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VKTX Stock Rises on Encouraging Weight-Loss Maintenance Results
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Key Takeaways
Viking Therapeutics shares rose 36% after positive VK2735 maintenance study results were announced.
Every-other-week dosing preserved 90% of prior weight loss, while monthly dosing retained 85%.
VK2735 weekly treatment delivered 21.7% weight loss by week 33, with no plateau observed.
Shares of Viking Therapeutics (VKTX - Free Report) rose about 36% on Tuesday after the company announced positive data from a maintenance dosing study evaluating its lead obesity candidate, VK2735.
Results showed that participants preserved most of their weight loss from the induction phase even when dosing frequency was materially reduced.
VKTX Stock’s Performance
Year to date, the company’s shares have gained 16% compared with the industry’s 7% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Viking’s Maintenance Study Used a Two-Phase Dosing Design
The maintenance study was designed to examine whether weight loss achieved with weekly VK2735 treatment could be sustained after reducing the frequency of dosing. The study consisted of two main phases — an induction phase lasting 21 weeks followed by a 12-week maintenance phase.
During the induction phase, participants received weekly subcutaneous VK2735 or placebo. Among those receiving VK2735, the doses increased gradually over the first several weeks. Patients received 1.25 mg in week 1 and 2.5 mg in week 2, after which doses were increased roughly every two weeks until final doses of 15 mg, 17.5 mg, 20 mg or 22.5 mg were reached.
The study’s distinctive part came after the induction phase. Study participants who had received weekly VK2735 were moved to less-frequent dosing, with different groups receiving the drug either once every other week or once a month for an additional 12 weeks. The study also included patients who were switched to placebo, providing a comparison for how much of their earlier weight loss was retained after active treatment was stopped.
Viking also included a separate group that continued receiving 17.5 mg of VK2735 once weekly through week 33. This provided a reference for the outcomes of continued weekly treatment compared with the less-frequent maintenance regimens.
This design matters because it tests more than VK2735’s ability to drive weight loss. It also asks whether patients can maintain most of that benefit while taking the drug less often, which could become an important differentiating feature for long-term use.
Less-Frequent Dosing Maintained Most of the Weight Loss
During the 21-week induction phase, participants treated with VK2735 lost roughly 16% to 19% of their body weight, while the placebo group showed a 0.1% decline.
Much of that weight loss was preserved even after dosing became less frequent. Participants who moved to every-other-week dosing maintained an average of 90% of their earlier weight loss, while those switched to monthly dosing maintained an average of 85%. In comparison, participants who switched to placebo retained about 61% of their prior weight loss.
At the individual cohort level, weight-loss retention reached as high as 97% with every-other-week dosing and 90% with monthly dosing. The findings suggest that VK2735 could allow patients to reduce injection frequency after losing weight without giving up most of the benefit.
Meanwhile, participants who continued receiving 17.5 mg once weekly kept losing weight, reaching 21.7% weight loss from baseline by week 33 versus 0.3% weight gain in those who received placebo. Viking noted that no weight-loss plateau was observed.
VK2735 was also generally well tolerated during the maintenance period. Per the company, gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation, were not meaningfully different from placebo after participants moved to every-other-week or monthly dosing.
Viking is also on track to start part 2 of the maintenance study, which will explore SC to oral maintenance dosing regimens. This portion is expected to start later this quarter.
VK2735 Results Could Strengthen VKTX’s Position in Obesity Space
The maintenance results could strengthen VK2735’s position in the competitive obesity-drug market. Viking is developing the candidate as a potential alternative to established GLP-1 injectables — Eli Lilly’s (LLY - Free Report) Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s (NVO - Free Report) Wegovy. The ability to maintain substantial weight loss with every-other-week or monthly dosing could give VK2735 an additional point of differentiation.
VK2735 is the company's lead obesity candidate and primary value driver. This dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist is being developed in both SC and oral formulations, positioning it as one of the more promising late-stage obesity therapies currently under development. While the SC version is currently being evaluated in two phase III studies, oral VK2735 is on track to enter late-stage development before this year’s end.
Competition in obesity treatment is also expanding beyond once-weekly injections toward more convenient oral options. Earlier this year, Novo Nordisk launched an oral version of Wegovy, while Eli Lilly introduced its once-daily oral GLP-1 drug Foundayo.
This shift increases the importance of convenience as companies compete not only on weight-loss efficacy but also on how treatments are administered and how often patients need to take them.
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VKTX Stock Rises on Encouraging Weight-Loss Maintenance Results
Key Takeaways
Shares of Viking Therapeutics (VKTX - Free Report) rose about 36% on Tuesday after the company announced positive data from a maintenance dosing study evaluating its lead obesity candidate, VK2735.
Results showed that participants preserved most of their weight loss from the induction phase even when dosing frequency was materially reduced.
VKTX Stock’s Performance
Year to date, the company’s shares have gained 16% compared with the industry’s 7% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Viking’s Maintenance Study Used a Two-Phase Dosing Design
The maintenance study was designed to examine whether weight loss achieved with weekly VK2735 treatment could be sustained after reducing the frequency of dosing. The study consisted of two main phases — an induction phase lasting 21 weeks followed by a 12-week maintenance phase.
During the induction phase, participants received weekly subcutaneous VK2735 or placebo. Among those receiving VK2735, the doses increased gradually over the first several weeks. Patients received 1.25 mg in week 1 and 2.5 mg in week 2, after which doses were increased roughly every two weeks until final doses of 15 mg, 17.5 mg, 20 mg or 22.5 mg were reached.
The study’s distinctive part came after the induction phase. Study participants who had received weekly VK2735 were moved to less-frequent dosing, with different groups receiving the drug either once every other week or once a month for an additional 12 weeks. The study also included patients who were switched to placebo, providing a comparison for how much of their earlier weight loss was retained after active treatment was stopped.
Viking also included a separate group that continued receiving 17.5 mg of VK2735 once weekly through week 33. This provided a reference for the outcomes of continued weekly treatment compared with the less-frequent maintenance regimens.
This design matters because it tests more than VK2735’s ability to drive weight loss. It also asks whether patients can maintain most of that benefit while taking the drug less often, which could become an important differentiating feature for long-term use.
Less-Frequent Dosing Maintained Most of the Weight Loss
During the 21-week induction phase, participants treated with VK2735 lost roughly 16% to 19% of their body weight, while the placebo group showed a 0.1% decline.
Much of that weight loss was preserved even after dosing became less frequent. Participants who moved to every-other-week dosing maintained an average of 90% of their earlier weight loss, while those switched to monthly dosing maintained an average of 85%. In comparison, participants who switched to placebo retained about 61% of their prior weight loss.
At the individual cohort level, weight-loss retention reached as high as 97% with every-other-week dosing and 90% with monthly dosing. The findings suggest that VK2735 could allow patients to reduce injection frequency after losing weight without giving up most of the benefit.
Meanwhile, participants who continued receiving 17.5 mg once weekly kept losing weight, reaching 21.7% weight loss from baseline by week 33 versus 0.3% weight gain in those who received placebo. Viking noted that no weight-loss plateau was observed.
VK2735 was also generally well tolerated during the maintenance period. Per the company, gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation, were not meaningfully different from placebo after participants moved to every-other-week or monthly dosing.
Viking is also on track to start part 2 of the maintenance study, which will explore SC to oral maintenance dosing regimens. This portion is expected to start later this quarter.
VK2735 Results Could Strengthen VKTX’s Position in Obesity Space
The maintenance results could strengthen VK2735’s position in the competitive obesity-drug market. Viking is developing the candidate as a potential alternative to established GLP-1 injectables — Eli Lilly’s (LLY - Free Report) Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s (NVO - Free Report) Wegovy. The ability to maintain substantial weight loss with every-other-week or monthly dosing could give VK2735 an additional point of differentiation.
VK2735 is the company's lead obesity candidate and primary value driver. This dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist is being developed in both SC and oral formulations, positioning it as one of the more promising late-stage obesity therapies currently under development. While the SC version is currently being evaluated in two phase III studies, oral VK2735 is on track to enter late-stage development before this year’s end.
Competition in obesity treatment is also expanding beyond once-weekly injections toward more convenient oral options. Earlier this year, Novo Nordisk launched an oral version of Wegovy, while Eli Lilly introduced its once-daily oral GLP-1 drug Foundayo.
This shift increases the importance of convenience as companies compete not only on weight-loss efficacy but also on how treatments are administered and how often patients need to take them.
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. Price
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. price | Viking Therapeutics, Inc. Quote
VKTX’s Zacks Rank
Viking Therapeutics currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.