Viking Therapeutics is making a major move in the obesity drug race.
Shares of Viking Therapeutics jumped in premarket trading Tuesday after the company reported encouraging data for its experimental weight-loss treatment VK2735. The results also put fresh attention on the growing competition facing Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
VK2735 is a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist. Viking is developing the treatment in both injectable and oral forms.
Viking Therapeutics obesity drug shows strong weight loss
The latest data showed that VK2735 continued to deliver meaningful weight loss during treatment.
According to Investor’s Business Daily, patients receiving the injectable treatment recorded placebo-adjusted weight loss of about 16% to 19% after 33 weeks. Some patients reached roughly 22% weight loss with continued treatment.
The results add to earlier data from Viking’s obesity program. The company previously reported that its oral VK2735 formulation produced up to 12.2% average weight loss after 13 weeks.
Importantly, Viking said the oral study showed progressive weight loss without a plateau through the 13-week treatment period. Up to 80% of patients in the treatment groups achieved at least 10% weight loss, compared with 5% in the placebo group.
Viking also tests longer-term weight maintenance
The company is also studying how patients can maintain weight loss after the initial treatment period.
In its maintenance study, participants received VK2735 before switching to less frequent dosing. The goal is to determine whether patients can maintain weight loss with dosing every other week or once a month.
Investor’s Business Daily reported that patients maintained as much as 97% of their weight loss three months after switching to biweekly injections. Monthly dosing maintained up to 90% of the previous weight loss.
That could make dosing flexibility an important part of Viking’s development strategy.
Viking has already advanced its injectable VK2735 program into Phase 3 trials. The company said its VANQUISH studies are evaluating once-weekly injections over 78 weeks in adults with obesity, including a separate study involving people with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Roche adds another challenge
Viking is not the only drugmaker reporting fresh obesity data.
Roche also released positive Phase 2 results for enicepatide, its investigational dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist. The study involved adults with type 2 diabetes who were overweight or had obesity.
At the highest 24 mg dose, patients recorded an average 15.5% weight loss after 48 weeks. The same group also recorded a 2.65% average reduction in HbA1c, a key measure of blood sugar control.
Roche said 90% of patients receiving the 24 mg dose reached an HbA1c level of 6.5% or lower. Meanwhile, 62% reached the company’s defined level for normal blood sugar.
The company also reported no new safety signals. Gastrointestinal side effects were the most common adverse events, while 2% of patients receiving enicepatide stopped treatment because of adverse events.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk face growing competition
The new data arrive as Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk continue to dominate the obesity drug market.
Both companies have established weight-loss treatments and are also developing next-generation medicines. However, the expanding pipeline means patients and investors are watching new competitors closely.
Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide is used in Mounjaro and Zepbound. Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide is used in Wegovy and other products.
The market is now attracting major pharmaceutical companies beyond those two leaders. Reuters reported that companies including Roche, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and others are developing new obesity treatments.
The obesity drug race is getting more crowded
Viking’s latest VK2735 results add another layer to an increasingly competitive market.
The company still needs to complete larger, late-stage studies before regulators can consider VK2735 for approval. Therefore, the latest results do not mean the drug is ready for widespread use.
Still, the data give investors another reason to watch Viking Therapeutics as the obesity treatment market expands.
For now, Viking, Roche, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are all pursuing different strategies to capture a larger share of the fast-growing weight-loss drug market.
Source: Investor’s Business Daily
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