Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, November 5, 2026
MetaVia Inc. has announced promising interim clinical results demonstrating a statistically significant 68% placebo-adjusted reduction in liver fat following treatment with its investigational drug candidate DA-1726. The findings were obtained from Part 3B of the company’s Phase 1 clinical trial and highlight the potential of DA-1726 as a future treatment for liver-related cardiometabolic diseases. The investigational therapy also demonstrated a 13.5% placebo-adjusted reduction in body weight and improvements in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), an important marker of blood glucose regulation. The results were announced on November 5, 2026, following an oral presentation at the Precision Liver Symposium held on November 4, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. DA-1726 is a novel oxyntomodulin (OXM) analog designed to activate both glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucagon receptors. These findings provide an encouraging clinical foundation for investigating the therapy in metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-associated liver disease (MetALD) and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), conditions associated with significant unmet medical needs.
DA-1726 Demonstrates Significant Reduction in Liver Fat
The Phase 1 Part 3B study evaluated DA-1726 in a randomized, placebo-controlled design over 16 weeks in otherwise healthy adults with obesity. The interim analysis included 15 participants receiving DA-1726 and four receiving placebo, while the MRI-based liver fat substudy included 12 treated participants and four placebo participants. At Day 109, approximately 16 weeks after treatment initiation, DA-1726 achieved a 68% placebo-adjusted reduction in liver fat, measured using magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF). The result was statistically significant, with a p-value below 0.001. Furthermore, 10 of 12 participants (83%) receiving DA-1726 achieved at least a 30% relative reduction in liver fat, compared with none of the placebo participants. Particularly encouraging findings were observed among the five treated participants who had liver steatosis at baseline, defined as MRI-PDFF of at least 5%. All five achieved MRI-PDFF levels below 5% by Day 109. Their mean liver fat measurement declined from 8.3% to 3.0%. These findings suggest that DA-1726 may have the potential to influence liver fat accumulation alongside improvements in other metabolic parameters. However, the results remain preliminary and require confirmation in larger and longer-duration clinical studies.
Weight Loss and Metabolic Improvements Strengthen Clinical Findings
In addition to liver fat reduction, DA-1726 demonstrated meaningful improvements in body weight and metabolic health indicators. Participants receiving the investigational therapy experienced a 13.5% placebo-adjusted reduction in body weight after 16 weeks, compared with placebo. In the DA-1726 treatment group, mean body weight decreased by approximately 12.19 kilograms, equivalent to 11.9% of baseline body weight. The therapy also demonstrated improvements in HbA1c among participants who did not have diabetes at the beginning of the study. Mean HbA1c levels declined from 5.79% at baseline to 5.33% at Day 109, representing a 0.24 percentage-point placebo-adjusted reduction. The study also reported a 9.1% placebo-adjusted reduction in waist circumference. MRI-based body composition assessments demonstrated reductions in visceral adipose tissue, abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue and total adipose tissue. Importantly, the company reported relative preservation of lean tissue and muscle volume compared with the reductions observed in fat compartments. Regarding safety and tolerability, gastrointestinal adverse events were reported in nine of the 15 DA-1726-treated participants, with most events classified as mild to moderate. Vomiting was the most frequently reported gastrointestinal event. One serious adverse event involving severe vomiting was considered possibly related to treatment, and the participant recovered. No new gastrointestinal adverse events were reported after Week 9 through Day 109, and no gastrointestinal adverse events resulted in study discontinuation.
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MetaVia Plans Phase 2 Development for Liver Diseases
Based on the encouraging Phase 1 findings, MetaVia plans to advance DA-1726 into further clinical development targeting MetALD and ALD. The investigational candidate is a dual GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist designed for once-weekly subcutaneous administration. Its mechanism combines GLP-1 receptor activation, which supports appetite regulation and glucose control, with glucagon receptor activation, which contributes to energy expenditure and fat metabolism. The company is planning a 48-week, non-biopsy Phase 2 clinical study involving up to 150 participants, with initiation targeted for the second half of 2027. MetaVia also expects to announce complete results from Phase 1 Parts 3A and 3B in the first quarter of 2027. The company estimates that approximately 10.7 million adults in the United States have MetALD, highlighting the potential patient population for new therapeutic approaches. MetaVia is also advancing another investigational candidate, vanoglipel (DA-1241), in combination with resmetirom for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with a Phase 2a proof-of-concept study targeted for the first half of 2027. Overall, MetaVia’s DA-1726 interim clinical results represent an encouraging development in investigational treatments for liver-related cardiometabolic diseases. The combination of liver fat reduction, weight loss and improvements in metabolic markers provides a rationale for continued clinical evaluation. Future Phase 2 studies will be important in determining whether these early findings translate into meaningful and sustained clinical benefits for patients with MetALD and ALD.
Source: MetaVia Inc. press release
