Liver/Biliary Disorders News

ISA Pharmaceuticals announced that the first patient has been treated in its first-in-human phase 1 trial of its novel immunotherapeutic agent intended as a “functional cure” for patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Novo Nordisk has awarded a $9.57 million grant supporting a clinical trial at the University of California San Diego NAFLD Research Center to evaluate the use of semaglutide in patients with fibrosis due to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

The FDA expanded its approval of Gilead Sciences’ antiviral, Veklury, for the treatment of COVID-19 in patients with mild, moderate and severe hepatic impairment, without requiring dose adjustments, according to a manufacturer release.

Global burden of hepatitis B virus is estimated to be 257.5 million individuals, according to recent data in Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, which, although lower than current WHO estimates, falls short of 2030 elimination targets.

Adults with overweight or obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease had a more than 5% reduction in liver fat at 6 months with growth hormone therapy, according to findings from a randomized controlled trial.

Maternal hepatitis B virus serostatus was not associated with pregnancy outcomes in infertile women in China who underwent freeze-thaw embryo transfer, according to data in JAMA Network Open.

Topline findings from the phase 2a DUET trial showed that Tern Pharmaceuticals’ oral thyroid hormone receptor-beta agonist achieved significant reductions in liver fat content among patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Bolstering the introduction of hepatitis B birth dose vaccines and verifying progress in eliminating mother-to-child transmission are among strategies critical to achieving hepatitis B virus control in Africa, WHO and CDC researchers wrote.

Postmenopausal women who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened soft drink per day had significantly higher incidence of liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality, compared with those who drank no more than three beverages per month.

The AGA applauded the reintroduction of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act into the 118th Congress as this bill would expand Medicare coverage for screening and treatment of obesity by health care providers specializing in obesity care.