MetaVia Inc. (NASDAQ: MTVA) announced the publication of preclinical research supporting vanoglipel's anti-fibrotic potential in the journal Biomolecules & Therapeutics. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company focuses on cardiometabolic diseases.

The study, titled "A Novel Anti-Fibrotic Role of G-Protein-Coupled Receptor 119 in Hepatic Stellate Cells," demonstrated that GPR119 agonists reduced liver fibrosis and suppressed pathways involved in liver scar tissue development. Vanoglipel is a GPR119 agonist being developed for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

"These findings provide important independent validation of the therapeutic potential of vanoglipel and reinforce what we observed clinically in our Phase 2a study of patients with presumed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis," said Hyung Heon Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer of MetaVia.

In the Phase 2a trial, patients treated with vanoglipel showed statistically significant reductions in ALT levels and the serum fibrosis marker TIMP1. The treatment group also demonstrated a positive trend in liver fibrosis as measured by VCTE, with a 10.2% reduction from baseline compared to a 10.1% increase for placebo after 16 weeks of treatment.

The publication suggests GPR119 agonism may influence both metabolic dysfunction and fibrotic progression, positioning it as a potential dual-action therapeutic approach for liver fibrosis and MASH.

MetaVia is currently developing vanoglipel for MASH treatment and DA-1726 for obesity treatment. The company reported that vanoglipel was well tolerated in Phase 1a, 1b and 2a trials in both healthy volunteers and patients with type 2 diabetes.