Hepatology News

The end of the federal student loan payment pause, a reprieve that lasted more than 3 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marks a critical juncture for millions of Americans, especially for physicians.

Hepatitis C primary infection and reinfection incidences declined after the introduction of access to direct-acting antiviral hepatitis C treatments, researchers found.

Topline data from the phase 2b FASCINATE-2 trial showed “statistically significant improvement” for denifanstat in biopsy-confirmed nonalcoholic steatohepatitis with stage 2 or stage 3 fibrosis at 52 weeks, Sagimet Biosciences announced.

Study results suggest that WHO’s triple testing campaign for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C should be expanded and not just target the three groups WHO listed to be most at risk, researchers said.

Screening for liver fibrosis was associated with improved self-reported alcohol consumption, diet, exercise and weight after 6 months among patients at risk for liver disease, with lifestyle changes persisting through 2 years.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists were associated with lower risk for cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes, with or without metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Offspring born to mothers with prenatal or third trimester intestinal infection or genitourinary tract infection experienced a significantly higher risk for biliary atresia, according to a study in JAMA Network Open.

Scaling up hepatitis C testing and treatment in prisons effectively reduced HCV incidence and was a cost-effective option compared with existing services, data from a study in Australian prisons showed.

CMS has finalized a new final rule that aims to shorten prior authorization timelines and streamline processes to remove barriers to patient care, according to a press release.

Use of nonselective beta-blockers was associated with stage 2 acute kidney injury and all-cause mortality among patients with decompensated cirrhosis waitlisted for liver transplantation, data showed.