Roche Confirms Narrowed Pharma Focus, Fast Tracks Obesity-Drug Candidate

By Helena Smolak

Roche confirmed a move to trim its pipeline and narrow its focus amid a push to fast track its entry into the weight-loss drug market.

The Swiss pharmaceutical company said Monday that it has narrowed the set of disease areas it targets to 11, confirming a report by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

The company will fast track the mid- and late-stage trials of an experimental weight-loss injection it is developing--known as CT-388 and which is being closely watched by investors--in addition to late-stage trials of its trontinemab treatment for Alzheimer's disease and inflammatory bowel disease drug. The company aims to deliver 20 so-called transformative medicines by 2030, it said.

Roche said it plans to focus on five key therapeutic areas as part of its new pharma strategy through 2030. The company's priority areas are neurology, oncology and hematology, immunology, ophthalmology, and cardiovascular, renal and metabolism diseases, it said.

Write to Helena Smolak at helena.smolak@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 30, 2024 05:06 ET (09:06 GMT)

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