Diabetes Drug Helps Prevent Fatty Liver Complications

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Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Actos, provided the medications and some of the funding for the study.

The group taking pioglitazone saw a decrease in their levels of abnormal liver enzymes and a significant -- 54 percent -- reduction in liver fat, compared to the placebo group. Insulin sensitivity in the liver improved by 48 percent in the pioglitazone group, compared to 14 percent in the placebo group.

The amount of liver inflammation was also significantly reduced in the treatment group but not the placebo group. Cusi said there was also a greater reduction in fibrosis, which is the damaging scarring that occurs in the liver as a result of NASH, for the pioglitazone group, compared to those on a placebo. However, while this finding was important, Cusi said this difference was not statistically significant.

Cusi added that while these findings are exciting, larger studies of longer duration need to be done to confirm pioglitazone's effectiveness.

He noted that very few side effects occurred in the treatment group. Weight gain, which is a known side effect of this medication, is a concern, but Cusi said he believes the benefits of this drug outweigh the potential risks of increased weight. And, he said, if people are following the recommended lower-calorie diet, weight gain shouldn't be significant.

Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa, a gastroenterologist at New York University Medical Center in New York City, said, "I thought this was a good study, but it's still a small number of patients, and the follow-up was short. But, this is a disease we don't have any proven effective treatments for, so anything that looks promising is something to be excited about."

She added that "both doctors and patients need to be more aware of this condition, and doctors need to get better at diagnosing it, especially as new treatments become available."

More information

To learn more about nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), visit the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (digestive.niddk.nih.gov ).