Viking Therapeutics' investigational obesity peptide VK2735 has moved further into late-stage development, with two Phase 3 trials of the injectable version now fully enrolled and a Phase 3 program for an oral tablet version expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. VK2735 isn't FDA-approved for any use; it remains an investigational drug still working through the clinical trial process this site's guide to clinical trial phases describes in detail.
What VK2735 Is
VK2735 is a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, placing it in the same mechanistic family as tirzepatide, the FDA-approved active ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro. Viking is developing it in two forms, a subcutaneous injection and an oral tablet, an unusual dual-track approach among the current wave of incretin-based obesity drugs, most of which have so far launched as either one or the other rather than both from the same molecule. Viking is a smaller, clinical-stage biotechnology company rather than an established pharmaceutical manufacturer, which is part of why VK2735's progress gets watched closely as a bellwether for whether newer entrants can compete with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk in the obesity drug market.
What the Phase 2 Data Showed
The injectable version's Phase 2 VENTURE study, published in the journal Obesity earlier in 2026, reported average body weight reduction of up to 14.7% after just 13 weeks of once-weekly dosing, with no sign that weight loss had plateaued by the end of the study window. That's a Phase 2 result in a relatively short trial, not a Phase 3 finding, and it will need to hold up in the larger, longer VANQUISH trials now underway to mean anything for a future approval decision.
Where the Program Stands Now
Two Phase 3 trials of the injectable formulation, named VANQUISH-1 and VANQUISH-2, have completed enrollment, according to Viking's own reporting. A separate maintenance-dosing readout, which will show how well weight loss holds up after the initial treatment phase, is expected in the third quarter of 2026 and is arguably the more informative near-term milestone, since durability of effect after dose reduction has been a point of scrutiny across this entire drug class. The oral tablet version is on a separate, earlier track: its own Phase 3 program is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, following an earlier 13-week Phase 2 oral-dosing trial presented at the European Congress on Obesity. Viking has said top-line data from the two lead VANQUISH trials isn't expected until 2027.
The Bottom Line
VK2735 is a real, actively enrolling clinical program, not a rumor or a research-chemical marketing claim, but it remains years of trial data away from a possible FDA approval, and Phase 2 results routinely fail to fully replicate in larger Phase 3 populations. Anyone tracking VK2735 as a future treatment option should treat this as a program to watch, not a product to seek out, since no legitimately manufactured version exists outside Viking's own clinical trial sites, and any decision about current obesity treatment options should be made with a doctor based on what's actually approved and available today. This site's dedicated guide to VK2735 covers the compound's mechanism and trial history in more depth for anyone following the program long-term.