Around 63 of the patients in the semaglutide group had reduced liver inflammation
Weight loss drug Wegovy has treated a serious form of liver disease in the majority of patients in a major clinical trial, according to the findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, also known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which affects more than 30 per cent of adults in the United States, is a condition where excess fat builds up in the liver, not due to excessive alcohol consumption, but often linked to lifestyle factors like obesity and metabolic syndrome. Also, more than 7 per cent have a more advanced form of the disease, known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH - which is caused by drinking.
According to doctors, both conditions happen when your body begins to store too much fat in the liver, leading to inflammation, scarring, and even fibrosis. If left untreated, the condition can lead to deadly liver failure and liver cancer.
Around 63 per cent had reduced liver inflammation
The trial, funded by drugmaker Novo Nordisk, included nearly 1,000 patients who had MASH and were given a weekly 2.4-milligram dose of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, or a placebo, for 72 weeks. According to the findings of the trial, around 63 per cent of the patients in the semaglutide group had reduced liver inflammation, as compared with 34.3 per cent of those who got a placebo.
Before the trial started, the participants also had moderate to high levels of scar tissue in the liver, known as stage 2 or 3 fibrosis - a pathological process where excessive scarring develops in tissues and organs, often due to chronic inflammation or injury.
Also, nearly 40 per cent of the semaglutide group saw improvements in their fibrosis, compared with 22.4 per cent in the placebo group. The trial results add to the growing list of conditions that GLP-1s — the class of drugs that includes Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound — can treat apart from diabetes and weight loss.
Wegovy has also been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for reducing heart disease risk in those with obesity. Many other drugs like Zepbound have been approved for obstructive sleep apnea and Ozempic can treat chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Investigations are underway to find whether the drugs are effective against Alzheimer's and alcohol addiction.
What were the side effects?
According to scientists, even though the drug was well tolerated in the trial, the most common side effects were gastrointestinal, which included nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, and vomiting. Side effects leading to people dropping out of the trial were 2.6 per cent for the semaglutide group and 3.3 per cent for the placebo group.
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