Sagimet Biosciences said on Monday its experimental drug helped in significantly reducing the symptoms of a fatty liver disease in a mid-stage study, sending shares of the drug developer up more than 8% in premarket trading.

The drug, denifanstat, was administered to 168 Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH, formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH ) patients with severe liver scarring, or cirrhosis, as part of the study.

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More than one-third of the patients on the drug showed resolution of MASH symptoms without worsening of liver scarring, compared with 13% patients on placebo.

Denifanstat belongs to a class of drugs that blocks fatty acid synthesis in the liver, thereby preventing the development of the disease and its progression to a serious condition that could lead to liver failure.

Nearly 20% of patients on the treatment, however, dropped out of the study due to adverse events, versus 5.4% patients on placebo, Sagimet said.

The company said it plans to hold a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and begin the late-stage study of the drug in the second half of this year.