magicmine Despite early gains in the premarket, Viking Therapeutics ( NASDAQ: VKTX ) shares trended lower in regular trading Tuesday after the company held a conference call to discuss the latest data from a successful mid-stage trial for its liver disease therapy VK2809. Before the opening bell, the San Diego, California-based biotech announced promising 52-week data from its Phase 2b VOYAGE trial for VK2809 in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which had previously reached the primary goal. However, during the conference call, Viking ( VKTX ) CEO Brian Lian opted to remain cautious about the drug's future development.
Asked to comment on the drug's late-stage development, specifically the company's preference for a partnership and its plans for dose selection, Lian said that Viking ( VKTX ) would wait for FDA feedback. "But we need to speak with the FDA in an end of Phase II meeting and then make the decisions following that meeting," he added. Viking's ( VKTX ) VOYAGE readout followed the recent FDA approval of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals' ( MDGL ) rival NASH therapy resmetirom and Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) attempts to break into the liver disease space with its weight loss therapy tirzepatide.
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