Why This Mid-Cap Biotech Could Be the Dark-Horse Threat to Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk
View original at nasdaq.comWhy This Mid-Cap Biotech Could Be the Dark-Horse Threat to Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk Key Points Viking Therapeutics has a weight-loss program that looks to be competitive with medicines already on the market…
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VK2735's weight loss performance in its 13-week phase 2 study looks competitive with currently approved market leaders
60% confidenceThe market for weight loss medicines could reach $100 billion before the end of the decade, according to some analysts
60% confidenceVK2735 oral formulation Phase 3 trial is expected to begin around the end of 2026
60% confidenceIn VK2735's injectable phase 2 trial, the pace of weight loss didn't appear to be tapering at the end of the study period, suggesting patients could lose more weight by staying on treatment longer
60% confidenceViking Therapeutics could have a harder time competing against Eli Lilly's and Novo Nordisk's late-stage pipeline candidates than against their currently marketed products
60% confidenceWeight loss on GLP-1 drugs tends to slow the longer people stay on them
60% confidenceCross-trial comparisons between VK2735 and approved GLP-1 drugs are suggestive rather than direct due to different patients, doses, and follow-up lengths
60% confidenceThe market for anti-obesity drugs is at risk of calcifying into a dominant duopoly between Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk
60% confidenceVK2735 injectable phase 3 top-line data will not arrive before 2027 given the study runs well over a year
60% confidenceSeizing even 1% of the projected $100 billion anti-obesity market would lift Viking Therapeutics' valuation well above its current $3.5 billion market cap
60% confidenceEli Lilly and Novo Nordisk together hold nearly the entire U.S. market for branded obesity and diabetes treatments
60% confidenceRetatrutide added glucagon as a third receptor target on top of the GLP-1/GIP pairing, making it a triple agonist
60% confidenceRetatrutide phase 3 results showed 45% of subjects lost at least 30% of their body weight after 80 weeks
60% confidenceViking Therapeutics was not among The Motley Fool Stock Advisor's 10 best stocks to buy now
60% confidenceThe odds of VK2735 being approved and becoming a decisive win for Viking Therapeutics are slim; it is still an underdog in the GLP-1 market
60% confidence