Glodon July 26th | Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Viking Therapeutics (VKTX.US) continued to rise nearly 5% in pre-market trading to $67.91. The stock closed up more than 28% yesterday, hitting a two-month high since May 20. On the news front, Viking Therapeutics' announced candidate weight loss drug VK2735 has accelerated its development process. After receiving a written response from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it decided to advance it to the third and final phase of clinical trials. Justin Zelin, an analyst at BTIG, pointed out that the decision to advance to the third phase of clinical trials in advance may shorten the development time of Viking Therapeutics' weight loss drug by one year. Previously, the market generally estimated that the drug would be available in 2029.

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