Washington, D.C. — November 10, 2025 — Leads & Copy — New data from the ACTG global clinical trials network indicates that semaglutide significantly improves cardiovascular risk biomarkers in people living with HIV and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
The findings, from the SLIM LIVER study (A5371), were presented today as a poster at the 2025 AASLD Liver Meeting in Washington D.C. The poster is titled “Semaglutide Improves Markers of Cardiovascular Risk in People with HIV: The SLIM LIVER Study”.
SLIM LIVER is the first clinical trial to evaluate semaglutide for treating MASLD in people with HIV. MASLD, previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), involves fat buildup in the liver. People living with HIV who have MASLD may experience faster liver damage and increased risk of organ dysfunction compared to those without HIV. Semaglutide is a common treatment for weight loss and diabetes.
ACTG Chair Dr. Joseph J. Eron from the University of North Carolina said the SLIM LIVER analysis offers important insights into how semaglutide affects cardiovascular biomarkers in people living with HIV and MASLD. He noted that people living with HIV are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and experience MASLD more often than the general population. ACTG is dedicated to research that identifies solutions to comorbidities affecting people living with HIV, and these results are encouraging.
The Liver Meeting presentation expands on previous data that found semaglutide improved weight, intra-hepatic triglyceride content, insulin resistance, glucose, and triglycerides in people living with HIV and MASLD.
The current analysis included 36 participants living with HIV taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) and with MRI-defined MASLD. Participants had a median age of 52 years and a median BMI of 34 kg/m2. The group was 39 percent Hispanic, 28 percent Black, and 45 percent female. Seventy-seven percent were taking an ART regimen containing an integrase inhibitor.
Researchers identified significant reductions in cardiovascular risk-associated lipoproteins and glycoproteins that were not related to changes in weight, liver fat, or insulin resistance reported in the primary analysis. This suggests that semaglutide has an independent mechanism contributing to these changes.
Lead author Dr. Jordan E. Lake from UTHealth Houston stated that MASLD is increasingly recognized as a major contributor to illness and death among people living with HIV. Identifying treatments to lessen its impact is a key priority in HIV research.
Dr. Lake added that while larger studies with clinical endpoints are needed, these findings are an important first step in understanding the impact of semaglutide and have the potential to meaningfully impact the health of individuals with HIV and MASLD.
SLIM LIVER is led by Dr. Lake and Dr. Kristine Erlandson from the University of Colorado Anschutz (Co-Chairs), and Dr. Fred Sattler from the University of Southern California (Vice Chair). ACTG is led by Dr. Eron and Dr. Rajesh T. Gandhi from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (ACTG Vice Chair). It is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, which also funds ACTG) under award numbers UM1 AI068636, UM1 AI107716, and UM1 AI068634, and received additional funding from UTHealth Houston McGovern School of Medicine.
ACTG is the world’s largest and longest running clinical trials network focused on HIV and other infectious diseases and the people living with them. Founded in 1987, ACTG conducts research to improve the management of HIV and its comorbidities; develop a cure for HIV; and innovate treatments for tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and emerging infectious diseases.
It comprises thousands of dedicated researchers, staff, and community members who are pursuing research into novel treatments and cures for infectious diseases at 65 locations across four continents, with the ultimate goal of advancing science that meaningfully impacts the lives of the people we serve.
Disclaimer: This content is solely the responsibility of ACTG and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
Jenna Conley, ACTG
jenna@conleycommunications.net
Source: ACTG
