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 the presentation of preclinical data from a series of internally developed dual agonists of the amylin and calcitonin receptors at the 84th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association. The presentation highlights the effects of treatment on body weight, food intake and metabolic profile in healthy rats and diet-induced obese (DIO) mice as compared to control cohorts treated with vehicle or the dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist cagrilintide. The studies were summarized in a poster presentation at the annual scientific conference of the American Diabetes Association, being held June 21-24, 2024, in Orlando, Florida.

The study results demonstrate that Viking's series of dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists (DACRAs) reduced food intake in lean rats in the period from 0 – 72 hours following a single subcutaneous dosing. At 72 hours following a single subcutaneous dose, Viking's novel compounds resulted in up to 8% body weight reductions compared to vehicle-treated animals.

In a DIO mouse model, treatment with Viking's series of co-agonists for 24 days resulted in body weight reductions that were comparable to those achieved in cagrilintide-treated animals. Additionally, improvements in key metabolic markers, including blood glucose levels, were observed in DIO mice treated with the company's compounds for the 24-day time period.

Highlights from poster 2024-LB-5842: Novel Amylin and Calcitonin Receptor Co-Agonists Reduce Food Intake and Body Weight in Rodents.

• Viking DACRAs demonstrated EC50 values ranging from low nM to micromolar on the human amylin 3 receptor and a similar range of potencies on the human calcitonin receptor.
• Treatment with single doses of Viking DACRAs resulted in up to 8% mean reductions in body weight in lean rats after 72 hours.
• Treatment of DIO mice for 24 days with Viking DACRA compounds demonstrated up to 10% weight loss from baseline (p<0.05 vs. baseline).
• Viking DACRA compounds demonstrated up to 24% reductions in blood glucose in DIO mice after 24 days (p<0.05 vs. baseline and cagrilintide control).

The results of these and other preclinical studies provide the rationale for Viking's continued advancement of its internal dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist development program.

"The amylin receptor plays an important role in food intake and metabolic control, making it an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in obesity," said Brian Lian, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Viking. "These data demonstrate the potent activity of a series of novel, internally developed, amylin and calcitonin dual agonists and represent an exciting expansion of our pipeline in obesity and metabolic diseases. This program provides Viking with additional opportunities to develop novel, differentiated therapies for obesity with potentially best-in-class profiles."