(Reuters) -Viking Therapeutics said on Tuesday its experimental tablet helped reduce weight and was shown to be safe in an early-stage study, sending the company's shares 10% higher in premarket trading.

The company said it plans to initiate a phase 2 trial later this year, based on the early-stage data.

Viking Therapeutics said a mean weight loss of up to 3.3% was observed in the study, when adjusted with placebo rates, at 28 days, in seven patients.

"We believe that an oral agent with good tolerability could represent an attractive potential treatment option for patients with obesity. We look forward to exploring longer treatment windows and potentially higher doses," CEO Brian Lian said.

The company last month reported data from a mid-stage study where its experimental injectable drug VK2735 helped patients with obesity lose nearly 15% of their body weight on average.