Later this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a decision on Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ experimental NASH treatment, writes John George for Philadelphia Business Journal.

NASH or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is a fatty liver disease for which there is no current FDA-approved treatment.

As the Conshohocken company waits for approval for resmetirom, it has been preparing for its potential U.S. launch, including advancing regulatory, operational and commercial activities and growing its rosters to almost 400 employees.

One of those new employees is a new chief financial officer, Mardi C. Dier, who previously was the CFO at Portola Pharmaceuticals, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, and Acelyrin.

“Mardi has an outstanding track record of experience helping biopharmaceutical companies scale for commercial success,” said Bill Sibold, Madrigal’s CEO.

Data Analytics company GlobalData estimates that resmetirom, if approved, could generate U.S. revenue of $3.6 billion by 2033.

In anticipation of FDA approval, Oppenheimer analyst Jay Olson raised his price target for Madrigal to $320 from $300 per share.

While there are about 1.5 million Americans diagnosed with NASH, Madrigal said it plans to focus on the 315,000 diagnosed patients with NASH with significant fibrosis for the initial launch of their drug.

Read more about the latest updates on Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ resmetirom and the FDA’s decision in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

___________