USA – FDA Approves First Treatment for Patients with Liver Scarring Due to Fatty Liver Disease

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Rezdiffra (resmetirom) for the treatment of adults with noncirrhotic non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with moderate to advanced liver scarring (fibrosis), to be used along with diet and exercise.

“Previously, patients with NASH who also have notable liver scarring did not have a medication that could directly address their liver damage,” said Nikolay Nikolov, M.D., acting director of the Office of Immunology and Inflammation in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Today’s approval of Rezdiffra will, for the first time, provide a treatment option for these patients, in addition to diet and exercise.”

NASH is a result of the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease where liver inflammation, over time, can lead to liver scarring and liver dysfunction. NASH is often associated with other health problems such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. By at least one estimate, approximately 6-8 million people in the U.S. have NASH with moderate to advanced liver scarring, with that number expected to increase. Rezdiffra is a partial activator of a thyroid hormone receptor; activation of this receptor by Rezdiffra in the liver reduces liver fat accumulation…