Viking Therapeutics Announces Senior Management Team Appointments

Greg Zante Promoted to Chief Financial Officer and Marianne Mancini Promoted to Chief Operating Officer

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Jan 06, 2021, 16:05 ET

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking Therapeutics, Inc. ("Viking") (NASDAQ: VKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders, today announced two key executive promotions. The company has named Greg Zante as chief financial officer and Marianne Mancini as chief operating officer.

Mr. Zante possesses nearly 25 years of financial management experience at public and private companies in the biotechnology and accounting industries and most recently served as Viking's senior vice president of finance. Ms. Mancini has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry focusing on the management and oversight of clinical trials from early-stage to late-stage drug development and most recently served as the company's senior vice president of clinical operations.

"Greg and Marianne have played integral roles in the successes that Viking has achieved over the past several years, including the advancement of our pipeline of best-in-class therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders and the execution of a prudent financial strategy to support our continued progress," stated Brian Lian, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Viking. "These promotions are well deserved and reflect Greg's and Marianne's contributions to Viking's position as a leader in the discovery and development of novel therapies for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH."

Prior to joining Viking in 2016 as vice president of finance and operations, Mr. Zante was chief financial officer at Dance Biopharm, a diabetes-focused biopharmaceutical company, where he managed the company's private financing strategy and positioned it for initial public offering activities. Mr. Zante has also previously held senior positions at several biopharmaceutical companies including Sangamo Therapeutics, Calyx Therapeutics and Matrix Pharmaceuticals. He is a certified public accountant in the state of California and previously served as a senior staff accountant at Ernst & Young. Mr. Zante received his bachelor's degree in business-economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Prior to joining Viking in 2015 as vice president of clinical operations, Ms. Mancini was senior director of clinical operations at Ambit Biosciences Corporation, a company focused on the development of oncology therapies for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. Previously, she was the senior director of clinical operations at Aires Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company focused on developing therapies for pulmonary vascular disorders, and also served as senior director of project management and clinical operations at Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where she was the project team leader for the company's lead obesity compound, BELVIQ^®. Ms. Mancini has also previously held positions at Baxter BioSciences, Genentech and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals. She holds a master's degree in bioethics from Loyola Marymount University, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a bachelor's degree in nutritional sciences from McGill University.

About Viking Therapeutics, Inc.

Viking Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel, orally available, first-in-class or best-in-class therapies for the treatment of metabolic and endocrine disorders. Viking's research and development activities leverage its expertise in metabolism to develop innovative therapeutics designed to improve patients' lives. The company's clinical programs include VK2809, a novel, orally available, small molecule selective thyroid hormone receptor beta agonist for the treatment of lipid and metabolic disorders, which is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2b study for the treatment of biopsy-confirmed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis. In a Phase 2 trial for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and elevated LDL-C, patients who received VK2809 demonstrated statistically significant reductions in LDL-C and liver fat content compared with patients who received placebo. The company is also developing VK0214, a novel, orally available, small molecule selective thyroid hormone receptor beta agonist for the potential treatment of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD). VK0214 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial. The company holds exclusive worldwide rights to a portfolio of five therapeutic programs, including those noted above, which are based on small molecules licensed from Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.

For more information about Viking Therapeutics, please visit www.vikingtherapeutics.com. Follow Viking on Twitter @Viking_VKTX.

SOURCE Viking Therapeutics, Inc.