Viking's experimental obesity pill is promising and aims to take on Novo and Lilly

Viking Therapeutics Inc. said higher doses of its experimental pill increased patients' weight loss compared with previous formulations, strengthening its case to eventually compete with the blockbuster shots from Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly & Co.

People who took 100-milligram doses of Vikings VK2735 lost an average of 8.2% of their body weight after 28 days in an early study, according to a company presentation at the ObesityWeek meeting Sunday in San Antonio. Compared to those who took a placebo, patients lost 6.8% of their body weight over the same period.