MetaVia Drug Cuts Liver Fat, Body Weight
A phase 1 trial of DA-1726 showed reductions in liver fat and body weight in adults with obesity.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Weight Loss
MetaVia reported that its experimental once-weekly drug DA-1726 reduced liver fat and body weight in a phase 1 trial of 15 otherwise healthy adults with obesity. The company plans to advance the drug into a phase 2 trial in alcohol-associated liver disease in 2027.
Why it matters
The results provide a rationale for testing DA-1726 beyond obesity, in liver disease where effective treatment options remain limited. Liver fat reduction and weight loss together could make the drug relevant to patients facing both conditions.
In a phase 1 study of 15 adults with obesity, DA-1726 produced a 68% placebo-adjusted reduction in liver fat and 13.5% placebo-adjusted body weight loss over 16 weeks. No participant discontinued because of a gastrointestinal adverse event, but the sample was small and the study remains early-stage.
The players
MetaVia
MetaVia is a biopharmaceutical company developing DA-1726 as a treatment candidate for obesity and related liver conditions.
Altimmune
Altimmune is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing pemvidutide, a competing candidate in alcohol-associated liver disease.
The details
DA-1726 is a GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist given once weekly. Data came from part of a phase 1 study, and all five patients with liver steatosis showed improvements.
Timeline
16 weeks: once-weekly dosing period in the phase 1 trial
Second half of 2027: MetaVia aims to begin a 48-week, non-biopsy phase 2 study in up to 150 subjects with alcohol-associated liver disease
Second half of 2027: Altimmune expects top-line data on pemvidutide in alcohol-associated liver disease
Big Picture
DA-1726 extends the GLP-1 receptor agonist class, which includes semaglutide, by adding glucagon receptor activity aimed at liver fat rather than weight loss alone. Its liver-focused development path reflects a wider push to treat metabolic liver disease with drugs built on incretin pathways.
For people with obesity or fatty liver, DA-1726 is still investigational and not available outside clinical trials. Any eventual treatment would depend on larger studies confirming safety, dosing and benefit before reaching clinics or pharmacies.
The takeaway
Early trial signals on liver fat and weight are encouraging, but patients should await larger trials before expecting any new options. Watching phase 2 results in liver disease will show whether these effects hold.
What happens next
MetaVia aims to begin a 48-week phase 2 study of DA-1726 in alcohol-associated liver disease in the second half of 2027, while Altimmune expects top-line pemvidutide data in the same period.
Further reading
Explore more in Weight Loss coverage on new treatments and trial results.
