Liraglutide Efficacy and Action in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Inclusion Criteria: * NASH on liver biopsy (within 6 months of screening visit). * NAFLD Activity Score (NAS) ≥ 3, comprising of a minimum of 1 point from each of the individual steatosis, lobular inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning scores * Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 25 at randomisation * Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus/impaired glucose tolerance or normal glucose tolerance Exclusion Criteria (brief): * Insulin dependent diabetes * Glycosylated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) \> 9.0% * treatment with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-IV) inhibitors, Glucagon-like Peptides (GLP) 1 analogues, thiazolidinediones (TZDs) * Past Medical History of Acute (or chronic) pancreatitis/pancreatic carcinoma, weight loss surgery, liver transplantation, Medullary thyroid cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN) syndrome, malignancy (within last 3 years, exception of treated skin malignancy) * Other liver aetiologies (i.e. drug-induced, viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, haemochromatosis, alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency, Wilsons disease) * concomitant or recent use of orlistat, prednisolone, * Refusal or lacks capacity to give informed consent to participate in the trial * Participation in any clinical trial of an investigational therapy or agent within 3 months of randomisation * Patient (or carer) deemed not competent at using the correct site and technique for subcutaneous injection of the trial treatment (containing dummy drug on practice) at visit 2 * NAS\<3 * Child's B or C cirrhosis * Abnormal clinical examination of thyroid (i.e. unexplained goitre or palpable nodules) * Liver enzymes \> 10 x upper limit of normal * Average alcohol consumption per week \> 21 units (210g) male, \>14 units (140g) female within the last 5 years. * \>5% weight loss since the diagnostic liver biopsy was obtained. * Recent or concomitant use of steroids (oral), methotrexate, amiodarone, Orlistat * Addition or significant change (as judged by the chief investigator) in dose of the following drugs; Angiotensin converting enzymes (ACE)-inhibitors, Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and/or Multi-vitamins (containing Vitamin E) * Known positivity for antibody to Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) * Serum creatinine \> 150 μmol/L or currently being treated with renal replacement therapy * Past medical history of multiple drug allergies (defined as anaphylactoid drug reactions in \>2 drug groups) * Presence of any acute/chronic infections or illness that at the discretion of the chief investigator might compromise the patient's health and safety in the trial * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Women, of child-bearing age, who are not willing to practise effective contraception (i.e. barrier, oral contraceptive pill, implanon or history hysterectomy) for the 48 week duration of the trial and for one-month after the last administration of the drug. * Men, sexually active with women of child-bearing age, who are not willing to practise effective contraception for the 48 week duration of the trial and for one-month after the last administration of the drug.