Liver/Biliary Disorders News

Rates of hepatocellular carcinoma caused by alcohol-related disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are on the rise, especially among Hispanic individuals, according to research in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

International Primary Biliary Cholangitis Day, celebrated on September 10, aspires to raise awareness of the challenges that patients with this rare liver disease face and how their stories can help advance diagnosis, treatment and care.

The FDA granted orphan drug designation for KB408 for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, according to a press release from Krystal Biotech.

Researchers reported low rifaximin treatment retention among patients with hepatic encephalopathy, with 30-day out-of-pocket treatment costs in excess of $150 among the factors associated with poor adherence.

Seladelpar reduced serum alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin at 12 months in more than 60% of patients with primary biliary cholangitis compared with 20% of placebo-treated patients, according to manufacturer, CymaBay Therapeutics.

Female surgeons had fewer surgical and total complications in elective and acute care cholecystectomies but longer operating times compared with male surgeons, according to data in JAMA Surgery.

After nearly a decade of health problems, Steve Harwell, former lead singer and frontman for the band Smash Mouth, died Sept. 4 at age 56, which the band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said was caused by acute liver failure.

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.