VK2735 by Viking Therapeutics: status and timeline

VK2735

Long-acting dual GLP-1/GIP agonist for obesity and metabolic disorders. Weekly SC and daily oral formulations in development.

PilotStage 3 of 5

Phase 3 VANQUISH fully enrolled (~5,600 pts); oral phase 3 begins Q4 2026.

Updated 27 Mar 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Oral phase 3 enrollment begins

Phase 2 VENTURE trial completesFeb 2024Complete.
Phase 2 shows up to 14.7% weight lossFeb 2024Complete.
Phase 3 VANQUISH-1 fully enrolled (~4,661 pts)Nov 2025Complete.
Phase 3 VANQUISH-2 fully enrolled (~1,000 pts)Mar 2026Complete.
Oral phase 3 enrollment beginsTarget Q4 2026Not yet reached.
VANQUISH results readoutTarget 2027Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Q4 2026Oral phase 3 enrollment begins (next)
2027VANQUISH results readout

Current obstacles

GI side effectsNausea and vomiting are common with GLP-1 agonists. Phase 3 will test long-term patient persistence.
Oral bioavailabilityOral GLP-1 agonists must survive stomach acid; achieving parity with injections is challenging.

Physics limits

GI side effects inherent to GLP-1GLP-1 activation in the gut naturally triggers nausea; limiting this while maintaining efficacy is a fundamental trade-off.
Receptor desensitizationProlonged agonist exposure can lead to reduced response over time; long-term durability is not yet proven.

How it works

3 parts

GLP-1 pathway

Appetite suppression

GLP-1 activation suppresses appetite, slows gastric emptying, and improves glucose control.

GIP pathway

Metabolic enhancement

GIP activation may enhance weight loss through additional metabolic pathways.

Synergy

Combined effect

Dual agonism produces greater weight loss than either pathway alone.

Spec sheet

Spec	VK2735
Mechanism	Dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist^R (reported)
Phase 2 weight loss	Up to 14.7% (13 weeks)^R (reported)
VANQUISH-1 enrollment	4,661 patients (obesity)^R (reported)
Formulations	Weekly SC and daily oral tablet^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

2 updates

Fri 27 Mar

Major: Phase 3 VANQUISH trials fully enrolled: VANQUISH-1 completed November 2025 with 4,661 patients; VANQUISH-2 completed March 2026 with 1,000 patientsPressTest

Tue 27 Feb 2024

Major: Phase 2 VK2735 (VENTURE) shows up to 14.7% weight loss in 13 weeks with dose-dependent efficacyPressTest

About Viking Therapeutics

The team behind VK2735

Viking Therapeutics

VK2735 GLP-1 GIP obesity dual agonist, oral

Viking Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing VK2735, a long-acting dual agonist of GLP-1 and GIP receptors for obesity and metabolic disorders.

VK2735 phase 3 VANQUISH trials fully enrolled with ~5,600 patients in obesity and obesity+diabetes cohorts.
Phase 2 (VENTURE) showed up to 14.7% weight reduction in 13 weeks, dose-dependent.
Viking is the first to advance both weekly SC and daily oral formulations of a GLP-1/GIP dual into phase 3.

vikingtherapeutics.com (opens vikingtherapeutics.com)Company profile →

Founded: 201214 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Public
Valuation: public
Works in: BiotechObesity & metabolism
Coverage: 1 program · 2 updateslatest 27 Mar 2026checked 10 Oct

Spec

VK2735

Mechanism

Dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist^R (reported)

Phase 2 weight loss

Up to 14.7% (13 weeks)^R (reported)

VANQUISH-1 enrollment

4,661 patients (obesity)^R (reported)

Formulations

Weekly SC and daily oral tablet^R (reported)