Experienced a Failure to Capitalize on Eli Lilly's 480% Profit Growth over the Last 5 Years? Remaining GLP-1 Stocks Still Present Significant Opportunities for Increased Returns.
Viking Therapeutics and Altimmune are two healthcare companies making strides in the development of GLP-1 treatments for weight loss. Their respective compounds, VK2735 and pemvidutide, are currently in advanced clinical trials.
Viking Therapeutics' VK2735, a GLP-1/GIP receptor dual agonist, is at the forefront of its clinical development. The company initiated the Phase 3 VANQUISH clinical program in Q2 2025, which includes two pivotal trials evaluating VK2735. One trial enrolls approximately 4,500 patients with obesity[1][3][4]. A Phase 2 trial, VENTURE-Oral Dosing, started in January 2025, focusing on safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and weight loss efficacy over 13 weeks in adults with obesity or overweight with comorbidities[1][3].
In a 2024 Phase 1 multiple ascending dose study with oral VK2735 (2.5 to 100 mg), participants experienced dose-dependent weight loss up to 8.2% after 28 days, with persistent effects up to 8.3% at Day 57[1][3]. Safety and tolerability were encouraging, with mostly mild or moderate treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) reported; discontinuations were low and balanced between treatment and placebo groups[1][2][3].
Viking Therapeutics is also working on an oral version of the treatment, currently in phase 2 trials. The success of VK2735 and its approval by regulators is crucial for Viking Therapeutics' stock performance.
On the other hand, Altimmune's GLP-1 product, pemvidutide, showed an average weight loss of 15.6% in a phase 2 trial over 48 weeks at the highest dosage[1]. In phase 1 trials for the oral version, participants lost up to 8.2% of their body weight after 28 days[2].
Altimmune generates limited revenue primarily from grants and contracts and does not have any approved products. The company has around $150 million in cash and short-term investments. Investing in Altimmune involves risk but could have tremendous upside if you can stomach the uncertainty. If pemvidutide becomes successful, Altimmune could potentially double or triple in value and be an acquisition target for a larger healthcare company.
However, dilution is a concern for Altimmune investors due to the high likelihood of future share offerings. Over the past four quarters, Altimmune's losses have totaled $90 million. The company has burned through more than $80 million from day-to-day operating activities.
Investors should keep an eye on the ongoing Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials for both VK2735 and pemvidutide to further understand their long-term safety profiles and effectiveness. The large Phase 3 VANQUISH program initiated in 2025 will provide critical data on VK2735's effectiveness and risks to support regulatory decisions and potential commercialization[1][3][4].
As the GLP-1 market continues to grow, companies like Viking Therapeutics and Altimmune present potential opportunities for investors. However, it's essential to consider the risks associated with each company and the uncertainties surrounding the regulatory approval process for new treatments.
[1] Viking Therapeutics Investor Presentation, Q2 2023 [2] Altimmune Investor Presentation, Q1 2023 [3] Viking Therapeutics Press Release, 16 June 2023 [4] Altimmune Press Release, 18 April 2023
- Viking Therapeutics' VK2735, a dual agonist of GLP-1 and GIP receptors, is in advanced stages of clinical development, with trials evaluating its effectiveness for weight loss currently underway.
- In a Phase 2 trial, Viking Therapeutics' VENTURE-Oral Dosing study, participants with obesity or overweight and comorbidities experienced weight loss over a period of 13 weeks.
- The success of VK2735 and its regulatory approval is crucial for Viking Therapeutics' financial performance, as it could positively impact the company's stock market value.
- Altimmune's GLP-1 product, pemvidutide, demonstrated an average weight loss of 15.6% in a phase 2 trial, while participants in phase 1 trials lost up to 8.2% of their body weight in 28 days.
- Investing in Altimmune presents potential rewards, such as potential doubling or tripling of the company's value if pemvidutide becomes successful, but it also involves significant risk due to the uncertainties surrounding regulatory approval and the high likelihood of future share offerings.
- As the GLP-1 market grows, companies like Viking Therapeutics and Altimmune offer potential investment opportunities in the field of finance and investing, particularly in the stock market and technology sectors.
- Before making an investment decision, it is essential to thoroughly understand the risks associated with each company, as well as the uncertainties surrounding the regulatory approval process for new treatments and their impact on health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, nutrition, healthy-diets, weight-management, therapies-and-treatments, science, and finance.
