Akero Therapeutics, Inc., a cardio-metabolic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) company, engages in the development of medicines designed to restore metabolic balance and improve overall health. The company's lead product candidate is efruxifermin (EFX), an analog of fibroblast growth factor 21, which protects against cellular stress and regulates metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins throughout the body. It also conducts a Phase 2a clinical trial, the BALANCED study, to evaluate EFX in the treatment of biopsy-confirmed NASH patients. The company was formerly known as Pippin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and changed its name to Akero Therapeutics, Inc. in May 2018. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.