Sanjiv Chopra, MD: Treatments for NAFLD on the Way

The long pursuit of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Despite no currently approved therapies for the disease, there are currently more than 400 clinical trials involving NALFD in some compacity, at least 1 stakeholder is confident there will be an approved treatment in the next calendar year.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Sanjiv Chopra, MD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, said he hopes a treatment for NAFLD will finally be approved in as early as 6 months from now.

And while it can be difficult to predict how the US Food and Drug Administration might react, Chopra is confident they will approve a treatment for NAFLD.

“The FDA has gotten quicker and more efficient at approving drugs,” Chopra said. “I think we will see a bunch of these drugs approved in the next 6 months.”

Chopra said even with an FDA approval, care might not be transformed overnight.

“The challenge will be are the insurance companies going to pay for it and what is the cost going to be,” he said. For some of these drugs the cost is $1,200 or $1,500 a month. That’s a lot of money and many of the people who most need it will be the ones least likely to afford it.”