Can Viking Therapeutics Carve Out a Place in the Obesity Market?

Viking Therapeutics VKTX is taking another step toward expanding its presence in the obesity space. The company recently initiated phase III development of the oral formulation of VK2735, its lead obesity candidate, marking an important milestone in its efforts to advance the treatment. The phase III program, dubbed SUNRISE, comprises two studies evaluating oral VK2735 in adults who are overweight or obese, both with and without type II diabetes (T2D). The decision to advance oral VK2735 is supported by results from the phase II VENTURE-Oral study, which showed that participants who received the highest dose achieved mean weight loss of up to 12.2% compared with 1.3% in the placebo group.