Daewoong Pharmaceutical said on the 9th that its domestically developed diabetes drug Envlo (ingredient name: inavogliflozin) was found to improve fatty liver indicators in patients with type 2 diabetes as well as control blood sugar.
The study showed the potential for use in managing fatty liver, which commonly accompanies diabetes.
According to Daewoong Pharmaceutical, a study analyzing Envlo's effect on improving fatty liver was recently published in the international journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (DOM).
The study evaluated Envlo's effect on metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which commonly appears in patients with type 2 diabetes. MASLD is a condition in which excessive fat accumulates in the liver due to metabolic abnormalities such as obesity or diabetes. If left untreated, the risk of cirrhosis or cardiovascular disease can increase. In Korea and abroad, about 65% of patients with type 2 diabetes are known to also have MASLD.
The researchers pooled data from three clinical trials conducted during Envlo's approval process and analyzed treatment effects over 24 weeks in 587 patients with type 2 diabetes. They assessed improvement in fatty liver using the hepatic steatosis index (HSI) and the Framingham steatosis index (FSI), which show how much fat has accumulated in the liver.
Analysis showed that fatty liver indicators improved significantly in patients who received Envlo. Based on the HSI, the number of fatty liver patients fell from 36 to 12, with about 67% of existing fatty liver patients entering the normal range. Based on the FSI, the at-risk group also decreased from 31 to 12, with about 61% returning to the normal range.
The researchers also conducted a comparative analysis with dapagliflozin, a drug in the same SGLT-2 inhibitor class. As a result, the change in HSI in the Envlo group was -4.51, a greater improvement than in the dapagliflozin group (-3.49). The difference between the two drugs was also statistically significant.
The company said this study is a post hoc analysis of clinical data from Envlo's approval trials and is the first to suggest that Envlo may improve fatty liver beyond controlling blood sugar. However, additional confirmation of direct liver fat reduction or improvement in liver fibrosis is needed through imaging tests and long-term follow-up studies.
Jeong In-gyeong, a professor of endocrinology at Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital and the corresponding author of the paper, said, "It is meaningful that we first confirmed the possibility that Envlo may have a positive effect not only on blood sugar control but also on reducing fat accumulation in the liver."
Jeong Chang-hee, a professor of endocrinology at Asan Medical Center and a co-corresponding author, said, "Compared with drugs in the same class, Envlo showed better improvement in some fatty liver indicators, suggesting potential use in treatment strategies for diabetes patients with MASLD."
Park Hyeong-cheol, head of the ETC Marketing Division at Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, "This study provides evidence that Envlo can extend treatment benefits from blood sugar control to fatty liver management," adding, "We expect it will enhance treatment value in real-world clinical practice."