Wegovy reduces liver fat to normal levels in most adults with obesity in STEP UP analysis

Novo Nordisk has reported a post hoc analysis from the STEP UP programme showing that Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, substantially reduced liver fat in adults with obesity and excess hepatic fat.

The findings were presented at the 2026 European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting in Milan.

Among participants who entered the study with liver fat above 5%, 88.5% achieved levels below the 5% threshold by week 72 after treatment with pooled semaglutide doses of 7.2 mg and 2.4 mg.

This represented 23 of the 26 participants with elevated liver fat at baseline.

Mean liver fat across the assessed group declined from 8.8% at baseline to 3.1% after 72 weeks of treatment.

Novo Nordisk said the results suggest semaglutide may improve liver health even in people with relatively low levels of established liver disease.

The exploratory analysis pooled data from 1,919 adults enrolled across the STEP UP and STEP UP T2D studies.

Of these, 1,312 participants received semaglutide 7.2 mg, 304 received semaglutide 2.4 mg and 303 received placebo.

At baseline, more than 94% of participants across the treatment groups were classified as being at high risk for fatty liver according to the Fatty Liver Index.

Fewer than 1% met criteria indicating a high risk of advanced fibrosis based on the FIB 4 index.

Novo Nordisk said the population therefore represented people with obesity who were at high risk of metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis but generally had a low baseline burden of advanced liver disease.

A subgroup of 55 participants underwent direct measurement of liver fat using magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction.

Novo Nordisk described the imaging method as a noninvasive approach for directly quantifying hepatic steatosis.

Eric Lawitz, MD, of the Texas Liver Institute and University of Texas Health San Antonio, said the analysis showed that semaglutide was associated with lower liver fat and improvements in overall liver health among adults with obesity.

He said reducing excess liver fat earlier in the disease process could potentially be important because liver dysfunction can contribute to wider metabolic and cardiovascular complications.

Novo Nordisk also noted that improvements were observed even among participants who began the study with relatively low liver fat levels.

Filip Knop, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Novo Nordisk, said the findings add to evidence showing that the effects of semaglutide extend beyond weight reduction alone.

He also pointed to results from the company’s ESSENCE programme, which has evaluated semaglutide in metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis.

Semaglutide 2.4 mg is approved for the treatment of MASH under the Wegovy brand in several markets, including the U.S., Canada, the UK and China.

The higher 7.2 mg dose of semaglutide is not currently being developed as a treatment for MASH.

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Related Topics and Keywords

Biopharma, clinical research, EASD 2026, fatty liver, hepatic steatosis, liver fat, liver health, mash, metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis, metabolic health, Novo Nordisk, obesity, pharma news, semaglutide, STEP UP, STEP UP T2D, Wegovy®, weight management