Viking Therapeutics Reports Positive VK2735 Maintenance Trial Results but Faces Oral Formulation Challenges
Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) recently released positive results from a maintenance trial for its drug candidate, VK2735. The subcutaneous formulation showed significant weight loss in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes—17.8% reduction at the initial stage—with most of that maintained during the maintenance phase. These findings have driven investor interest but also led to a $275 million stock offering and $225 million convertible notes issuance for further development. Despite these encouraging results, concerns remain about the oral formulation of VK2735 due to safety issues observed in an earlier Phase 2 trial (Venture-Oral), where 20% of patients withdrew because of adverse events. Viking plans a more cautious approach in its upcoming Phase 3 trials for the oral version by reducing doses and tablet sizes based on prior tolerability data. The company aims to start these new trials soon, with maintenance study dosages expected at lower levels (17.5 mg–35 mg), potentially improving patient compliance and safety.
Topics: clinical trial results drug development pipeline stock offering