Wegovy obesity rival to become part of a line of weight-loss drugs | Wilnesh News

Roche said on Thursday that its Wegovy rival weight loss drug will become part of a suite of drugs designed to combat the effects of obesity.

Chief Executive Thomas Schinecker welcomed positive early-stage trial results for the company’s two weight-loss drug candidates, saying they showed “optimal disease potential.” He added that they would form part of a broader product portfolio aimed at differentiating the Swiss pharmaceutical giant from rivals in the growing market for obesity drugs.

“There are a lot of things in our product line that really differentiate us from other players,” Schinecker told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”

“We do believe we have two next-generation GLP-1/GIPs that have the best potential to treat disease,” he said of the obesity drug.

GLP-1 or glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists are a group of drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity. They form the basis of weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound. GIP, or gastric inhibitory polypeptide, is a hormone that stimulates insulin secretion.

“We also have a number of different drugs in our own portfolio that we can combine with (obesity drugs),” he added, emphasizing Gym 329 As an example of a drug that combats muscle loss, a key side effect of weight loss.

He noted that antibody drugs are currently being developed that could be used to combat the “yo-yo effect” of weight loss, both in obesity drug users and regular dieters.

Roche is seen as a latecomer to the weight-loss market amid the runaway success of rivals Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Successive trial results show that rival companies’ drugs are effective in fighting not only obesity but also related health risks such as cardiovascular disease.

However, early trial data released last week showed Roche’s experimental once-daily pill CT-996 led to a placebo-adjusted mean weight loss over four weeks in obese patients without type 2 diabetes in a Phase 1 trial. 6.1%.

The results are similar to similar results from a Phase 1 trial in May of Roche’s CT-388 drug, which was found to help obese patients lose 18.8% more weight after 24 weeks than those taking a placebo.

Both drug candidates are part of Roche’s acquisition of US biotech Carmot Therapeutics, which fully in January.

Schinecker said the acquisition will help strengthen the company’s presence in one of the largest healthcare industries. Analysts estimate that the obesity drug market could be worth as much as $200 billion by 2030.

“We do believe cardiovascular and obesity are probably the largest unmet needs today and there are a lot of diseases associated with it. In order to take a holistic approach, we thought it was prudent to include it in our portfolio,” he said.

The CEO added that the company is “open to other acquisitions” and will continue to evaluate opportunities that make medical and financial sense.

Comment from Roche report On Thursday, it reported strong first-half sales growth and raised its full-year guidance.

All eyes will now be on further trial data due in September, Citi said in a note on Wednesday.

“Investors’ attention will be focused on September, where we expect to see full Phase 1 data from Roche’s early-stage obesity assets CT-388 (GLP-1/GIP) and CT-996 (oral small molecule GLP-1) at EASD. 9-13), and Roche’s annual Pharma Days in London on the 30th,” analysts wrote.

EASD refers to the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, an industry event held in Madrid, Spain, in September.