Roche Continues to Reap Rewards of Carmot Buyout with Strong Early GLP-1 Data

1. Acquisition and Trial Results: Roche acquired Carmot Therapeutics for $2.7 billion in December 2023. The company has released promising Phase 1 data for its investigational GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, CT-388, which showed significant weight loss in obese patients.
2. Weight Loss and Safety: CT-388 demonstrated an average placebo-adjusted weight loss of 18.8% over 24 weeks, with all participants achieving more than 5% weight loss and 45% achieving more than 20% weight loss. The drug was well-tolerated, with mild to moderate gastrointestinal side effects.
3. Market Potential: The obesity market is estimated to be worth over $100 billion annually by the early next decade. Roche aims to position CT-388 as a rival to existing treatments like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.
4. Future Development: Roche will continue to develop CT-388 for both obesity and type 2 diabetes, with additional trials planned to evaluate its efficacy and safety. The company also owns other promising obesity candidates, including CT-868 and CT-996.
5. Competitive Landscape: The obesity treatment market is highly competitive, with multiple pharmaceutical companies, including Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Amgen, Structure Therapeutics, and Viking Therapeutics, developing various treatments.