Hepatology Month in Review: May 2025

May proved to be a dynamic month in hepatology, marked by notable advances across research, clinical practice, and public awareness. The launch of Liver Lineup: Updates & Unfiltered Insights, HCPLive’s new expert-led podcast, provided timely commentary on emerging data from the 2025 European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Congress, while new findings from pivotal trials and major meetings—including Digestive Disease Week (DDW)—shed light on therapeutic progress in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and chronic hepatitis B.

Check out this May 2025 hepatology month in review for a recap of HCPLive’s coverage of the top hepatic news and research from the past few weeks:

Hepatic HCPLive Podcasts

Liver Lineup: Updates & Unfiltered Insights

May saw the launch of HCPLive’s newest podcast, Liver Lineup: Updates & Unfiltered Insights. Hosted by Drs. Kimberly Brown and Nancy Reau, the podcast delivers timely, candid perspectives on the most pressing topics in the fast-moving world of hepatology while diving into the cutting edge of liver disease research, clinical care, and real-world practice.

Liver Lineup: New MASLD and PBC Agents, PEth Testing, and HBV Functional Cure at EASL 2025

In their first full-length episode, the hosts recap 4 key abstracts presented at the 2025 EASL Congress, including new data on efimosfermin alfa in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), research on the use of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) testing to monitor alcohol intake in patients with alcohol-associated liver disease, data from the RETRACT-B cohort evaluating the feasibility of stopping nucleos(t)ide analog therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients with long-term viral suppression, and phase 3 GLISTEN data for linerixibat in patients with PBC and cholestatic pruritus.

Diabetes Dialogue: American Diabetes Association Consensus Report on MASLD

In this episode of Diabetes Dialogue, hosts Diana Isaacs, PharmD, and Natalie Bellini, DNP, examine a newly released American Diabetes Association (ADA) consensus report titled Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in People with Diabetes: The Need for Screening and Early Intervention. The publication emphasizes the importance of recognizing MASLD as a critical comorbidity in individuals with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes and outlines guidance for clinicians to improve early detection, risk stratification, and treatment strategies.

Progress in Hepatology Clinical Trials

Efruxifermin Shows Potential for Fibrosis Reduction in Phase 2b MASH Cirrhosis Trial

Despite failing to significantly reduce fibrosis without worsening of MASH at 36 weeks, data from the SYMMETRY trial of efruxifermin, a bivalent fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) analogue, highlight the 50 mg dose’s potential benefit on fibrosis reduction at 96 weeks and association with improvements in MASH-related histologic findings, noninvasive markers of liver injury and fibrosis, and markers of glucose and lipid metabolism.

Phase 2 ELMWOOD Data for Elafibranor in PSC, with Cynthia Levy, MD

Recent data from the phase 2 ELMWOOD study of elafibranor in patients with PSC shed light on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonist’s safety and tolerability in this patient population, which currently lacks a US Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment.

Hydronidone Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 Hepatitis B Trial

Hydronidone met the primary endpoint in a phase 3 trial evaluating its efficacy and safety for the treatment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in China. Based on these data, Gyre plans to file a New Drug Application with China’s NMPA in the third quarter of 2025 and is preparing to file an investigational new drug (IND) application in the third quarter of 2025. Pending IND clearance, the company plans to initiate a phase 2 trial in the US evaluating Hydronidone for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)-associated fibrosis in the second half of 2025.

HCPLive at DDW

Preventing Alcohol Relapse After Liver Transplant, with Wei Zhang, MD, PhD

Alcohol use presents a persistent challenge in liver transplantation for patients with alcohol-related liver disease, with relapse remaining a significant risk even after a successful procedure. Despite the complexity of managing post-transplant alcohol use—compounded by psychiatric comorbidities, social instability, and stigma—innovative care models are emerging to address these gaps, including one being pioneered by a group of experts at Massachusetts General Hospital.

There, Wei Zhang, MD, PhD, and colleagues established the Long-term Individualized Follow-up after Transplant (LIFT) Clinic, a multidisciplinary program involving a hepatologist, a psychiatrist, a social worker, and a case manager to assist in the prevention and management of alcohol relapse in high-risk liver transplant recipients.

Sleep Disorders and PBC Disease Severity, with Ana Marenco Flores, MD

New research is shedding light on the prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with PBC, highlighting their association with worse biochemical markers, greater symptom burden, and reduced treatment response rates. Data were presented at DDW 2025 by Ana Marenco Flores, MD, a research fellow in medicine in the division of gastroenterology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and suggest the potential benefit of assessing sleep disorders as part of routine clinical care and implementing timely interventions for improving outcomes and quality of life in this patient population.

Explainable AI Model Bests FIB-4 for Detecting MASLD Fibrosis, Predicting Outcomes

FibroX, an explainable AI model, may help improve advanced fibrosis detection and predict all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with MASLD, according to data presented at DDW. Findings on its use relative to fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) demonstrate the superior performance, interpretability, and potential cost savings of the novel AI model.