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You may have fatty liver disease and not even realize it. University of California, San Diego hepatology researchers, those scientists who specialize in liver research, now say that a new experimental treatment could help stop the damage before it leads to liver failure, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and/or the need for a difficult to obtain liver transplant.

They report in The Lancet that an experimental drug called ION224 suppresses a liver enzyme that allows the liver produce and store excessive fat, a process that drives inflammation, scarring, and long-term damage. They drug halts the destructive process rather than merely managing symptoms.

The investigators conducted a Phase 2 clinical trial involving 160 adults with so-called MASH, a severe form of fatty liver disease linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes which can progress silently. The participants received monthly injections of ION224 over 51 weeks. 

Patients receiving the highest dose showed the best results, with about 60% of participants experiencing meaningful improvements in liver health compared with those controls receiving a placebo. The drug was well tolerated with no serious side effects linked to the treatment.

More than 100 million Americans are believed to have some form of fatty liver disease, and many don’t know it until significant damage has already occurred. A treatment that directly targets liver fat accumulation offers a new way to slow, halt, or potentially reverse disease progression. This therapy is still experimental and must successfully complete larger Phase 3 randomized, trials before it can receive regulatory approval and become available to your medical team.

The references for this report are available on my website.

#FattyLiverDisease #LiverHealth #MASH #MedicalResearch #HealthyAging