Inventiva SA, of Daix, France, said a phase IIb trial evaluating the company's lead candidate, lanifibranor, for the treatment of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis failed to meet its primary endpoint, sending company shares (PARIS:IVA) down 49.5 percent to close at €4.13 (US$4.68) on Tuesday. Investigators found no statistically significant difference between the placebo and lanifibranor-treated groups for the primary outcome of mean absolute change from baseline in a multipoint measure of skin thickness.