Researchers at the University of California San Diego have discovered a promising new drug that may help treat a serious and often silent liver disease known as MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis).
MASH is a dangerous type of fatty liver disease connected to obesity and type 2 diabetes. If not treated, it can cause liver failure, cirrhosis, or even liver cancer.
The new drug is called ION224. In a study published on August 23, 2025, in The Lancet, scientists found that ION224 works by targeting an enzyme in the liver known as DGAT2.
This enzyme is responsible for helping the liver make and store fat. When this enzyme is blocked, less fat builds up in the liver, and inflammation goes down. These two changes are very important because they help stop the liver from getting more damaged.
Dr. Rohit Loomba, the lead researcher of the study, explained that this drug works at the root of the disease. It helps prevent fat from piling up and reduces harmful inflammation, both of which are key reasons why the liver gets damaged in MASH.
The study was a Phase IIb clinical trial, which means it was an advanced stage of testing before final approval. It involved 160 adults in the U.S. who had MASH and signs of liver scarring, known as fibrosis.
These participants were given injections of ION224 every month for a year. Some received high doses, others lower doses, and a control group received a placebo (a treatment with no active drug).
The results were very encouraging. About 60% of the patients who received the highest dose of ION224 showed clear improvements in their liver health compared to those who received the placebo.
Importantly, these benefits happened even if patients didn’t lose weight, which means the drug works on its own and could be used alongside other treatments. Also, no serious side effects were linked to the drug.
MASH, which used to be called NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), is very common. It affects people with weight and blood sugar problems, and many don’t even know they have it. It’s often called a “silent” disease because symptoms may not show up for years while damage quietly worsens.
According to U.S. health officials, over 100 million Americans have some kind of fatty liver disease, and about 1 in 4 adults around the world may be affected.
Dr. Loomba, who also leads a special research center on liver disease at UC San Diego, said that if the next round of testing confirms these results, the drug might soon offer real hope for people with MASH. It could become the first treatment to stop or even reverse the disease before it causes serious harm.
For families affected by this illness, the new findings bring hope for better health and easier treatment. The researchers believe that early treatment could also save money and resources in the health care system by preventing severe complications that require hospital stays or liver transplants.
The next step is to conduct a larger Phase III trial to confirm the findings and bring the treatment one step closer to approval and availability for the public.
The study is published in The Lancet.
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