Pharma Giants Chase the Next Liver Breakthrough

Novo and Roche spark a US push for new metabolic liver treatments as combo strategies take hold

25 Nov 2025

Big money is rushing into metabolic health, and much of it is flowing toward the United States. Novo Nordisk’s plan to buy Akero Therapeutics for up to 5.2 billion dollars shows just how fiercely drug makers now want a stake in the next round of treatments for metabolic liver disease. The move widens Novo’s reach beyond its familiar territory of diabetes and obesity and into one of the most closely watched fields in medicine.

At the heart of the deal is efruxifermin, Akero’s late stage candidate for metabolic dysfunction associated with steatohepatitis, or MASH. Early studies suggested signs of fibrosis improvement for a slice of patients. That glimmer of promise stands out in a field where effective options remain scarce. By adding the drug to its pipeline, Novo strengthens its position in a market gaining momentum as scientists probe multiple biological pathways at once. Company executives have hinted that future care could lean on combinations that strike several targets in tandem.

For Akero, the agreement marks a pivotal shift. Carrying a complex MASH therapy through late stage trials requires the kind of scientific depth and manufacturing scale that smaller biotechs often lack. Liver specialists say Novo’s global footprint gives Akero a more reliable path to bring its work to patients.

Roche is moving in the same direction. Its plan to acquire 89bio in a deal that could reach 3.5 billion dollars highlights rising confidence in the next generation of metabolic liver strategies. Analysts view both transactions as signals that the science is maturing and that drug makers now see metabolic liver conditions as a durable growth engine shaped in part by lifestyle patterns.

Regulators are watching closely. The FDA is refining the way it evaluates MASH treatments, which means companies must provide data that capture not only clinical outcomes but also deeper biological shifts. Pricing and access will add more complexity as rivals crowd the field.

Even with those hurdles, optimism is taking hold. Several key studies are nearing important readouts. If the findings hold, the coming decade could bring a major reset in how the country treats metabolic and liver disorders.