Viking completes enrollment in phase 3 trial of injectable VK2735

Viking Therapeutics has completed enrollment in VANQUISH-2, one of two phase 3 trials of its experimental weight-loss drug VK2735 ^[1]. VANQUISH-2 is testing the injectable form in adults who have both obesity and type 2 diabetes, while the companion study, VANQUISH-1, is testing it in adults with obesity ^[1]. Both trials are now fully enrolled ^[1].

VK2735 is a dual agonist, meaning it is designed to act on the GLP-1 and GIP hormone receptors in a single molecule ^[1]. It belongs to a group of late-stage candidates that layer in targets beyond GLP-1 — amylin, GIP and glucagon among them — in an effort to deliver greater weight loss, better tolerability or more convenient dosing than the first generation of obesity drugs ^[1].

No results from either phase 3 trial of the injection have been released. Viking has not disclosed when those results will be reported or when it might seek FDA approval ^[1]. Completing enrollment moves a trial closer to a readout, but it says nothing about whether the drug works.

Viking is also developing VK2735 as a tablet. In a phase 2 study, the oral form produced up to 12.2% weight loss over 13 weeks ^[1]. The tablet is scheduled to enter phase 3 testing in the second half of 2026, so its late-stage testing is starting later than the injection's ^[1].

If both formulations succeed, Viking would become the first company to offer an oral and an injectable version of the same dual agonist, which could allow patients to switch between the two ^[1]. Chief executive Brian Lian has described the oral data as compelling and has said the tablet could be the first oral dual agonist of its kind to reach the market ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

VK2735 is investigational. It is not approved by the FDA and is not available by prescription ^[1]. The two approved oral GLP-1 products for weight management remain oral semaglutide, sold as the Wegovy pill and approved in December 2025, and orforglipron, sold as Foundayo and approved on 1 April 2026 ^[1]. Injectable semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) are also already on the market.

The practical effect of a deeper pipeline is a wider set of choices — weekly versus monthly injections, daily tablets, and combinations tuned for conditions such as diabetes, liver disease or milder side effects — and more competition, which the industry expects to put pressure on prices that remain a major barrier to access ^[1]. Several of the late-stage candidates also aim to treat conditions that accompany obesity, including type 2 diabetes, heart failure and fatty liver disease, rather than weight alone ^[1].

For anyone deciding on treatment today, none of the drugs described here change what is currently available. Analysts expect the global market for obesity medicines to exceed 100 billion dollars within a few years, which is driving the pace of testing ^[1].

What happens next

• Viking plans to begin phase 3 testing of oral VK2735 in the second half of 2026 ^[1], with the company also saying it expects several further readouts during 2026 for other programs.
• Novo Nordisk's CagriSema, a fixed-dose combination of cagrilintide and semaglutide, is under FDA review, with a decision expected later in 2026 ^[1].
• Eli Lilly is widely anticipated to file its triple-agonist retatrutide for approval by the end of 2026; it remains investigational ^[1]. In the TRIUMPH-1 trial reported in May 2026, the highest dose produced average weight loss of 28.3% at 80 weeks ^[1].
• Amgen's MariTide, dosed as infrequently as once a month, is in phase 3, with pivotal data expected through 2027 ^[1].
• Viking has not disclosed a date for phase 3 results for injectable VK2735 or for a possible regulatory filing ^[1].