A Phase 2a, Randomised, Single-blind, Placebo-controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics and Explore the Pharmacodynamic Effects of AZD2389 in Participants with Liver Fibrosis and Compensated Cirrhosis (BORANA)

AstraZeneca’s experimental drug AZD2389 is being tested in 36 people with liver fibrosis and compensated cirrhosis to see if it is safe and how the body processes it. Liver fibrosis—scarring of the liver—can progress to cirrhosis, where the liver struggles to function. Currently, no approved drugs directly reverse fibrosis. This early-stage trial (Phase 2a) randomly assigns two-thirds of participants to receive AZD2389 and one-third to a placebo for 28 days, with follow-up lasting about nine weeks. Researchers will track side effects, vital signs, ECGs, blood tests, and imaging to measure how the drug acts on the body. If AZD2389 proves safe and shows signs of biological activity, it could open the door to larger trials aimed at slowing or reversing liver scarring. That would matter because liver fibrosis affects millions of people worldwide, often silently, and currently has no treatment beyond managing underlying causes like fatty liver disease or hepatitis. A drug that directly targets fibrosis could eventually reduce the need for liver transplants and prevent progression to liver failure. For now, this is a safety and dosing study—success means the drug is well-tolerated enough to move forward.