AASLD-INASL Joint Webinar: Advances in MASH Diagnosis and Treatment (ondemand)-AASLD INASL Webinar

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar, jointly hosted by AASLD and INASL for World MASH Day, focused on advances in diagnosing and treating MASH/MASLD. The opening emphasized the rising global burden of fatty liver disease, the need for earlier diagnosis, better risk stratification, and improved access to emerging therapies.<br /><br />Dr. Shalimar reviewed the epidemiology and natural history of MASLD, noting its high prevalence in India and globally. He explained that non-invasive tests (NITs) are increasingly used to assess steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and “at-risk MASH,” but their cutoffs vary across populations and can be influenced by diabetes, BMI, age, and other cardiometabolic factors. He highlighted that liver biopsy remains the gold standard, but NITs are essential for real-world screening, trial enrollment, and outcome prediction.<br /><br />Dr. Rohit Loomba then covered the treatment landscape. He stressed that lifestyle changes remain foundational, including weight loss, exercise, alcohol avoidance, and metabolic risk control. He reviewed major therapies in development and current clinical use, including resmetirom and semaglutide, and discussed promising agents such as FGF21 analogs, GLP-1/glucagon agonists, and tirzepatide. He noted that NITs and MRI-based markers are increasingly used to select patients, monitor response, and support trial endpoints.<br /><br />The panel discussion addressed practical issues: why NITs may perform less well in South Asian patients, how to manage lean MASLD, the role of vitamin E, treatment of cirrhosis, combination therapy, and the future role of AI. The session concluded that MASH care is rapidly evolving toward personalized, non-invasive, and combination-based management.

Keywords

MASH

MASLD

fatty liver disease

non-invasive tests

liver biopsy

resmetirom

semaglutide

FGF21 analogs

tirzepatide

personalized treatment