MW Viking Therapeutics' stock pops on news of positive data from trial of treatment for rare metabolic disorder X-ALD

Viking Therapeutics Inc.'s stock $(VKTX)$ rose 1.4% in premarket trade Wednesday, after the biotech reported positive data from an early-stage trial of a treatment for the rare and often fatal metabolic disorder X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, or X-ALD. San Diego-based Viking, which is also developing an oral weight-loss treatment, said the Phase 1b trial of VK0214, a novel small molecule agonist of the thyroid hormone receptor beta, achieved significant reductions in mean VLCFA levels at two doses evaluated. VLCFAs, or very long-chain fatty acids, are deemed to be biomarkers of disease in patients with X-ALD. The trial enrolled adult male patients suffering from the adrenomyeloneuropathy $(AMN)$ form of X-ALD, who were divided into three cohorts; placebo, VK0214 20 mg daily and VK0214 40 mg daily. The primary endpoint was to evaluate safety and tolerability over a 28-day dosing period. Secondary goals included an evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of VK0214 following 28 days. And one further exploratory objective was to evaluate the effects of VK0214 on plasma levels of VLCFAs in subjects with AMN. "Patients receiving VK0214 demonstrated progressive improvement in plasma levels of very long chain fatty acids in the relatively brief treatment period evaluated in this study," said Brian Lian, Viking CEO, in prepared remarks. "In addition, VK0214 continued to show benefits on broader plasma lipids, such as LDL-C, important for overall cardiometabolic health." The stock has gained 258% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 has gained 20.6%.

-Ciara Linnane

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October 09, 2024 07:18 ET (11:18 GMT)

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