Roche with first study success in obesity
Published: Thursday, May 16th 2024, 10:50
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Roche has scored a first important trial success in its fight against obesity. As data from an early clinical trial with the recently acquired candidate CT-388 show, the drug was very effective.
The once-weekly treatment with the candidate led to an average weight loss of 18.8 percent within just six weeks, the Basel-based company announced on Thursday. According to analysts, this is also a lot compared to the already approved weight loss injections.
The candidate also had a normalizing effect on blood sugar levels. However, these are still very early clinical data, as they originate from a Phase I study in which tolerability is also being tested first.
Roche acquired the candidate as part of the billion-dollar takeover of the US company Carmot Therapeutics at the beginning of December. The Basel-based company spent around 3 billion US dollars on its entry into the fight against obesity.
Attack with several candidates
With the acquisition, Roche acquired various product candidates that can be used to treat obesity in patients with and without diabetes. They are all based on the novel GLP-1 mechanism of action, which has recently been the subject of much media attention.
CT-388 also belongs to the class of incretin-based drugs that aim to regulate blood sugar and reduce appetite.
The news is certainly being celebrated on the stock market. Roche's non-voting equity securities rose by more than 4 percent at times on Thursday morning.
Patience advanced
Despite all the confidence that can be felt, it must be remembered that it will still take many years to develop this drug to market maturity, says analyst Stefan Schneider from Vontobel - even if he considers the data itself to be good. He expects a market launch towards the end of the decade at the earliest.
At the same time, this very early stage also makes it difficult to assess the potential of this drug. However, the market for obesity will be much more mature by the end of the decade compared to today.
Tirzepatide from Eli Lilly is one of the drugs already approved. Zürcher Kantonalbank writes that, on average, analysts expect sales of USD 24 billion in the diabetes indication and USD 23 billion in the obesity indication in 2030.
That awakens the imagination. Roche's candidate is as effective as Eli Lilly's product in terms of weight loss, but in a much shorter period of time.
©Keystone/SDA
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