Roche's obesity pill shows promise in small weight loss study

A significant milestone was recently reported by Roche regarding its experimental obesity drug. In a Phase 1 trial, participants who took the oral medication daily for four weeks experienced an average weight loss of 7.3% of their body weight. This figure was 6.1 percentage points higher than the weight loss observed in participants who received a placebo. The findings were disclosed two months after Roche shared encouraging results from another investigational obesity treatment in its portfolio. This other medication, administered as a weekly injection, showed a 19% reduction in body weight over a six-month period. Notably, none of the trial participants discontinued the injectable due to side effects, which is a common reason for discontinuation with other weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound.

These two promising obesity drugs originated from Roche's $2.7 billion purchase of Carmot Therapeutics, a biotechnology startup. The acquisition, completed in December, was part of a broader strategy by pharmaceutical companies to tap into a burgeoning market, projected to exceed $100 billion annually within the next decade.

The initial months of 2024 have seen a surge of data releases from companies developing obesity treatments, all aiming to compete with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound. Though Roche has not traditionally been a major player in metabolic medicine, its strategic acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics could position it favorably in the race to capture market share. This is particularly notable given the established success of Wegovy and Zepbound, which have demonstrated benefits beyond weight loss, such as improved heart health and relief from sleep apnea.

One potential advantage for Roche and other competitors could be the development of oral medications. While Wegovy and Zepbound are administered via weekly injections, companies like Roche, Pfizer, and Viking Therapeutics are exploring oral alternatives. Even Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have oral obesity drugs in advanced stages of development.

The newly released data for Roche's drug, named CT-996, comes from a small-scale trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and biological activity of the drug, as well as its effectiveness in promoting weight loss. This particular trial focused on individuals with obesity but without diabetes, though future studies will investigate its effects on those who also have diabetes.

Roche's findings indicate that the drug's activity in the body supports once-daily dosing. Importantly, the drug's efficacy does not seem to be influenced by the consumption of high-fat meals or whether it is taken in a fasted state, providing flexibility in dosing schedules. Roche has characterized the 7.3% weight loss as clinically meaningful, but the results will need to be validated in longer-term studies. For comparison, both Zepbound and Wegovy received regulatory approval based on trials where participants took the medications for over a year.

In summary, Roche's initial success with its investigational obesity drugs highlights its potential to become a significant competitor in the lucrative obesity treatment market. With further research, these new medications could offer viable alternatives to existing treatments and potentially capture a share of the growing demand for effective obesity solutions.