Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have reported results from a large international clinical trial showing that semaglutide, a medication in the GLP-1 class of drugs widely used to treat diabetes and obesity, may help reduce liver scarring in patients with advanced fatty liver disease, including those with early-stage cirrhosis.
The study results, published July 15, 2026, in the online edition of The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, address a major unmet need for people with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a serious form of fatty liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and the need for transplantation.
"This is the first clinical trial to demonstrate that semaglutide may improve liver fibrosis in patients with advanced MASH, including those with compensated cirrhosis," said Rohit Loomba, senior author of the study, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at UC San Diego Health and chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "The results with semaglutide alone are encouraging and suggest a potential new treatment option for a group of patients who previously had very few options."
