Real-World Evidence, Rare Liver Disease Data Headline Kidney Week 2026

Hepatology's largest annual gathering heads to the Mile High City this week, as The Liver Meeting 2026, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), convenes in Denver, Colorado, for the first time.

Running November 5 to 9 at the Colorado Convention Center under the theme ELEVATE, the meeting will offer more than 265 hours of programming and more than 2500 posters. Across the program, 3 themes stand out:

• How approved therapies for metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH) are performing in practice
• A wave of data in rare cholestatic and viral liver diseases
• A push to bring liver care to clinicians outside hepatology

Approved MASH Therapies Face Real-World Questions

With 2 therapies now approved for MASH, the conversation has shifted from whether treatment works to how clinicians choose between options and keep patients on therapy. An academic debate will weigh resmetirom (Rezdiffra; Madrigal Therapeutics) against semaglutide (Wegovy; Novo Nordisk) as first-line treatment for MASH with stage 2 to 3 fibrosis, considering scientific, individual, and financial perspectives.

Real-world evidence will feed the debate. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals will add 13 real-world abstracts on resmetirom adherence, persistence, and treatment patterns, the largest spanning more than 12,000 patients—data that may interest payers as uptake grows.¹ One electronic health record analysis compared changes in liver enzymes and cardiometabolic markers among 2873 adults with MASH who started semaglutide 2.4 mg and 2285 who started resmetirom, although the retrospective design can show associations but not causation.²

The pipeline is also turning toward more advanced disease. Sessions on late-stage candidates include analyses of the investigational fibroblast growth factor 21 analog efruxifermin in compensated MASH cirrhosis, a population for which neither approved therapy is indicated.^1,2

Rare Liver Disease, Viral Hepatitis Data Take Center Stage

Rare liver diseases feature prominently in the late-breaking program. Phase 3 IDEAL results will examine seladelpar (Livdelzi; Gilead) and alkaline phosphatase normalization in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) who have lower alkaline phosphatase elevations while on or intolerant to ursodeoxycholic acid, alongside claims analyses of health care costs and adherence in PBC.³ Other late-breaking data will cover the investigational monoclonal antibody brelovitug in chronic hepatitis delta and volixibat for pruritus in primary sclerosing cholangitis.⁴

In hepatitis B, the focus remains on functional cure, with data on bepirovirsen, small interfering RNA therapy, and in vivo gene editing.⁵ Research on diagnosis gaps, including low hepatitis delta testing rates among people with chronic hepatitis B, underscores the distance between new therapies and the patients who could benefit.³ New AASLD guidelines on hepatitis delta, pediatric liver transplant, PBC, and pruritus will also be presented.

Bringing Liver Care to the Front Lines

As more people with liver disease are managed outside hepatology clinics, AASLD will debut Liver Care for Frontline Clinicians, a program aimed at primary care and other clinicians. Program materials cite projections that about 41.4% of US adults, or 122 million people, will have metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease by 2050. Related conversations will address population-level fibrosis screening and how clinicians and patients can engage in health policy advocacy.

Communication is a thread running through the program. Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, will deliver the President's Choice Lecture on strategies for reaching patients and decision-makers amid declining trust in science, and the meeting will close with debrief sessions summarizing its highest-impact research.

Follow coverage of The Liver Meeting 2026 from The American Journal of Managed Care^® throughout the week for meeting coverage and updates.

References

1. Madrigal to present multiple abstracts at AASLD's The Liver Meeting 2026, including new real-world evidence reinforcing Rezdiffra as a foundational therapy for MASH. News release. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals. October 27, 2026. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://ir.madrigalpharma.com/news-releases/news-release-details/madrigal-present-multiple-abstracts-aaslds-liver-meeting-20261.

2. Novo to present new liver data across Wegovy 2.4 mg and investigational efruxifermin at The Liver Meeting (AASLD) 2026. News release. Novo Nordisk. October 28, 2026. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://www.novonordisk.com/content/nncorp/global/en/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=919208

3. Gilead to present new data on treatment response and long-term management of rare liver diseases at The Liver Meeting 2026. News release. Gilead Sciences. October 22, 2026. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://www.gilead.com/news/news-details/2026/gilead-to-present-new-data-on-treatment-response-and-long-term-management-of-rare-liver-diseases-at-the-liver-meeting-2026

4. Mirum Pharmaceuticals showcases momentum across rare liver disease portfolio with new data at AASLD's The Liver Meeting 2026. News release. Mirum Pharmaceuticals. November 2, 2026. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://ir.mirumpharma.com/news/news-details/2026/Mirum-Pharmaceuticals-Showcases-Momentum-Across-Rare-Liver-Disease-Portfolio-with-New-Data-at-AASLDs-The-Liver-Meeting-2026/default.aspx

5. Precision BioSciences announces late-breaking oral presentation for PBGENE-HBV at AASLD The Liver Meeting 2026. News release. Precision BioSciences. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://investor.precisionbiosciences.com/news-releases/news-release-details/precision-biosciences-announces-late-breaking-oral-0