Chelsie Derman is an associate editor for 

who covers allergy and  psychiatry. She joined MJH Life Sciences in September 2023 after graduating from The College of New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and professional writing. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing and reading.

September brought regulatory momentum and pivotal trial data in 

hereditary angioedema (HAE) and anaphylaxis

. On the HAE front, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) accepted Intellia Therapeutics' Biologics License Application (BLA) for lonvoguran ziclumeran (lonvo-z) with priority review, moving the 1-time CRISPR gene-editing therapy for HAE closer to market. Pharvaris reported that oral deucrictibant extended-release (XR) met its primary endpoint in the phase 3 CHAPTER-3 prophylaxis study.

In anaphylaxis, Aquestive Therapeutics resubmitted its New Drug Application (NDA) for Anaphylm (dibutepinephrine) sublingual film after addressing an FDA Complete Response Letter (CRL). Beyond the pipeline, HCPLive also published a piece on the link between wildfire smoke and allergies. Here are 4 allergy headlines you may have missed.

Hereditary Angioedema Pipeline Advances on 2 Fronts

Lonvo-z BLA Accepted by FDA With Priority Review for HAE

The FDA accepted the BLA for lonvo-z (Intellia Therapeutics) and granted priority review for HAE in patients aged ≥ 16 years, setting a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of March 10, 2027. In the phase 3 HAELO trial, a single 50 mg infusion reduced mean monthly attacks by 87% versus placebo, and 62% of treated patients remained attack-free and therapy-free through 6 months. The FDA does not currently plan to convene an advisory committee.

Lonvo-z inactivates the KLKB1 gene to permanently lower plasma kallikrein activity. If approved, lonvo-z would become the first in vivo CRISPR-based therapy for HAE.

What CRISPR Gene Therapy Means for HAE: FAQ on This 1-Time Treatment

Deucrictibant XR Meets Primary Endpoint in HAE Prophylaxis

Pharvaris’ once-daily oral deucrictibant XR 40 mg reduced the mean monthly HAE attack rate by 83% versus placebo (

 <.0001) in the phase 3 CHAPTER-3 study, with an 87% reduction among participants with HAE type 1 or type 2. CHAPTER-3 is the first phase 3 prophylaxis program to evaluate all 3 HAE types, including HAE with normal C1 inhibitor. Protection was evident within the first week and sustained through 24 weeks, with no treatment-related serious adverse events.

Pharvaris plans to begin submitting marketing applications for deucrictibant XR in the first half of 2027, while its NDA for on-demand deucrictibant immediate-release remains under FDA review.

Needle-Free Epinephrine Returns to the FDA

Aquestive Resubmits Anaphylm NDA for Anaphylaxis Treatment

Aquestive Therapeutics resubmitted its NDA for Anaphylm (dibutepinephrine), a sublingual film epinephrine prodrug for type I allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, following a January 30, 2026, CRL. The FDA had requested a human factors study on packaging and administration plus a confirmatory pharmacokinetic study. Redesigned packaging cut median pouch-opening time from 17 seconds to 3 seconds, with no protocol-defined use errors in the self-administration arm.

David B.K. Golden, MD, CM, lead author of the 2023 Anaphylaxis Practice Parameter and a member of Aquestive's Scientific Advisory Board, noted that a pocket-sized, needle-free option could ease barriers to carrying and using epinephrine. The FDA has not yet classified the resubmission or set a review timeline.

Anaphylm Is Back at the FDA: A Clinician FAQ on Needle-Free Epinephrine

How Wildfire Smoke Triggers Allergic Disease Long After It Clears

Canadian wildfire smoke pushed air quality to unhealthy and hazardous levels across the East Coast and Midwest, and emerging research suggests its allergic toll can persist after the haze lifts. A longitudinal study led by Jim Blando, PhD, of Old Dominion University, found delayed declines in peak flow among patients with allergies and asthma at a clinic near the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

Wynne Armand, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed how smoke may prime allergic responses and drive eczema flares, along with protective steps clinicians can share with patients during smoke events. Investigators caution that wildfire-specific data remain limited compared with the broader urban air pollution literature.

Wildfire Smoke's Hidden Toll on Patients with Allergies

Articles

Regulatory and clinical milestones advanced hereditary angioedema and anaphylaxis programs. FDA granted priority review to Intellia’s single-infusion CRISPR therapy lonvo-z for patients ≥16 years after phase 3 HAELO showed robust attack suppression and durable attack-free status; action date is March 2027. Pharvaris’ once-daily oral deucrictibant XR achieved significant prophylactic reductions across all HAE types with rapid onset and favorable safety, supporting 2027 filings. In anaphylaxis, Aquestive resubmitted needle-free Anaphylm after packaging and PK updates. Wildfire smoke may induce lingering allergic and respiratory sequelae.

From a CRISPR therapy's FDA priority review to oral HAE prophylaxis data and a needle-free epinephrine resubmission, 4 allergy stories from September.

News

news page, resources on the topics of disease- and specialty-specific medical news and expert insight can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on health care research, treatment, and drug development.

Clinical

clinical page is a resource for content on every specialty, disease, and topic available on our medical news site.

Allergy

Allergy condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on allergic and inflammatory diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for food and seasonal allergies, as well as allergic asthma and related conditions.

Anaphylaxis

The HCPLive anaphylaxis page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on acute allergic reactions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for preventing anaphylaxis, and more.

Food Allergy

4 Allergy Headlines You Missed in September 2026

Sean Wharton, MD, PharmD, is the medical director of Wharton Medical Center.

Survodutide, a combination glucagon/GLP-1 receptor dual agonist, has significantly outperformed placebo in the SYNCHRONIZE-2 trial.

SYNCHRONIZE-2: Survodutide Outperforms Placebo in Weight Loss, Blood Sugar Control

Announced by parent company Boehringer Ingelheim, survodutide resulted in comparatively greater weight loss among patients with 

 compared to placebo. Additionally, the investigational treatment largely removed fat from the liver, targeting another key factor of obesity and T2D complications.

“There are a lot of other molecules that are being investigated, but what we have here is a unique combination of GLP-1 and glucagon – I think that what we’re looking at is health overall,” Sean Wharton, MD, PharmD, medical director of Wharton Medical Center and coordinating investigator of SYNCHRONIZE-2, told 

 in an exclusive interview. “I think we’re entering into the realm where GLP-1s need to be combined with specific agents that do specific things to get us not only weight loss, but also other health parameters with a more guaranteed benefit.”

SYNCHRONIZE-2 was a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group efficacy and safety study that lasted 76 weeks and was conducted across 143 locations worldwide. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they had a body mass index (BMI) ≥27 kg/m2 at screening, a diagnosis of T2D mellitus, HbA1c ≥6.5% and <10%, and ≥1 self-reported unsuccessful dietary effort to lose weight. Patients with weight changes >5% within 3 months prior to screening, treatment with obesity medication within 3 months, or a clinically significant gastric emptying abnormality, among other criteria, were excluded.

Enrolled patients were randomly assigned to receive either survodutide in a 3.6 mg or 6 mg dose once weekly or placebo, all of which were administered via subcutaneous injection. The primary outcomes of the study were percentage change in body weight from baseline and achievement of body weight reduction ≥5% from baseline. Secondary outcomes included body weight reduction ≥10%, ≥15%, and ≥20% from baseline, as well as absolute change in body weight, glycosylated HbA1c, and others.

A total of 752 patients were enrolled in the trial. These patients had a mean age of 55.7 years and a mean overall BMI of 36.5 kg/m2 at baseline. Additionally, mean body weight was 229.5 lb and mean waist circumference was 45.5 in. Mean HbA1c at baseline was 7.4% (57.4 mmol/mol). Metformin was the most commonly taken medication (78.7%), followed by lipid-lowering therapies (58.6%) and SGLT2 inhibitors (34.2%).

By week 76, Wharton and colleagues noted an average sustained weight loss ≤13.1% in the survodutide arm, compared to 3.1% in the placebo arm (

 <.0001). Additionally, ≤79.3% of survodutide recipients achieved a body weight reduction ≥5%, using the efficacy estimand, while the placebo arm only saw 32.7% meet the same endpoint (

 <.0001). Survodutide also led to substantial improvements in blood sugar control, with patients experiencing a reduction of ≤1.21% in HbA1c versus 0.03% in the placebo arm (

Taken in conjunction with data from the prior SYNCHRONIZE-1 trial, Wharton and colleagues determined that, in addition to substantial weight loss and blood sugar control improvements, survodutide has an additional effect on the liver. A muscle-specific analysis of the previous trial demonstrated that treatment caused preferential reductions in metabolically active visceral and liver fat, as opposed to lean mass. Ultimately, the team determined that this secondary effect is what truly positions survodutide as its own unique treatment beyond traditional GLP-1 therapies.

“I feel that this is a molecule that’s going to do weight change, but I also feel that it has a liver health aspect to it. And more and more, we’re going to start to see that, for people with type 2 diabetes, the liver is important,” Wharton said. “I think we’re starting on a path towards really positive health.”

Editors’ Note: Wharton reports disclosures with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, BI, and Bausch Health Canada.

Boehringer Ingelheim. Boehringer Ingelheim’s survodutide achieves up to 13.1% weight loss in new Phase III trial, alongside significant improvements in glycemic control in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. October 1, 2026. Accessed October 1, 2026. 

https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/human-health/crm-health/metabolic-health/survodutide-synchronize-2-phase-3-obesity-type-2-diabetes-results

Boehringer Ingelheim. A Study to Test Whether Survodutide (BI 456906) Helps People Living With Overweight or Obesity Who Also Have Diabetes to Lose Weight (SYNCHRONIZE-2). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06066528. Updated August 6, 2026. Accessed October 1, 2026. 

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06066528

Wharton S, le Roux CW, Bozkurt B, et al. Baseline characteristics in the SYNCHRONIZE™-2 randomized phase 3 trial of survodutide, a glucagon receptor/GLP-1 receptor dual agonist, for obesity in people with type 2 diabetes. 

Videos

Sean Wharton, MD, PharmD, discusses the SYNCHRONIZE-2 data presented at EASD 2026, highlighting the GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist’s potential.

Endocrinology

The HCPLive endocrinology page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on endocrine system conditions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for diabetes, hormonal disease, and more.

This page also hosts content previously published by EndocrinologyNetwork. 


Obesity Management

Obesity Management condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into clinical weight management can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on obesity research, treatment, and drug development.

Type 2 Diabetes

Frances Lee, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of liver diseases at Mount Sinai.

Brian Lee, MD, is a hepatologist and liver transplant specialist with Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Stevan Gonzalez, MD, MS, is the Director of Liver Transplantation at Baylor Scott and White All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. 

 has trended upward, with a sharp increase during the COVID-19 pandemic and disproportionate mortality increases among women, young adults, and American Indian and Alaska Native people.¹

Recent data point to the first decline in US alcohol use since the pandemic

, although drinking remains above 2018 levels and heavy drinking continues to rise among adults aged 50 to 64.² Against that changing backdrop, hepatologists point to important differences in ALD burden by age, sex, race and ethnicity, and coexisting metabolic risk.

 spoke with 3 hepatologists about the changing US burden of alcohol-associated liver disease:


Director of liver transplantation at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas


Assistant professor of medicine of liver diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Program


Hepatologist and liver transplant specialist with Keck Medicine of USC

From 1999 to 2022, the ALD death rate nearly doubled, rising from 6.71 to 12.53 per 100,000, according to a study published in 

.¹ In total, 436,814 ALD deaths were recorded over that period.¹ An important distinction is that during this time, ALD deaths increased faster in women than in men, an average of 4.29% vs 2.50% per year.¹

"There are groups of populations in the US who are disproportionately affected by alcohol-associated liver disease, and that includes women, younger people, and Native Americans," said Stevan Gonzalez, in an 

. "There are groups that we have to be careful about because they have had a significant increase in alcohol-associated liver disease that's more than in the past."

From 2000 to 2023, the age-adjusted death rate from alcohol-related cirrhosis rose 72.2% overall, from 4.3 to 7.4 per 100,000, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).³ In 2024, alcohol-associated cirrhosis was the most common primary diagnosis among adult liver transplant recipients in the US.⁴

"Alcohol-associated liver disease was actually increasing at a gradual pace in the United States, and then in 2020 we just saw this upward shift where a significant increase occurred, and it coincided directly with the COVID-19 pandemic," Gonzalez told 

. "What's concerning is that was in 2020, but that has persisted."

For about a decade before 2020, ALD was already rising:

The age-adjusted alcohol-related cirrhosis death rate rose from 4.3 per 100,000 in 2000 to 6.1 in 2018.³

Among adults aged 25 to 34, the rate more than doubled, from 0.7 to 1.8 per 100,000.³

Liver transplant waitlisting for ALD among adults <40 rose 4-fold from 2003 to 2018.⁵

The increase in ALD predated the pandemic, but the pace accelerated around the pandemic period:

The alcohol-related cirrhosis death rate rose from 6.4 per 100,000 in 2019 to 7.8 in 2020, the largest single-year increase since 2000, and reached 8.7 in 2021.³

The ALD death rate rose 8.94% per year from 2018 to 2022.¹

Among adults aged 25 to 44, ALD mortality increased an average of 4.23% per year from 1999 to 2022.¹

Alcohol-associated hepatitis was also already increasing among younger adults before COVID-19.

"Alcohol-associated hepatitis in young adults was rising well before 2020, and the pandemic accelerated a trend rather than creating one," Brian Lee told HCPLive.

US Alcohol Use Fell for the First Time Since the Pandemic, but Remains Above 2018 Levels

New data from a study led by Brian Lee point to a decline in drinking after 2022, and separate mortality data show alcohol-related cirrhosis deaths have eased since 2021. However, neither measure has returned to its 2018 level.

The study analyzed National Health Interview Survey data from 114,352 US adults from 2018 to 2024:²

From 2022 to 2024, any alcohol use fell nearly 2% and heavy drinking fell >8%, the first confirmed decline since the pandemic.²

Gen Z adults had the largest drop in any alcohol use (>5%), and millennials had the largest drop in heavy drinking (17%).²

Both measures remain above 2018 levels.²

The study defined heavy drinking using NIAAA criteria: ≥15 drinks per week or ≥5 drinks on any day for men, and ≥8 drinks per week or ≥4 drinks on any day for women.²

"The decline occurred largely independent of clear clinical intervention as far as we know," Brian Lee said.

While it’s unclear what’s leading the decline, the drop in drinking isn't the only sign of easing. Mortality data show a similar pattern: after peaking in 2021, alcohol-related cirrhosis death rates fell in both 2022 and 2023:

The age-adjusted alcohol-related cirrhosis death rate fell from 8.7 per 100,000 in 2021 to 7.4 in 2023.³

From 2022 to 2023 alone, the crude alcohol-related cirrhosis death rate fell 7.8%, and total cirrhosis deaths fell by 2,409.³

In 2024, the age-adjusted death rate from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis of all causes fell 2.3%, from 13.0 to 12.7 per 100,000.⁶

"It looks like there's hopefully a decline, looking at the most recent statistics of mortality associated with alcohol-associated liver disease, but that was definitely a trigger," Gonzalez said.

Still, the 2023 alcohol-related cirrhosis death rate remains above its 2018 level of 6.1 per 100,000, and drinking remains above 2018 levels.²˒³

The recent population-level decline also does not mean the burden is changing equally across groups. Sex-specific, metabolic, genetic, and social factors may help explain why ALD risk and outcomes differ across populations.

Women cut heavy drinking more than men from 2022 to 2024 (9% vs 7.7%), but experts say their ALD reflects decades of rising intake and greater biological vulnerability.²

According to Brian Lee, heavy drinking among women remains about 13% above 2018 and is now slightly more prevalent among women than men in the survey, because the heavy drinking thresholds are lower for women.

"The reduction from 2022 to 2024 is real but it's a recent step down from a large step up," he said. "Women develop fibrosis at lower cumulative exposure, they progress faster once it's established, and the increase in women's drinking predated the pandemic by at least a decade. So the liver disease we're seeing in women now reflects fifteen or twenty years of rising intake."

Women's physiology may partly explain these disproportionate impacts.

"We know that women are generally smaller and have decreased total body water and higher body fat percentage, which causes higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood stream compared to men who ingest the same amount of alcohol," Frances Lee told 

Taken together, these differences mean similar levels of alcohol intake may not translate to the same biological exposure or liver risk in women and men, an important consideration when clinicians assess alcohol history and cumulative exposure.

Frances Lee added that the effects of hormone levels and menopausal status on ALD progression remain understudied, a point she discussed in a 

Alcohol-related cirrhosis deaths in women tell a similar story:

From 2000 to 2023, the alcohol-related cirrhosis death rate rose 125% in women vs 51.2% in men.³

Beginning in 2011, nearly a decade before the pandemic, the ALD death rate among women rose 8.32% per year through 2022.¹

The alcohol-related cirrhosis death rate in women peaked at 5.5 per 100,000 in 2021 and fell to 4.8 in 2023, still above 3.7 in 2018.³

Men's alcohol-related cirrhosis death rates remain greater overall: 10.2 vs 4.8 per 100,000 in 2023.³

"Two years of modest decline won't change that trajectory quickly," Brian Lee said.

Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis Hospitalizations in Young Adults Surpassed Older Adults by 2020

ALD-related hospitalizations increased particularly rapidly among young adults from 2016 to 2022, and while younger generations are now drinking less, alcohol-related cirrhosis deaths in this group remain above 2018 levels.

Hospital data from 2016 to 2022 show the shift:

ALD hospitalizations among adults aged 20 to 49 rose from 106.5 to 144.7 per 100,000, or 4.48% per year, vs 1.78% per year among older adults.⁷

By 2020, alcohol-associated hepatitis hospitalization rates were greater in younger adults than in older adults (65.6 vs 61.3 per 100,000).⁷

Older adults still had greater ALD hospitalization rates overall in 2022 (295.0 vs 144.7 per 100,000).⁷

The alcohol-related cirrhosis death rate nearly doubled, from 1.8 per 100,000 in 2018 to 3.4 in 2021, then eased to 3.0 in 2023.³

In 2023, 80.3% of cirrhosis deaths in this age group were alcohol related, the highest share of any age group.³

Among women aged 25 to 34, the rate rose from 2.3 in 2022 to 2.5 in 2023, an exception to the overall decline.³

Frances Lee pointed to metabolic and genetic factors that may help explain the trend. She noted that "with the increasing incidence of diabetes, obesity, and other features of metabolic syndrome, especially in younger patients, the more likely we are to see clinical disease."

Genetics may also play a role. "We are also increasingly aware of the genetic changes that may increase one's risk of developing liver disease, whether that be from 

 polymorphisms or otherwise," Frances Lee said. "Genetic polymorphisms may elucidate why younger patients are developing liver disease, especially with the progression of metabolic disease and alcohol intake."

In a UK Biobank cohort study, participants with obesity and excessive alcohol intake who were homozygous carriers of the 

 I148M variant had a 17.52-fold greater risk of cirrhosis than participants without obesity or excessive drinking who did not carry the variant (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 17.52; 95% CI, 12.84-23.90).⁸

Together, the findings illustrate why younger age alone may not capture liver disease risk. Alcohol exposure may occur alongside metabolic and genetic risk factors, making the broader risk profile relevant even in younger patients.

Still, there may be reason for cautious optimism. Younger adults drove the recent decline in drinking: from 2022 to 2024, any alcohol use among Gen Z adults fell >5%, and heavy drinking among millennials fell 17%.²

"Acute alcohol-associated hepatitis in young adults is hopefully near its peak if their drinking stays down," Brian Lee said.

American Indian and Alaska Native People Face the Highest ALD Death Rates

American Indian and Alaska Native people had the highest ALD mortality rate among the racial and ethnic groups examined in the 

 analysis, increasing from 25.21 to 46.75 deaths per 100,000 from 1999 to 2022.¹

Earlier research found that in 2020, the mean age-adjusted ALD mortality rate among American Indian and Alaska Native people in states with available data was nearly 6 times that of White people (68.5 vs 11.7 per 100,000).⁹ A 2024 review of studies on racial and ethnic disparities in ALD found this group had the highest pooled mortality rate of any racial or ethnic group, but noted that the population remains "understudied with regard to ALD epidemiology and the mechanisms behind the disproportionate mortality."¹⁰

The authors pointed to possible contributors, including genetics, drinking patterns, social determinants of health such as income and access to care, and provider bias and diagnostic delays.¹⁰

These disparities mean alcohol exposure alone cannot explain differences in ALD outcomes. Access to care, timely diagnosis, and other social and clinical factors may also shape which patients develop advanced disease or experience ALD-related mortality.¹⁰

The numbers may undercount ALD, and experts say metabolic disease may be raising the harm associated with alcohol use.

Part of that undercount may come from binge drinking going unrecognized. 

Research Frances Lee presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026

, which analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2017 to 2023 for 5093 participants with steatotic liver disease, found that metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-associated liver disease (MetALD) and ALD carried 2.58-fold and 4.55-fold greater odds of advanced fibrosis, respectively, than metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).¹¹

"Our study shows that many patients categorized as MASLD or metALD were participating in binge alcohol intake between twice a week to twice a month," Frances Lee said. "Physicians may also not be asking about binge alcohol intake, further reducing awareness of the harms of binge drinking."

For clinicians, the findings underscore that metabolic liver disease and clinically relevant alcohol exposure can coexist. Asking about drinking patterns, including episodes of binge drinking rather than average consumption alone, may provide information that is missed when alcohol history is treated as a simple yes-or-no distinction.

Additionally, stigma may make it difficult for patients to open up about their drinking, and it can affect how alcohol-related deaths are counted. NIAAA notes that alcohol may be omitted from some cirrhosis death certificates, including when certifiers seek to protect families, potentially contributing to undercounting of alcohol-related deaths.³ From 2000 to 2023, 43.6% to 54.3% of cirrhosis deaths were coded as alcohol related, depending on the year.³

"We know that the word 'alcoholic' comes with stigma, and in using 'alcohol-associated liver disease' or 'alcohol use disorder,' patients may feel that they are seen for more than just their addiction and open to creating a therapeutic relationship with their healthcare provider," Frances Lee said.

Metabolic factors may also modify alcohol-related liver disease risk. Brian Lee's earlier research examined how alcohol and cardiometabolic risk factors together relate to liver disease.¹²

"The finding in that work was that the per-drink harm to the liver has been rising, and the best explanation is that heavy drinkers now carry obesity, diabetes, and hypertension at rates they didn't twenty years ago," Brian Lee said. "Alcohol and metabolic dysfunction aren't additive in the liver, they're multiplicative."

Heavy Drinking Rises Among Adults 50 to 64

While drinking fell overall, one group moved in the other direction. Heavy drinking among adults aged 50 to 64 rose >36% from 2018 to 2024, and any drinking in that group rose nearly 4%.²

"Heavy drinking among ages 50-64 is up by more than a third since 2018, a concerning trend because this age group faces some of the greatest risks of harm from alcohol, including cirrhosis and alcohol-related cancers," Brian Lee said in a statement.

Will Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Keep Falling? Questions That Remain

Because liver damage builds over years, it may take time before recent changes in drinking show up in liver disease data. Whether the post-2021 decline in alcohol-related cirrhosis mortality continues, and which patients clinicians are most likely to see next, remain open questions.

Part 2 of this series will look at where ALD is headed and what clinicians can do now.

Editor's note: Frances Lee does not report any relevant disclosures. Gonzalez reports relevant disclosures with Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Salix, AbbVie, Gilead, and others. Brian Lee reports consulting for Gilead Sciences, Novo Nordisk, GlaxoSmithKline, Altimmune, Bausch Health, and others.

Pan CW, Abboud Y, Chitnis A, Zhang W, Singal AK, Wong RJ. Alcohol-associated liver disease mortality. 

. 2025;8(6). doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.14857

Ayyala-Somayajula D, Dodge JL, Lee BP. Alcohol use between 2018 and 2024: a national cross-sectional study. 

. Published online September 22, 2026. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-26-01824

Liver Cirrhosis Mortality in the United States: National, State, and Regional Trends, 2000–2023

. Surveillance Report No. 123. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; September 2025. 

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/surveillance-reports/surveillance123

Kwong AJ, Lake JR, Schladt DP, et al. OPTN/SRTR 2024 Annual Data Report: Liver. 

. 2026;26(8S1). doi:10.1016/j.ajt.2026.05.721

Philip G, Hookey L, Richardson H, Flemming JA. Alcohol-associated liver disease is now the most common indication for liver transplant waitlisting among young American adults. 

. 2022;106(10):2000-2005. doi:10.1097/TP.0000000000004202

Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2024. 

. 2026;(548):1-14. doi:10.15620/cdc/174641

Pan CW, Danpanichkul P, Guifarro D, Wang Y, Chitnis AS, Zhang W, et al. Alarming rise in alcohol-associated liver disease hospitalization in young adults. 

. 2025;49(12):2766-2778. doi:10.1111/acer.70199

Kim H, Xiao X, Byun J, et al. Synergistic associations of 

 I148M variant, alcohol intake, and obesity with risk of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and mortality. 

. 2022;5(10). doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.34221

Kulkarni NS, Wadhwa DK, Kanwal F, Chhatwal J. Alcohol-associated liver disease mortality rates by race before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. 

. 2023;4(4). doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.0527

Anouti A, Seif El Dahan K, Rich NE, et al. Racial and ethnic disparities in alcohol-associated liver disease in the United States: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 

. 2024;8(4). doi:10.1097/HC9.0000000000000409

Lee F. Binge drinking and ALD, MetALD fibrosis risk, with Frances Lee, MD. HCPLive. Published September 21, 2026. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/binge-drinking-and-ald-metald-fibrosis-risk-with-frances-lee-md

Lee BP, Molina J, Kim S, et al. Association of alcohol and incremental cardiometabolic risk factors with liver disease: a national cross-sectional study. 

. 2025;23(12):2205-2213. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2025.01.003

Alcohol-associated liver disease mortality has nearly doubled since 1999, with a marked inflection during the COVID-19 pandemic and disproportionate increases among women, younger adults, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations. While national surveys show the first post-pandemic decline in alcohol use and heavy drinking after 2022, consumption and alcohol-related cirrhosis mortality remain above 2018 baselines. Trends vary by subgroup, reflecting sex-specific biology, shifting age patterns, and synergistic effects of metabolic dysfunction and genetic susceptibility. Under-recognition of binge drinking and stigma likely contribute to underestimation.

As drinking declines, Stevan Gonzalez, MD, Frances Lee, MD, and Brian Lee, MD, on the lingering burden of alcohol-associated liver disease.

Hepatology

MASH / MASLD

The HCPLive MASH & MASLD page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and steatohepatitis. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for fatty liver disease, steatohepatitis, and more.

Strategic Alliance Partnership

After Decades of Damage and a Pandemic Spike, Where Does Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Stand?

Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team in 2022 and is currently an associate editor for 

. He is also the executive producer of two podcasts: 

. Previously, he was the producer of the Lungcast podcast. He graduated from UC Berkeley and worked in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. You can contact him at tsmith@mjhlifesciences.com.

European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress

 2026 in Vienna, Austria, brought a broad mix of dermatology news spanning vitiligo, hidradenitis suppurativa, atopic dermatitis, palmoplantar pustulosis, and the dermatologic effects of a widely prescribed drug class.

Highlights included 76-week phase 3 data for a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor in vitiligo, 3-year extension data for an IL-17A/F inhibitor in HS, positive phase 2 findings for a trispecific antibody in atopic dermatitis, and a feasibility readout for JAK inhibition in palmoplantar pustulosis. Expert insights on HS in skin of color and a controlled study linking GLP-1 receptor agonists to nail changes rounded out the day.

Check out our rundown of the top 6 headlines from day 2:

Day 2 in Vienna spotlighted late-stage and emerging dermatology therapeutics alongside practice-relevant safety and diagnostic insights. Upadacitinib showed continued vitiligo facial repigmentation through 76 weeks, with an NB-UVB substudy suggesting augmented responses. In hidradenitis suppurativa, extended bimekizumab data supported sustained efficacy and reinforced potential advantages of earlier intervention, complemented by guidance on recognizing inflammation in skin of color. A trispecific IL-4/IL-13/TSLP antibody achieved phase 2 EASI-75 across doses in atopic dermatitis. Additional signals included GLP-1–associated nail detachment and feasibility of JAK inhibition in palmoplantar pustulosis.

Check out highlights from news published on Day 2 of the EADV Congress 2026, spanning vitiligo, HS, atopic dermatitis, and more.

Latest News

4 Allergy Headlines You Missed in September 2026

SYNCHRONIZE-2: Survodutide Outperforms Placebo in Weight Loss, Blood Sugar Control

After Decades of Damage and a Pandemic Spike, Where Does Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Stand?

EADV Congress 2026: Day 2 Recap—6 Headlines to Know

FDA Approval of Mavacamten for Adolescents Addresses Massive Unmet Need