11:15 AM EST, 02/13/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Pliant Therapeutics' ( PLRX ) shares rose by than 32% in recent Thursday trading after the company said it has begun assembling an external expert panel to evaluate unblinded data from the ongoing BEACON-IPF Phase 2b trial of bexotegrast in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

This move comes after the trial's independent Data Safety Monitoring Board recommended pausing enrollment and dosing, the company said, adding that it has been unable to identify the rationale behind the DSMB's recommendation after reviewing blinded data.

The panel, consisting of pulmonary disease and biostatistics experts, will offer an independent recommendation and later collaborate with an expanded DSMB to reach a consensus on BEACON-IPF. The process is expected to conclude in 2 to 4 weeks.

Following the DSMB's recommendation, Pliant voluntarily paused enrollment and dosing in the BEACON-IPF trial while remaining blinded to preserve data integrity of the BEACON-IPF 2b and its potential as a registrational study, the company said.

Price: 3.48, Change: +0.76, Percent Change: +27.94