The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first-ever treatment for a common and potentially deadly form of liver disease that affects millions worldwide.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are testing their respective blockbuster weight loss injections as treatments for the same kind of liver disease, called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH.
Madrigal's drug, which will be marketed as Rezdiffra, is specifically approved to treat patients with NASH who also have moderate-to-advanced liver scarring.
NASH is a serious form of liver disease characterized by excess fat buildup and inflammation in the liver and can lead to liver scarring, also known as fibrosis, along with liver failure and liver cancer.
Roughly 6 million to 8 million people in the U.S. have NASH with moderate-to-advanced liver scarring, according to an estimate cited by the FDA.
Persons:
Madrigal, Eli Lilly, NASH, Nikolay Nikolov, Rezdiffra
Organizations:
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Drug Administration, Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk, FDA, Immunology
Locations:
U.S