March 5 (Reuters) - A weekly injection of semaglutide

was safe and reduced the amount of fat in the liver by 31% in

people with HIV and a type of liver disease, a study funded by

the National Institutes of Health showed on Tuesday.

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's

popular weightloss drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment

Ozempic.

This is the first clinical trial of semaglutide for the type

of liver disease in people with HIV.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

(MASLD), previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,

is characterized by the accumulation of excess fat in the liver

that is not caused by alcohol consumption or viral hepatitis.