The race to develop a cure in pill form is heating up…
Roche’s experimental weight-loss drug has shown promising results in an early-stage trial.
Roche’s experimental once-daily pill CT-996 caused an average weight loss of 6.1 percent over four weeks in obese patients without diabetes in a Phase I trial, Roche said in a statement.
Roche is among the companies battling to take share from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in the ever-growing market. weight loss drugs Sales are estimated to reach $150 billion in the early 2030s.
Roche’s experimental pill, which can be directed at patients who don’t want injections, was well tolerated with mostly mild to moderate gastrointestinal side effects, similar to those seen with other weight-loss drugs.
However, it should be noted that the competition is increasing to develop a treatment in the form of a pill that can replace the weekly injections, which currently dominate the market, but without compromising on weight loss.
Structure Therapeutics last month reported an average weight loss of 6.2 percent after 12 weeks for its experimental pill in clinical trials.
By comparison, Lilly’s equivalent pill, or forglipro, showed a 6% to 7% weight loss over the same period.
In addition, Pfizer announced last week continues to test his formula (also a pill), in March Viking Therapeutics announced that an experimental pill produced 3.3% weight loss after four weeks.