According to the China Fortune Finance app, Viking Therapeutics (VKTX.US) announced that its experimental drug VK2735 can more effectively reduce patient weight at higher doses compared to the early formulation, laying a solid foundation for its competition with Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) and Eli Lilly (LLY.US). In an early study, subjects taking 100 mg of VK2735 on average lost 8.2% weight in 28 days, compared to 6.8% weight loss by patients taking a placebo.

Specifically, the company presented these research results at the Obesity Week conference held in San Antonio on Sunday. Investors are bullish on Viking's potential to enter the weight loss drug market, with its stock price tripled this year. It is predicted that by 2020, the weight loss drug market will reach $130 billion. Viking's drugs appear in easy-to-take tablet form, potentially becoming an alternative to the dominant injectables in the market, making a significant impact.

Bloomberg industry research analyst Michael Shahar commented: "The effectiveness of the drug looks promising, and its safety profile remains good."

According to Viking's report, the highest dose of the drug did not cause patients to discontinue. In the study, a total of 92 people took different doses of the drug, with the highest dose being 100 mg. Common side effects include constipation, nausea, and vomiting, similar to other weight loss drugs.

Currently, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are also researching similar drugs, with Pfizer (PFE.US) and AstraZeneca (AZN.US) and other pharmaceutical companies involved.

According to a mid-term study published last year, Eli Lilly's oral drug orfoglipron taken at the maximum dose daily can lead to an average weight loss of around 15% in obese adults within 36 weeks. Similarly, tablets containing Novo Nordisk's Wegovy active ingredient semaglutide have also shown similar results in a late-stage study, which lasted almost twice as long as the aforementioned study.