Liver Health Policy Updates

Rapid advancements to policy and committees welcomed in the new year. One of the most highlighted actions was the advancement of the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf as the incoming commissioner of the FDA to the full U.S. Senate. GLI and the patient advocacy community depend upon a reliable regulator that understands the importance of patient representation, and inclusion throughout the drug development process. We support the eventual selection of a new FDA commissioner that shares these values. With this in mind, GLI and GLI’s Liver Action Network (LAN) submitted a letter of support to U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Richard Burr, the Chair and Ranking Member on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in support of Dr. Califf’s nomination. His extensive experience collaborating with patients equips him with the knowledge and tools to address the diverse influencing factors that can impact liver disease such as obesity, COVID-19, and substance use disorders.

In the past, efforts in liver advocacy were siloed by individual liver disease lessening their impact and limiting their effectiveness at shaping national health policy. In 2021 thanks to the efforts of Global Liver Institute (GLI), GLI’s newly created Liver Action Network (LAN), and collaboration throughout the liver advocacy community, we finally saw the value of synchronized engagement in liver health policy. The theme for 2021 really was collaboration, and how collaboration can lead to a shifting of the conversation on liver health. As the year comes to a close, we thought it would be worthwhile to highlight the variety of collaborative liver advocacy actions that occurred throughout the year.

The liver advocacy community — with the GLI Liver Action Network leading the way — has elevated patient voices through a variety of initiatives throughout September and October. Here are some advocacy highlights that have occurred over the past month: