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Viking Therapeutics Presents New Data from Phase 2 Study of VK2809 in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Elevated LDL-Cholesterol at The International Liver Congress(TM) 2019
SAN DIEGO, April 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (Viking) (NASDAQ: VKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the
About this update from Viking Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"SAN DIEGO, April 11, 2019 /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 presentation of new results from the company's 12-week Phase 2 study of VK2809, its novel liver-selective thyroid receptor beta agonist, in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at the International Liver Congress™ 2019. The study results were presented in the late-breaker poster session of the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), being held April 10-14 in Vienna, Austria. \n\n \nHighlights from the late-breaker poster include newly reported data demonstrating that all patients who received 5 mg of VK2809 dosed daily were considered responders, as defined by a relative reduction in liver fat of ≥ 30% at Week 12. Patients in the VK2809 5 mg cohort also experienced a statistically significant median relative reduction in liver fat content of 53.8%. Consistent with the observations from the 10 mg cohorts in this study, VK2809 was shown to be safe and well tolerated when dosed at 5 mg daily, with no serious adverse events reported. Overall, a greater proportion of VK2809-treated patients completed the study compared with patients randomized to placebo.\nData presented at The International Liver Congress 2019 include:\nReduction in LDL-C\nThe study successfully achieved its primary endpoint, with patients receiving VK2809 demonstrating statistically significant reductions in LDL-C following 12 weeks of treatment. In addition to LDL-C, VK2809-treated patients also demonstrated statistically significant improvements in other lipids, including triglycerides and the atherogenic proteins apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein (a). These improvements suggest potential cardiovascular benefit associated with VK2809 treatment.\nReduction in Liver Fat Content\nThe study successfully achieved its secondary endpoint, with VK2809-treated patients experiencing statistically significant reductions in liver fat content compared with placebo after 12 weeks of treatment. Newly reported data demonstrated that 100% of patients receiving 5 mg of VK2809 dosed daily were considered responders, experiencing ≥ 30%...