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 <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May&nbsp;1, 2015 </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="right"><B>Registration No.&nbsp;333-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </B></P>
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<P STYLE="line-height:3.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:2pt;border-bottom:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</P> <P STYLE="margin-top:4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:18pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>UNITED STATES </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:18pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:12pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Washington, D.C. 20549 </B></P> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P><center>
<P STYLE="line-height:6.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:2pt;border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000;width:21%">&nbsp;</P></center> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:18pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>FORM S-8
</B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:18pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>REGISTRATION STATEMENT </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:12pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B><I>UNDER </I></B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:12pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B><I>THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 </I></B></P> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P><center> <P STYLE="line-height:6.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:2pt;border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000;width:21%">&nbsp;</P></center>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:24pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Viking Therapeutics, Inc. </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) </B></P> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P><center>
<P STYLE="line-height:6.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:2pt;border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000;width:21%">&nbsp;</P></center> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
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<TD VALIGN="top" ALIGN="center"><B>Delaware</B></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom"></TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ALIGN="center"><B>46-1073877</B></TD></TR>
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<TD VALIGN="top" ALIGN="center"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>(State or other jurisdiction of</B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>incorporation or organization)</B></P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ALIGN="center"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>(I.R.S. Employer</B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Identification No.)</B></P></TD></TR>
</TABLE> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>11119 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 50 </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>San Diego, CA 92037 </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) </B></P> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P><center>
<P STYLE="line-height:6.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:2pt;border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000;width:21%">&nbsp;</P></center> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>2014 Equity
Incentive Plan </B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>(Full titles of the plans) </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Brian Lian, Ph.D. </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>President and Chief Executive Officer </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Viking Therapeutics, Inc. </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>11119 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 50 </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>San Diego, CA 92037 </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>(858) 550-7810 </B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>(Name,
address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service) </B></P> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P><center>
<P STYLE="line-height:6.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:2pt;border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000;width:21%">&nbsp;</P></center> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B><I>Copies to:
</I></B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Jeffrey T. Hartlin, Esq. </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Paul Hastings LLP </B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>1117
S. California Avenue </B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Palo Alto, California 94304 </B></P>
<P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P><center> <P STYLE="line-height:6.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:2pt;border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000;width:21%">&nbsp;</P></center>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;page-break-before:always"></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.&nbsp;See the definitions of &#147;large accelerated filer,&#148; &#147;accelerated filer&#148; and &#147;smaller reporting company&#148; in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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<TD VALIGN="bottom">Large&nbsp;accelerated&nbsp;filer</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom"><FONT STYLE="FONT-FAMILY:WINGDINGS">&#168;</FONT></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">Accelerated&nbsp;filer</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom"><FONT STYLE="FONT-FAMILY:WINGDINGS">&#168;</FONT></TD></TR>
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<TD VALIGN="bottom">Non-accelerated filer</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom"><FONT STYLE="FONT-FAMILY:WINGDINGS">&#120;</FONT>&nbsp;&nbsp;(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">Smaller&nbsp;reporting&nbsp;company</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom"><FONT STYLE="FONT-FAMILY:WINGDINGS">&#168;</FONT></TD></TR>
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<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE </B></P> <P STYLE="font-size:4pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
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<TD COLSPAN="9" VALIGN="bottom"> <P STYLE="border-top:1.00px solid #000000">&nbsp;</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:8pt">
<TD VALIGN="bottom" ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Title of securities</B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>to be registered</B></P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Amount<BR></B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>to be<BR>registered (1)</B></P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"><B>Proposed<BR>maximum<BR>offering price<BR>per share<BR>(2)</B></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Proposed<BR>maximum<BR>aggregate</B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>offering&nbsp;price (2)</B></P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>Amount&nbsp;of</B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>registration&nbsp;fee</B></P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"> <P STYLE="margin-left:1.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"><FONT SIZE="1">&nbsp;</FONT></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"><FONT SIZE="1">&nbsp;</FONT></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"><FONT SIZE="1">&nbsp;</FONT></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"><FONT SIZE="1">&nbsp;</FONT></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"> <P STYLE="margin-left:3.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">- Issuable under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">1,527,770</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">$8.845</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">$13,513,125.65</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">$1,570.23</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"> <P STYLE="margin-left:3.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">- Issuable under the 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">458,331</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">$8.845</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">$4,053,937.70</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">$471.07</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000"> <P STYLE="margin-left:1.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>Total</B></P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">1,986,101</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&#151;&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">$17,567,063.35</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" STYLE="BORDER-LEFT:1px solid #000000; BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center" STYLE="BORDER-TOP:1px solid #000000">$2,041.30</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1px; ">
<TD COLSPAN="9" VALIGN="bottom"> <P STYLE="border-top:1.00px solid #000000">&nbsp;</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1px; ">
<TD COLSPAN="9" VALIGN="bottom"> <P STYLE="border-top:1.00px solid #000000">&nbsp;</P></TD></TR>
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<TD WIDTH="4%" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left">(1)</TD>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the &#147;Securities Act&#148;), this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of the Registrant&#146;s Common Stock that become
issuable under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and the 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction effected without receipt of consideration that increases the number
of outstanding shares of the Registrant&#146;s Common Stock. </TD></TR></TABLE>
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<TD WIDTH="4%" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left">(2)</TD>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and Rule 457(h) of the Securities Act. The proposed maximum offering price per share and the proposed maximum
aggregate offering price with respect to the shares are calculated based on $8.845 per share, the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant&#146;s Common Stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market on April&nbsp;29, 2015, a date
within five business days prior to the filing of this Registration Statement. </TD></TR></TABLE> <P STYLE="font-size:10pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
<P STYLE="line-height:1.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;border-bottom:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</P> <P STYLE="line-height:3.0pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:2pt;border-bottom:1px solid #000000">&nbsp;</P>

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 <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>PART I </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:8%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">The document(s) containing the information specified in Part I will be sent or given to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) of the
Securities Act. Such documents are not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the &#147;Commission&#148;) either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 of the
Securities Act. Such documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item&nbsp;3 of Part II hereof, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section&nbsp;10(a) of the
Securities Act. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:24pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>PART II </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>ITEM&nbsp;3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE. </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">The following documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission are hereby incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement: </P>
<P STYLE="font-size:6pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
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<TD WIDTH="4%">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="4%" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left">(a)</TD>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">The Registrant&#146;s Prospectus dated April&nbsp;28, 2015, filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act on April&nbsp;29, 2015, which relates to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File
No.&nbsp;333-197182) (as amended and including the exhibits thereto), which contains the Registrant&#146;s audited financial statements for the latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed; and </TD></TR></TABLE>
<P STYLE="font-size:6pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
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<TD WIDTH="4%">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="4%" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left">(b)</TD>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">The description of the Registrant&#146;s common stock set forth in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on April&nbsp;23, 2015 (File No.&nbsp;001-37355) pursuant to Section&nbsp;12(b) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the &#147;Exchange Act&#148;), including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. </TD></TR></TABLE>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">All other reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act
prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration
Statement and to be a part of this Registration Statement from the date of the filing of such reports and documents, except as to any portion of any future annual or quarterly report to stockholders or document or current report furnished under
Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K that is not deemed filed under such provisions. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">For the purposes of this Registration Statement, any
statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or
is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement. </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">You should rely only on the information provided or incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement or any related prospectus. The
Registrant has not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this Registration Statement or any related prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of the
document. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">You may contact the Registrant in writing or orally to request copies of the above-referenced filings, without charge
(excluding exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the information incorporated into this Registration Statement). Requests for such information should be directed to: </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center">Viking Therapeutics, Inc. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center">11119
North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 50 </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center">San Diego, CA 92037 </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center">(858) 550-7810 </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center">Attn: Chief
Executive Officer </P>

<p Style='page-break-before:always'>
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 <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>ITEM&nbsp;4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES. </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Not applicable. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:18pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>ITEM&nbsp;5. INTERESTS OF
NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL. </B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Not applicable. </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:18pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>ITEM&nbsp;6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Section&nbsp;145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the &#147;DGCL&#148;) authorizes a corporation&#146;s board of
directors to grant, and authorizes a court to award, indemnity to officers, directors and other corporate agents. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">The Registrant&#146;s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that limit the liability of the Registrant&#146;s directors for monetary damages to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Consequently, the
Registrant&#146;s directors will not be personally liable to the Registrant or the Registrant&#146;s stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duties as directors, except liability for the following: </P>
<P STYLE="font-size:6pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
<TABLE STYLE="BORDER-COLLAPSE:COLLAPSE; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%">
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9%">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="3%" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left">&#149;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="1%" VALIGN="top">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">any breach of their duty of loyalty to the Registrant or the Registrant&#146;s stockholders; </TD></TR></TABLE> <P STYLE="font-size:6pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
<TABLE STYLE="BORDER-COLLAPSE:COLLAPSE; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%">
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9%">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="3%" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left">&#149;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="1%" VALIGN="top">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; </TD></TR></TABLE> <P STYLE="font-size:6pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
<TABLE STYLE="BORDER-COLLAPSE:COLLAPSE; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%">
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9%">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="3%" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left">&#149;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="1%" VALIGN="top">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section&nbsp;174 of the DGCL; or </TD></TR></TABLE> <P STYLE="font-size:6pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
<TABLE STYLE="BORDER-COLLAPSE:COLLAPSE; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%">
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9%">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="3%" VALIGN="top" ALIGN="left">&#149;</TD>
<TD WIDTH="1%" VALIGN="top">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">any transaction from which they derived an improper personal benefit. </TD></TR></TABLE> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Any amendment to, or
repeal of, these provisions will not eliminate or reduce the effect of these provisions in respect of any act, omission or claim that occurred or arose prior to that amendment or repeal. If the DGCL is amended to provide for further limitations on
the personal liability of directors of corporations, then the personal liability of the Registrant&#146;s directors will be further limited to the greatest extent permitted by the DGCL. </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">The Registrant&#146;s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Registrant will, under certain circumstances,
indemnify any director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, subject to any provisions contained in the Registrant&#146;s amended and restated bylaws. The Registrant&#146;s amended and restated bylaws provide that the Registrant will
indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by law, each person who is or was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that he or she, or a person for whom he or she is the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of the Registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the Registrant, as a director, officer,
employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against all expense, liability and loss (including, among other things, attorney&#146;s fees and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or
suffered by such director, officer, employee or agent in connection therewith, subject to certain conditions. The Registrant&#146;s amended and restated bylaws also provide the Registrant with the power to, to the extent authorized by the
Registrant&#146;s board of directors, grant rights to indemnification and to advancement of expenses to any employee or agent of the Registrant to the fullest extent indemnification may be granted to the Registrant&#146;s directors and officers. In
addition, the Registrant&#146;s amended and restated bylaws provide that the Registrant must advance expenses incurred by or on behalf of a director or officer in advance of the final disposition of any action or proceeding, subject to certain
exceptions. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and executive officers that may be
broader than the specific indemnification provisions contained in the DGCL. These indemnification agreements require the Registrant, among other things, to indemnify its directors and executive officers against liabilities that may arise by reason
of their status or service. These indemnification agreements also require the Registrant to advance all expenses incurred by the directors and executive officers in investigating or defending any such action, suit or proceeding, subject to certain
exceptions. The Registrant believes that these agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve as directors and executive officers. </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions included in the Registrant&#146;s amended and restated certificate of incorporation
and amended and restated bylaws and in indemnification agreements that the Registrant </P>

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 <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">
enters into with its directors and executive officers may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against the Registrant&#146;s directors and executive officers for breach of their
fiduciary duties. They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against the Registrant&#146;s directors and executive officers even though an action, if successful, might benefit the Registrant and other stockholders. Further, a
stockholder&#146;s investment may be adversely affected to the extent that the Registrant pays the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and executive officers as required by these indemnification provisions. At present, the
Registrant is not aware of any pending litigation or proceeding involving any person who is or was one of its directors, officers, employees or other agents or is or was serving at its request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, for which indemnification is sought, and the Registrant is not aware of any threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification. </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">The Registrant&#146;s amended and restated bylaws provide that the Registrant may purchase and maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect
itself and any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant or is or was serving at its request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise
against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Registrant would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL. The Registrant has also obtained insurance under which, subject to the
limitations of the insurance policies, coverage is provided to the Registrant&#146;s directors and executive officers against loss arising from claims made by reason of breach of fiduciary duty or other wrongful acts as a director or executive
officer, including claims relating to public securities matters, and to the Registrant with respect to payments that may be made by the Registrant to these directors and executive officers pursuant to the Registrant&#146;s indemnification
obligations or otherwise as a matter of law. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:18pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>ITEM&nbsp;7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED. </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Not applicable. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:18pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>ITEM&nbsp;8. EXHIBITS.
</B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">The Exhibits listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed as part of, and incorporated by reference into, this Registration Statement.</P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:18pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>ITEM&nbsp;9. UNDERTAKINGS. </B></P> <P STYLE="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(a) The Registrant hereby
undertakes: </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration
Statement: </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(i) To include any prospectus required by Section&nbsp;10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent
post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement; and </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or
any material change to such information in this Registration Statement; </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><I>Provided, however, that: </I></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(A) paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section&nbsp;13 or Section&nbsp;15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement. </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial <I>bona fide</I> offering thereof. </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering. </P>

<p Style='page-break-before:always'>
<HR  SIZE="3" style="COLOR:#999999" WIDTH="100%" ALIGN="CENTER">

 <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(b) The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act,
each filing of the Registrant&#146;s annual report pursuant to Section&nbsp;13(a) or Section&nbsp;15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating
to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial <I>bona fide</I> offering thereof. </P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action,
suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. </P>

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 <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>SIGNATURES </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California, on May&nbsp;1,
2015. </P> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P><DIV ALIGN="right">
<TABLE CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="40%" BORDER="0" STYLE="BORDER-COLLAPSE:COLLAPSE; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">


<TR>
<TD WIDTH="12%"></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1%"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="27%"></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1%"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="29%"></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1%"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="29%"></TD></TR>


<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" COLSPAN="7"><B>Viking Therapeutics, Inc.</B></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="16"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="6"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">By:</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" COLSPAN="5"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">/s/ Brian Lian, Ph.D.</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">Name:</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" COLSPAN="5">Brian Lian, Ph.D.</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">Title:</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" COLSPAN="5">President and Chief Executive Officer</TD></TR>
</TABLE></DIV> <P STYLE="margin-top:24pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>POWER OF ATTORNEY </B></P>
<P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman"><B>K<SMALL>NOW</SMALL> A<SMALL>LL</SMALL> P<SMALL>ERSONS</SMALL> B<SMALL>Y</SMALL> T<SMALL>HESE</SMALL>
P<SMALL>RESENTS</SMALL></B><SMALL></SMALL>, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Brian Lian, Ph.D. and Michael Dinerman, M.D., and each or any one of them, as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with
full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his
substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. </P> <P STYLE="margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:4%; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of
1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated. </P> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" STYLE="BORDER-COLLAPSE:COLLAPSE; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">


<TR>
<TD WIDTH="37%"></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1%"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="44%"></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="2%"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="15%"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:8pt">
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center"> <P STYLE="border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000; width:45.45pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center">SIGNATURE</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center"> <P STYLE="border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000; width:22.25pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center">TITLE</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" NOWRAP ALIGN="center"> <P STYLE="border-bottom:1.00pt solid #000000; width:21.40pt; font-size:8pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center">DATE</P></TD></TR>


<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="16"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">/s/ Brian Lian, Ph.D.</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-left:1.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">President, Chief Executive Officer and Director<BR>(Principal Executive Officer)</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">May 1, 2015</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">Brian Lian, Ph.D.</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="16"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">/s/ Michael Morneau</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-left:1.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Chief Financial Officer<BR>(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">May 1, 2015</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">Michael Morneau</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="16"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">/s/ Matthew W. Foehr</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; margin-left:1.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Director</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">May 1, 2015</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">Matthew W. Foehr</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="16"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">/s/ Lawson Macartney, DVM, Ph.D.</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; margin-left:1.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Director</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">May 1, 2015</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">Lawson Macartney, DVM, Ph.D.</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="16"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">/s/ Matthew Singleton</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; margin-left:1.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Director</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">May 1, 2015</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">Matthew Singleton</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="16"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="16" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; border-bottom:1px solid #000000; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">/s/ Stephen W. Webster</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; margin-left:1.00em; text-indent:-1.00em; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">Director</P></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top" ROWSPAN="2"> <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:1pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman">May 1, 2015</P></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top">Stephen W. Webster</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;</TD></TR>
</TABLE>

<p Style='page-break-before:always'>
<HR  SIZE="3" style="COLOR:#999999" WIDTH="100%" ALIGN="CENTER">

 <P STYLE="margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman" ALIGN="center"><B>EXHIBIT INDEX </B></P> <P STYLE="font-size:12pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">&nbsp;</P>
<TABLE CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%" BORDER="0" STYLE="BORDER-COLLAPSE:COLLAPSE; font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt" ALIGN="center">


<TR>
<TD></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="5%"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="92%"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:8pt">
<TD VALIGN="bottom" ALIGN="center"><B>Exhibit<BR>Number</B></TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom" ALIGN="center"><B>Description</B></TD></TR>


<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;3.1</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 3.3 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;3.2</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Amended and Restated Bylaws (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 3.4 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;4.1</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Form of Common Stock Certificate (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;4.2</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">2014 Equity Incentive Plan (previously filed on March 2, 2015 as Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;4.3</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Form of Stock Option Award Agreement (2014 Equity Incentive Plan) (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by
reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;4.4</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (2014 Equity Incentive Plan) (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein
by reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;4.5</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Form of Stock Appreciation Rights Award Agreement (2014 Equity Incentive Plan) (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated
herein by reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;4.6</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement (2014 Equity Incentive Plan) (previously filed on September 2, 2014 as Exhibit 10.23 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated
herein by reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;4.7</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (previously filed on March 2, 2015 as Exhibit 10.22 to the Registrant&#146;s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>&nbsp;&nbsp;5.1</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Opinion of Paul Hastings LLP.</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>23.1</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Consent of Marcum LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>23.2</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Consent of Paul Hastings LLP is contained in Exhibit 5.1 to this Registration Statement.</TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-size:1pt">
<TD HEIGHT="8"></TD>
<TD HEIGHT="8" COLSPAN="2"></TD></TR>
<TR STYLE="font-family:Times New Roman; font-size:10pt">
<TD VALIGN="top" NOWRAP>24.1</TD>
<TD VALIGN="bottom">&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD>
<TD VALIGN="top">Power of Attorney is contained on the signature page.</TD></TR>
</TABLE>
</BODY></HTML>
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "filename": "d920067ds8.htm", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 57081}]
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Form S-8
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 1, 2015
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Viking Therapeutics, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
46-1073877
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
11119 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 50
San Diego, CA 92037
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
2014 Equity
Incentive Plan
2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
(Full titles of the plans)
Brian Lian, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Viking Therapeutics, Inc.
11119 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 50
San Diego, CA 92037
(858) 550-7810
(Name,
address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Jeffrey T. Hartlin, Esq.
Paul Hastings LLP
1117
S. California Avenue
Palo Alto, California 94304
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
¨
Accelerated filer
¨
Non-accelerated filer
x
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company
¨
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of securities
to be registered
Amount
to be
registered (1)
Proposed
maximum
offering price
per share
(2)
Proposed
maximum
aggregate
offering price (2)
Amount of
registration fee
Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share
- Issuable under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan
1,527,770
$8.845
$13,513,125.65
$1,570.23
- Issuable under the 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
458,331
$8.845
$4,053,937.70
$471.07
Total
1,986,101
—
$17,567,063.35
$2,041.30
(1)
Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of the Registrant's Common Stock that become
issuable under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and the 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction effected without receipt of consideration that increases the number
of outstanding shares of the Registrant's Common Stock.
(2)
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and Rule 457(h) of the Securities Act. The proposed maximum offering price per share and the proposed maximum
aggregate offering price with respect to the shares are calculated based on $8.845 per share, the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant's Common Stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market on April 29, 2015, a date
within five business days prior to the filing of this Registration Statement.
PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS
The document(s) containing the information specified in Part I will be sent or given to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) of the
Securities Act. Such documents are not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 of the
Securities Act. Such documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II hereof, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the
Securities Act.
PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.
The following documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission are hereby incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:
(a)
The Registrant's Prospectus dated April 28, 2015, filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act on April 29, 2015, which relates to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File
No. 333-197182) (as amended and including the exhibits thereto), which contains the Registrant's audited financial statements for the latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed; and
(b)
The description of the Registrant's common stock set forth in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on April 23, 2015 (File No. 001-37355) pursuant to Section 12(b) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.
All other reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act
prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration
Statement and to be a part of this Registration Statement from the date of the filing of such reports and documents, except as to any portion of any future annual or quarterly report to stockholders or document or current report furnished under
Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K that is not deemed filed under such provisions.
For the purposes of this Registration Statement, any
statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or
is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.
You should rely only on the information provided or incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement or any related prospectus. The
Registrant has not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this Registration Statement or any related prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of the
document.
You may contact the Registrant in writing or orally to request copies of the above-referenced filings, without charge
(excluding exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the information incorporated into this Registration Statement). Requests for such information should be directed to:
Viking Therapeutics, Inc.
11119
North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 50
San Diego, CA 92037
(858) 550-7810
Attn: Chief
Executive Officer
ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF
NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.
Not applicable.
ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.
Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "DGCL") authorizes a corporation's board of
directors to grant, and authorizes a court to award, indemnity to officers, directors and other corporate agents.
The Registrant's
amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that limit the liability of the Registrant's directors for monetary damages to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Consequently, the
Registrant's directors will not be personally liable to the Registrant or the Registrant's stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duties as directors, except liability for the following:
•
any breach of their duty of loyalty to the Registrant or the Registrant's stockholders;
•
any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;
•
unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the DGCL; or
•
any transaction from which they derived an improper personal benefit.
Any amendment to, or
repeal of, these provisions will not eliminate or reduce the effect of these provisions in respect of any act, omission or claim that occurred or arose prior to that amendment or repeal. If the DGCL is amended to provide for further limitations on
the personal liability of directors of corporations, then the personal liability of the Registrant's directors will be further limited to the greatest extent permitted by the DGCL.
The Registrant's amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Registrant will, under certain circumstances,
indemnify any director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, subject to any provisions contained in the Registrant's amended and restated bylaws. The Registrant's amended and restated bylaws provide that the Registrant will
indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by law, each person who is or was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that he or she, or a person for whom he or she is the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of the Registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the Registrant, as a director, officer,
employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against all expense, liability and loss (including, among other things, attorney's fees and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or
suffered by such director, officer, employee or agent in connection therewith, subject to certain conditions. The Registrant's amended and restated bylaws also provide the Registrant with the power to, to the extent authorized by the
Registrant's board of directors, grant rights to indemnification and to advancement of expenses to any employee or agent of the Registrant to the fullest extent indemnification may be granted to the Registrant's directors and officers. In
addition, the Registrant's amended and restated bylaws provide that the Registrant must advance expenses incurred by or on behalf of a director or officer in advance of the final disposition of any action or proceeding, subject to certain
exceptions.
The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and executive officers that may be
broader than the specific indemnification provisions contained in the DGCL. These indemnification agreements require the Registrant, among other things, to indemnify its directors and executive officers against liabilities that may arise by reason
of their status or service. These indemnification agreements also require the Registrant to advance all expenses incurred by the directors and executive officers in investigating or defending any such action, suit or proceeding, subject to certain
exceptions. The Registrant believes that these agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve as directors and executive officers.
The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions included in the Registrant's amended and restated certificate of incorporation
and amended and restated bylaws and in indemnification agreements that the Registrant
enters into with its directors and executive officers may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against the Registrant's directors and executive officers for breach of their
fiduciary duties. They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against the Registrant's directors and executive officers even though an action, if successful, might benefit the Registrant and other stockholders. Further, a
stockholder's investment may be adversely affected to the extent that the Registrant pays the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and executive officers as required by these indemnification provisions. At present, the
Registrant is not aware of any pending litigation or proceeding involving any person who is or was one of its directors, officers, employees or other agents or is or was serving at its request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, for which indemnification is sought, and the Registrant is not aware of any threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification.
The Registrant's amended and restated bylaws provide that the Registrant may purchase and maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect
itself and any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant or is or was serving at its request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise
against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Registrant would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL. The Registrant has also obtained insurance under which, subject to the
limitations of the insurance policies, coverage is provided to the Registrant's directors and executive officers against loss arising from claims made by reason of breach of fiduciary duty or other wrongful acts as a director or executive
officer, including claims relating to public securities matters, and to the Registrant with respect to payments that may be made by the Registrant to these directors and executive officers pursuant to the Registrant's indemnification
obligations or otherwise as a matter of law.
ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.
Not applicable.
ITEM 8. EXHIBITS.
The Exhibits listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed as part of, and incorporated by reference into, this Registration Statement.
ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS.
(a) The Registrant hereby
undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration
Statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent
post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or
any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;
Provided, however, that:
(A) paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide
offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.
(b) The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act,
each filing of the Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating
to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide
offering thereof.
(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action,
suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California, on May 1,
2015.
Viking Therapeutics, Inc.
By:
/s/ Brian Lian, Ph.D.
Name:
Brian Lian, Ph.D.
Title:
President and Chief Executive Officer
POWER OF ATTORNEY
K
NOW
A
LL
P
ERSONS
B
Y
T
HESE
P
RESENTS
, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Brian Lian, Ph.D. and Michael Dinerman, M.D., and each or any one of them, as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with
full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his
substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of
1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
SIGNATURE
TITLE
DATE
/s/ Brian Lian, Ph.D.
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)
May 1, 2015
Brian Lian, Ph.D.
/s/ Michael Morneau
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
May 1, 2015
Michael Morneau
/s/ Matthew W. Foehr
Director
May 1, 2015
Matthew W. Foehr
/s/ Lawson Macartney, DVM, Ph.D.
Director
May 1, 2015
Lawson Macartney, DVM, Ph.D.
/s/ Matthew Singleton
Director
May 1, 2015
Matthew Singleton
/s/ Stephen W. Webster
Director
May 1, 2015
Stephen W. Webster
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
Number
Description
3.1
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 3.3 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).
3.2
Amended and Restated Bylaws (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 3.4 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).
4.1
Form of Common Stock Certificate (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).
4.2
2014 Equity Incentive Plan (previously filed on March 2, 2015 as Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).
4.3
Form of Stock Option Award Agreement (2014 Equity Incentive Plan) (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by
reference).
4.4
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (2014 Equity Incentive Plan) (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein
by reference).
4.5
Form of Stock Appreciation Rights Award Agreement (2014 Equity Incentive Plan) (previously filed on July 1, 2014 as Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated
herein by reference).
4.6
Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement (2014 Equity Incentive Plan) (previously filed on September 2, 2014 as Exhibit 10.23 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated
herein by reference).
4.7
2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (previously filed on March 2, 2015 as Exhibit 10.22 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-197182) and incorporated herein by reference).
5.1
Opinion of Paul Hastings LLP.
23.1
Consent of Marcum LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
23.2
Consent of Paul Hastings LLP is contained in Exhibit 5.1 to this Registration Statement.
24.1
Power of Attorney is contained on the signature page.