The ELfinity study is exploring how well a medicine called elafibranor works for people with Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), a long-term liver disease. It is organised by the pharmaceutical company Ipsen. Some patients don’t respond well to the standard treatment, so this study looks at how elafibranor helps with symptoms like tiredness and itching. People in the study take the medicine and have regular blood tests to check their liver health. They also fill out questionnaires about how they feel. The study doesn’t change their normal care, it just watches what happens over two years.
It’s happening in hospitals around the world including Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Six people have joined the trial at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary at this time. Our liver research team is joint top recruiter worldwide alongside 2 other hospitals, one in the UK and one in Austria. We are very proud of this achievement.
More information about the study can be found here: Study Details | NCT06447168 | A Study Observing Everyday Effectiveness and Safety of the Drug Elafibranor in Participants With Primary Biliary Cholangitis Who Are Receiving Ongoing Treatment | ClinicalTrials.gov
More information about PBC (Source: Primary biliary cholangitis - NHS)
Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the small bile ducts inside the liver. These ducts normally carry bile—a fluid that helps digest fats and remove waste, from the liver to the gut. When damaged, bile builds up in the liver. Over time, this leads to scarring (fibrosis) and eventually cirrhosis, where healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue.
Early signs include fatigue and itchy skin. Later, people may develop jaundice, bone pain, dry eyes/mouth, and swelling in the abdomen or legs.
If untreated, PBC can lead to liver failure, osteoporosis, vitamin deficiencies, and even liver cancer.