Viking Therapeutics starts VK2735 maintenance trial

• Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) initiated Part 2 of an exploratory trial testing oral and injectable VK2735 maintenance regimens.
• The study will evaluate 195 adults with obesity to measure drug safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and weight maintenance.
• Data readout for Part 2 is expected in 2027 while Phase 3 trials remain fully enrolled.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) initiated an exploratory trial evaluating oral and dosing maintenance options for its lead obesity candidate, VK2735.

The trial expansion focuses on identifying flexible dosing schedules to sustain long-term weight loss following initial subcutaneous treatment.

Part 2 of a maintenance study began in 2025 as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in approximately 195 otherwise healthy adults with obesity.

Trial participants will complete 21 weeks of weekly injections before transitioning to oral doses, monthly injections, or placebo through Week 33.

Viking Therapeutics develops novel metabolic and endocrine therapies targeting obesity, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, and rare disorders.

The company confirmed that its Phase 3 VANQUISH-1 and VANQUISH-2 trials evaluating weekly injections across 5,500 total participants remain fully enrolled.