally well ​tolerated, Altimmune said. Gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting ‌and ‌constipation, were more common in the treatment group. Five patients discontinued treatment because of drug-related side ‌effects, while one serious ​adverse event, low sodium levels in the blood, was considered possibly related to the drug. Altimmune said it plans to seek a meeting with the U.S. ⁠Food and Drug Administration to discuss next steps. The drug is also ‌being tested for liver diseases including MASH and alcohol-related liver damage. (Reporting by Kamal ​Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)