Roche, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, has recently announced a definitive merger agreement to acquire Carmot Therapeutics, a privately owned US company based in Berkeley, California. The acquisition grants Roche access to Carmot's R&D portfolio, including three clinical-stage assets with significant potential in treating obesity and diabetes.

Carmot's lead asset, CT-388, is a Phase-2-ready, dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist designed for the treatment of obesity in patients with and without type 2 diabetes. Another asset, CT-996, is a once-daily oral, small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist currently in Phase-1, intended for obesity treatment. Also, CT-868 is a Phase-2 injection for patients with type 1 diabetes who are overweight orobese.

The existing clinical data for Carmot's assets, especially CT-388, suggests a best-in-class potential for achieving and maintaining  weight loss with differentiated efficacy. This acquisition provides Roche with opportunities for combinations with its existing pipeline assets, focusing on preserving muscle mass. Incretins, gut hormones that play a role in modulating blood glucose, offer a potential expansion to other indications, including cardiovascular, retinal, and neurodegenerative diseases.

The CEO of Roche Group, Thomas Schinecker, while emphasising on the significance of this acquisition, said, "Obesity is a heterogeneous disease, which contributes to many other diseases that together comprise a significant health burden worldwide. By combining Carmot’  portfolio with programs in our Pharmaceuticals pipeline and our Diagnostics expertise and portfolio of products across cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, we are aiming to improve the standard of care and positively impact patients’ lives.”

Upon completion of the transaction, Roche will have exclusive access to Carmot's Chemotype Evolution discovery platform, further strengthening Roche's R&D efforts in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.

Carmot Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on metabolic diseases, boasts a broad pipeline of therapeutics, including CT-388, CT-996, and CT-868. The rising prevalence of obesity worldwide, associated with various health challenges, underscores the importance of scientific advances in developing effective treatments.

Incretins, such as those in Carmot's portfolio, represent clinically validated targets in obesity therapy and hold promise for broader applications in other disease areas.