Celltrion is moving in earnest to tap the global obesity drug market. The company plans to position itself as a market "game changer" with next-generation medicines that address the limits of existing therapies.
Celltrion said on the 24th it is pursuing a "two track" strategy to develop both a "quadruple-action injection (development code CT-G32)," which expands the target of existing therapies to maximize efficacy, and a "multi-action oral drug (pill)," which greatly improves convenience compared with injections.
The next-generation obesity drug CT-G32 is being developed as a "first in class" therapy that acts simultaneously on four targets, going beyond the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based dual- and triple-agonists that dominate the current market.
The plan is to add new targets while improving the individual efficacy variability and muscle loss side effects raised with existing therapies, thereby maximizing appetite suppression and weight loss. At the same time, the company will pursue expanded development as a metabolic disease treatment that also promotes fat breakdown and regulates energy metabolism.
CT-G32 is currently undergoing efficacy evaluation in disease-model animals for key candidates, and the company plans to submit an investigational new drug (IND) application in the first half of next year to begin full-scale clinical trials.
The multi-action oral drug under development is seen as advantageous because it offers greater dosing convenience than injections and allows easier storage and distribution, enabling continuous treatment.
The company said that, unlike the oral obesity drugs recently introduced by global pharmaceutical companies that act solely on the GLP-1 receptor, its candidate is designed to act on multiple targets including the GLP-1 receptor, raising expectations for greater efficacy and fewer side effects.
Celltrion is conducting research to improve stability and bioavailability in terms of formulation and molecular design, and plans to submit an IND in the second half of 2028.
The company said, "We will develop the injection for patients who need intensive initial weight loss or who have not responded sufficiently to existing treatments, and the oral drug for patients who are burdened by injections or who need long-term maintenance after weight loss, thereby covering demand by treatment stage."
A Celltrion official said, "Building on the competitiveness we have secured in autoimmune diseases and anticancer drugs, we are expanding into the obesity drug market after ophthalmic and bone diseases," and added, "We will actively pioneer new markets to raise the value of the corporations and leap forward as a global big pharma (large pharmaceutical company)."