WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

100 million people have NAFLD and don't know it

20 million people have NASH and don't know it

5 million people have cirrhosis and don't know it

• A tsunami of disease is building in society and being exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic
• Most people have no knowledge of NASH and doctors rarely warn patients of risk or attempt diagnosis absent symptoms
• There are no treatments and not enough patients to fill clinical trials necessary for approval

THE SOLUTION

Mobilize a public-private partnership

• Supporting broad outreach through patient advocates
• Mobilizing local community peer-to-peer groups
• Increasing uptake of preventive screening practices

THE PAYOFF 

Healthier, smarter patients, better care, reduced cost, improved participant pool

• Saving lives through continued education & monitoring
• Encouraging participation via robust clinical trial support
• Improving collaboration instead of stifling competition

With recent advancements in the diagnostics and potential treatments for NAFLD, screening and testing are now the critical nexus between identification of disease and effective intervention. To meet this need, the NAFLD Screening Fund’s primary objective is to scale-up evidence-based screening and testing for NAFLD. Funded activities would boost the screening practices needed to identify asymptomatic disease and staging of NAFLD/NASH patients.

The expansion of screening and staging of fatty liver disease is a model of community outreach that has been proven by FLF in medical and non-medical settings. The Fund’s impact will be expanded education and awareness of NAFLD, achieved through screening, which has been shown to empower individuals’ ownership and participation in their health and healthcare. Through multiple site collaborations, new screening technologies, improved data management systems, and more trained personnel, the Fund will be leveraged to rapidly scale up community screening efforts. The NAFLD Screening fund will be the catalyst for greater patient engagement in research and development, including treatment preparedness as new therapies become available. It is a mechanism through which many streams of financial support, both public and private, can be coordinated and focused on this rapidly growing health threat.