(Reuters) -Novo Nordisk said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted accelerated approval for its weight-loss drug Wegovy to treat a serious liver condition known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

This makes Wegovy the first GLP-1 class therapy cleared for MASH, a progressive liver condition that affects around 5% of adults in the U.S., according to the American Liver Foundation.

The FDA’s decision was based on part 1 of a two-part study that showed Wegovy had helped improve the organ’s condition in more patients with MASH and liver scarring, compared to a placebo.

At 72 weeks, nearly 37% of patients on the Danish drugmaker’s treatment showed an improvement in liver fibrosis, compared to 22.4% on the placebo.

Nearly 63% of those on Wegovy had thei

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