Viking Phase II Update Shows Sustained Response After Treatment’s End

Additional Phase II data presented at the virtual European Association for the Study of the Liver meeting on 28 August suggest that Viking Therapeutics, Inc.’s VK2809 could emerge as a best-in-class treatment option for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients, although it is competing directly with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Phase III resmetirom in the thyroid hormone receptor beta (THRβ) agonist class.

Previously, Viking unveiled Phase II data showing that its THRβ agonist yielded a 58% reduction in hepatic fat from baseline over 12 weeks in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients with elevated LDL cholesterol levels. (Also see "Viking’s Liver Fat Reduction Data Portend A New Competitor In NASH" - Scrip, 18 September, 2018.) NAFLD is a precursor condition to NASH, which itself can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and need for transplant