MetaVia’s dual oxyntomodulin (OXM) analogue agonist has met the endpoints in a Phase Ib trial evaluating the drug for weight loss
In the eight-week study (NCT06252220), DA-1726 was linked to robust weight loss and statistically significant reductions in waist circumference, strong improvements in glucose control, and meaningful reductions in liver stiffness.
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Patients from the non-titrated 48 mg, multiple ascending dose (MAD) cohort saw statistically significant average weight reduction of 6.1%, equating to an average of 14.6lbs, and a decrease in waist circumference of 5.8 cm after 26 days.
The improvement strengthened after 54 days of treatment, with the average weight loss reaching 9.1%, or 21.2 lbs, and a 9.8 cm reduction in waist circumference.
As well as this, there was a 12.3 mg/dL improvement in fasted glucose by day 54 and a 23.7% reduction in liver stiffness at the same time point.
In the same cohort, patients experienced no treatment-related discontinuations, and gastrointestinal events were mild to moderate in severity.
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By GlobalDataDA-1726 is a dual OXM analogue agonist that functions as a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1RA) and glucagon receptor (GCGR), for the treatment of obesity.
Hyung Heon Kim, president and CEO of MetaVia, said: “We believe the statistically significant waist reductions reflect the glucagon component of DA-1726, which may contribute to deeper visceral fat loss than GLP-1RAs alone. Combined with a favourable tolerability profile with no treatment-related discontinuations, these results highlight DA-1726’s differentiated potential to be a best-in-class treatment option.”
MetaVia has planned 16-week titration studies, including a 48mg single-step titration and a 64mg two-step regimen.
This comes at a fast-moving time for the obesity sector. Just before the end of 2025, Novo Nordisk gained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its oral GLP-1RA, oral Wegovy (semaglutide), which was launched on 5 January 2026.
Eli Lilly, another giant in the obesity space, is hoping to gain approval of its own oral GLP-1RA therapy orforglipron, after submitting for approval of the drug to the FDA in late 2025.
GlobalData, parent company of Clinical Trials Arena, predicts the obesity market across the seven major markets (7MM: US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan) to reach $173.5bn in 2031.
Key opinion leaders expect weight loss drugs to continue being a major industry trend going into 2026, especially in North America, according to GlobalData’s State of the Biopharmaceutical Industry 2026 Edition.
