Overview of emerging treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: more than one drug needed?

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises isolated hepatic steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), liver failure-associated complications of liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. These are forecasted to be the leading liver diseases in the future. Identifying patients with NAFLD at highest risk for developing clinically meaningful outcomes is a key issue for managing therapy in those with NAFLD. Because fibrosis stage is a marker for determining clinical outcomes (1), it should be considered the most important treatment parameter. Generally, NASH patients without fibrosis are regarded to have a low risk of NAFLD-associated complications (2).