Volixibat (

INN Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

; development code SHP626) is a

medication Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...

under

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...

as a possible treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the most severe form of

non-alcoholic fatty liver disease An alcohol-free or non-alcoholic drink, also known as a temperance drink, is a version of an alcoholic drink made without alcohol, or with the alcohol removed or reduced to almost zero. These may take the form of a non-alcoholic mixed drink or n ...

(NAFLD). No other

pharmacotherapy Pharmacotherapy, also known as pharmacological therapy or drug therapy, is defined as medical treatment that utilizes one or more pharmaceutical drugs to improve ongoing symptoms (symptomatic relief), treat the underlying condition, or act as a p ...

yet exists for NASH, so there is interest in whether volixibat can prove to be both safe and effective. To encourage development and testing, the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) has issued

fast track Fast Track, Fast track, or Fasttrack may refer to: Processes and systems * Fast track (FDA), a U.S. Food and Drug Administration expedited review program * Fast track (trade), the authority of the U.S. President to broker trade agreements with lim ...

status. Volixibat is an IBAT inhibitor, meaning that it blocks the function of the IBAT protein (ileal bile acid transporter), which is also called

SLC10A2 Ileal sodium/bile acid cotransporter, also known as apical sodium–bile acid transporter (ASBT) and ileal bile acid transporter (IBAT), is a bile acid:sodium symporter protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC10A2'' gene. ASBT/IBAT is mo ...

(solute carrier family 10 member 2) or ASBT (apical sodium–bile acid transporter). IBAT is most highly expressed in the

ileum The ileum () is the final section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms posterior intestine or distal intestine may ...

, where it is found on the

brush border A brush border (striated border or brush border membrane) is the microvillus-covered surface of simple cuboidal and simple columnar epithelium found in different parts of the body. Microvilli are approximately 100 nanometers in diameter and th ...

membrane of

enterocyte Enterocytes, or intestinal absorptive cells, are simple columnar epithelial cells which line the inner surface of the small and large intestines. A glycocalyx surface coat contains digestive enzymes. Microvilli on the apical surface increase ...

s. It is responsible for the initial uptake of

bile acid Bile acids are steroid acids found predominantly in the bile of mammals and other vertebrates. Diverse bile acids are synthesized in the liver in peroxisomes. Bile acids are conjugated with taurine or glycine residues to give anions called bile ...

s, particularly conjugated bile acids, from the intestine as part of their

enterohepatic circulation Enterohepatic circulation is the circulation of biliary acids, bilirubin, drugs or other substances from the liver to the bile, followed by entry into the small intestine, absorption by the enterocyte and transport back to the liver. Enterohepa ...

References

Amino sugars Anilides Benzosulfones Drugs acting on the gastrointestinal system and metabolism Ethers Secondary alcohols Sulfate esters Ureas Butyl compounds {{gastrointestinal-drug-stub