In a monumental moment for combatting Fatty Liver disease, NICE has published the much anticipated evidence-based recommendations on FibroScan for assessing liver fibrosis and cirrhosis outside secondary and specialist care. Such a positive announcement comes at no better time than during the Surfing NASH coverage of International #NASHDay 2023 .
This conversation features hepatology researcher and KOL, William Alazawi, and new guest Vanessa Hebditch who serves as Director of Communications and Policy at the British Liver Trust. The panelists, alongside Louise Campbell and Roger Green, celebrate and comment on the new guidance on FibroScan use in the UK. Roger begins by providing a brief background on the Surfing NASH coverage of the NICE-FibroScan question. Vanessa is invited to share the work that her organization has done on this issue. She starts by describing the obligation that NICE has to take feedback from multiple stakeholders. She details a 16-month history of the discussion around this issue and the British Liver Trust’s role in it. In the process, Vanessa elaborates on the value of anecdotes and patient-centered data in persuading NICE committees to think more expansively about the value of FibroScan and facilitating an alliance of professional societies in support of this campaign. Louise notes how revisions in data and models coupled with new perspectives led to a change in the NICE vision over time and produced this result. Will discusses the value of FibroScan and preventive hepatology, asserting that the level and nature of necessary data to prove the value of this intervention does not yet exist. He says that at the same time advocates promote use, these same stakeholders should “put our feet to the fire to produce evidence that will support the activity.” Louise agrees and notes that the protocols will require those doing the scans to be trained and then assessed to assure quality. Finally, she agrees with Will that the stakeholders need to collect data from all locations to assure quality and that no such process exists today. Roger points out that previously on the podcast, Jeff Lazarus reported back in 2021 that the UK scored higher than any other country in its preparation for the NASH pandemic. Although it scored only 50 points on a 100-point scale, the joint NICE Guidance and NHS Funding initiative have the potential to boost that score significantly and start to build a demonstration model for other countries. Done right, it’s an exciting, albeit challenging prospect.
If you have questions or interest around NICE and FibroScan use, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at questions@SurfingNASH.com.
Stay Safe and Surf On!