Roche (RHHBY.US) weight loss drug CT-388 will advance to late-stage trials next year, challenging the dominant position of Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

Chinese financial app learned that Roche (RHHBY.US) plans to advance its experimental weight-loss drug CT-388 to the later stages of testing next year, aiming to challenge top companies like Eli Lilly (LLY.US) and Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) in the weight-loss drug market. This drug caused a significant drop in the stock price last year due to the disclosure of side effects such as nausea and vomiting in early studies, but Roche later emphasized that the rate of side effects is similar to competitors and the cost level is also not significantly different.