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Roche to Acquire Carmot Therapeutics for $2.7B Upfront

Lead asset CT-388 is a Phase-2 ready dual GLP-1/GIP agonist with best-in-class potential for the treatment of obesity and its comorbidities.

Roche entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Carmot Therapeutics, Inc., a privately owned company based in Berkeley, CA with a portfolio that includes clinical stage subcutaneous and oral incretins with potential to treat obesity, as well as a number of preclinical programs.
 
Roche will pay $2.7 billion in cash at closing and up to $400 million depending on the achievement of certain milestones. Carmot and its employees will join the Roche Group as part of Roche’s Pharmaceuticals Division. Roche will also have exclusive access to Carmot’s Chemotype Evolution discovery platform in metabolism.
 
Carmot’s lead asset is a Phase-2 ready, dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist for the treatment of obesity. Injected subcutaneously once a week, it has potential as a standalone and combination therapy to improve weight loss and to be expanded to other indications.
 
CT-996, a once-daily oral, small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist is currently in Phase-1 intended to treat obesity in patients with and without type 2 diabetes. CT-868 is a Phase-2, once-daily subcutaneous injectable, dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist intended for the treatment of type 1 diabetes patients with overweight or obesity.
 
The assets also provide an opportunity for combinations with existing Roche pipeline assets including ones focused on preserving muscle mass. The incretin-based portfolio could also be expanded to other indications where incretins play a role including cardiovascular, retinal and neurodegenerative disease.
 
“Obesity is a heterogeneous disease, which contributes to many other diseases that together comprise a significant health burden worldwide. By combining Carmot’s 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,” said Thomas Schinecker, CEO Roche Group.
 
“We are encouraged by the clinical data for the lead asset CT-388, which demonstrated substantial weight loss in Phase 1b. These data suggest the potential for a differentiated profile to treat obesity and its associated diseases,” said Levi Garraway, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “The broad Carmot portfolio offers different routes of administration and opportunities to develop combination therapies that treat obesity and potentially other indications.”
 
The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to take place in 1Q24.

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