Liver/Biliary Disorders News

The FDA has updated the label indication for Vemlidy 25 mg for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus with compensated liver disease, expanding the patient population to include children aged 6 years and older who weigh at least 25 kg.

Efruxifermin with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist was well-tolerated and reduced hepatic fat fraction and noninvasive markers of fibrosis among patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and type 2 diabetes.

The average number of deaths from excessive alcohol use increased by 29.3% from 2016 to 2021, with an age-standardized rise in death rate from 38.1 to 47.6 per 100,000 population, according to data in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

A “significantly greater” percentage of patients with primary biliary cholangitis achieved biochemical response, alkaline phosphatase normalization and reduction in pruritis when treated with seladelpar vs. placebo, according to a study.

Madrigal Pharmaceutical’s Rezdiffra received accelerated FDA approval for the treatment of patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis with moderate-to-advanced fibrosis, according to a company release.

The FDA has approved Mirum Pharmaceuticals’ Livmarli oral solution for treatment of cholestatic pruritus in patients aged 5 years and older with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, according to a company release.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors were associated with a higher likelihood of disease regression among patients with concomitant metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and type 2 diabetes, data showed.

A “rapid response to hepatitis A exposure” helped minimize the risk for transmission and prevent an HAV outbreak among incarcerated persons in a Los Angeles County jail, according to an investigation in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers have estimated that annual costs associated with alcohol-associated liver disease will climb from $31 billion in 2022 to $66 billion in 2040 — a 118% increase — with costs among women accounting for 43% of the total expenditure.

A “vast majority” of liver transplant centers use stigmatizing language, such as “alcoholic” or “alcohol abuse,” when describing patients with alcohol use disorder and alcohol-associated liver disease on their websites, researchers reported.