Viking Therapeutics' obesity drug shows durable weight-loss benefit, shares surge

Sept 22 — Viking Therapeutics said patients shifted to a less frequent dosing regimen ​of its experimental obesity treatment showed superior weight-loss maintenance in a study compared to those on placebo, sending its shares up ‌30% in morning trading.

The results support the company's bid to make treatment less burdensome. Viking ⁠has been working on flexible dosing ​options with injectable and oral versions ⁠of VK2735 in an effort to carve out a place for ‌itself in the fast-growing ‌sector.

The company said on Tuesday that patients who switched to ⁠an every-other-week dosing of VK2735 maintained up ⁠to 97% of the weight they had lost during an initial 21-week treatment period, while those on a monthly dosing retained up to 90% of their prior weight loss over the following 12 weeks.

Louis Aronne, a former president of the Obesity Society, said less ‌frequent dosing could help patients stay on obesity ​medicines longer.

The obesity market is currently dominated by treatments from pharma majors Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which are locked in a battle for market share through effective and convenient treatments including injections and pills.

Analysts expect the obesity market to reach $100 billion in annual sales by 2030.

Leerink Partners analyst Thomas Smith said the data reinforces VK2735's differentiated ​profile and competitive positioning, and described the drug's safety and tolerability profile as "impressively ‌clean."

In a small ‌group treated ⁠weekly for 33 weeks, patients lost an average of 21.7% of body weight, Viking said, adding that it plans to study oral maintenance dosing later in the trial.

"We believe long-term weight management will not follow a ‌standard one-size-fits-all approach," Viking CEO ​Brian Lian said, adding that patients ‌will need a range ⁠of options to ​personalize treatment throughout their weight-loss journey.

(Reporting by Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Shinjini Ganguli)

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