Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche has announced an accelerated development of its Wegovy rival weight loss drugs after successful early-stage trial data. The company is moving forward with two obesity drug candidates, CT-388 and CT-996, with plans for potential market release in the next few years, offering a pill-based alternative to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound weight loss injections.

Roche's CT-388 drug is progressing into phase two trials after demonstrating a significant weight loss of 18.8% relative to a placebo in patients with obesity. Meanwhile, the experimental pill CT-996 recorded a placebo-adjusted average weight loss of 6.1% in obese patients without Type 2 diabetes. Both drugs were acquired through Roche's purchase of U.S. biotech company Carmot Therapeutics earlier this year.

Roche's CEO, Thomas Schinecker, hinted at a faster-than-expected market introduction for the company's first obesity drug, potentially by 2028, contrary to previous estimates suggesting a release from 2030 onwards. With a vision to offer a suite of obesity medications and differentiate itself in the market, Roche is optimistic about its drug development prospects and aims to provide cutting-edge solutions for weight loss.

"We have a number of things in our pipeline that really can differentiate us from other players," said Schinecker, emphasizing the promising potential of Roche's obesity drug portfolio, including next-generation GLP-1/GIPs drugs. Roche's strategic acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics and the positive results from CT-388 and CT-996 trials position the company as a formidable contender in the competitive landscape of weight loss medications.