A new study shows that a drug called dapagliflozin, originally for diabetes, was found to also treat a serious liver problem called MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis), also known as fatty liver disease.
Published on June 4th in The BMJ, a clinical trial found that dapagliflozin helped people reduce fat in their liver and prevent scarring, which is a major problem with MASH. In fact, about 23% of people taking dapagliflozin saw their fatty liver disease completely disappear, compared to only 8% who received a dummy pill (placebo).
The doctor who led the research said that 48 weeks of dapagliflozin treatment significantly improved MASH without making liver scarring worse.
Dapagliflozin is an SGLT2 inhibitor, a type of diabetes drug that lowers blood sugar by making the body get rid of more sugar through urine.
Fatty liver disease affects more than 5 out of 100 adults worldwide and over 30 out of 100 people with diabetes or obesity. The scarring it causes can lead to liver failure or liver cancer.
While some earlier studies suggested SGLT2 inhibitors might help with liver fat, this is the first study to test the drug specifically in patients whose MASH was confirmed by a liver biopsy.
The study included 154 people with fatty liver disease. They were randomly given either dapagliflozin pills or a placebo every day for 48 weeks. Most of these patients (97%) already had liver scarring, and about half (45%) also had type 2 diabetes.
By the end of the study, about 53% of patients on dapagliflozin showed improvement in their fatty liver disease without their liver scarring getting worse, compared to 30% in the placebo group. Liver scarring also improved in 45% of those on dapagliflozin, compared to 20% on placebo.
Importantly, patients did not experience any major side effects from the drug. Researchers believe these results show that dapagliflozin can be very helpful for people with MASH and liver scarring.
“We found that 48 weeks of treatment with dapagliflozin led to a significant MASH improvement without worsening of [scarring], as compared with placebo,” concluded the research team behind this interesting study.
These findings are important for everyone with fatty liver disease, but especially for Black patients. Black communities often have higher rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity, which are big risk factors for fatty liver disease. Even though some research suggests fatty liver disease might be less common in Black individuals overall, it can still cause serious health problems when it does occur. Black patients also sometimes face difficulties in getting healthcare and a proper diagnosis for liver diseases.
While dapagliflozin has shown benefits for various groups with other conditions, it’s crucial that Black folks are included in clinical trials like this one. Historically, there hasn’t been enough participation from Black people in medical studies due to past injustices and other barriers in the healthcare system.
Having Black patients in these studies is extremely important. It ensures that new treatments are safe and effective for everyone, across all racial and ethnic backgrounds. If certain groups are left out, doctors might miss how a drug works differently for them, or if there are any specific benefits or side effects. By participating, Black patients might not only get access to new treatments but also help gather vital information that can reduce health differences and improve medical care for their community and others. This study shows why it’s so important to continue doing research that includes everyone to make sure new treatments are available to all who need them.
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