Peptide News Digest

#Viking Therapeutics

4 stories

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.

Clinical Trials · View digest

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) Disclosed on the July 29, 2026 Q2 2026 Earnings Call That VK3019, a Novel Dual Amylin and Calcitonin Receptor Agonist Peptide for Obesity, Has Entered Phase 1 Clinical Development, Extending the Company's Obesity Pipeline Beyond the Flagship Dual GLP-1/GIP Agonist VK2735 (Fully Enrolled Phase 3 VANQUISH Program in Obesity and Obesity/Type 2 Diabetes With Oral VK2735 Phase 3 Trials Slated to Initiate Q4 2026 Positioning Viking as Potential First-to-Market Oral Dual GLP-1/GIP Agonist); Q2 2026 Net Loss Widened to $128.1 Million From $65.6 Million in Q2 2025 on Increased R&D Spending, With $502 Million in Cash and Short-Term Investments Down From $706 Million at Year-End 2025

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) disclosed on the July 29, 2026 Q2 2026 earnings call that VK3019, a novel dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist peptide for obesity, has entered Phase 1 clinical development. The candidate extends the company's obesity pipeline beyond the flagship VK2735 (dual GLP-1/GIP agonist). VK2735 status: Phase 3 VANQUISH program in obesity and obesity/type 2 diabetes is fully enrolled and advancing on track; oral VK2735 Phase 3 trials are slated to initiate in Q4 2026, positioning Viking as a potential first-to-market oral dual GLP-1/GIP agonist. A novel maintenance dosing study for VK2735 is nearing completion, with results expected later in Q3 2026 exploring less frequent dosing regimens. Q2 2026 financials: net loss widened to $128.1 million from $65.6 million in Q2 2025 on increased R&D spending, with $502 million in cash and short-term investments down from $706 million at year-end 2025. VK3019 is mechanistically distinct from VK2735: amylin signaling adds brainstem-mediated satiety (via the calcitonin receptor complex with RAMPs) on top of a calcitonin receptor agonism that has a longer development history in postmenopausal osteoporosis (Miacalcin) and Paget's disease. The amylin plus calcitonin combination extends the amylin-analog obesity category anchored by Novo Nordisk's cagrilintide (a component of CagriSema) and the Novo amycretin oral amylin monotherapy program.

Clinical Trials · View digest

Viking Therapeutics VK2735 Oral Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral Full 13-Week Data (May 12 ECO): 12.2% Mean Weight Loss (26.6 lbs) Dose-Dependent, Week 1 Onset

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.

Clinical Trials · View digest

Viking Therapeutics ECO 2026 Posters: VK2735 Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral 13-Week Efficacy + Phase 3 VANQUISH-1 Subcutaneous Design

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.