MetaVia Announces Statistically Significant Reduction in Uric Acid Levels with DA-1726 in Phase 1 Part 3B Clinical Trial

MetaVia posts strong Phase 1 liver and metabolic data, but value inflection is years away.

What the company is saying

MetaVia Inc. is highlighting statistically significant efficacy data from Part 3B of its Phase 1 trial for DA-1726, an oxyntomodulin analog targeting GLP-1 and glucagon receptors. The company emphasizes a 1.47 mg/dL placebo-adjusted reduction in serum uric acid after 16 weeks, achieved despite normal baseline uric acid levels, and frames this as a meaningful metabolic benefit for liver disease indications. Management, led by President and CEO Hyung Heon Kim, stresses the normalization of liver fat in all steatosis patients at baseline, a 68.1% placebo-adjusted reduction in liver fat, 13.5% placebo-adjusted weight loss, and improvements in HbA1c. The announcement asserts that these results support the dual GLP-1/glucagon mechanism and justify advancing DA-1726 into Phase 2 studies for MetALD and ALD. The company also references its pipeline, including vanoglipel (DA-1241) for MASH, and sets expectations for full Part 3A/3B data in Q1 2027 and a 48-week Phase 2 trial launch in the second half of 2027. The tone is confident, with repeated references to statistical significance and the breadth of metabolic effects.

What the data suggests

The interim analysis included 15 DA-1726-treated and 4 placebo participants, with DA-1726 recipients showing a 1.02 mg/dL drop in serum uric acid from a baseline of 5.89 mg/dL, while placebo saw a 0.45 mg/dL increase from 4.80 mg/dL, resulting in a statistically significant 1.47 mg/dL placebo-adjusted reduction (p<0.001, 95% CI: −2.0 to −0.9). All five DA-1726-treated subjects with baseline steatosis normalized liver fat (MRI-PDFF <5%) by Day 109. Previously reported data from the same cohort showed a 68.1% placebo-adjusted reduction in liver fat, 13.5% placebo-adjusted weight loss, and a 0.44 percentage-point reduction in HbA1c (p=0.006), with a 0.24 percentage-point placebo-adjusted reduction in HbA1c at Day 109. The trial design involved titration from 16 mg to 64 mg weekly over 16 weeks. The sample size is small, especially for the steatosis subgroup, limiting generalizability. No financial, cash, or operational cost data are disclosed. The clinical results are robust for a Phase 1 study but remain early-stage, and the next clinical milestone is full data in Q1 2027, with Phase 2 not starting before the second half of 2027.

Analysis

The announcement presents statistically significant interim Phase 1 clinical data for DA-1726, with clear numerical results for uric acid, liver fat, weight loss, and HbA1c. These realised results are credible and well-supported, but the sample size is small (15 treated, 4 placebo), and the trial population is limited to otherwise healthy adults with obesity. The tone is positive and forward-looking, with emphasis on future milestones: a Phase 2 trial is only planned to start in the second half of 2027, and another program (vanoglipel) is also only targeting Phase 2a in 2027. Thus, while the clinical data are promising, all material value inflection points are long-dated, and there is no disclosure of revenue, profit, or cash metrics. The narrative is somewhat inflated by highlighting future plans and the normalization of liver fat in all steatosis patients, but these are based on very small numbers. No large capital outlay is disclosed at this stage, so capital intensity is not flagged.

Risk flags

• ●The clinical data are based on a small sample size—15 treated and 4 placebo participants overall, and only five with liver steatosis at baseline—raising concerns about statistical power and generalizability to broader populations.
• ●All forward-looking milestones, including full Phase 1 data and the start of Phase 2, are at least several months to over a year away, increasing the risk of delays and diminishing the immediacy of any value inflection.
• ●No financial, cash runway, or partnership funding information is disclosed, leaving investors unable to assess MetaVia's ability to finance long, capital-intensive clinical development.
• ●The company is advancing multiple programs (DA-1726 and vanoglipel) in parallel, which may strain resources and focus, especially given the absence of disclosed financial or operational support.

Bottom line

MetaVia's Phase 1 Part 3B data for DA-1726 show strong placebo-adjusted reductions in liver fat (68.1%), body weight (13.5%), and uric acid (1.47 mg/dL), with normalization of liver fat in all steatosis patients at baseline. These results are statistically robust for a Phase 1 study, but the total number of participants is small, and the most striking subgroup result is based on just five individuals. No financial or operational metrics are provided, so investors cannot gauge the company's funding runway or ability to execute on its long-term plans. All major catalysts—full Phase 1 data and the start of Phase 2—are at least eight months to over a year away, with Phase 2 not expected to begin before the second half of 2027. The evidence supports the company's mechanistic claims, but the long timeline and lack of financial disclosure mean that the investment case remains speculative and high-risk. The most important takeaway is that while the clinical signal is promising, any commercial or late-stage clinical value is years off, and investors face substantial execution and funding risks in the interim.

Announcement summary

(NASDAQ:MTVA) MetaVia Inc. announced additional positive data from the interim analysis of Part 3B of its Phase 1 clinical trial of DA-1726, a novel oxyntomodulin (OXM) analog targeting both GLP-1 (GLP1R) and glucagon (GCGR) receptors. The results showed a statistically significant 1.47 mg/dL placebo-adjusted reduction in serum uric acid from baseline (p<0.001) after 16 weeks of once-weekly DA-1726 treatment in otherwise healthy adults with obesity, despite participants having normal mean uric acid levels at baseline. At Day 109, mean serum uric acid levels in DA-1726-treated participants decreased by 1.02 mg/dL from a baseline of 5.89 mg/dL (p<0.001), while the placebo group saw a 0.45 mg/dL increase from a baseline of 4.80 mg/dL. The placebo-adjusted reduction of 1.47 mg/dL was statistically significant (95% CI: −2.0 to −0.9; p<0.001). The analysis included 15 participants treated with DA-1726 and four receiving placebo. All five DA-1726-treated participants with liver steatosis at baseline achieved MRI-PDFF below 5% by Day 109, indicating normalization of liver fat. Previously reported Part 3B interim results demonstrated a statistically significant 68.1% placebo-adjusted reduction in liver fat (p<0.001), 13.5% placebo-adjusted weight loss (p<0.001), and a 0.44 absolute percentage-point reduction in HbA1c (p=0.006). In a Phase 1 Part 3B interim analysis at Day 109, DA-1726 also demonstrated a 0.24 percentage-point placebo-adjusted reduction in HbA1c, along with reductions in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue and relatively preserved lean mass. Part 3B of the Phase 1 trial is a 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled study in otherwise healthy adults with obesity, with DA-1726 titrated from 16 mg for 4 weeks, to 32 mg for 4 weeks, to a target dose of 64 mg, administered once weekly by subcutaneous injection. An MRI substudy included 12 DA-1726-treated and four placebo participants to assess liver fat and body composition. MetaVia is planning a Phase 2, 48-week, non-biopsy study of DA-1726 in up to 150 subjects with MetALD and ALD, targeted to begin in the second half of 2027. Full data from Part 3A and Part 3B are expected to be reported in the first quarter of 2027. DA-1726 is engineered with a 3:1 GLP1R:GCGR potency ratio and is designed for once weekly, subcutaneous administration. Preclinical tissue-distribution studies have shown that DA-1726 concentrates most heavily in adipose tissue and in the liver. MetaVia is also advancing vanoglipel (DA-1241), a potential first-in-class drug candidate targeting G-protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119), in combination with resmetirom for the treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH), with a Phase 2a proof-of-concept study targeted to begin in the first half of 2027. Hyung Heon Kim is President and Chief Executive Officer of MetaVia.

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