{"id":53479,"date":"2025-09-22T18:38:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T22:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/roche-intensifies-weight-loss-drug-race-with-late-stage-trial-trump-declares-strong-vaccine-support\/53479\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T18:38:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T22:38:18","slug":"roche-intensifies-weight-loss-drug-race-with-late-stage-trial-trump-declares-strong-vaccine-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/roche-intensifies-weight-loss-drug-race-with-late-stage-trial-trump-declares-strong-vaccine-support\/53479\/","title":{"rendered":"Roche Intensifies Weight-Loss Drug Race with Late-Stage Trial, Trump Declares Strong Vaccine Support"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Roche<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/ROG\">ROG<\/a>) has advanced its experimental obesity drug, <strong>CT-388<\/strong>, into <strong>Phase III clinical trials<\/strong>, signaling its aggressive push into the lucrative weight-loss market.<\/li>\n<li>This move intensifies competition with current market leaders <strong>Eli Lilly<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/LLY\">LLY<\/a>) and <strong>Novo Nordisk<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVO\">NVO<\/a>), with Roche aiming to become a &quot;Top 3 player&quot; in a market projected to reach <strong>$150 billion annually<\/strong> by the early 2030s.<\/li>\n<li>Former President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> has publicly declared himself a &quot;strong backer of vaccines.&quot;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Swiss pharmaceutical giant <strong>Roche<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/ROG\">ROG<\/a>) is making a significant stride into the booming weight-loss drug market, announcing on Monday that its experimental obesity treatment, <strong>CT-388<\/strong>, has advanced to <strong>late-stage (Phase III) clinical trials<\/strong>. This development underscores Roche&#39;s ambition to challenge the dominance of <strong>Eli Lilly<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/LLY\">LLY<\/a>) and <strong>Novo Nordisk<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVO\">NVO<\/a>) in a market analysts estimate could be worth <strong>$150 billion annually<\/strong> by the early 2030s.<\/p>\n<p>Roche&#39;s shares saw a positive reaction, rising around <strong>2-2.8%<\/strong> in afternoon trading following the announcement, outperforming the broader European healthcare index. The company had previously seen its shares jump nearly <strong>5%<\/strong> when early-stage trials of CT-388 reported significant weight-loss results.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CT-388<\/strong>, an injectable dual GLP-1\/GIP receptor agonist, was acquired by Roche in late 2023 through its <strong>$2.7 billion<\/strong> purchase of U.S. biotech firm <strong>Carmot Therapeutics<\/strong>. Phase I trial data indicated a placebo-adjusted weight loss of <strong>18.8%<\/strong> at 24 weeks, a figure that surpassed <strong>Novo Nordisk&#39;s Wegovy<\/strong> (14.9% at 68 weeks) but trailed <strong>Eli Lilly&#39;s Zepbound<\/strong> (up to 22.5% at 72 weeks). Roche&#39;s pharmaceutical division head, Teresa Graham, stated the company&#39;s goal is to secure a strong entry with competitive products by 2030 and become a &quot;Top 3 player&quot; in the obesity market.<\/p>\n<p>In other significant news, former President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> made a public statement declaring, &quot;I Am A Strong Backer Of Vaccines.&quot; This declaration was reported on Monday, September 22, 2025. The statement comes amidst ongoing public discourse surrounding vaccine efficacy and policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Roche (ROG) has advanced its experimental obesity drug, CT-388, into Phase III clinical trials, signaling its aggressive push 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