Metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), also called fatty liver disease, is now the most common liver problem in the world. About one in three adults has it.
The disease starts when too much fat builds up inside liver cells. The extra fat can damage the liver and raise the chance of dying from heart or blood‑vessel problems.
A team of scientists from the University of Barcelona tested two medicines that are already on the market. They used pemafibrate, a drug that lowers blood fats, and telmisartan, a blood‑pressure pill.
When the two drugs were given together to rats and zebrafish, the animals lost most of the extra liver fat caused by a high‑fat, high‑sugar diet. In rats, half‑dose combos worked as well as a full dose of either drug alone.
Why Using Old Drugs Helps
Many new drugs for MASLD have failed in tests because they were not safe enough. Using medicines that are already approved can be faster, cheaper, and safer, especially for early‑stage disease when people feel fine.
Both pemafibrate and telmisartan are known to be safe for humans. That makes them good candidates for early treatment of MASLD, which often appears together with heart‑risk factors.
How the Combination Works
The researchers discovered that each drug attacks the disease in a different way. Telmisartan boosted a protein called PCK1 in the liver. Higher PCK1 levels changed the liver’s chemistry, sending more building blocks toward making sugar instead of fat.
Because the liver made less fat, the animals also showed lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol. All of these changes point to a lower chance of heart disease.
What Comes Next
These findings are still from animal studies. The next step is to run clinical trials in people to see if the same benefits appear.
The team plans to test the drug pair in more advanced disease stages, especially when liver scarring (fibrosis) is present. They also want to create models that show both liver disease and heart problems together.