Intercept's NASH treatment faces safety concerns and plunging shares.

The US FDA staff has raised concerns about the safety risks of Intercept Pharmaceuticals' treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), called obeticholic acid (OCA), citing increased risk of diabetes and liver injury. The FDA's outside advisers are set to discuss the drug on Friday. The drug was expected to become the first approved NASH therapy, but the FDA rejected the company's marketing application in 2020 due to potential risks. The total patient population eligible for OCA, if approved, will be between 6 million and 8 million Americans.