Structure of proof of concept studies that precede a nonalcoholic steatohepatitis development program.

Surrogate endpoints for clinical proof of concept (POC) trials in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are based upon expert pathological review of liver biopsies. During early development, these long-term POC studies (>= 48 weeks) add cost and time to the "Go/No Go" decision process. However, it is possible to conduct short-term noninvasive POC studies utilizing biomarkers and magnetic resonance imaging. Here, we discuss the use of shorter noninvasive POC studies relative to biopsy-driven studies for drug development in NASH.