Sweden's Karo Bio has pulled the plug on its late-stage cholesterol compound eprotirome and abandoned plans to spin off its preclinical operations. The firm is terminating the Phase III programme on eprotirome, a thyroid hormone analogue which could lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels in patients already taking statins, after an animal study demonstrated unwanted effects following long-term exposure. Specifically, damage to cartilage was seen in dogs that were given eprotirome for up to 12 months. The cartilage damage was apparent only after a year's exposure and occurred in all animals treated with high doses but was also seen in the lower dose groups. The control animals displayed no damage.
