THE ARISING · Longevity & Healthspan
Company Reports Zabopegdutide Resolved MASH in 63% in Phase 2 Biopsy Data
Company-reported liver-biopsy findings suggest benefit in a small per-protocol subset. Larger studies are needed to establish efficacy and safety.
D&D Pharmatech has reported 48-week Phase 2 liver-biopsy results for zabopegdutide. The central response rates were first disclosed in May 2026; they are company-reported findings, not a new November readout.
The conventional biopsy percentages come from a per-protocol group of 35 participants with paired biopsies: 16 on zabopegdutide and 19 on placebo, out of 67 enrolled. The qFibrosis analysis involved a different subset of 27: 11 treated and 16 placebo. These small selected subsets limit certainty and generalizability.
MASH is fatty liver with active inflammation and liver cell damage. Per the report, 62.5% of the treated group reached MASH resolution without worsening fibrosis, meaning scarring, versus 5.3% on placebo (p<0.001).
Scarring itself moved too. According to the report, 50.0% of the treated group had fibrosis improvement without worsening MASH, versus 15.8% on placebo (p=0.03). A composite response, a combined measure, was reached by 37.5% versus 5.3% (p=0.02).
The company also claims that digital pathology, an AI-based reading of biopsy slides using a tool called qFibrosis, found at least one stage of fibrosis improvement in 81.8% of treated patients. The continuous score fell 41.0% from baseline with treatment and rose 9.5% with placebo, a placebo-adjusted difference of 50.5 percentage points.
According to the company, noninvasive liver-fat, liver-stiffness and metabolic measures also improved. The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal and generally mild to moderate; dosing began with a two-week titration.
Biopsy results matter because they look at the liver tissue directly rather than at fat levels alone.
Next to watch are larger trials and fuller safety and efficacy reporting. The drug remains investigational.