Advancing Second-Line Treatment for Primary Biliary Cholangitis

Primary biliary cholangitis is a chronic cholestatic, autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of small, intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells.(1) If left untreated, primary biliary cholangitis can result in liver failure and death. Patients with primary biliary cholangitis also have debilitating symptoms, notably pruritus and fatigue. Effective treatment is essential to prevent disease progression and, ideally, also improve quality of life. The number of patients with primary biliary cholangitis on transplantation waiting lists has decreased by half over the past two decades,(2) owing mainly to the use of ursodeoxycholic acid, which remains the first-line treatment for this disease. Treatment success is . . .