Viking Therapeutics
NEWS
In this deep dive BioSpace dissects the global obesity and diabetes markets along with the growing pipelines that aim to serve them.
Second-quarter earnings season continues with Big Pharma beating Wall Street expectations, the author of an encrypted email sent to BioSpace has a proposal for Moderna and Merck, Roche and Viking seek quicker entry to the obesity market, and AAIC is in full swing.
With promising Phase II data in hand, Viking Therapeutics is pushing its subcutaneous GLP-1/GIP receptor dual agonist into late-stage development, the company announced on Wednesday.
While Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk currently dominate the GLP-1 receptor agonist space, there are more than 50 candidates in clinical development for obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to analytics firm GlobalData.
GLP-1 treatments are all the rage in this space, but they aren’t the only approach in development. The pipeline assets highlighted here offer a differentiated approach, potentially increasing efficacy or reducing side effects.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis experts welcomed Madrigal’s Rezdiffra as an “important first,” but there are more mid- to late-stage therapies showing promising results.
Now in Phase III with its small molecule orforglipron, Eli Lilly is leading the oral GLP-1 race against Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche and others.
The early-stage study showed that Viking Therapeutics’ oral obesity candidate VK2735, a dual agonist of the GLP-1 and GIP receptors, elicited a 3.3% reduction in mean body weight. The company plans to start a Phase II trial.
The recent FDA decision will likely mean more Medicare patients gain access to the blockbuster weight loss drug, experts say. Meanwhile, results continue to roll in for GLP-1 agonists for conditions beyond diabetes and obesity.
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