Virta Health’s Nutrition Therapy Extends Survival by 34% in Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer Patients, New Clinical Trial Shows

Virta’s nutritional intervention shown to improve survival outcomes in randomized, controlled Phase II clinical trial on patients with one of the deadliest cancers

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Virta Health, the leader in reversing metabolic disease, announced today results from a randomized, controlled Phase II clinical trial (RCT), offering an early signal that could reshape how advanced pancreatic cancer is treated. Conducted in partnership with USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, HonorHealth Research Institute, and others, the study was peer-reviewed and published in Cancer, revealing that Virta’s medically supervised, individualized nutrition therapy—long proven effective in reversing metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity—also shows promise in extending survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer when used alongside chemotherapy.

The trial enrolled patients with stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer, where the median life expectancy is 6 to 12 months. All participants received a triplet chemotherapy regimen—gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel, and cisplatin—and were randomized to either Virta’s nutrition therapy or a standard diet. Patients in the Virta arm lived 34% longer than those in the control (average 13.7 vs. 10.2 months), and progression-free survival improved by 37% (average 8.5 vs. 6.2 months). The trial met its objective, demonstrating feasibility and a trend toward improvement in progression-free survival—all without added toxicity or decline in quality of life—on Virta.

“Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest cancers, and improving outcomes by any margin is rare,” said Adam Wolfberg, MD, MPH, and Chief Medical Officer of Virta. “Seeing a nutritional intervention—delivered remotely and safely—make this level of impact is extraordinary.”

In a field where decades of drug development have yielded only incremental gains, this trial marks a rare and hopeful exception. Virta’s intervention showed a promising trend toward life extension without increasing side effects—something few, if any, current lifestyle therapies can claim.

“The mechanism of action is not fully understood, but this nutrition approach has shown in preclinical work to improve the effect of anti-cancer therapy, and that was shown in this clinical trial,” said Erkut Borazanci, M.D., director of the Oncology Research Division of HonorHealth Research Institute, and one of the study paper’s lead authors.

Dr. Borazanci said researchers hope to confirm their findings through a larger study.

While previous lab studies have suggested this connection, clinical evaluation of nutritional interventions targeting cancer metabolism remains limited, particularly in aggressive cancers. The program used in the trial was developed and administered by Virta and includes individualized nutrition, biomarker tracking, AI tools, 1:1 coaching, and continuous medical supervision by Virta providers.

“These results further validate that Virta’s approach isn’t about weight loss or calorie counting—it’s about addressing the root cause of metabolic dysfunction that drives disease,” said Wolfberg. “That’s why our method works not only to reverse obesity and type 2 diabetes, but now shows promising synergistic effects alongside traditional cancer therapies.”

Unlike traditional weight loss apps or calorie-counting platforms, Virta delivers medically supervised nutrition therapy rooted in science and designed to reverse—not just manage—metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes.

This latest study represents Virta’s ambitious plan to expand into new clinical indications related to metabolic disease. “This is not a lucky signal,” said Virta CEO Sami Inkinen. “After more than a decade reversing type 2 diabetes, obesity, and their related co-morbidities, we know nutrition is the key to addressing metabolic disease and the many conditions it drives. This study offers our first indication that the Virta platform may improve outcomes in even the deadliest conditions, and will guide us as we further build our pipeline of programs and research. For us, it’s still Day One.”

About Virta Health

Virta Health is the leader in reversing metabolic disease. Through their AI-powered individualized nutrition therapy, Virta combines the best of human care with the speed and precision of technology to empower members to build longer, healthier lives, while reducing or eliminating the need for medications. Virta partners with the nation’s largest employers, payers, and pharmacy benefit managers to improve the health of their members while reducing costs. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Virta is on a bold mission to reverse metabolic disease in one billion people. For more information, visit www.virtahealth.com.

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NOTES

Jameson GS, Roe DJ, Borazanci E, Hanna DL, Roberts CGP, Pelster MS, Frank RC, Alistar AT, Miller AM, Wiedmeier-Nutor JE, Algaze SD, Zoller AR, Hallberg SJ, Wertheim BC, Lee K, Cridebring D, Rabinowitz JD, Gately S, Keppler J, Sharma S, Von Hoff DD, Rasco DW. A randomized phase II trial of gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel, cisplatin with or without a medically supervised ketogenic diet for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Cancer. 2026;e70343. doi:10.1002/cncr.70343

A Randomized Phase II Trial of Gemcitabine, Nab-Paclitaxel, Cisplatin with or without a Medically Supervised Ketogenic Diet for Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer can be accessed at: https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cncr.70343