MetaVia names Sarah Browne, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer

MetaVia Inc. (Nasdaq: MTVA) announced the appointment of Sarah Browne, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, effective October 12, 2026.¹

The company said Dr. Browne has more than 20 years of experience across clinical development, regulatory science and clinical medicine, with a focus on liver and metabolic diseases, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).¹

CEO Hyung Heon Kim noted that Browne's work developing pemvidutide, a dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist, through Phase 2 and shaping Phase 3 plans would support MetaVia's upcoming decisions on DA-1726, as the company anticipates fourth-quarter 2026 topline results from Part 3 of its Phase 1 trial testing 48 mg and 64 mg doses.¹ He added that her experience would also inform work on vanoglipel (DA-1241), which is being developed for the treatment of MASH.¹

Before joining MetaVia, Browne served as a Clinical Development Consultant to Soufflé Therapeutics, supporting clinical development planning and regulatory strategy.¹ Earlier, she was Vice President of Clinical Development at Altimmune, Inc., after joining the company as Senior Director of Clinical Development.¹ At Altimmune, she helped advance pemvidutide from first-in-human studies through Phase 2 and through a successful End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA.¹

Prior to that, she held a series of roles at the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), most recently as Senior Advisor for Clinical Review.¹ She earlier worked as an Assistant Clinical Investigator and attending physician at the National Institutes of Health and as an attending physician at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.¹

MetaVia describes DA-1726 as a novel oxyntomodulin (OXM) analogue that functions as a GLP1R and GCGR dual agonist,¹ and vanoglipel as a potential first-in-class candidate targeting GPR119.¹