Obesity evidence dossier
ARO-ALK7
The program tests whether direct adipose gene silencing can produce durable visceral-fat reduction with a differentiated body-composition profile.
Total weight loss
Not reported
Phase 1/2a interim data
Placebo-adjusted
Not reported
Difference from placebo in the same study when reported.
Study context
ACVR1C / ALK7 adipose RNAi program/Adults with obesity with and without type 2 diabetes/Phase 1/2a; first-in-human dose-escalation cohorts/Week 8 interim visceral-fat and adipose target-knockdown readout.
Baseline: Adipose-targeted body-composition biology; combination cohorts include tirzepatide
Ranked result & calculation
Trial inputs have not yet been verified for this scoring method.
Evidence
Benchmark read
Arrowhead reported human adipose ALK7 mRNA knockdown and placebo-adjusted visceral-fat reduction ~14.1% at Week 8 after a single ARO-ALK7 dose in early Phase 1/2a data.
Diabetes data
Combination cohorts with tirzepatide are planned or ongoing; diabetes and non-diabetes cohorts should be interpreted separately.
Primary lens
Visceral fat
Tracked here because ALK7 silencing is aimed directly at adipose storage biology, making total weight loss an incomplete readout.
Safety
Side effects and cautions
Discontinuation read
Early tolerability is encouraging but too immature for comparison with large chronic obesity studies.
Common side effects
Arrowhead reported ARO-ALK7 as generally well tolerated to date, with no serious adverse events or discontinuations in the early interim update.
Main cautions
Not approved; single-dose early human visceral-fat signals are hypothesis-generating. The key unknown is whether adipose target knockdown converts into durable metabolic outcomes at scale.
Upcoming catalyst
What to watch next
Multiple-dose data, combination data with tirzepatide, and evidence that visceral-fat effects persist beyond early follow-up.
Linked clinical trials
Trials in the saddl3 obesity snapshot
Non-diabetic obesity studies are prioritized; diabetes and healthy-volunteer studies remain visible and labeled.
NCT06700538
Phase 2
Study of ARO-INHBE in Adults With Obesity With and Without Diabetes Mellitus
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
Type 2 diabetes / obesity
Dec 17, 2025
NCT06937203
Phase 2
Study of ARO-ALK7 in Adult Volunteers With Obesity With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
Type 2 diabetes / obesity
Dec 16, 2025