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Viking's Weight-Loss Pill Disappoints, Shares Plunge 41%
19 Aug
Summary
- Viking's experimental weight-loss pill helped patients lose 12.2% of body weight
- This missed Wall Street's top-end expectations of 15% weight loss
- About 20% of patients on the drug dropped out due to adverse effects like vomiting and nausea
According to a recent report, Viking Therapeutics' experimental weight-loss pill has fallen short of Wall Street's expectations. In a mid-stage trial involving 280 obese and overweight adults, the highest 120-milligram dose of Viking's drug, VK2735, helped patients shed an average of 12.2% of their body weight over 13 weeks. This fell short of the 15% weight loss that analysts had anticipated.
The disappointing results have sent Viking's shares plummeting by 41%. Additionally, the trial saw a high dropout rate, with around 20% of patients on VK2735 discontinuing the study due to adverse effects, primarily gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting and nausea. In comparison, only 13% of those in the placebo group dropped out.
To address the side effects, Viking's CEO, Brian Lian, said the company will consider increasing the dosage every four weeks for future studies, rather than every two weeks. Oral weight-loss drugs are expected to expand access for patients who are averse to injections, but so far, they have failed to outperform the injectable options, such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound.
