Overview
- Viking’s stock climbed about 19% in June, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, driven by investor optimism about its obesity drug pipeline.
- VK2735, Viking’s lead candidate and a GLP‑1/GIP agonist, produced steeper rates of weight loss in Phase 2 for both oral and injectable formulations.
- The injectable form of VK2735 is already in an ongoing Phase 3 trial and the company plans to start an oral Phase 3 later this year while also running a maintenance‑dosing study.
- Viking has begun a Phase 1 study of a separate weight‑loss program with a different mechanism, expanding its pipeline beyond the GLP‑1/GIP class.
- The company faces steep competition from market leaders such as Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk and investors will focus on Phase 3 safety and efficacy readouts in 2027–2028 and near‑term maintenance data.