Novo Nordisk has announced that Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has approved Wegovy® (once-weekly injectable semaglutide 2.4 mg) as the first approved treatment in Singapore for adults with noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH, formerly known as NASH) and moderate to advanced liver fibrosis (F2–F3), as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), commonly referred to as fatty liver disease, is associated with metabolic risk factors including obesity. MASH is the more serious, progressive form of MASLD, in which excess liver fat is accompanied by inflammation and liver-cell injury that can cause progressive scarring, or fibrosis. MASH often develops without noticeable symptoms and, if untreated, can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
In Singapore, the pattern of advanced liver disease is changing. Data from nearly 1,200 people with cirrhosis in SingHealth's Chronic Liver Disease Registry showed that MASH accounted for 39.8% of cirrhosis cases in 2024, surpassing hepatitis B at 23.5%.
