Viking Therapeutics Inc

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we may be party to lawsuits in the ordinary course of business. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings, the outcome of which, if determined adversely to us, would individually or in the aggregate be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

In December 2022, we filed suit against Ascletis Bioscience Co., Ltd., Gannex Pharma Co., Ltd., Ascletis Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Ascletis Pharma Inc., and Jinzi Jason Wu, or the Ascletis Defendants, in the Southern District of California, San Diego division, alleging, among other things: (1) violation of the Defend Trade Secrets Act; (2) violation of the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act; (3) breach of contract; (4) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; and (5) tortious interference with contract. In a related action, we also filed suit against the same Ascletis Defendants in the International Trade Commission for unlawful and unfair methods of competition. These legal proceedings arise at least in part from the misappropriation of our trade secrets. We intend to vigorously pursue all of our legal remedies in these litigations, but there is no guarantee that we will be successful in these efforts.