By Dr. Asnat Raziel, bariatric surgeon specializing in obesity treatment, metabolic health and healthy longevity; Director of the Multidisciplinary Center for Obesity Treatment, Assia Medical, Assuta Ramat HaChayal, Tel Aviv

DA-1726 drug: weight and fatty liver in one injection

MetaVia will present the DA-1726 drug this week at ObesityWeek, the American obesity congress in Washington. In a phase 1 trial it lowered body weight by 11.9% in 16 weeks. Liver fat also dropped sharply. Alongside it, the French company Adocia will present a new technology. It aims for one injection a month instead of one a week.

To be clear: both technologies are investigational. No regulator in Israel or the United States has approved either one.

What is the DA-1726 drug?

DA-1726 is a weekly injection that acts on two receptors: GLP-1 and glucagon. It is based on oxyntomodulin, a natural gut hormone. Activating GLP-1 reduces appetite and improves blood sugar control. Activating the glucagon receptor, on the other hand, aims to raise energy use. It also boosts fat breakdown, especially in the liver.

A similar principle underlies Lilly’s retatrutide, which acts on three receptors. I wrote about it in my article on lab breakthroughs at ObesityWeek.

DA-1726 drug: phase 1 trial results

In early November, the company presented interim results from a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 1 trial. Participants were adults with obesity and no other illnesses. In total, fifteen received the drug and four received placebo. Over 16 weeks, the dose rose gradually from 16 mg to 32 mg and 64 mg.

• Weight: an average loss of 12.2 kg, or 11.9% of an average weight of 98.6 kg. Compared with placebo, the reduction was 13.5%.
• Liver fat: a 68% reduction compared with placebo, on MRI. In addition, 10 of 12 participants had at least a 30% drop in liver fat.
• Visceral belly fat: a 22% reduction compared with placebo.
• Lean body mass: an 8% reduction compared with placebo. The company describes this as relatively preserved, because fat fell by much more.

The figures come from the report on the interim results. Even so, this is a very small trial. Only four participants were in the placebo group.

Safety of the DA-1726 drug

Nine of 15 participants reported digestive side effects. Vomiting was the most common, in 7 participants (46.7%). By contrast, only 2 participants reported nausea. In one case the vomiting was severe. The investigators judged it possibly related to the drug. The participant recovered, and no one stopped treatment because of side effects.

What will MetaVia show at ObesityWeek?

According to MetaVia’s November 9 announcement, the company will show the poster on November 14. Its title states that DA-1726 produces weight loss comparable to retatrutide, with a different metabolic profile. The announcement does not include the comparison data themselves, so it is worth waiting for the full poster.

Next, the company also plans a 48-week phase 2 trial in fatty liver disease related to alcohol and metabolism. The company expects it to begin in the second half of 2027. If you want to understand the link between weight and metabolism, I wrote about Mounjaro and prediabetes and the broader metabolic effects of these drugs.

A monthly injection: Adocia’s technology

Adocia, based in Lyon, will present a poster on a platform called AdoXLong. The idea is simple: the company links the drug molecule to a polymer that the body tolerates well. That way the body releases the drug slowly, and the goal is one injection a month. According to the company, the method suits drugs such as semaglutide, tirzepatide and cagrilintide.

However, this is a very early stage. According to the report on the poster, the company has not yet tested the platform in people. The retatrutide version has only preliminary lab results. So a monthly injection from this platform is still far from the clinic.

What does this mean for you?

First of all, the DA-1726 drug is especially interesting for people who also have fatty liver. However, the data are based on fewer than 20 participants. So only large trials will show whether the results hold up.

Second, a monthly injection could make it much easier to stay on treatment. There are already efforts in this direction, as I wrote about in experimental drugs at ObesityWeek. In the meantime, approved drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro remain the foundation.

The bottom line

In a small trial, the DA-1726 drug showed 11.9% weight loss and a sharp drop in liver fat, but with a high rate of vomiting. At the same time, Adocia is taking a first step toward a monthly injection. In the end, both are still at the start of the road.

This article is general information and does not replace personal medical advice.

References

MetaVia Announces Poster Presentation on DA-1726 at ObesityWeek 2026

MetaVia sees GLP-1 shed liver fat and body weight in phase 1, takes aim at specific liver disease

Adocia to present monthly incretin platform data at ObesityWeek

Adocia unveils new long-acting peptide platform for diabetes and obesity

The developing companies, MetaVia and Adocia, fund the studies.