Viking Therapeutics falls on third quarter loss miss

Viking Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:VKTX) reported a third quarter loss of $1.55 per share, missing analyst expectations by $0.49, as the company increased spending on its obesity drug development programs. The biopharmaceutical company's net loss for the period was $183.2 million, up from $90.8 million a year ago. Shares dropped 2.4% in after-hours trading.

The higher loss was due to increased research and development expenses, which rose to $166.8 million from $90.0 million, and higher general and administrative expenses, up to $20.3 million from $8.6 million. Viking continued to advance its obesity drug development, including the SUNRISE Phase 3 program for oral VK2735 and ongoing Phase 3 trials for subcutaneous VK2735, expected to complete in 2027.

The company also announced positive results from its VK2735 maintenance dosing study, showing weight loss retention of 82% to 97% among subjects on less frequent dosing regimens. Viking ended the quarter with $960 million in cash, up from $706 million at year-end 2025, following public offerings that raised about $575 million.