A major international study has found that semaglutide, a drug already used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, can significantly improve—and in some cases even reverse—advanced liver disease.
The findings come from the ESSENCE Phase III clinical trial, the first large-scale, regulatory-level study to show clear benefits of semaglutide in treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a severe and potentially life-threatening form of fatty liver disease.
The results were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and have sparked excitement among researchers and doctors.
MASH is a more advanced stage of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
It is closely linked with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart problems. If left untreated, the condition can progress to liver scarring (fibrosis), cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.
Currently, there are no approved medications specifically for MASLD or MASH. This makes the findings of the ESSENCE trial especially important. Led by Professor Philip Newsome of King’s College London and Professor Arun Sanyal of VCU School of Medicine in the U.S., the trial enrolled 800 participants from 253 sites across 37 countries.
These participants, many of whom were obese and had type 2 diabetes, were randomly assigned to receive either weekly semaglutide injections (2.4 mg) or a placebo, along with lifestyle advice, over a period of 72 weeks.
The results were striking. Nearly 63% of those who took semaglutide showed a reduction in liver inflammation caused by fat buildup (steatohepatitis), compared to just 34% in the placebo group.
Even more promising, 36.8% of those on semaglutide had improvements in liver fibrosis—meaning a reduction in scarring—while only 22.4% of the placebo group saw similar results.
In addition to improving liver health, the semaglutide group also experienced other health benefits. These included better liver enzyme levels, improved blood markers for liver fibrosis, and an average weight loss of 10.5%.
However, the drug did come with some common side effects. Participants frequently reported digestive issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation.
Professor Newsome, who has studied GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide for over 16 years, described the results as “hugely exciting.” He emphasized that while it’s still early days, the findings offer real hope for people living with MASH, a disease that affects millions globally and has no approved treatments to date.
To build on these results, researchers are now continuing to monitor nearly 1,200 patients for up to five years. Their goal is to understand semaglutide’s long-term effects on liver health and to see whether the drug can prevent serious complications like cirrhosis or liver failure.
In summary, this study marks a significant step forward in the treatment of MASH. For the first time, a widely available drug has been shown to not only halt the disease but potentially reverse some of its damage. While more research is needed, especially over the long term, semaglutide may soon become a critical tool in fighting this growing global health issue.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about simple habit that could give you a healthy liver, and common diabetes drug that may reverse liver inflammation.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about simple blood test that could detect your risk of fatty liver disease, and results showing this green diet may strongly lower non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The research findings can be found in New England Journal of Medicine.
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