CHICAGO, IL. (WOWO) — An experimental weight-loss drug from Viking Therapeutics is showing early promise as a treatment that could allow patients to maintain much of their weight loss while receiving injections less frequently. The company says patients who initially received weekly injections of VK2735 were able to maintain most of the weight they had lost after switching to injections every other week or once a month according to News Nation. The findings come from a maintenance study involving about 180 adults with obesity. During the first part of the study, participants received weekly injections of either VK2735 or a placebo. Patients receiving the experimental drug lost roughly 16% to 19% of their body weight, depending on the dose. Researchers then looked at whether patients could maintain that weight loss with less frequent treatment. Patients who switched to injections every other week maintained up to 97% of the weight they had previously lost. Those who moved to monthly injections maintained up to 90% of their previous weight loss. Participants who were switched to placebo maintained about 61% of their previous weight loss. The maintenance portion of the study lasted 12 weeks. Viking Therapeutics says the results could eventually give patients and doctors more flexibility by allowing some people to move from weekly treatment to a less frequent maintenance schedule. VK2735 is a dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist. Those two hormone pathways are involved in appetite and metabolism. The drug is still experimental and has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Viking also reported that the less frequent dosing appeared to be well tolerated during the maintenance portion of the study. The company said gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation, were not meaningfully different between patients receiving the maintenance treatment and those receiving placebo. Another group continued taking VK2735 weekly. After 33 weeks, that group had an average weight loss of 21.7% from the beginning of the study, according to Viking. The company said there was no evidence that weight loss had reached a plateau during that period. Viking is also developing an oral version of VK2735 in addition to the injectable drug. The company says the findings support further investigation into less frequent dosing as a way to help patients maintain weight loss over the long term. The results are preliminary and come from an early-stage clinical trial. Larger and later-stage studies will be needed to determine whether the results can be confirmed in a broader group of patients and over a longer period. The findings come as pharmaceutical companies continue developing new treatments for obesity, including medications designed not only to produce significant weight loss but also to help patients maintain those results. For people currently taking approved GLP-1 medications, the study does not mean they should change how often they take their medication. VK2735 remains an investigational drug, and patients should discuss any changes to an approved treatment with their health care provider. The post New GLP-1 Drug May Help Patients Maintain Weight Loss With Monthly Shots appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less