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Key Takeaways
- Roche announced strong early stage data from its weight-loss drug CT-996.
- The once-daily pill delivered placebo-adjusted mean weight loss of 6.1% in obesity patients without diabetes.
- CT-996 represent possible competition to popular weight-loss drugs Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.
A new non-injectable weight-loss drug from Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche Holding AG has shown encouraging early stage data, sending shares of rival GLP-1 developers Eli Lilly and Company ( LLY ) and Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) lower Wednesday.
Roche’s once-daily pill, CT-996, delivered placebo-adjusted mean weight loss of 6.1% in a Phase 1 trial of patients with obesity and without type 2 diabetes, the company said.
Shares of Roche jumped more than 6% in Swiss trading as of 10:15 a.m. ET Wednesday. In the U.S., Zepbound maker Eli Lilly’s stock fell more than 3% and Wegovy producer Novo Nordisk’s shares dropped about 4% about 45 minutes after markets opened.
Roche Added Drug To Pipeline With Carmot Therapeutics Acquisition
Roche added CT-996 to its pipeline when it agreed to acquire weight-loss drug developer Carmot Therapeutics last December. In May, Roche unveiled early stage data from another Carmot drug, CT-388, an injectable treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Despite their signs of promise, Roche’s entries to the weight-loss drug market aren’t likely to be available for several years, Chief Executive Officer (CEO ) Teresa Graham previously told CNBC .