Lanifibranor in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes & Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Inclusion Criteria

• Be able to communicate meaningfully with the investigator and legally competent to provide written informed consent
• Have an age between 21 to 75 years inclusive
• Subjects should be on stable standard of care and background therapy for ongoing chronic conditions, including stable doses of anti-diabetic medications, for at least two (2) months prior to trial entry
• Have uncontrolled diabetes with a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥ 100 mg/dL but ≤ 250 mg/dL and HbA1c ≥ 6.0% but ≤ 9.5%, on diet alone, or on metformin (≥1,000 mg/day), and/or sulfonylurea and/or DPP-IV therapy, SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP1RA. These medicines will be continued at stable doses during the entire study.
• Subjects with an HbA1c > 8.0% but ≤ 9.5% will have their metformin (minimum dose required: 1,000 mg/day) maximized to 1,000 mg BID and/or glimepiride 2 mg once daily added during the first 2 weeks of the run-in period. The baseline visit to initiate lanifibranor (V4; Time 0 or randomization visit) will be not sooner than 8 weeks from diabetes medication titration and the patient should have an HbA1c ≤9.0% to proceed to randomization (V4).
• In addition, if both metformin and glimepiride (or another sulfonylurea) are already maximized at study entry (or the patient is intolerant to either) and the HbA1c ≥ 9.0% but ≤9.5%, we will add sitagliptin 100 mg daily (or an equivalent dose of another DPP-IV inhibitor) to reach an HbA1c ≤9.0% to proceed to randomization (V4).
• Presence of hepatic steatosis (Intrahepatic Triglycerides IHTG) > 10 % determined by Magnetic Resonance and Spectroscopy (1H-MRS).
• Have no new symptoms associated with decompensated diabetes in the previous 3 months.
• Compensated liver disease with the following hematologic and biochemical criteria on entry into protocol:
• Hemoglobin > 11 g/dL for females and > 12 g/dL for males
• White blood cell (WBC) > 2.5 K/µL
• Neutrophil count > 1.5 K/µL
• Total bilirubin ≤ 1.3 mg/dL (≤ 22.2 µmol/L). Patients with bilirubin ≤ 1.3 mg/dL can be included if non-conjugated bilirubin in the setting of a Gilbert's syndrome.
• Albumin > 36 g/L
• No other causes of chronic liver disease (autoimmune, primary biliary cholangitis, HBV, HCV, Wilson's, α-1-antitrypsin deficiency, hemochromatosis, other).
• Negative pregnancy test or at least two-year post-menopausal. Women with childbearing potential (i.e. fertile, following menarche and until becoming post- menopausal unless permanently sterile) must be using a highly effective method of contraception (i.e. combined (estrogen and progesterone containing) hormonal/ progesterone-only hormonal contraception associated with inhibition of ovulation, intrauterine device, intrauterine hormone-releasing system, bilateral tubal occlusion, vasectomized partner). The contraceptive method will have to be followed for at least one menstruation cycle after the end of the study.

Exclusion Criteria

• Evidence of liver disease other than NAFLD.
• History of excessive alcohol intake, defined by ≥ 21 units of alcohol per week in males and ≥14 units of alcohol per week in females for two years prior to enrollment, where a "unit" of alcohol is equivalent to 12-ounce beer, 4-ounce glass of wine, or 1 ounce shot of hard liquor.
• Unstable metabolic condition: Weight change > 5 kg in the 3 months prior to enrollment, diabetes with poor glycemic control (HgbA1c > 9.5% or FPG > 250 mg/dl), introduction of an anti-obesity drug/malabsorptive or restrictive bariatric (weight loss) surgery in the past 6 months prior to screening.
• History of gastrointestinal malabsorptive bariatric surgery within less than 5 years or ingestion of drugs known to produce hepatic steatosis including corticosteroids, high-dose estrogens, methotrexate, tetracycline or amiodarone in the previous 6 months.
• Subjects on sulfonylureas, metformin, GLP-1RA or DPP-IV unless the dose and body weight (within 5%) have been stable for at least two (2) months prior to study entry.
• Patients