MediciNova Phase 2 Trial in Fatty Liver Disease Drug Misses Primary Endpoints

07:11 AM EDT, 10/12/2026 (MT Newswires) -- MediciNova (MNOV) said Monday its 40-patient Phase 2 trial of MN-001 in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hypertriglyceridemia linked to type 2 diabetes failed to reach statistical significance on its primary endpoints. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and HDL particle concentration improved significantly versus placebo, and serum triglycerides fell significantly early in the study, while 24-week triglycerides, liver fat, and body weight were lower in the MN-001 group without reaching significance, the company said. MN-001 was well tolerated with no drug-related serious adverse events reported, in line with a favorable safety profile in more than 650 subjects in earlier studies, MediciNova said. Separately, the company also said the last patient completed the final visit in September, and topline results from the Phase 2b/3 trial of ibudilast in 234 patients with ALS are expected by the end of the year. Shares of the company were down 12% in Monday premarket activity.