- Published 2026.11.06 00:01
US phase 1 interim results show 13.5% weight loss
Full data due in Q1 2027, phase 2 to follow
MetaVia, the US subsidiary of Dong-A ST, has demonstrated that its investigational drug candidate for obesity and metabolic liver disease reduced liver fat and body weight simultaneously in a phase 1 trial. The results provide a foundation to expand development beyond obesity into liver diseases with high unmet medical need, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and alcohol-related liver disease (MetALD).
On Nov. 5 (local time), MetaVia presented interim data from part 3B of the phase 1 trial of DA-1726 at the Precision Liver Symposium in Denver, Colorado. In healthy obese adults dosed once weekly for 16 weeks, liver fat decreased by 68% and body weight by 13.5% compared with placebo.
In a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) substudy, 10 of 12 treated participants (83%) achieved at least a 30% reduction in liver fat. All five patients with baseline liver fat of 5% or higher fell below the 5% threshold, entering the normal range after treatment.
The study also confirmed improvements in body composition. According to MetaVia, the DA-1726 group reduced visceral fat and abdominal subcutaneous fat by 22% and 19%, respectively, versus placebo, while thigh muscle loss was limited to 9%, indicating relative muscle preservation.
Among participants without diabetes, mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) fell from 5.79% to 5.33%. On safety, no new gastrointestinal adverse events were reported after week 9, and there were no discontinuations due to adverse events.
DA-1726 is a dual agonist that acts on both the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor and the glucagon receptor. Boehringer Ingelheim is developing survodutide, a similar mechanism, for obesity and liver disease in phase 3 trials. Survodutide achieved a mean liver fat reduction of 58.7% after 48 weeks in a phase 2 trial.
MetaVia holds global rights to DA-1726, transferred from Dong-A ST, and is leading clinical development. The company plans to release full data from parts 3A and 3B of the phase 1 trial in the first quarter of 2027 and to enter a phase 2 trial of up to 150 patients in the second half of the same year.
Kim Hyung-hun, CEO of MetaVia, said at the event, "A 68% reduction in liver fat versus placebo in about 16 weeks provides strong clinical evidence to expand DA-1726 into liver disease."
※ This article is an AI translation of the Korean original published by Korea Credit News; it was checked by automated quality guards and published by the English edition desk.
