Obeticholic acid was developed by Intercept Pharmaceuticals, USA. Its compound patent was applied for in the USA in 2001, and the patent number is US7138390. At present, no compound patent has been applied for in China. Obeticholic acid is the first drug developed for the treatment of cholestatic liver disease in 20 years, for patients who do not fully respond to or cannot tolerate ursodeoxycholic acid.