Market ‘overreacting’ to Viking Therapeutics adverse events, says Jefferies

Jefferies says Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) reported “class-leading weight loss” in its Phase 2 oral drug trial as well as “good maintenance” and argues that the market is “overreacting” on the gastrointestinal adverse event discontinuation profile, while “underappreciating that it could be modulated by dosing optimization.” The firm keeps a Buy rating and $101 price target on Viking shares, which are down 41% to $24.64 in afternoon trading.