Viking Therapeutics announced positive topline results from a 33-week maintenance study of its experimental obesity drug VK2735, reporting durable weight loss and effective maintenance with less frequent dosing while maintaining a tolerability profile comparable to placebo.
VK2735 showed a 22% placebo-adjusted mean weight loss at Week 33 for the 17.5 mg once-weekly cohort, with no plateau observed. Across 21 weeks of induction, VK2735 produced mean weight loss of approximately 16–19% versus about 0% for placebo. Sixty-five percent of treated participants achieved at least 15% weight loss, and 32% achieved at least 20%.
In the 12-week maintenance phase, every-other-week dosing preserved up to 97% of prior weight loss and monthly dosing preserved up to 90%, compared with 61% for placebo. The results showed statistically significant separation from placebo. An exploratory arm continuing 17.5 mg weekly reached 21.7% mean weight loss at Week 33.
Gastrointestinal adverse event rates and discontinuations during maintenance were low and generally similar to placebo. The company plans an oral maintenance part 2 study.
“The results of our innovative maintenance dosing study continue to demonstrate the significance of VK2735’s unique and differentiated half-life and PK profile, which appear to enable an effective new approach to achieving and maintaining the weight loss goals of patients living with obesity,” said Brian Lian, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Viking.
Lian added that the dose-ranging study demonstrated the potential viability of extended dosing approaches for maintenance after induction with an incretin-based therapy. He said flexible dosing approaches may provide patients and providers with new options for improving long-term adherence and sustained weight management, which are essential to realizing benefits such as improved cardiovascular health, enhanced physical function, and increased quality of life.
“These results are important as they provide a basis for improved dosing flexibility for both clinicians and their patients,” said Louis Aronne, MD, FACP, former president of The Obesity Society.
Aronne said the cardiometabolic benefits of maintaining 75% or more of a patient’s weight loss are becoming clearer, and the results demonstrating robust maintenance with reduced and less frequent doses support maintaining people within that margin through monthly or every-other-week administration. He said flexibility for patients and providers is paramount for achieving treatment persistence and long-term benefits of weight control.
VK2735 is a dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors. Viking is developing the drug in both subcutaneous and oral formulations for the potential treatment of metabolic disorders such as obesity.
Following the news, VKTX gained 32.12%, reflecting a significant positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +40.9% during the session and a trough of -3.2% from its starting point. The stock was trading at $39.78. Trading volume was exceptionally heavy at 1070.3x the average.
Before publication, VKTX was up 3.86% at a prior close of $30.11. No peers appeared in the momentum scanner, leaving no documented same-direction peer move accompanying the maintenance-study results.
