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Flavocoxid potentially linked to acute liver injury

Prescription medical food flavocoxid may be related to acute liver injury, according to a recent case series.

An ongoing prospective study of 877 patients at multiple academic medical facilities revealed four participants with liver injury potentially caused by flavocoxid, a blend of baicalin and catechins used to treat osteoarthritis. All symptoms developed within 1 to 3 months after treatment initiation, and included elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase (mean peak 1,268 U/L, 741-1,540 U/L), alkaline phosphatase (mean peak 510 U/L, 286-770 U/L) and serum bilirubin (mean peak 160.7 mcmol/L, 34.2-356 mcmol/L).

Flavocoxid treatment was stopped in the four patients, and all levels returned to normal range in 3 to 12 weeks. Researchers indicated that flavocoxid causality of symptoms was “highly likely” in three patients and “possible” in one patient. No patients experienced acute liver failure or chronic liver injury.

“Flavocoxid can cause clinically significant liver injury, which seems to resolve within weeks after cessation,” the researchers concluded.