Viking Therapeutics Inc. said after-market hours Feb. 11 that it plans to advance its oral dual GLP-1/GIP receptor, VK-2735, into a phase III trial for obesity in the third quarter of 2026. VK-2735 is a novel dual glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GLP-1/GIP) receptor agonist.
Rates of adverse events (AEs) gave pause to some on Wall Street, and shares of Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) fell 42%, or $17.73, to close Aug. 19 at $24.36 after the firm reported 13-week data from the phase II trial with the oral tablet form of VK-2735, the company's dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors.
Viking Therapeutics Inc. has identified amylin analogues acting as calcitonin receptor (CALCR; CT-R) and amylin receptor agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of diabetes and obesity.
Merck & Co. Inc. has turned to Asia for a second time to get into the GLP-1 market, this time to Shanghai-based Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. for its investigational preclinical oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist. Hansoh is getting $112 million up front and could bring in another $1.9 billion in milestone payments. Merck said the addition to its GLP-1 arsenal is “to provide additional cardiometabolic benefits beyond weight reduction.”
Merck & Co. Inc. has turned to Asia for a second time to get into the GLP-1 market, this time to Shanghai-based Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. for its investigational preclinical oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist. Hansoh is getting $112 million up front and could bring in another $1.9 billion in milestone payments. Merck said the addition to its GLP-1 arsenal is “to provide additional cardiometabolic benefits beyond weight reduction.”
Viking Therapeutics Inc. is diving more deeply into developing obesity treatments and investors like an accelerated timetable the company has proposed. On June 25, Viking shares (NASDAQ:VKTX) catapulted 28.3% upward to close at $64.68 each.
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The $27.9 billion raised through biopharma follow-on offerings in the early months of 2024 has hit industry records never seen before. So far in three-and-a-half months in 2024, the industry has raised more than was raised during 21 of the past 24 full years.
The fast-shifting obesity space gained more clinical results as Viking Therapeutics Inc. shared data from its phase I, multiple ascending-dose trial with oral VK-2735, a dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors.
The enticing prospect – and proven worth – of dually agonizing the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors gained more evidence in a big way from Viking Therapeutics Inc. with VK-2735 in a phase II weight loss study. Shares of San Diego-based Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) closed Feb. 27 at $85.05, up $46.57, or 121%, as investors learned that the drug achieved the primary and all secondary endpoints in the phase II study called Venture, with significant body-weight drops at all doses compared to placebo.
