Why Pharmacists Are MASLD's Unsung Heroes

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Susan Cornell, PharmD, CDE, FAPhA, FAADE, associate director of experiential education and an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy, discussed insights from her presentation at the 2026 Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists Annual Meeting in Columbus, Ohio. The presentation, titled “Optimizing MASLD Treatment: The Power of Medications Plus Lifestyle Strategies,” highlighted how pharmacists can integrate lifestyle counseling with pharmacotherapy and where they fit within the interdisciplinary team caring for patients with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Drawing from the presentation, Cornell emphasized that pharmacists and dietitians working together can make a meaningful difference and that a pharmacist who isn't comfortable counseling on lifestyle can keep a dietitian on a referral list rather than shoulder that work alone.

Her central message was that medications are added to lifestyle, not a replacement for it. Patients who expect semaglutide (Wegovy; Novo Nordisk), another glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, or a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/GLP-1 receptor agonist to melt pounds away without changing habits are mistaken, she said; healthy eating, physical activity, quality sleep, stress reduction, and smoking cessation all still matter. Cornell encouraged simple, incremental steps: reading food labels and cutting back on ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages, noting that even reducing daily soda intake can begin to help the liver.

On the pharmacist's role, Cornell framed pharmacists as the accessible drug information experts. She urged them not to assume patients know how to take medications correctly and to counsel on proper storage (unopened injectable pens belong in the fridge; oral GLP-1s must stay in original packaging rather than a pillbox), injection or administration technique, and what side effects and results to expect. Proper counseling can ensure patients don't stop therapy at the first sign of nausea or a weight-loss plateau. When needs exceed a pharmacist's scope, she advised referring to dietitians or weight-management clinics. Cornell closed by urging pharmacists to recognize their value: even a minute of counseling can improve a patient's quality of life.