Roche to advance novel obesity and diabetes treatments

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Roche has agreed to acquire biotech Carmot Therapeutics for an upfront purchase price of $2.7 billion, enabling the Swiss pharma company to add a range of incretin treatments for obesity and diabetes to its portfolio.

Incretins are “gut hormones that are secreted after food intake and play a role in modulating blood glucose by stimulating insulin secretion and suppressing appetite,” Roche highlighted.

Carmot Therapeutics’ lead asset CT-388 is a Phase-II ready dual GLP-1/GIP agonist with best-in-class potential as a treatment for obesity in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes.

Assets Roche will gain rights to through the acquisition

“We are encouraged by the clinical data for the lead asset CT-388, which demonstrated substantial weight loss in Phase Ib. These data suggest the potential for a differentiated profile to treat obesity and its associated diseases,” shared Dr Levi Garraway, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development.

Carmot’s portfolio “offers different routes of administration and opportunities to develop combination therapies that treat obesity and potentially other indications,” Dr Garraway added. These include treatments other benefits, such as preserving muscle mass. As such, Carmot’s incretin-based portfolio could also be expanded to other indications where incretins play a role including cardiovascular, retinal and neurodegenerative disease, according to Roche.

Additional clinical assets for obesity and diabetes

• CT-996, a daily oral, small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist currently in Phase I is intended as an obesity treatment in patients with and without type 2 diabetes
• CT-868 is a Phase II-ready, once-daily subcutaneous injectable, dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist intended for treating type 1 diabetes patients who are overweight or obese.

Under the agreement, Roche will pay additional milestone payments of up to $400 million if these are achieved.

The transaction is subject to certain customary closing conditions. The closing of the transaction is currently expected to occur in the first quarter of 2024.