Viking Therapeutics is testing whether a redesigned dosing plan can overcome earlier side effects as it advances tablet and injectable versions of its obesity drug VK2735.
Viking Therapeutics has given investors another reason to focus on its obesity pipeline after starting two late-stage studies of its oral VK2735 tablet, adding to a programme that already includes injectable versions of the drug. The move matters because the company is trying to prove that VK2735 can work in more than one form, giving it a broader commercial path if the data continue to hold up. According to Viking’s pipeline materials, VK2735 is designed as a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, a class of treatment aimed at helping people lose weight and improve metabolic health.
The company already has two phase 3 trials under way for the subcutaneous, or injectable, version of VK2735, known as VANQUISH-1 and VANQUISH-2. Viking said in its June 2025 announcement that those studies are testing once-weekly dosing over 78 weeks in adults with obesity and in adults with obesity or overweight who also have type 2 diabetes. Independent company trackers say both studies are fully enrolled, with readouts still ahead.
The oral programme has been more complicated. Viking reported encouraging phase 1 results in March 2024, saying the tablet produced dose-dependent weight loss and was generally well tolerated, with no serious adverse events in that small study. But the later phase 2 oral trial delivered a harsher investor reaction after a meaningful share of participants stopped treatment because of side effects, even though the drug still showed efficacy. That is why the new phase 3 design is being watched so closely: the company has signalled a gentler dose escalation, lower top doses and a longer study period, all of which could improve tolerability.
There is still plenty of uncertainty. Biopharmaceutical development rarely follows a straight line, and Viking’s earlier oral data show both the promise and the risk of pushing a weight-loss drug into larger trials. Yet the company’s decision to advance both injectable and oral versions of VK2735 gives it two shots at a large market, and the redesigned oral studies may be better positioned to avoid the problems that weighed on the stock after the phase 2 setback. If the next results are stronger, the programme could regain momentum quickly; if not, the dual-formulation strategy could still leave Viking with a viable injectable franchise.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
