Reply to ‘An expert panel Consensus Statement on ALD without experts by experience’

We thank Avades and colleagues for the opportunity to expand on our expert panel consensus statement (Lee, B. P. et al. Designing clinical trials to address alcohol use and alcohol-associated liver disease: an expert panel Consensus Statement. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 21, 626–645 (2024))¹ to highlight the important role of persons with lived experience of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and/or alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), their caregivers and their advocates in clinical trials (Avades, T. et al. An expert panel Consensus Statement on ALD without experts by experience. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-024-00994-1 (2024))². Including these voices is critical to guide the design of clinical trials, recruitment and retention efforts, and, most importantly, the implementation of findings for the individuals most affected by these diseases.