Our Perspective: The Importance of Treating NASH
Written by: Brian Marisch, SVP, Business Development
What is NASH?
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is complex, with no treatments currently available. If a patient suffers from excess fat in their liver, their liver is inflamed, and they have no history of heavy alcohol use, a physician may diagnose them with NASH. When left untreated, NASH can cause scarring of the liver. In severe cases, this can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure.
In the most serious cases, Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can cause the liver to swell (steatohepatitis), which, over time, can lead to scarring or cirrhosis, and may even lead to liver cancer or liver failure. However, many people live normal lives with NAFLD if they improve their diet and exercise and maintain a healthy weight.
Current Treatments:
No treatment is currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat NASH. Two of the most-studied therapies in this area are pioglitazone and vitamin E. A study by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases' NASH Clinical Research Network found that treatment with vitamin E or pioglitazone improved NASH in about half of the people treated. Physicians may recommend vitamin E for people who have NASH and don't have diabetes or cirrhosis.
The Future Treatment Landscape:
Many NASH therapies are in development. Because of metabolic processes gone awry in NASH, investigators continue to work on implementing pharmacologic strategies aimed at correcting, overcoming, or mitigating the deficiencies that exist. Targeting and correcting causative factors, such as insulin resistance, has the potential to reduce downstream processes (ie, free fatty acid release) that contribute to the development of steatosis and the inflammatory responses that lead to fibrosis. Despite countless failures in developing safe and effective treatments, there is both hope and optimism for the agents currently under investigation.
Our Perspective:
Our team of scientists, strategists, and creatives have decades of experience taking on big communications challenges across multiple chronic conditions. As we looked to channel this experience and take on the next big challenge in healthcare, we decided that it had to be nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The severity of the problem is difficult to understate: In the next decade, NASH will likely become the number 1 indication for liver transplant, and increases in the incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus will continue to lead to increases in liver disease. It’s important for both patients and physicians to understand the upcoming treatment landscape while also effectively communicating strategies to help manage NASH now, which can require a shift in mindset for both based on underlying assumptions. This means effective communication should change behaviors to improve diet & exercise, handle co-morbidities, track causative factors, and monitor symptoms.
The complexity of the NASH-related communication challenges is why we do what we do. We take on the big challenges because that’s where we can have the most impact. We have the ability to help clinicians better understand the seriousness of NASH and offer them practical guidance so that they can intervene early to help their patients.
Our team is interested in hearing your perspective, as well as your thoughts, on the upcoming communication challenges and opportunities around NASH. After hearing a little more, and if it’s helpful to you, our team can put together a virtual workshop to tackle this unique challenge.
At Razorfish Health, we know what it takes to navigate the modern healthcare landscape. If you want to fuel your scientific knowledge, please reach out to Delia.Pavlichko@razorfishhealth.com. We’re interested in hearing your perspective as well as your thoughts on the upcoming communication challenges and opportunities.