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Viking Therapeutics Announces Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Trial of VK2735, Company's Lead Dual GLP-1/GIP Receptor Agonist
First-in-Human Clinical Trial for Novel Therapeutic with Potential to Treat Range of Metabolic Disorders SAN DIEGO, Jan. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking
About this update from Viking Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"First-in-Human Clinical Trial for Novel Therapeutic with Potential to Treat Range of Metabolic Disorders\n\n\nSAN DIEGO, Jan. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (Viking) (NASDAQ: VKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders, today announced the initiation of a Phase 1 single ascending dose (SAD) and multiple ascending dose (MAD) clinical trial of VK2735, a novel dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors. VK2735 is in development for the potential treatment of various metabolic disorders.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nThe Phase 1 trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, SAD and MAD study in healthy adults. The primary objectives of the study include evaluation of the safety and tolerability of single and multiple doses of VK2735 delivered subcutaneously, as well as the identification of VK2735 doses suitable for further clinical development. Study investigators will also evaluate the pharmacokinetics of single and multiple doses of VK2735. Exploratory pharmacodynamic assessments include evaluations of changes in body weight and liver fat content after four weeks of once-weekly administration.\nViking selected VK2735 from a series of internally developed dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists evaluated as part of a program focused on the development of best-in-class therapies for metabolic diseases. The results of certain in vivo studies from this program were recently presented at ObesityWeek® 2021, highlighting the promising effects observed following treatment with VK2735 and other compounds from the series. Data demonstrated improvements in the metabolic profile of diet-induced obese (DIO) mice treated with Viking's compounds as compared to control cohorts. \nWeight loss, glucose control, and insulin sensitivity were enhanced following treatment with the Viking dual agonists compared to the effects observed with the GLP-1 mono-agonist semaglutide, when administered at the same dose for the same time period. These results suggest that the addition of GIP receptor activity improves upon the effects achieved with activation of the GLP-1 receptor alone. In separate studies, the effect sizes observed with the Viking series of dual agonists were foun...