Today was a much anticipated date in the search for the first medical treatment for NASH. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, a Pennsylvania-based Bio-Pharma company, has been running clinical trials with its NASH candidate MGL-3196, and was due to announce the preliminary results of those trials.
And the results blew away all expectations according to Bloomberg, leading to a 140% gain in the companies stock. Continue reading “Madrigal NASH trials exceed expectations”
Today is the start of the 2018 European Congress on Obesity, an annual multi-day gathering of experts from all over the world that deals with the topic of obesity. And in the initial keynotes some absolutely mind-blowing projections were presented.
In the United States, the researchers found obesity will increase from 39 percent of the population in 2017 to 55 percent in 2045, and diabetes from 14 percent to 18 percent.
In Britain, the proportion will swell from 32 percent to 48 percent, with the incidence of diabetes rising from 10.2 percent to 12.6 percent.
Additionally, they project that over 22% of the entire world population will be obese in the same time-frame.
There is sure to be a lot more information presented at this Congress and I will be watching carefully for any information related to NASH to share here.
From Medscape comes an informative article about the growing problem of NAFLD & NASH. The article presents the troubling projections in the growth of non-alcoholic liver diseases in the USA.
The current worldwide prevalence of NAFLD is approaching 25%.[7] The prevalence of NAFLD in the United States is increasing, owing to a rising incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.[8,9] Current US projections indicate a 21% increase in NAFLD numbers, leading to a 33.5% overall prevalence by 2030. Coupled with a 63% increase in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH),[9] there will be a 168% increase in the number of patients with decompensated end-stage liver disease, and a 137% increase in the numbers of patients developing HCC from NAFLD. The growing numbers of NAFLD patients with hepatic fibrosis[8] indicate that end-stage liver disease from NAFLD will probably become the most common reason for liver transplantation in the United States.[10]
The rest of the article talks about and summarizes all of the useful information available, from lean NASH to treatment options, and includes updated guidance from AASLD (American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases).
Check out the entire article.
While there is a clear causal relationship between obesity, NAFLD, and NASH, studies have shown that there are a significant number of cases of NASH affecting non-obese individuals. In a recent study up to 15% of those diagnosed with NASH were not considered obese. These cases are referred to as lean NASH or NOSH (non-obese steatohepatitis).
And there is a real concern for these types of cases because apparently these variations of the disease can have even higher mortality and serious morbidity rates. Read simply; if you are not obese and get diagnosed with NASH you have an even greater risk of serious life-threatening symptoms. Continue reading “NASH Isn’t Just For Obese People”
In an all too familiar story, a police chief in Oak Park Illinois has suddenly found himself needing a liver transplant after being diagnosed with NASH just a few weeks ago. In an amazing show of support, several potential live donors have already come forward after a social media post went viral in the community. Continue reading “Police Chief Diagnosed With NASH Announces He Needs a Liver Transplant and Receives Outpouring of Support”
This is a fascinating article full of technical detail about an emerging alternative thesis explaining the progression from NAFLD to NASH. It also goes into detail about how biopharma company Gilead is pursuing multiple avenues and theories on NASH progression as part of a comprehensive plan to create a medical treatment for it. Continue reading “Lipotoxicity and NASH”
One of the most frustrating parts of the NASH pandemic is that most people suffering from it have no symptoms and absolutely no idea there is even an issue. Part of the reason for this lack of awareness is because there is no truly definitive way to diagnose NASH other than an invasive biopsy of the liver.
A primary goal of many biopharma companies working on NASH today is not only to find a cure but also to develop non-invasive tests that can conclusively diagnose the disease. This is important because even with everything that is known about the widespread precedence of the disease routine screening is still not recommended due to uncertainty and costs. It’s vital that we reach a point where an effective screen for NAFLD/NASH is in widespread use to combat the incidence of the disease.
So how do doctors today determine if someone has NAFLD or NASH? Here’s everything you need to know. Continue reading “The Challenge of Diagnosing NASH”
There is not a wide amount of awareness of NASH even among the highest at-risk adults, but there is also an increasingly worrying trend of increased NAFLD & NASH diagnosis in children, some extremely young. Alarmingly, studies have found that progression from NALFD to more advanced NASH was quicker and more severe than in adults.
There isn’t a lot of empirical data available on younger children and the disease, but several studies have been undertaken in an attempt to understand the prevalence of the disease.
Continue reading “Up to 10% of all children in the USA may have NAFLD”
In a very welcome bit of news, a coalition of advocacy groups and bio-pharmaceutical companies organized by the NASH Education Program have joined forces to hold the world’s very first International NASH Day on June 12th!
This is an incredibly important step in ensuring that the public begins to truly understand the magnitude of the NASH epidemic that we are already enduring.
The American Liver Foundation has put together a fantastic new video that examines the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALF) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). It is full of information on causes, progression, and treatment options.
Click here to check out the video.
