Roche announced that its injectable drug CT-388 led to a 22.5% reduction in weight during a Phase II trial. The company acquired CT-388 as part of its $2.7 billion purchase of Carmot Therapeutics. According to analysts from William Blair, these results make CT-388 comparable to Eli Lilly’s Zepbound. Roche plans to begin a Phase III study for the drug in the first half of this year and is exploring combining it with a therapy from Zealand Pharma to potentially reduce gastrointestinal side effects.
Baseline Therapeutics has entered the market with a GLP-1 candidate aimed at treating alcohol use disorder and is preparing for Phase III trials, positioning itself as a competitor to Eli Lilly.
In vaccine news, Moderna has decided to halt late-stage clinical trials for infectious disease vaccines. This move comes amid anti-vaccine policies and statements from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which have impacted market conditions. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel stated, “You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the U.S. market.” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla also spoke at Davos, criticizing Kennedy’s stance on vaccines by calling his rhetoric and policies “anti-science.”
Sarepta shared new data regarding Elevidys, its gene therapy designed for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, earlier this week. There are also emerging treatments being developed for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
