Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) shares gained over 5% in extended trading on Monday after the drugmaker reported positive findings from an ongoing study of its lead drug candidate, VK2809.
VK2809 is a novel liver-selective thyroid hormone receptor beta agonist that possesses selectivity for liver tissue, as well as the beta receptor subtype.
The drug is being evaluated for efficacy, safety and tolerability in patients with biopsy-confirmed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis under a placebo-controlled VOYAGE study.
As previously reported, the drug met the primary endpoint by showing statistically significant reductions in liver fat in NASH patients.
Newly reported findings show robust and comparable liver fat reductions across key subgroups, including patients with Type 2 diabetes and among those with F2 or F3 fibrosis.
Among patients with type 2 diabetes, reductions from baseline in liver fat were reported for all VK2809 cohorts, ranging from 36% to 54% at Week 12. Among non-diabetics, reductions in liver fat from baseline ranged from 19% to 51%.
The treatment also showed potent reductions in liver fat content among patients with either F2 or F3 fibrosis.
CEO Brian Lian said, “We are pleased to see that the impressive efficacy demonstrated by VK2809 for the VOYAGE study’s primary endpoint remains consistent across the study’s key patient subpopulations. Neither the presence of type 2 diabetes nor the presence of F2 or F3 fibrosis meaningfully impacted VK2809’s efficacy at reducing liver fat. We look forward to reporting 52-week biopsy data from VOYAGE in the first half of 2024.”