Pharmacologic Advances and Lifestyle Foundations in MASH Care, With Allysa Saggese, NP

As the treatment landscape for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) evolves and with 2 FDA-approved therapies now available, clinicians are balancing the excitement of pharmacologic innovation with the continued importance of lifestyle modification and multidisciplinary collaboration.

At the 2025 Gastroenterology & Hepatology Advanced Practice Providers (GHAPP) conference, Allysa Saggese, NP, a nurse practitioner at Weill Cornell, discussed how to navigate conversations about liver health with patients, the continued importance of lifestyle modifications for MASH management, and how to use the approved therapies, resmetirom and semaglutide, to treat MASH.

“I would describe the current state of MASH management as exciting,” Saggese told HCPLive. “[It’s important] to stay up to date on these because you're probably going to get asked by your patients… knowing what is an option for your patient, or what might fit best, and being able to have those conversations is incredibly important at this time, seeing as now we actually have something we can offer.”

Resmetirom (Rezdiffra) became the first FDA-approved MASH therapeutic in March 2024, indicated for the treatment of noncirrhotic MASH in conjunction with diet and exercise. In August 2025, semaglutide (Wegovy) became the second FDA-approved MASH therapeutic.

“What is positive about semaglutide is that we all know its other effects on blood sugar, diabetic control, weight, and its approval for cardiovascular conditions as well,” Saggese explained. “That makes it a treatment that can affect more than one organ system for more than one reason, so that's really exciting in and of itself, to give it one more positive attribute and have another way to decide what the best therapy is for your patient.”

She says that having 2 options to offer patients creates opportunities for discussions that were not previously possible when there was only 1 approved therapy, or prior to that, no approved therapies. Now, patients have options.

Despite the availability of multiple pharmacologic treatment options, Saggese emphasizes the continued importance of lifestyle modifications with diet and physical activity, also stressing the need for multidisciplinary MASH care to ensure multiple providers from different specialties are assisting in patient care to ensure the best outcomes possible.

References

1. Brooks A. Resmetirom (Rezdiffra) Receives Historic FDA Approval for Noncirrhotic NASH. HCPLive. March 14, 2024. Accessed September 10, 2025. https://www.hcplive.com/view/resmetirom-rezdiffra-receives-historic-fda-approval-for-noncirrhotic-nash

2. Brooks A. FDA Approves Semaglutide (Wegovy) Injection 2.4 mg for Noncirrhotic MASH. HCPLive. August 15, 2025. Accessed September 10, 2025. https://www.hcplive.com/view/fda-approves-semaglutide-wegovy-injection-2-4-mg-for-noncirrhotic-mash