Obesity evidence dossier
ARO-INHBE
The strategic read is add-on biology: if incretins reduce appetite and body weight, INHBE silencing may add a fat-distribution and liver-fat lever without leaning on gastrointestinal dose escalation alone.
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
INHBE / Activin E RNAi program/Adults with obesity with and without type 2 diabetes/Phase 1/2a; early dose-escalation cohorts/Week 12 to Week 24 interim body-composition and liver-fat follow-up.
Baseline: Obesity; some analyses enrich for baseline liver fat content and cardiometabolic risk
Ranked result & calculation
Trial inputs have not yet been verified for this scoring method.
Evidence
Benchmark read
Arrowhead reported ARO-INHBE reductions in visceral fat, total fat, and liver fat, including combination data with tirzepatide in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes; a placebo-adjusted monotherapy visceral-fat result ~15.6% at Week 24 after two doses was reported in interim Phase 1/2a data.
Diabetes data
Combination data in people with type 2 diabetes should be compared within that harder-to-treat obesity phenotype, not directly against non-diabetic obesity trials.
Primary lens
Visceral fat + liver fat
Most relevant as a cardiometabolic add-on or MASH-adjacent obesity program, not as a pure appetite-suppression competitor.
Safety
Side effects and cautions
Discontinuation read
Early tolerability is encouraging but too immature for comparison with large incretin safety databases.
Common side effects
Arrowhead described early ARO-INHBE data as generally well tolerated, with mostly mild adverse events and no treatment-emergent adverse events leading to discontinuation in the January 2026 interim update.
Main cautions
Not approved; Phase 1/2a cohorts remain small. Liver-fat and visceral-fat signals need larger controlled trials and a clear regulatory endpoint strategy.
Upcoming catalyst
What to watch next
Phase 2 obesity and MASH designs, longer follow-up, and whether body-composition effects persist with infrequent dosing.
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