Dive Brief:
- GE Healthcare will provide the diagnostic imaging technology to support Takeda's R&D into common liver diseases as part of a newly-formed partnership.
- A primary area of focus will be the two conditions that have, combined, become the number one cause of liver disease in developed countries—non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
- GE's diagnostic imaging technology will be used to generate a liver stiffness map.
Dive Insight:
Takeda and GE have chosen to take on NAFLD and NASH research in particular because they have almost no visible symptoms, yet lead to liver fibrosis. Epidemiological surveys suggest a median global prevalence rate of 20% for NAFLD. And so far, there has not been a great deal of success in developing anti-fibrotic therapies to treat fibrotic liver diseases.
The consequences of untreated disease can include cirrhosis and portal hypertension, potentially leading to the need for a liver transplant.