Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:WVE) soared 40% on Monday after releasing interim findings from its Phase 1 INLIGHT study evaluating WVE-007, an investigational therapy targeting obesity.
A single 240 mg dose of WVE-007 produced notable improvements in body composition over a three-month period. Participants experienced a 9.4% reduction in visceral fat, a 4.5% decrease in total body fat, and a 3.2% rise in lean muscle mass. In contrast, placebo recipients showed no statistically meaningful shifts in any of these measures.
The therapy works by silencing the INHBE gene, and trial data showed sustained reductions of more than 75% in serum Activin E levels through day 85. The durability of response suggests WVE-007 could potentially be administered only once or twice per year—an advantage over existing GLP-1–based obesity medications, which typically require weekly injections.
“Today’s update demonstrates the tremendous potential of WVE-007 to transform the obesity treatment paradigm, addressing the biggest disadvantages of GLP-1s: fat loss at the expense of muscle, poor tolerability, including GI and other side effects, along with frequent dosing,” said Paul Bolno, CEO of Wave Life Sciences.
Safety results were favorable as well. Reported adverse events were mild, and no clinically meaningful changes were observed in labs such as lipid panels or liver function tests.
Wave plans to advance WVE-007 into Phase 2 studies, testing it as both a standalone therapy and as an adjunct to incretin-based drugs. The company also intends to investigate its use as a maintenance therapy following GLP-1 treatment in patients with higher BMI and related co-morbid conditions.
Additional updates—including six-month data from the current cohort and three-month results from a higher 400 mg cohort—are expected in the first quarter of 2026.