Viking Therapeutics, Inc. ("Viking") (NASDAQ:VKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders, today announced that new clinical data from the company's VK2735 obesity program were highlighted in two poster presentations at ObesityWeek® 2024, the annual meeting of the Obesity Society.  VK2735 is a dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors being developed for the potential treatment of various metabolic disorders.  Viking is evaluating both subcutaneous and oral formulations of VK2735 in clinical trials.

Highlights from one poster presentation include new data from the company's Phase 1 multiple ascending dose (MAD) clinical trial of an oral tablet formulation of VK2735 dosed daily for 28 days, including results for the study's 60 mg, 80 mg, and 100 mg daily treatment cohorts.  A second poster presentation highlights follow-up results from the company's Phase 2 VENTURE clinical trial of VK2735 demonstrating the treatment's longer-term maintenance effects and pharmacokinetic information.

Poster Presentation #017: First-in-Human Study of an Oral Formulation of the GLP-1/GIP Co-Agonist VK2735 in Healthy Adults

Poster #017 presented updated data from the previously reported 28-day MAD study of the oral tablet formulation of VK2735, including new results from cohorts dosed at 60 mg, 80 mg, and 100 mg daily.  These results continued to show positive signs of clinical activity over the 28-day treatment period in this study.  Cohorts receiving VK2735 demonstrated dose-dependent reductions in mean body weight from baseline, ranging up to 8.2%.  Cohorts receiving VK2735 also demonstrated reductions in mean body weight relative to placebo, ranging up to 6.8%.  Persistent weight loss effects were observed at follow-up visits through Day 57, ranging up to 8.3% from baseline, four weeks after the last dose of VK2735 was administered.  An exploratory assessment of the proportion of subjects achieving at least 5% weight loss after 28 days demonstrated that up to 100% of VK2735-treated subjects achieved ≥5% weight loss, compared with 0% for placebo.  Based on a preliminary evaluation of weight loss trajectories at multiple dose levels, the company believes that continued treatment beyond 28 days may provide further reductions in body weight.