Roche (RHHBY.US) weight loss injection shows positive mid-term trial results: average weight loss of 15.5% over 48 weeks, blood sugar levels drop by 2.65%.

According to Golden Ten Data, Roche (RHHBY.US)'s experimental weight-loss injection enicepatide both lowered blood sugar and body weight in overweight or obese type 2 diabetes patients during a mid-stage trial. Roche stated in a press release on Tuesday that patients receiving the highest dose of 24 mg saw a reduction of 2.65% in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, a blood sugar indicator) and lost an average of 15.5% of their body weight after 48 weeks, with no plateau observed.

This Swiss pharmaceutical company is seeking to compete with Eli Lilly (LLY.US) and Novo Nordisk (NVO.US). The drug is administered as a once-weekly injection and works similarly to Eli Lilly's Zepbound by simultaneously activating the GLP-1 and GIP hormones involved in metabolic regulation. The global weight-loss drug market is expected to reach as much as $150 billion.

Roche plans to launch enicepatide’s phase III study and cardiovascular outcome trial in the first half of 2027. Enicepatide was previously known as CT-388 and was originally developed by Carmot Therapeutics. Roche acquired the company for $3.1 billion in 2023.

Analysts Michael Shah and Christos Nikoletopoulos stated in June that earlier data showed enicepatide was “as effective as competitors” at inducing weight loss. They wrote that the drug is expected to be approved by 2030, with peak sales potentially reaching $4 billion.

The most common side effects in the new trial were mainly mild to moderate gastrointestinal reactions; only 2.0% of patients in the treatment group discontinued the medication, compared to 0.0% in the placebo group.

Roche Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development Levi Garraway stated: “Combined with sustained weight loss, enicepatide has the potential to become a best-in-class therapy for type 2 diabetes, reducing and preventing complications, and improving patients’ metabolic health.”