An experimental weight loss drug helped users lose 18% of their weight in an early trial

Swiss pharma giant Roche posted positive results on Thursday of its phase-1 clinical trail for its experimental weight loss drug CT-388.

Roche is one of several pharma companies racing to break the anti-obesity drug duopoly held by Ozepmic maker Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which produces Zepbound and Mounjaro.

CT-388 is a weekly injection that belongs to the same class of medication as Ozempic. It works by mimicking gut hormones that control blood sugar levels and suppress a user’s appetite. Morgan Stanley analysts anticipate the global market for these drugs will reach $105 billion by 2030.

Roche said that patients taking CT-388 lost an average 18.8% of weight after 24 weeks on the drug. For comparison, a clinical trial of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy found that it helped users lose about 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks.

In addition, Roche said all patients that were treated with CT-388 lost at least 5% of their weight, 85% lost 10% of their weight or more, and 45% lost more than 20% of their weight.

“We are very pleased to see the significant and clinically meaningful weight loss in people treated with CT-388,” said Roche Chief Medical Officer Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D. in a press release. “The results are highly encouraging for further development of CT-388 for both obesity and type 2 diabetes and underscore its potential to become a best-in-class therapy with durable weight loss and glucose control.”

The company also said that the medication was well tolerated with mild to moderate gastrointestinal-related adverse events being the most common side-effects.

The company said it’s also testing the drug for the treatment of type-2 diabetes.