Researchers have made a discovery that could bring about a paradigm shift in the treatment of liver diseases, after discovering that using two common medications together can reverse the course of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, a condition that is not linked to excessive drinking, but rather occurs when excess fat accumulates inside the liver. Liver.
Scientists have found that combining Pemafibrate – a drug commonly used in Japan to treat high cholesterol – and Telmisartan, which is used to lower high blood pressure, can significantly reduce fat accumulation.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, at the University of Barcelona, Spain, and its results were published in the journal Pharmacological Research last July, and the British newspaper Daily Mail wrote about it.
The researchers, who conducted tests on mice and zebrafish, found that this combination can reduce the complications of cardiovascular disease.
Experts described the results – according to the Daily Mail – as important, and said that using this dual drug may be a safer and more effective option than the current limited treatment options.
Reducing fat accumulation
Professor Marta Allegret, an expert in pharmacy and food sciences at the University of Barcelona and co-author of the study, stated that this combination is beneficial not only for liver disease, but also “lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, all of which would lead to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.”
She added: “The mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases is high in patients with fatty liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction, and these patients often have these two risk factors together.”
In the study, scientists evaluated the effectiveness of pemafibrate and telmisartan on fatty liver associated with metabolic dysfunction when taken together and separately.
They found that when taken together, the two drugs reversed the buildup of fat in the liver caused by a diet high in fat and fructose, a sugar found naturally in fruits, vegetables and honey and added to products such as soft drinks, sweets and processed foods.
During tests in mice, the researchers also discovered that a combination of half a dose of pimafibrate and half a dose of telmisartan was as effective as a full dose of either drug in reducing fat accumulation.