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Viking Obesity Pill Faces Steep Climb Against Lilly's Tirzepatide, Analyst Calls Downtrend Reaction 'Extreme'

Investors appear disappointed with Viking Therapeutics Inc.’s (NASDAQ:VKTX) data from its Phase 2 trial of an obesity pill.

Participants receiving once-daily doses of oral VK2735 demonstrated a mean body weight reduction of up to 12.2% after 13 weeks from baseline.

Participants receiving VK2735 showed up to a 10.9% reduction in body weight compared to the placebo. No plateau observed for weight loss at 13 weeks.

All doses of VK2735 greater than 15 mg also demonstrated statistically significant differences relative to the placebo on the key secondary endpoint, assessing the proportion of subjects who demonstrated at least 5% and 10% weight loss.

Per the Phase 1 data released in March 2024, cohorts receiving VK2735 demonstrated dose-dependent reductions in mean body weight from baseline, ranging up to 5.3%. 

Cohorts receiving VK2735 also demonstrated reductions in mean body weight relative to placebo, ranging up to 3.3%. 

According to a Tuesday note from William Blair, investors are concerned about the tolerability profile and the ...