Naim Alkhouri, MD: Resmetirom Has Been a “Game Changer” in MASH Since FDA Approval

Since it became the first FDA-approved therapeutic for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) earlier this year, resmetirom (Rezdiffra) has redefined hepatic care for millions of patients with the progressive liver disease.
Prior to the landmark approval, the mainstay of treatment for MASH, formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), was weight loss. Although there is evidence showing that weight loss with lifestyle intervention can aid MASH resolution and fibrosis regression, most patients are unable to achieve the amount of weight loss necessary to see these benefits. Even if they do, it is difficult to maintain.
“[Resmetirom] has been a historic FDA approval because this is the first medication approved specifically for the indication of MASH and F2 and F3 fibrosis. To have this available to our patients in the clinic has been a game changer,” Naim Alkhouri, MD, chief medical officer, chief of transplant hepatology, and director of the Fatty Liver Program at Arizona Liver Health, said to HCPLive, citing low success rates with lifestyle intervention alone and tolerability issues as well as insurance coverage problems with GLP-1s. “To have something that's indicated specifically to treat liver disease is a very nice addition to what we do for these patients.”
Despite all of the good that resmetirom has done for patients with MASH and moderate to advanced fibrosis thus far, Alkhouri was careful to call attention to ongoing unmet needs in the hepatic landscape. Specifically, he referenced the fact that there is still no indication for patients with MASH and cirrhosis, ongoing uncertainties about the safety and efficacy of GLP-1s in MASH, selecting patients without the need for biopsy and continuing to monitor them with noninvasive tests, and eventually achieving a “MASH cure.”
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#Hepatology #MASH #NASH #LiverHealth #Resmetirom #Fibrosis #WeightLoss