Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) shares lost ground, while shares of drugmaker Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) soared in intraday trading Thursday after the company reported advances in trials of its weight-loss drugs that could challenge the dominance of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro.
Viking Therapeutics NASDAQ: VKTX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company known for its focus on developing novel treatments for metabolic and endocrine disorders. Viking Therapeutics' earnings report for the second quarter of 2024 was impressive, capturing the attention of investors and the Viking Therapeutics' analyst community.
Viking (VKTX) gains 24% on better-than-expected second-quarter 2024 results, along with encouraging updates regarding its pipeline development plans.
Viking Therapeutics plans to advance its obesity drug VK2735 into late-stage clinical testing. VK2735 could be a formidable rival to Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy if it's approved.
Shares of Viking Therapeutics jumped on Thursday after the biotech company a day earlier announced plans to advance its experimental weight loss injection into a late-stage trial earlier than expected. It brings the drugmaker one step closer to joining the highly popular market for GLP-1s, which analysts say could grow into a $150 billion market by the end of the decade.
Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX ) stock is heading higher on Thursday as the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company prepares to start another trial for its weight loss drug. Viking Therapeutics says that it's ready to progress subcutaneous VK2735 into a Phase 3 clinical trial as a treatment for obesity and other metabolic disorders.
VKTX's obesity therapy candidate, VK2735, demonstrates accelerated weight loss results compared to Wegovy/ Mounjaro and the next-gen candidates, including CagriSema/ Zepbound/ Retatrutide. This explains why the stock is trading at a notable premium compared to its historical means and biotech sector, offering interested investors with a minimal margin of safety. VKTX remains a pre-revenue biotech company with uncertain means to bring the product to mass-market global commercialization upon the supposed US FDA/ the EU EC approval.
Devoid of marketed drugs, investors will focus on Viking Therapeutics' (VKTX) pipeline updates when it reports second-quarter results.
Viking Therapeutics has a promising pipeline featuring several experimental drugs. The indications the company is targeting represent huge potential markets.
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) reachead $50.12 at the closing of the latest trading day, reflecting a +0.56% change compared to its last close.
Viking Therapeutics' shares have skyrocketed this year. The biotech owes its performance to its two leading assets.
Viking's share price has been tumbling in recent months, and trading volumes are also down significantly. The stock could see an uptick in volume later this month once it posts its latest earnings numbers.