Viking Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech building a dual GLP-1/GIP agonist obesity franchise around VK2735, with both subcutaneous and oral formulations now in pivotal-stage development. The company sits in the second tier of the obesity wave behind Lilly's Mounjaro/Zepbound and Novo's Wegovy, competing with Pfizer (Metsera's MET-097i), AstraZeneca (ASCEND), and Roche/Zealand (enicepatide + petrelintide) for the next-generation positions.
Covered here: the May 12, 2026 ECO 2026 presentation of full 13-week Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral data showing oral VK2735 produced 12.2% mean weight loss (26.6 lbs) at 13 weeks with placebo-adjusted significance starting at Week 1; the Phase 3 VANQUISH-1 subcutaneous program (4,650 patients enrolled November 2025); VANQUISH-2 in T2D + obesity (~1,000 patients, enrollment completed March 26, 2026); and the Q4 2026 plan to launch a Phase 3 trial of the oral formulation following positive FDA feedback.
Stories here cover trial readouts, regulatory milestones, and the broader dual-agonist competitive landscape. See #vk2735, #dual-agonist, and #eco-2026.
Viking Therapeutics presented full 13-week Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral data at ECO 2026 May 12 in Istanbul: once-daily oral VK2735 produced statistically significant, dose-dependent mean weight loss up to 12.2% (26.6 lbs) over 13 weeks with placebo-adjusted significance starting at Week 1. The favorable tolerability profile and rapid early onset of effect support Viking's Q4 2026 plan to initiate a Phase 3 trial of the oral formulation following positive FDA feedback. The data complements the Phase 3 VANQUISH-1 subcutaneous program (4,650 patients enrolled November 2025) and VANQUISH-2 in T2D+obesity (~1,000 patients, enrollment completed March 26, 2026). VK2735's dual GLP-1/GIP mechanism puts it in direct comparison with tirzepatide and the next-generation Mounjaro/Zepbound franchise.
Viking Therapeutics announced two poster presentations at ECO 2026 in Istanbul (May 12-15) on its VK2735 dual GLP-1/GIP agonist program. The first poster details 13-week efficacy and safety data from the Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral trial of oral VK2735, supporting Viking's Q4 2026 plan to launch a Phase 3 trial of the oral formulation following positive FDA feedback. The second poster details Phase 3 VANQUISH-1 design and enrollment demographics for subcutaneous VK2735, which completed enrollment of approximately 4,650 adults with obesity in November 2025. VANQUISH-2 (subcutaneous VK2735 in T2D + obesity, ~1,000 adults) completed enrollment March 26, 2026. Posters display May 12-15 with networking sessions Thursday May 14 18:00-19:15 TRT.
Viking enrolled ~1,000 adults in the 78-week trial of VK2735, a GLP-1/GIP dual agonist. Phase 2 showed up to 14.7% body weight reduction in just 13 weeks.