Yasmina Kattou 08:22, September 15, 2024
Affecting between 20 and 30% of the population, will fatty liver disease finally receive a treatment? Until now, people suffering from this disease had only one remedy: losing weight. For diabetics, a medication is still available. But the arrival of Resmetiron promises to change everything in the management of the pathology.
The 10th edition of the Paris Nash meeting, a congress on fatty liver disease (called Nash in English) has just ended. Associated with the obesity and diabetes epidemic, Nash is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver and is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the world. In addition, it is on the way to becoming the leading cause of liver transplants.
And while it currently affects between 20 and 30% of the population, a new molecule validated in the USA and which should soon arrive in France, is a source of hope. For the moment, the management of NASH, also called fatty liver disease, is mainly based on dietary measures, a balanced diet and exercise to lose weight. Patients affected by the disease and suffering from diabetes can benefit from an antidiabetic drug such as Ozempic.
“Increased liver metabolism”
But for other patients, no medication is offered. So, the upcoming arrival in France of Resmetiron delights Laurent Serfati, professor of gastroenterology at the University Hospital of Strasbourg. “It is the first molecule that will really have a specific effect on the liver. So here, we are not talking about a medically antidiabetic. It is a medication that acts directly on the liver, on receptors that will induce an increase in liver metabolism which means that fat will decrease and inflammation and fibrosis will decrease,” he explains to Europe 1.
In clinical trials, Resmetiron was able to eliminate fat in 30% of patients. The treatment was also well tolerated. After marketing authorization in the United States, the drug could be authorized in France in 2025.
