Viking Therapeutics' Oral Obesity Drug Advances to Phase 3 Testing. Is Now the Time to Buy This Biotech Stock?

Viking Therapeutics is advancing its oral weight-loss drug VK2735 to Phase 3 trials, showing 12.2% weight loss in Phase 2 testing. However, the company faces significant competitive challenges from established players like Eli Lilly's Foundayo, which demonstrated better tolerability with lower discontinuation rates. While Viking's injectable formulation shows promise with potential monthly dosing differentiation, the biotech will struggle to gain market traction in an increasingly crowded obesity drug market dominated by incumbents.