Is Viking Therapeutics the Best Biotech Stock for You?

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) isn't a household name, but if its plans to commercialize a powerful anti-obesity medicine come to fruition, it may well become one. Though it has yet to commercialize a drug, unlike its primary big pharma competitors, the data about the performance of its lead program look considerably better than the drugs currently on the market.

So is this biotech a good fit for your portfolio, or will it struggle to survive even if its candidate reaches the market? Let's evaluate it based on what it has in hand, and what risks face investors who take the plunge.

Viking's lead candidate is currently called VK2735, and it's intended to treat obesity. Per the phase 2 clinical trial results published in late February, the biotech may have a winning molecule on its hands. After 13 weeks of treatment, people with obesity experienced a decline in their weight of 14.7%, far more than the 1.7% reduction experienced by those who were administered a placebo.

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Source Fool.com