Viking Therapeutics to start obesity drug mid-stage trial

[March 28, 2023]  (Reuters) - Viking Therapeutics Inc said on Tuesday it will begin testing its experimental obesity drug in a mid-stage trial after reporting promising early-stage data.

The drug candidate, VK2735, showed up to 6% reduction in mean weight compared to placebo in a small early-stage trial, the company said in a statement.

Viking also said the drug was safe and well-tolerated, with majority of adverse events being mild or moderate in the 28-day study.

Shares of the drug developer rose nearly 33% to $12 in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)

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