Research Article Details

Article ID: A02399
PMID: 34386935
Source: Hepatol Int
Title: First-in-Asian double-blind randomized trial to assess the efficacy and safety of insulin sensitizer in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of insulin sensitizer in Asians with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) remain elusive. AIMS: The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted aiming to investigate the efficacy and safety of pioglitazone in NASH patients. METHODS: A total of 90 NASH patients (66 males, age&#8201;=&#8201;44.1&#8201;&#177;&#8201;12.7&#160;years) were prospectively randomized into oral pioglitazone 30&#160;mg/day (Arm A) or placebo (Arm B) for 24&#160;weeks. The primary endpoint was the efficacy of pioglitazone in reducing inflammation and liver fat at end-of-treatment (EOT). NASH resolution/improvement without fibrosis worsening was also evaluated. RESULTS: At EOT, there was a significantly decline of alanine aminotransferase (86.9&#8201;&#177;&#8201;34.3 to 45.7&#8201;&#177;&#8201;35.8&#160;IU/L, p&#8201;=&#8201;0.003) level in Arm A patients. In intention-to-treat analysis among 66 patients who completed paired biopsies, The NAFLD activity score (NAS) of 30 Arm A patients significantly decreased from 4.27&#8201;&#177;&#8201;1.14 at baseline to 2.53&#8201;&#177;&#8201;1.63 at EOT (p&#8201;<&#8201;0.0001), whereas there was no significant change in patients of Arm B (3.94&#8201;&#177;&#8201;1.41 vs 3.94&#8201;&#177;&#8201;1.51, p&#8201;=&#8201;1.0). NASH improvement without worsening of fibrosis was achieved in 46.7% (14/30) patients in Arm A, compared to 11.1% (4/36) patients in Arm B (p&#8201;=&#8201;0.002). Liver fat content reduced (20.2&#8201;&#177;&#8201;9.0 to 14.3&#8201;&#177;&#8201;6.9%, p&#8201;<&#8201;0.0001) on MRI-PDFF in Arm A compared to their counterparts. No significant difference of adverse events occurred between groups. CONCLUSIONS: A 24-week pioglitazone treatment was well-tolerated and effective in improving liver histology and reducing liver steatosis in Asian NASH patients. (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01068444).
DOI: 10.1007/s12072-021-10242-2