Viking Therapeutics has announced promising new clinical trial data for its experimental weight-loss drug, VK2735, including an oral pill formulation. The data, presented at Obesity Week in San Antonio, Texas, revealed that the oral pill achieved significant weight loss compared to placebo, outperforming results from Novo Nordisk's experimental weight-loss pill, amycretin, in early trials.
Oral Pill Demonstrates Rapid Weight Loss
In a Phase 1 clinical study, patients who received a daily 100mg dose of Viking's oral weight-loss pill experienced an average weight loss of up to 6.8% over 28 days, adjusted for placebo. This result has garnered attention as it exceeds the performance of Novo Nordisk's amycretin, which showed approximately a 5% placebo-adjusted weight loss over four weeks at the same dosage.
Injectable Formulation Shows Substantial Weight Reduction
The Phase 2 trial of the injectable version of VK2735 demonstrated even more significant weight loss, with patients experiencing an average reduction of 14.7% over 13 weeks. While this is a notable result, it is worth noting that Eli Lilly's Zepbound showed over 20% weight loss after 72 weeks in its clinical trials.
Competitive Landscape in the Weight-Loss Market
The demand for weight-loss drugs has surged since the introduction of medications like Ozempic. Companies like Viking Therapeutics, Regeneron, Amgen, Pfizer, and Zealand Pharma are actively developing new drugs to meet this demand. Even market leaders Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are working on more potent weight-loss treatments.
The development of an effective weight-loss pill is particularly appealing due to potential advantages in supply and patient preference compared to injectable drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, which have faced supply constraints. AstraZeneca is also developing an obesity pill, which demonstrated a 5.8% average body weight loss over four weeks in an early-stage clinical trial.
