Viking’s VK2735 Preserves Up to 97% of Weight Loss With Every-Other-Week Dosing

Key Facts

Viking Therapeutics reported positive topline results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving about 180 adults with obesity. Participants received weekly injections of VK2735 for 21 weeks before moving to maintenance regimens for another 12 weeks.

After 21 weeks, mean weight loss across the VK2735 groups ranged from 16% to 19%, versus about 0% with placebo. In an exploratory cohort that continued 17.5 mg weekly, weight loss reached 21.7% from baseline at week 33, with no plateau in the downward trend.

The combined every-other-week regimens maintained an average 90% of the weight lost during weekly treatment, reaching 97% in one regimen, versus 61% among participants switched to placebo. Monthly regimens maintained an average 85%, with the best regimen reaching 90%.

Preserving weight loss with fewer injections could reduce treatment burden and support patient persistence, potentially improving the drug's competitive position and commercial prospects. The maintenance period lasted only 12 weeks, however, and weight changes were exploratory endpoints in company-reported topline data, so the results do not establish long-term efficacy or regulatory success.

Viking said rates of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation during maintenance were not meaningfully different from placebo, while discontinuation rates were low. The company plans to evaluate oral maintenance regimens in Part 2 of the study, and injectable VK2735 is also in Phase 3 obesity trials.