Virta Health has reported improved outcomes from its Phase II randomised controlled trial (RCT), which examined the impact of its medically supervised nutrition therapy in patients with stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Conducted with partners such as Mayo Clinic, HonorHealth Research Institute, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, the study found that the therapy extended survival in comparison to chemotherapy.
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It enrolled patients who received a triplet chemotherapy regimen of nab-paclitaxel, cisplatin, and gemcitabine. Participants were assigned to either Virta’s nutrition therapy or a standard diet group.
The group receiving nutrition therapy lived 34% longer than those in the control group, averaging 13.7 months versus 10.2 months. Progression-free survival improved by 37%, with an average of 8.5 months compared to 6.2 months in the control group.
The study met its objective by showing feasibility and demonstrating a trend towards improved progression-free survival without additional toxicity or reduction in quality of life for those on nutrition therapy.
Researchers noted that these results suggest nutritional intervention could offer benefits beyond traditional drug development in this area.
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By GlobalDataThe programme provided by Virta includes tailored nutrition plans, biomarker tracking, AI tools, personalised coaching, and ongoing medical supervision.
This contrasts with standard weight loss apps by focusing on reversing metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity through evidence-based nutritional strategies.
Virta CEO Sami Inkinen said: “This is not a lucky signal. After more than a decade reversing T2D, obesity, and their related co-morbidities, we know nutrition is the key to addressing metabolic disease and the many conditions it drives.
“This study offers our first indication that the Virta platform may improve outcomes in even the deadliest conditions, and will guide us as we further build our pipeline of programmes and research.”
