AIDS 2014The injectable drug Egrifta (tesamorelin) led to modest drops in abdominal and liver fat levels in a preliminary study of people with HIV, MedPage Today reports. Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized trial of 50 people who received either Egrifta (28 participants) or placebo (22 participants) for six months during 2013. They published their findings in The Journal of the American Medical Association and also presented them at the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) in Melbourne, Australia.

Those taking Egrifta lowered their visceral adipose tissue by 34 square centimeters, compared with a 9 square cm drop among those taking the placebo. Lipid to water percentage, which is an indicator of liver fat, experienced a 2 percent median change in those taking the study drug, compared with a 0.9 percent median increase in the placebo group. Liver enzyme tests for indications of liver inflammation were lower among those taking Egrifta.

To read the MedPage Today story, click here.

To read the study abstract, click here.