MetaVia's DA-1726 heads toward Q4 data testing higher-dose tolerability
The Phase 1 titration studies test whether MetaVia's oxyntomodulin analog tolerates 48 mg and 64 mg doses as well as it did 32 mg, the profile the company says rivals its earlier weight-loss signal.
Executive Summary
- MetaVia is testing whether its dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist can reach higher doses without new tolerability problems, a step it needs before moving beyond Phase 1.
- The trial's timeline and enrollment have been revised repeatedly since 2024, but the most recent update reflects an enlarged, still-enrolling study rather than a stalled one.
- No competitor sharing this drug's dual-receptor mechanism has reached a comparable stage in obesity, leaving the tolerability question mostly unanswered by precedent.
- The near-term readout will show whether the tolerability MetaVia reported at a lower dose extends to the higher doses now being tested, the evidence the company says it needs to justify later-stage development.
The trial
MetaVia's Phase 1 Part 3 study of DA-1726, a dual oxyntomodulin analog that acts on GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, is enrolling obese but otherwise healthy adults to test two dose-titration regimens. Part 3A escalates from 16 mg to 48 mg over 16 weeks; Part 3B escalates from 16 mg to 64 mg over the same period, with 40 subjects randomized 4:1 to drug versus placebo. The registered primary endpoint counts treatment-related adverse events graded by CTCAE v4.0, making this a tolerability study, not an efficacy comparison. Secondary endpoints cover pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and immunogenicity. NCT06252220+1First in Human Study in Subjects With Obesity, But Otherwise HealthyNCT06252220MetaVia Advances GLP-1-Based Obesity Program with IRB Approval for Higher-Dose Phase 1 Studies of DA-1726, a GLP-1 and Glucagon Dual Agonist Demonstrating Best-in-Class Potential for Weight Loss and Glucose ControlMar 18, 2026
Probability of SuccessBased on the AppliedXL Probability of Success model. For more information about the methodology, read the research here.
What's at stake
MetaVia's president and chief executive, Hyung Heon Kim, said earlier cohorts on the 48 mg dose produced approximately 9% weight loss along with reductions in waist circumference, improved glucose control, and early signals of liver benefit, all with a favorable safety profile. He said the upcoming titration data are designed to build on those results and that a favorable outcome would let the company advance DA-1726 into later-stage development. That framing sets the bar for the readout: it needs to show the tolerability holds as the dose rises, not that it improves on the earlier signal. MetaViaMetaVia Advances GLP-1-Based Obesity Program with IRB Approval for Higher-Dose Phase 1 Studies of DA-1726, a GLP-1 and Glucagon Dual Agonist Demonstrating Best-in-Class Potential for Weight Loss and Glucose ControlMar 18, 2026
The timeline
The trial's guided completion date has moved from August 2025 to December 2024, then to March 2025, then to January 2026, and now to November 9, 2026, across successive registry updates. Enrollment was raised from 81 to 139 participants in the same March 2026 update, a change the trial's own operational baseline classifies as a routine, non-alarming increase for a Phase 1 study rather than a shortfall. MetaVia dosed the first patient in Part 3 in April 2026 and has since repeated its fourth-quarter 2026 data guidance eight times without moving the window. NCT06252220+1First in Human Study in Subjects With Obesity, But Otherwise HealthyNCT06252220MetaVia Advances GLP-1-Based Obesity Program with IRB Approval for Higher-Dose Phase 1 Studies of DA-1726, a GLP-1 and Glucagon Dual Agonist Demonstrating Best-in-Class Potential for Weight Loss and Glucose ControlMar 18, 2026
The competitive field
The broader obesity field is dense with GLP-1 receptor programs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, including tirzepatide and retatrutide, but those are single-target or different-mechanism agents rather than dual GLP-1/glucagon agonists. Among trials sharing DA-1726's GLP-1/glucagon target family, the nearest activity comes from Innovent Biologics' mazdutide and Gan & Lee's bofanglutide and GZR18 programs in China, several of which have already reached Phase 2 or Phase 3. No trial in the competitive field has been identified as a direct dual-receptor comparator to DA-1726 at this stage, leaving the tolerability question this readout tests without a same-mechanism precedent to benchmark against.
This analysis was produced using AI-assisted reporting systems, AppliedXL data, and official public records. These systems undergo editorial review, quality checks, and regular audits by human experts. Errors may still occur, as with any automated system. Always consult the linked primary sources. Read our AI Editorial Policy.