Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Viking Therapeutics announced on Thursday the appointment of Dr. Hubert C. Chen as its new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Chen will be responsible for leading the company's clinical development, medical, and regulatory affairs, reporting directly to the company's President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Brian Lian.
Dr. Chen brings over two decades of industry leadership experience spanning drug discovery, clinical development, regulatory strategy, and product approvals. Prior to joining Viking, he served as Chief Research and Development Officer at Loyal Animal Health, where he led the establishment of efficacy and safety requirements for the first longevity therapy to reach a negotiated agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Previously, he held the roles of President and Chief Scientific Officer at Forte Biosciences, Chief Medical Officer at Metacrine, and Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at Pfenex. During his tenure at Pfenex, he developed an innovative clinical and regulatory strategy for Bonsity, a drug-device combination product for high-risk osteoporosis, which ultimately gained approval in the United States and the European Union.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Chen led obesity and type 2 diabetes programs at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, involving the development of combination therapies with GLP-1, GIP, and amylin analogs. This background aligns closely with Viking Therapeutics' core research and development focus. Dr. Brian Lian stated that Dr. Chen is an experienced physician, scientist, and biotechnology executive with outstanding integrated capabilities in scientific, clinical, regulatory, and operational areas, alongside extensive and deep knowledge of obesity, metabolic disorders, and endocrinology. With multiple clinical programs advancing, this is a pivotal moment to expand Viking's leadership team.
Dr. Chen commented that obesity and metabolic disorders are among the most significant health challenges of our time, affecting nearly all aspects of long-term health and well-being. Viking's scientific rigor and innovative capabilities position the company as a leader in this field, with a robust pipeline aimed at overcoming the challenges of achieving and maintaining significant weight loss and related health benefits.
Dr. Chen holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Columbia University. He completed his internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco. He earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and is also an affiliated faculty member at the University of California, San Diego.
This appointment comes at a critical time as Viking Therapeutics advances its core candidate drug, VK2735. VK2735 is a dual agonist of the GLP-1 and GIP receptors. Its subcutaneous injection formulation is currently in Phase 3 obesity clinical studies, with both trials fully enrolled; the Phase 3 trial for the oral formulation is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026. Viking also plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial for its novel amylin agonist, VK3019, this quarter.
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