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Building on Fatty Liver Awareness and Treatments

As prospects for new fatty liver and NASH treatments appear on the horizon, GLI continues to push for better awareness, screening, and treatment options. With fatty liver disease being diagnosed in a growing pediatric population, understanding the role of nutrition, risks, and the connection to co-occurring disorders is vital to addressing this chronic, progressive disease.


 

New Drug Application for Resmetirom Accepted at FDA 

The FDA has accepted the new drug application for resmetirom for treatment of adults with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with liver fibrosis. If approved, this will be the first pharmaceutical therapy available for NASH in the U.S. The agency also has granted the investigational drug priority review and set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of March 14, 2024.


 

Fatty Liver was a Disease of the Old. Then Kids Started Getting Sick. from the Washington Post
Before the turn of the century, there were only a handful of documented cases of pediatric fatty liver disease in the medical literature. Today, millions are affected, and researchers in the journal Clinical Liver Disease estimate that 5 to 10 percent of all U.S. children have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease — making it about as common as asthma.

“It’s the worst disease you’ve never heard of,” said Samir Softic, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Kentucky Children’s Hospital who specializes in fatty liver disease. Read the article.


 

Cancer Risk in NAFLD Higher With Early Disease OnsetScreenshot 2023 10 12 At 7.14.43 AM
One-third of liver disease-related deaths occur in people who had been diagnosed with NAFLD before the age of 30, they noted. Even children
and young adults are diagnosed with NAFLD, putting them at increased mortality risk opens in a new tab or window.

Read the article.


 

Nutrition could prevent or promote non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: an opportunity for intervention
There are currently no globally accepted, evidence-based, practical dietary recommendations for the prevention of NAFLD – an underutilized potential intervention. Further, NAFLD is not mentioned in international and national guidelines on obesity and type 2 diabetes and is missing from the World Health Organization webpage on obesity complications. This results in poor management of liver related complications in patients with obesity and diabetes.


 

Silent Killer Alert: Fatty liver disease sweeping the UK, says TV doctor
A Common, Unseen Threat: You might be surprised to learn that up
to one in every three people in the UK may have early-stage NAFLD, where small amounts of fat accumulate in their livers. 

It’s a health concern that often flies under the radar. Dr. Michael Mosley himself discovered he had early signs of NAFLD over a decade ago when he was overweight. However, he managed to reverse it, along with his type 2 diabetes, through lifestyle changes and a particular diet.

Screenshot 2023 10 12 At 7.06.44 AM

 

Upcoming Events

  • October 16-19: AMCP Nexus
    • Join GLI at the upcoming Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus as we present during the session Navigating NASH: A Discussion on Clinical Background, Patient Advocacy and Managed Care Considerations.
  • October 19-20: MOSAIC NASH Trialists Think Tank
    • Join GLI at the upcoming MOSAIC NASH Conference in Washington DC as GLI presents at two sessions:
    • Thursday, Oct 19 – Non-Invasive Non-Liver Evaluations in MASLD/MASH Trials. Must Have vs Good to Have?
    • Friday, Oct 20 – What Should Be the Target Patient Population for a Combined MASLD/MASH/Cardiometabolic Trial?

 

To learn more about the NASH Council or become a member, please visit https://globalliver.org/nash-council/ or reach out to NASHday@globalliver.org.