GLP-1 receptor agonists in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Newer diabetes drugs substantially improve liver scarring and inflammation in patients with fatty liver disease, with longer treatment and combination therapies showing the strongest benefits.
This PRISMA 2020-compliant meta-analysis of 27 RCTs (2,687 adult MASH patients, with risk-of-bias assessment using RoB 2.0) demonstrated that GLP-1 receptor agonists substantially increase MASH resolution without fibrosis worsening (RR 2.56) compared to placebo or standard care, with no significant change in liver enzymes. Subgroup analyses revealed that liver fibrosis improvement is driven specifically by multi-receptor agonists (e.g., tirzepatide) and treatment durations exceeding 48 weeks, providing actionable guidance for MASH therapy selection.
What the study was
- Study design
- systematic_review_meta_analysis
- Population
- Adult MASH patients from 27 RCTs (n=2,687 pooled)
- Sample size
- 2687
- Category
- Treatment Innovation
- Maturity
- Potentially Practice-Changing
- Journal
- Hepatol Int
Why it surfaced
Largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis of GLP-1 RAs in MASH (27 RCTs, 2,687 patients) demonstrating pooled RR=2.56 for histological remission—published at a critical regulatory juncture for MASH therapeutics with actionable subgroup findings on agent class and duration.
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