Roche aims to accelerate the development of drugs for weight loss

Roche told investors on Monday that it plans to make significant cuts in both the cost and time it takes to develop new drugs, including its slate of experimental weight loss and diabetes drugs.

At an investor event, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant announced its goal to reduce the average development costs of launched drugs by 20% and shorten the time from early drug discovery to the completion of phase 3 trials by 40% by 2030, according to a study. presentation posted on the company’s website.

These goals include the company’s recently acquired weight loss treatments.

Roche is one of the several pharmaceutical companies race to break the anti-obesity drug duopoly held by Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk (NGOs) and Eli Lilly (LLY), which produces Zepbound and Mounjaro.

Morgan Stanley (girl) analysts anticipate that the global market for these drugs, known as GLP-1/GIP treatments, will reach $105 billion by 2030. The drugs work by mimicking hormones that regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite. They were originally used to treat type 2 diabetes, but have become highly sought after for their weight loss side effects.

Roche, 127, first got into the weight-loss drug game earlier this year when it bought Carmot Therapeutics for $2.7 billion. The deal included three candidates, CT-996 — a daily pill — and the weekly injectables CT-388 and CT-868.

Roche said on Monday that together the three drugs have the potential to reach more than 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.6 billion) in annual sales.

In May, the company said patients taking CT-388 lost 18.8% of their weight, on average, after 24 weeks of treatment in a small clinical trial.

As a result, the company said in July that it is fast track development of its weight loss drug candidates. His stock rose over 37% since May.