Roche to speed up development of Wegovy competitors following positive trial results.

• Roche announced on Monday that it is speeding up the development of its Wegovy competitor weight loss medications based on encouraging early stage trial results.
• The two obesity drug candidates of the company are advancing to the next phase of trials and may be available in the market in the near future.
• A potential pill-based alternative to Wegovy and Zepbound weight loss injections could be developed.

Roche announced on Monday that it is speeding up the development of its Wegovy competitor weight loss medications based on encouraging early stage trial results.

Two obesity drug candidates from the company are moving forward to the next phase of trials and may be available as a pill-based alternative to Wegovy and Zepbound weight loss injections from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, respectively, within the next few years.

The spokesperson informed CNBC via email that we are expediting the clinical development of our obesity portfolio to bring these medications to patients sooner than expected.

Although the company did not disclose its new timeline, CEO Thomas Schinecker stated in an FT interview that the company's first obesity drug could be launched "significantly faster than anticipated," possibly by 2028.

In December, Teresa Graham, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, stated to CNBC that the company anticipated launching the products by 2030.

The CT-388 drug developed by Roche is now being tested in phase two trials, following May's publication of results showing that it helped obese patients lose 18.8% of their weight after 24 weeks compared to those who received a placebo.

The experimental once-daily pill CT-996 will undergo phase two tests next year following successful four-week trials in obese patients without Type 2 diabetes, resulting in a placebo-adjusted average weight loss of 6.1%.

Roche acquired both CT-388 and CT-996 as part of their purchase of U.S. biotech company Carmot Therapeutics, which was completed in January.

Roche could become a competitor to Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in the obesity drug market, according to Schinecker, who predicts that the company will eventually provide a range of obesity medications.

"Schinecker stated on CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" that we possess several items in our pipeline that can set us apart from other competitors."

He stated that he believes the two next-generation GLP-1/GIPs have the best potential for treating obesity.

Our portfolio includes a variety of medicines that can be combined with obesity drugs, such as GYM329, which helps combat muscle loss, a common side effect of weight loss.