Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) shares fell Monday, handing back early gains, as analysts questioned the path ahead for its developmental weight-loss drugs even after news of upbeat results in clinical trials.

The company's weight loss drug, which is being tested in oral and injectable forms, led to placebo-adjusted average weight loss of up to 6.8% of a patient's body weight in a recent trial of the oral version, Viking said Monday as part of an industry conference. JPMorgan 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:analysts earlier this idenඣtified the con𝕴ference as a likely catalyst for Viking shares𓂃, with production and sale of the treatment likely several clinical trials and years away.

Viking shares, which ros𒅌e premarket, were recently down about 11% — though they remain up more than 250% this yeဣar so far.

Deutsche Bank analysts wrote Monday that they believe it will be "very costly" for Viking to build the capacity to produce both oral and injectable versions of the drug in multiple dosage sizes. That cost and timeline, they wrote, means current weight loss giants Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) have "澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:built moats" that will make it more difficult for Viking and others to compete.

Previous trials of Viking's drugs have 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:substantially lifted its shares 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:multiple times this year — and, at times, sent 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk stocks lower over concerns that their weight-loss dominance cou𝓡ld be c🌊hallenged.