SAN FRANCISCO – Surprising no one, progression to cirrhosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhosis in the U.S. is associated with increased health care resource utilization (HCRU) and costs, a Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.-sponsored study has found. The analysis could provide critical ammunition for drug developers such as BMS seeking to deploy economic arguments for the role of pharmaceutical intervention in reducing the condition's contribution to the upward march of health care costs.