FDA puts on hold two Rapt Therapeutics mid-stage drug trials

(Reuters) -Rapt Therapeutics said on Tuesday the U.S. FDA had placed on hold two mid-stage trials of the company’s drug to treat eczema and asthma, after liver failure was observed in one of the patients.

The company said it had enrolled 350 patients across the two mid-stage trials and a previous early-stage study of the drug, zelnecirnon, but no evidence of liver toxicity was observed with any other patient.

Following the hold, Rapt will halt dosing of existing patients and stop enrollment of new participants, while it conducts a thorough investigation of this case.

(Reporting by Leroy Leo and Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Devika Syamnath)