A drug that reverses severe liver damage could be used to treat disease in heavy drinkers who find it impossible to give up alcohol. Scientists developed the drug after discovering a way to prevent the formation of excessive scar tissue caused by cirrhosis, hepatitis and other medical conditions.

To their surprise the drug not only slowed progression of the disease but also reversed damage to the organ.

The drug could have a profound impact on public health if it is proven to work in wider clinical trials. In Britain, the rise in binge drinking has led to soaring rates of liver disease since the 1960s, with doctors warning cirrhosis is commonplace among men and women in their 20s and 30s. Liver disease kills nearly 800,000 annually.

The liver is usually one of the body's most resilient organs and is the only one capable of regenerating after damage or injury. But excessive alcohol intake, hepatitis and damage from burns triggers the growth of fibrous scar tissue inside the liver which spreads and eventually destroys its ability to carry out crucial tasks such as combating infection and breaking down toxins.

Researchers led by Dr Martina Buck at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, found that damage to the liver, such as cirrhosis from heavy drinking, caused a specific group of cells known as hepatic stellate cells to go into overdrive and churn out large amounts of collagen, a tough connective tissue. At normal levels collagen helps to heal wounds, but too much causes scarring.