Novo Nordisk Pre-EASL 2026 Data Drop (May 19): ESSENCE Liver Safety Analysis Confirms Favorable Hepatic Profile for Semaglutide 2.4 mg in MASH
Eight days ahead of EASL Congress 2026 in Barcelona (May 27-30), Novo Nordisk released new analyses from the Phase 3 ESSENCE program showing semaglutide 2.4 mg holds a favorable hepatic safety profile across MASH subgroups, including the first dedicated Japanese MASH cohort and a women-in-menopause subset. Gastrointestinal events remained the leading adverse-event signal, with small discontinuation rates. MASH affects an estimated 250 million people globally with roughly 9 in 10 cases undiagnosed; the trial data reinforce the FDA's August 2025 MASH-with-fibrosis approval and broaden the prescribing case ahead of the EASL plenaries.