$ROG (+1.55%) / $RHHBY (+1.19%) - Demands $LLY (+0.6%) and $NOVO B (+1.06%) challenging?

The Swiss drug manufacturer Roche $ROG (+1.55%) is planning to accelerate the development of its obesity drugs in order to beat rivals such as Eli Lilly $LLY (+0.6%) and Novo Nordisk $NOVO B (+1.06%) in the booming market, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Roche is among a growing number of potential rivals to Novo and Eli Lilly, whose weight-loss injections are in feverish demand, with experts raising their sales forecasts for such treatments to as much as $150 billion by the early 2030s.

Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker told the newspaper that the first obesity drugs "will come to market much faster than people expect"possibly by 2028.

Earlier this month, the company said its second drug candidate, an experimental once-daily pill it acquired through the purchase (link) of Carmot Therapeutics, had shown positive results in an early-stage trial. Schinecker told the FT that Roche could have "about seven" drugs from the Carmot acquisition, several of which are in earlier stages of development.

Roche did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Happy Monday!

GG

Source: Reuters