What is obeticholic acid?

Obeticholic acid, sold under the trade name Ocaliva (Obeticholic acid ), is a semisynthetic bile acid analogue with the chemical structure 6α-ethylchenodeoxycholic acid , can be used as a drug to treat primary cholangitis, obeticholic acid is the first FXR agonist to be used in human drug studies, and FXR-dependent processes in the liver and intestines have been proposed as therapeutic targets for human diseases during clinical studies.

Obeeticholic acid is indicated for combination treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA) in the treatment of adult primary cholangitis that is not responsive to UDCA. It is also used as monotherapy for adult PBC patients who cannot tolerateUDCA. The activating effect of obeticholic acid on FXR is to reduce bile acid synthesis, inflammation and resulting liver fibrosis. This may increase survival in patients with primary cholangitis, but so far no relationship between bile acids and survival has been established in primary cholangitis. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering the use of cholic acid to treat fibrosis caused by non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but has not yet approved it.

The original drug of obeticholic acid has not yet been marketed in the country, so it has not been included in medical insurance. The original obeticholic acid drug marketed overseas is expensive, with each box costing around tens of thousands of yuan. The price is also affected by exchange rates and is unstable. It is understood that obeticholic acid has been produced as a generic drug and its ingredients are basically the same as those of the original drug. For example, the price of 5mg*30 tablets produced by a Bangladesh pharmaceutical factory is around RMB 1,000 per box (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate), and the price is cheap. For more drug information and specific prices, please consult a medical consultant.