- NEW DELHI — Treating
patients with semaglutide -- an anti-diabetic medication -- can halt and even
reverse liver disease, according to a study.
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- Researchers from the King's College London, UK, chose to
investigate semaglutide as a potential treatment because this class of drug
helps reduce fat and liver scarring for people with metabolic dysfunction
associated steatohepatitis (MASH) -- a life-threatening form of liver disease.
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- MASH is a more severe form of Metabolic
dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) -- a long-lasting liver condition
caused by having too much fat in the liver.
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- It is closely linked with obesity as well as conditions such
as type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease.
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- In the trial conducted across 37 countries around the world,
800 participants were randomly assigned to receive a once-weekly injection of
2.4 milligrams of semaglutide or placebo, alongside lifestyle counselling.
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- The results, published in the New England Journal of
Medicine, showed that after 72 weeks of treatment, 62.9 per cent of
participants experienced a reduction in steatohepatitis (inflammation of the
liver with fat accumulation in the liver) versus 34.3 per cent for participants
who took the placebo.
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- About 37 per cent of the semaglutide group also had
improvements in their liver fibrosis versus 22.4 per cent in the placebo group.
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- "MASLD is a growing problem worldwide and this trial
will provide real hope for patients with MASH. While these results must be
treated with caution, the analysis shows semaglutide can be an effective tool
to treat this advanced liver disease," said Prof Philip Newsome, from King's
College.
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