Viking Therapeutics' Oral Obesity Drug Advances to Phase 3 Testing
Viking Therapeutics is preparing to begin phase 3 trials for its oral obesity drug VK2735, following positive results from earlier studies. In a phase 2 trial, patients taking the pill lost up to 12.2% of their body weight over 13 weeks compared to just 1.3% in the placebo group. However, side effects led to higher discontinuation rates—particularly at high doses—with 38% stopping treatment versus 13% on placebo. The company plans to start phase 3 trials by Q4 after discussions with the FDA and is also developing an injectable version of VK2735 that showed greater weight loss in earlier studies. The injectable formulation led to up to 14.7% body weight reduction over 13 weeks, suggesting it may be more effective than the pill but could face challenges from competitors like Eli Lilly’s Foundayo and Zepbound. Despite these hurdles, Viking's drug shows potential for differentiation in a competitive market if its results are confirmed in phase 3 trials. The company aims to complete injectable phase 3 testing by July 2027.
Topics: GLP-1/GIP agonists phase 3 trials Viking Therapeutics VK2735