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Emerging novel treatments for autoimmune liver diseases
Author(s) -
Tanaka Atsushi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
hepatology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.123
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1872-034X
pISSN - 1386-6346
DOI - 10.1111/hepr.13347
Subject(s) - ursodeoxycholic acid , primary sclerosing cholangitis , autoimmune hepatitis , medicine , liver transplantation , primary biliary cirrhosis , clinical trial , hepatitis , etiology , immunology , transplantation , disease
The etiology of autoimmune liver diseases, such as autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), still remains largely unknown and no therapeutic agents that are able to “cure” these diseases have been developed. Although corticosteroids for AIH and ursodeoxycholic acid for PBC have been shown to significantly improve liver transplantation (LT)‐free survival and are recommended as first‐line drugs, treatment strategies for patients who show incomplete response to these drugs have not yet been fully established. No drug is significantly associated with long LT‐free survival in PSC patients. Nevertheless, with progress in genetics, immunology, and cellular biology, several new compounds or antibodies are expected to have an effect on autoimmune liver diseases and several drugs are under consideration for clinical use. Although most clinical trials have been carried out in the USA or Europe, some are, or will be, undertaken in Japan in the future. In this review, the current standard‐of‐care of autoimmune liver diseases will be summarized, together with emerging novel treatments relevant to clinical practice in Japan.