VKTX Stock Recent News

VKTX stock slumps after mixed obesity pill study results raise safety concerns and highlight fierce market competition.

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) reached $27.05 at the closing of the latest trading day, reflecting a -1.92% change compared to its last close.

Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Viking Therapeutics.

SAN DIEGO , Aug. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking Therapeutics, Inc. ("Viking") (NASDAQ: VKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders, today announced that the company will participate at multiple upcoming investor conferences.  Details of the company's participation are as follows: Cantor Global Healthcare Conference Details: Viking management will participate in a fireside chat and in investor meetingsConference Date: September 3-5, 2025 Fireside Chat Time: 9:45 – 10:15 a.m.

NVO and VKTX face setbacks and rising competition as they battle for ground in the GLP-1 obesity market.

This year has offered no shortage of market-moving headlines shaping investor sentiment. Mixed job reports, new tariffs fueling turbulence in U.S. trade policy, and ongoing uncertainty around Federal Reserve decisions have all contributed to a difficult backdrop for identifying compelling investment opportunities.

Viking Therapeutics (VKTX -0.69%) delivered one of the most anticipated obesity readouts of the year -- and Wall Street promptly panicked. Shares plummeted 40% after the company released Phase 2 results from its oral VK2735, dropping from $42 to around $26 as investors fixated on tolerability concerns.

Viking Therapeutics (VKTX 1.32%) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN -1.45%) have faced challenges this year that have sunk their stock prices. The former is down by 37% this year, while the latter has declined 17%.

Viking's oral VK2735 efficacy was strong, but tolerability issues and high discontinuation rates cloud its competitive edge in the obesity drug market. The market's perception of Viking shifted after the data, with the company now seen as a respectable contender but no longer a clear frontrunner. A buyout is more likely now, as the oral program's value is clearer; Eli Lilly and others could be interested, but Novo Nordisk likely is not.

Shares in Viking Therapeutics (VKTX 1.13%) crashed by 35.9% in the week to Friday morning. The decline comes in a week when the company released its top-line results from its phase 2 trial of its lead drug VK2735 (oral dosing) for weight loss.