VKTX Stock Spikes 38% Premarket: Viking’s VK2735 Shows Promise For Weight-Loss Maintenance

Viking Therapeutics’ experimental obesity drug showed it could preserve most patients’ prior weight loss with less frequent dosing.

• VK2735 maintained up to 97% of prior weight loss when patients switched from weekly to every-other-week injections for 12 weeks.
• Patients initially lost 16% to 19% of their body weight after 21 weeks of weekly VK2735.
• Viking is already testing injectable VK2735 in Phase 3, with about 5,500 patients enrolled across two trials.

Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) surged into the spotlight on Tuesday after the biotech firm announced that its experimental obesity drug VK2735 helped patients maintain most of their weight loss even when the doses were reduced from once a week to every other week.

The results could strengthen VK2735’s position in the rapidly expanding obesity-drug market, as companies compete with blockbuster treatments from Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO). VK2735 is being developed as a potential competitor to blockbuster obesity drugs such as Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.

At the time of writing, VKTX shares were up nearly 38%, tracking their biggest single day gains since February 2024. The stock also climbed over its 50-day moving average (50-DMA) for the first time in over a month.

VK2735 Maintained Up To 97% Of Previous Weight Loss

In the 180-patient study, adults with obesity initially received weekly injections of VK2735, a GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, for 21 weeks. Patients lost between 16% and 19% of their body weight during this period, while an exploratory group that continued weekly treatment achieved about 22% weight loss after 33 weeks.

Patients who switched to every-other-week dosing for another 12 weeks maintained up to 97% of their previous weight loss, compared with 61% among those switched to placebo.

“This may provide an opportunity to evaluate additional higher doses and raises the possibility of exploring both maintenance and induction weight loss with less frequent dosing regimens,” said Brian Lian, CEO of Viking Therapeutics.

Viking’s Injectable Version Of Obesity Therapy In Phase 3 Trial  

VK2735 is Viking’s lead obesity candidate and is being developed in both injectable and oral forms. The injectable version is being evaluated in the Phase 3 Vanquish program, which began in 2025 and includes two fully enrolled trials with about 5,500 patients combined.

The opportunity remains massive. In July, Goldman Sachs Research raised its forecast for global obesity drug sales to $114 billion by 2030, with oral treatments expected to capture about 40% of the market.

Retail Says VKTX Is ‘Undervalued’

Retail sentiment surrounding VKTX on Stocktwits changed to ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bullish’ a day earlier, amid ‘extremely high’ message volumes. VKTX was also among the top trending tickers at the time of writing.

One user asked if the latest results could open up a bidding war for Viking.

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Another user called VKTX stock “undervalued.”

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The stock is up roughly 15% so far this year.

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