Viking Therapeutics (VKTX.US) Weight-Loss Drug Delivers Good News: Halving Dosing Frequency Still Maintains 97% Weight Loss, Stock Price Once Soared Nearly 50% in Pre-Market Trading

Viking Therapeutics (VKTX.US) surged nearly 50% in pre-market trading on Tuesday after the biotech company announced that its experimental obesity drug VK2735 helped patients maintain most of their weight loss even when the dosing frequency was reduced from once weekly to once every two weeks. The results could further strengthen VK2735's competitive position in the rapidly expanding weight-loss drug market. Companies are currently competing with blockbuster therapies from Eli Lilly (LLY.US) and Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B (NVO.US). VK2735 is seen as a potential competitor to blockbuster weight-loss drugs such as Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B's Wegovy. As of press time, VKTX shares were up nearly 23%. Year to date, the stock has fallen about 15%. VK2735 Maintains Up to 97% of Weight Loss In the 180-patient study, adults with obesity initially received weekly injections of VK2735, a GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, for 21 weeks. During this period, patients lost 16% to 19% of their body weight, while an exploratory group that continued weekly treatment achieved about 22% weight loss after 33 weeks. Patients who were then switched to dosing once every two weeks for an additional 12 weeks maintained up to 97% of their prior weight loss, while those switched to placebo maintained only 61%. Viking Therapeutics CEO Brian Lian said: "This may provide an opportunity to evaluate higher doses and raises the possibility of exploring lower-frequency dosing regimens for both maintenance and induction of weight loss." It is understood that VK2735 is Viking's primary obesity candidate drug and is being developed in both injectable and oral formulations. The injectable version is being evaluated in the Phase 3 Vanquish program, which was launched in 2025 and includes two fully enrolled trials totaling approximately 5,500 patients. In the view of analysts, the opportunity in the weight-loss drug market remains enormous. In July, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. research raised its forecast for global obesity drug sales in 2030 to $114 billion, with oral therapies expected to account for about 40% of the market share.