Meta-Analysis
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 7, 2023; 29(37): 5327-5338
Published online Oct 7, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i37.5327
Efficacy and safety of semaglutide in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Kai Zhu, Rohan Kakkar, Daljeet Chahal, Eric M Yoshida, Trana Hussaini
Kai Zhu, Rohan Kakkar, Internal Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V5Z 1M9, BC, Canada
Daljeet Chahal, Eric M Yoshida, Department of Gastroenterology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V5Z 1M9, BC, Canada
Daljeet Chahal, Eric M Yoshida, Trana Hussaini, BC Liver Transplant Program, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver V5Z 1M9, BC, Canada
Trana Hussaini, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V5Z 1M9, BC, Canada
Author contributions: Zhu K contributed to conception and design, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article, and final approval; Rohan K contributed to acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article; Chahal D contributed to revising the article and final approval; Yoshida E contributed to conception and design, revising the article, and final approval; Hussaini T contributed to conception and design, revising the article, and final approval.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Zhu K, Kakkar R and Chahal D have no conflicts of interests to declare; Yoshida EM is an investigator of clinical trials sponsored by Gilead Sciences, Pfizer, Genfit, Intercept, Celgene, Allergan, and Madrigal; Yoshida EM has received research funding from Paladin Labs Inc; Hussaini T has received research funding from Transplant Research Foundation of BC, and Paladin Labs Inc.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Trana Hussaini, BPharm, MHSc, PharmD, Associate Professor, Pharmacist, BC Liver Transplant Program, Vancouver General Hospital, 899 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver V5Z 1M9, BC, Canada. trana.hussaini@vch.ca
Received: June 28, 2023
Peer-review started: June 28, 2023
First decision: August 15, 2023
Revised: August 23, 2023
Accepted: September 12, 2023
Article in press: September 12, 2023
Published online: October 7, 2023
Processing time: 89 Days and 3.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Semaglutide demonstrates significant histologic improvements, with a higher likelihood of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis resolution and improved steatosis, lobular inflammation, and hepatocellular ballooning, but it does not significantly improve fibrosis stage compared to placebo. Furthermore, semaglutide results in radiologic improvements in liver stiffness and steatosis, liver enzymes, as well as cardiometabolic effects on body weight and HgA1c, while maintaining a well-tolerated safety profile.