15 Jan 2019
Promising interim analysis has been published for a novel fatty liver disease treatment currently being trialed at the GMRF Clinical Trials Unit (CTU).
As indicated in the interim results recently published in The Lancet, the treatment is the first drug to demonstrate potential effectiveness in treating fatty liver disease, a condition that affects around one in four Australian adults.
GMRF Director of Research Professor Darrell Crawford
GMRF Director of Research Professor Darrell Crawford is excited at the prospect of what the trial results could mean for sufferers of fatty liver disease.
“There aren’t any drug treatments available for fatty liver disease at the moment,” Prof Crawford says, “currently lifestyle measures such as diet and exercise are considered the best course of action.
“The study is yielding really encouraging results. It’s the first Stage 3 trial to show a beneficial effect,” he said.
This international trial commenced at the GMRF CTU in April 2016, with 13 patients screened and 6 patients currently on trial. The target population for trial participants is patients with intermediate to advanced liver scarring, those who are considered at greatest risk of death from fatty liver disease.
“The trial is continuing for another four years, and therefore widespread availability of this treatment would still be somewhere down the track. It is the first drug of a lengthy pipeline of agents that have potential benefit and are undergoing clinical trial evaluation,” Prof Crawford said.
Find out more about the GMRF Clinical Trials Unit or view other fatty liver studies currently open for recruitment.