Ventyx Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ:VTYX) shares are surging Thursday after the company announced positive Phase 2 study results for VTX3232 in patients with obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.

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What Happened: Ventyx released results from its Phase 2 trial with 175 participants, testing its once-daily oral drug VTX3232 against a placebo. The drug was studied both on its own and alongside semaglutide, assessing its effects on participants with obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.

Safety and tolerability was the primary endpoint in the trial with effects on inflammation as the secondary endpoint. The company said VTX3232 was safe and well tolerated in the Phase 2 study.

When taking VTX3232 alone, it led to a 78% drop in hsCRP levels after 12 weeks, while the placebo group saw a 3% increase. In the full analysis set, VTX3232 showed a 64% reduction versus the placebo’s 3% increase. Approximately 69% of patients achieved target hsCRP levels below 2mg/L, the critical threshold for determining residual inflammatory risk.

The treatment was seen to lower IL-6 levels to a median of 1.60ng/L, below the 1.65ng/L threshold for cardiovascular risk. It also significantly reduced lipoprotein(a), fibrinogen and sedimentation rate, and showed clear signs of reducing liver inflammation.

Notably, VTX3232 did not have any effects on weight as monotherapy or when combined with semaglutide. When paired with semaglutide, VTX3232 led to greater drops in inflammation markers like hsCRP, IL-6, fibrinogen, ESR and Lp(a), compared to semaglutide alone. It also showed a clear reduction in liver inflammation, especially in people who started with a baseline of 5% liver fat.

“We are very pleased with the results of this study where an ~80% reduction in hsCRP was achieved within the first week of dosing and maintained throughout the full 12-week dosing period in participants with measurable drug levels,” said CEO Raju Mohan.

VTX3232 was safe and well tolerated with adverse event rates comparable to placebo. Treatment emergent adverse events occurred in 49% of placebo patients versus 46% of VTX3232 patients. In combination arms, rates were 56% for both placebo plus semaglutide and VTX3232 plus semaglutide.

VTYX Price Action: Ventyx shares are making waves, jumping up 93.49% to $7.47 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro. The stock is just 4.6% below its 52-week high, and is currently sitting 151.4% above its 50-day moving average.

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