Viking Therapeutics Climbs After Fatty Liver Disease Results

(Bloomberg) -- Viking Therapeutics jumped 14 percent pre-market Wednesday after an abstract of its experimental fatty liver disease drug, VK2809 was released ahead of the International Liver Congress Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) next month.

• Abstract showed median relative change from baseline in liver fat content was 54 percent for VK2809 5 mg daily, 56.5 percent for 10 mg every other day, and 60 percent for 10 mg daily, compared with 9.4 percent for a placebo
  • 100 percent of participants getting the 5 mg dose had a 30 percent or greater reduction in liver fat as measured by MRI-PDFF, compared with 77 percent for those getting 10 mg every other day dose and 91 percent with 10 mg daily vs 17 percent with the placebo
  • Abstract concludes, ``data provide strong rationale for further development of VK2809 as well potential use of low-dose liver-targeted thyroid receptor beta agonist therapy as a treatment for patients with biopsy-proven NASH with fibrosis''
• Viking’s medicine works similarly to peer Madrigal Pharmaceuticals; MDGL has said it would start a Phase 3 study before the end of the quarter
• Viking rose as high as $9.80 per share pre-market; it would be the stock's best level in regular trading since December

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