Viking Therapeutics Announces Initiation of VK2735 Maintenance Dosing Clinical Trial in Patients with Obesity

Core Insights - Viking Therapeutics has initiated a Phase 1 exploratory maintenance dosing study for VK2735, a dual agonist targeting GLP-1 and GIP receptors, aimed at evaluating various dosing regimens to maintain weight loss achieved through initial treatment [1][2][3] Study Details - The study will involve approximately 180 adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) who are otherwise healthy, transitioning from initial weekly subcutaneous doses of VK2735 or placebo for 19 weeks to various maintenance dosing options [2] - Maintenance options include monthly subcutaneous doses, daily oral doses, weekly oral doses, or placebo, with objectives to assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics [2] - Exploratory endpoints will measure changes in body weight from baseline and from Week 19 to Week 31 [2] Company Overview - Viking Therapeutics focuses on developing novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders, with VK2735 being a key compound in their pipeline [5][6] - The company is also conducting two Phase 3 studies (VANQUISH-1 and VANQUISH-2) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous VK2735 over 78 weeks [3][6] - Viking's research includes other compounds like VK2809 for lipid and metabolic disorders and VK0214 for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy [6]