Medications Similar to Wegovy Show Effectiveness in Treating Fatty Liver Disease

Currently, common medications used for treating obesity and diabetes are showing promise in combating life-threatening liver diseases.

Semaglutide, marketed under names like Ozempic and Wegovi, mimics the hormone GLP-1, which aids in weight loss and regulates blood sugar levels, helps suppress appetite, and promotes insulin secretion. Researchers have now found that this drug therapy can halt or even reverse a condition known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

“This could offer a groundbreaking way to manage this condition,” says Philip Newsom from King’s College London. “It’s incredibly promising for patients.”

MASH, formerly known as NASH, is a severe version of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease marked by inflammation, fibrosis (scar tissue formation), and excessive liver fat accumulation, occasionally leading to cirrhosis and cancer. MASH is commonly linked to obesity and often coexists with type 2 diabetes.

A study conducted in 2020 involving 320 participants revealed that daily semaglutide injections led to a reduction in liver fat and inflammation in 59% of those with MASH. However, a more recent investigation involving 71 patients found no benefits from the weekly dosage.

For a broader perspective, Newsom and Arun Sanyal from Virginia Commonwealth University initiated a larger trial involving 1,195 MASH patients across 253 clinical sites in 37 countries. Participants averaged 56 years old with a body mass index of 34.6, and about 50% had type 2 diabetes.

The physician prescribed each participant a weekly semaglutide injection for four and a half years, gradually increasing the dose to 2.4 milligrams over the first four months, mirroring those used in Wegovy based on prior test findings. Participants also received lifestyle counseling to encourage a healthier diet and exercise.

While the full study is ongoing, results from biopsies taken 72 weeks later revealed that among the first 800 patients, including 266 receiving a placebo, 62.9% of those on semaglutide showed significant reductions in liver fat and inflammation, compared to 34.3% in the placebo group. Improvements in fibrosis were observed in 36.8% of the treatment group versus only 22.4% for the placebo group. About one-third of all treated patients and 16.1% of placebo patients experienced these benefits.

Weight loss alone could explain some of these improvements, as patients in the treatment cohort lost an average of 10.5% of their body weight, while those on the placebo lost only 2%. Although further research is needed to fully uncover the mechanisms behind the treatment, it may also directly target the processes driving the disease.

“It’s not yet established, but part of the efficacy of GLP-1-like drugs might be due to their effects on immune cells and reduction of inflammation,” notes Newsom.