Roche aims to challenge major players Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly for a place in the fast-growing market.
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Swiss pharma giant Roche said on Tuesday that a phase II clinical trial of its experimental obesity drug CT-388 had given positive results.
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This content was published on
January 27, 2026 – 08:51
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In the study participants who received the active ingredient CT-388 once a week for 48 weeks lost over 20% of their body weight on average, Roche said in a press release on Monday.
The higher the dose administered, the greater the weight loss. The effects were particularly clear at the highest dose tested. Almost all participants lost at least 5% of their body weight, around half even lost more than 20% and a quarter lost over 30%.
Drug well tolerated
According to Roche, the metabolism also benefited. Blood glucose levels normalised in almost three-quarters of the study participants with a preliminary stage of diabetes, significantly more than in the comparison group without the active ingredient.
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The drug was well tolerated overall. The most common side effects related to the gastrointestinal tract and were mostly mild to moderate. Only a few participants discontinued treatment due to side effects.
Roche views the results as an important step in the development of new treatments for obesity, one of the biggest causes of chronic disease worldwide. Based on the published data, the Basel-based company is now planning to start large-scale pivotal Phase III trials to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of the drug.
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Adapted from German by AI/sb
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