MicroCHIPS receives 2010 Edison Best New Product Award for Illume System
April 16, 2016
After 96 weeks of treatment, vitamin E improved all features of NASH with the exception of the amount of scar tissue in the liver; 43 percent of those treated with vitamin E met the primary endpoint of the trial, which was a composite of the scores for several features of NASH indicative of disease activity, compared with only 19 percent of those who received a placebo. Pioglitazone also improved many features of NASH and met the primary endpoint in 34 percent of individuals who received it but fell short of statistical significance. Pioglitazone treatment led to an average weight gain of 10 pounds over the 96-week duration of this study. Liver enzyme tests, which are commonly used to assess liver injury, also improved in those who received either pioglitazone or vitamin E. However, upon stopping the medications, the liver enzymes worsened again suggesting the need for long-term treatment.
The study was conducted in those with NASH who did not have diabetes, and the benefits of either drug for those with NASH who also have diabetes remain unknown. Also, the study lasted for two years only and the potential long-term benefits and risks of taking vitamin E or pioglitazone in these doses are uncertain.
Lead author of the study and the other NASH Clinical Research Network co-chair is Dr. Arun Sanyal, professor of medicine and chairman of the Division of Gastroenterology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Pioglitazone (trade name Actos) was provided by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, and vitamin E was provided by Pharmavite. Both also supplied placebos.
Source: New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center