As we have mentioned on several occasions, numerous new drugs are being investigated for the treatment of fatty liver disease. Preliminary analyses have shown that efimosfermin-alfa reduces liver fat, improves liver inflammation, and decreases fibrosis. The results of a new study with this drug have recently been reported. The advantage of this drug is that it only needs to be administered once monthly by subcutaneous injection.
The study included 84 patients with fatty liver disease (diagnosed by liver biopsy) with stage F2/F3 fibrosis (the highest stage of fibrosis is F4, which corresponds to cirrhosis). Forty-three of the patients received 300 mg of efimosfermin-alfa once per month for 24 weeks, and the remaining 41 patients received placebo. At the end of treatment, it was found that fibrosis decreased in 45% of patients treated with efimosfermin, compared to 20% of those treated with placebo. Furthermore, inflammation and liver fat were eliminated in 67% of patients receiving efimosfermin-alfa, compared to 29% in the placebo group. Side effects were mild or moderate and included nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
In conclusion, efimosfermin-alfa is a drug that offers good promise for the treatment of fatty liver disease and has the significant advantage of being administered only once a month. However, as we always say, we must wait for further studies with a much larger number of patients to determine the true efficacy of this drug in the treatment of fatty liver disease.
