Viking Therapeutics reported on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 topline results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled maintenance study of VK2735, its dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, in about 180 adults with a BMI of 30 or higher. After 21 weeks of weekly dosing, placebo-adjusted weight loss was 16% to 19% across VK2735 cohorts; an exploratory cohort on 17.5 mg weekly (n=13) reached about 22% weight loss from baseline at week 33. In the 12-week randomized maintenance phase, every-other-week dosing kept up to 97% of mean weight loss and monthly dosing up to 90%, compared with 61% for patients switched to placebo. Viking said gastrointestinal adverse event rates during maintenance were similar to placebo, and it plans a second part of the study to test oral maintenance regimens.
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.