Drug-induced liver injury in 2007

To summarize the pertinent literature on the causes, epidemiology, prevalence, clinical features, evaluation and mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury reported during 2007.

Although the frequency of drug-induced liver injury remains low, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm that of the approximately 1600 new acute liver failure cases annually, acetaminophen hepatotoxicity accounts for 41%; among children with acute liver failure, acetaminophen was the second most common cause. Antimicrobials lead the list of non-acetaminophen causes of drug-induced liver injury. In Asia, herbal compounds are the most common causes of the condition. Pravastatin was shown to be safe in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or chronic hepatitis C. The US Food and Drug Administration issued a draft guidance document on the premarketing clinical evaluation and stopping rules of drug-induced liver injury signals, including Hy's Law cases in clinical trials.

The year 2007 brought with it several reminders of the importance of drug-induced liver injury in the clinical trial as well as the clinical practice setting. There is additional evidence that statin drugs may be used safely in patients with chronic liver disease. Comments received by the US Food and Drug Administration to finalize their guidance document are eagerly awaited.