The firm expects a potentially higher likelihood of improved liver histology since more than two-thirds of patients receiving VK2809 demonstrated a minimum of 50 percent reduction in liver fat The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has reportedly presented new results from its 12-week Phase 2 study of VK2809. As per trusted sources, the results of the study were presented at the International Liver Congress™ 2019. Reportedly, the outcomes of the study were presented in the late-breaker poster session of the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) being held April 10-14 in Vienna, Austria. For the record, VK2809 is a unique liver-selective thyroid receptor beta agonist and was tested in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). According to the press release issued by Viking Therapeutics, a greater number of VK2809-treated patients completed the study compared with patients randomized to placebo. The highlights of the study include the patients who received 5 mg of VK2809 doses on a daily basis were considered responders, as has been predefined by a relative reduction in liver fat of more than or equal to 30 percent in Week 12, noted the press release. Director of NAFLD Research Center and Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego, Rohit Loomba, M.D., MHSc, was reportedly quoted saying that the liver fat reductions produced by low-dose VK2809 are impressive and might suggest enhancement in histology in longer-term biopsy-based studies. The research conducted by Viking Therapeutics suggests that lowering liver fat by 30 percent or more increases the possibility of a potential histologic response in NASH patients. Loomba further added that the team expects a potentially higher likelihood of improved liver histology since more than two-thirds of patients receiving VK2809 demonstrated a minimum of 50 percent reduction in liver fat. For the uninitiated, Viking Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm focused on the development of unique therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders.