MetaVia has shared an update on its attempt to crash the obesity party, reporting average weight loss of 9.1% in people who received its dual agonist of GLP-1 and glucagon in a phase 1 trial.
The study enrolled adults with obesity who were otherwise healthy to take single and multiple ascending doses of DA-1726, an investigational once-weekly subcutaneous therapy. Nine participants in each cohort were randomized to receive four weekly administrations of DA-1726 or placebo. MetaVia’s latest results come from an extended dosing cohort that received a non-titrated 48-mg dose for eight weeks.
By Day 54, average weight loss on DA-1726 was 9.1%, up from 6.1% on Day 26. MetaVia also reported deepening reductions in waist circumference, which went from 5.8 cm on Day 26 to 9.8 cm on Day 54. The biotech, which is developing DA-1726 in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and obesity, reported a 23.7% reduction in liver stiffness, as measured by a noninvasive ultrasound technique.
DA-1726 is up against more advanced candidates with similar mechanisms of action. Having recently posted midphase data, Altimmune plans to take its GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist pemvidutide into a phase 3 MASH trial. Eli Lilly shared phase 3 data on its triple agonist of GLP-1, glucagon and GIP—dubbed retatrutide—in obesity in November.
MetaVia, which was previously named NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals, sees the balance between GLP-1 and glucagon agonism as a point of difference between the programs. At an H.C. Wainwright investor event in September, MetaVia CEO Hyung Heon Kim made the case that DA-1726’s three-to-one ratio has the best chance of success. Pemvidutide has a one-to-one potency ratio.
Because glucagon agonists raise glucose, MetaVia believes its unbalanced three-to-one ratio is needed to support treatment of people who have diabetes. The biotech saw a 12.3 mg/dL improvement in fasted glucose from a baseline of 105.3 mg/dL by Day 54.
No patients had treatment-related discontinuations, and gastrointestinal events were mild to moderate in severity. The safety and tolerability data led MetaVia to outline plans to run 16-week studies that titrate to 48 mg in a single step and go up to 64 mg using a two-step regimen.
MetaVia sees speedy titration as a potential competitive advantage. At Fierce Biotech Week in October, Kim told Fierce that key opinion leaders see no titration as a “dream” for GLP-1s. Yet even regimens such as the two steps to the 64-mg DA-1726 dose could still prove attractive.
“Semaglutide, tirzepatide, they’re five steps, meaning it takes six months to go to the optimum dose,” Kim said. “If no titration is a dream, then lesser step titration would be something realistic to achieve.”
Investors still need convincing. Shares in MetaVia, which has a $20 million market cap, opened slightly down in the hours after the phase 1 data drop. The biotech ended September with $14.3 million in cash, a sum it said would fund operations into 2026.
MetaVia is open to partnering its programs. Kim said he isn’t sure other companies will be interested in both of MetaVia’s programs, leading him to favor licensing deals for the individual candidates to ensure the assets are priorities for their new owners.