NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The results of a new survey released last week at the 3rd Annual NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) Summit in Boston show that even among patients most at-risk for the fatty liver disease, awareness of the condition remains low.
Global clinical trial enrollment company Continuum Clinical, which conducted the survey, found that among Americans with co-morbidities most associated with NASH—including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension—only 6% have ever heard of NASH. In a previous survey Continuum conducted of 1,000 Americans, unaided awareness of NASH was only 2%.
"Low public awareness of NASH and fatty liver disease is a barrier to clinical trial enrollment," said Cathleen Dohrn, Ph.D., Continuum Clinical's Senior Scientific Director who presented the findings at the Summit. "NASH clinical trial sponsors need thousands of patients in order to find the first treatment for this condition, which will necessitate increased awareness and diagnosis of NASH."
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NASH is an advanced form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition in which excess fat is stored in your liver and is not caused by heavy alcohol use. NAFLD is one of the most common causes of liver disease in the United States, and a precursor to NASH. Experts estimate that about 20 percent of people with NAFLD have NASH.
Continuum also found that 48% of at-risk Hispanic/Latino respondents were most concerned about liver disease versus 32% of the total population surveyed. In addition, Hispanic/Latino respondents were more significantly more interested in learning about a hypothetical NASH clinical research study (62% versus 49% of the total population).
"NASH disproportionately affects the Hispanic/Latino population, so having confirmation that this cohort is interested in clinical research signals to us that a special effort must be made to ensure clinical trial enrollment is inclusive," Dohrn said.
To help explore strategies on how pharmaceutical companies can tackle this patient enrollment challenge, on May 22 Continuum Clinical will host a webinar on overcoming NASH clinical trial challenges with Wayne Eskridge, CEO of the Fatty Liver Foundation, and Qin Ye, MD, MS, associate principal of ZS Associates.
About Continuum Clinical
Continuum Clinical is a global clinical trial enrollment company. With over twenty-five years of experience, Continuum Clinical provides sponsors and CROs with patient recruitment and retention planning, study and site support, patient recruitment campaigns, patient advocacy and diversity & inclusion services, retention solutions, and reporting and analytics. We specialize in identifying and solving challenges that can impact successful clinical trial enrollment, from protocol development through study completion. Headquartered in the US, Continuum Clinical has more than 140 employees in the US and Europe and an expanded network of resources worldwide.
