Clinical report: Catalysts drive up shares of Viking, Stoke, Praxis

Clinical catalysts drove big market cap gains this week, with Viking, Stoke and Praxis each reporting news ahead of Tuesday’s trading session that lifted shares by double-digit percentages.

The latest boon for Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) was a Phase I readout showing that the top dose its oral version of GLP-1/GIPR agonist VK2735 led to mean placebo-adjusted weight loss of 3.3% at day 28 in a Phase I study. Last month, Viking said its subcutaneous version of the product led to 13.1% placebo-adjusted weight loss after 13 weeks, positioning the company as a potential takeout target for a pharma seeking to break into the obesity arena and doubling its share price...