Celltrion Pursues Two-Track Development of New Obesity Drugs with Injectables and Orals

Quadruple-action injectable targeting IND in 2027, oral drug in 2028

Celltrion is pursuing a two-track strategy to target the obesity treatment market by simultaneously developing multi-action injectable and oral drugs.

Celltrion corporate logo image. Celltrion

The company announced on the 24th that it will build a new drug portfolio that improves both efficacy and dosing convenience compared with existing therapies by concurrently developing a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based multi-target injectable and an oral drug.

The injectable drug candidate “CT-G32” is designed with a mechanism that simultaneously acts on four targets, including GLP-1. Efficacy evaluation is currently underway in animal models. The company is aiming to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application in the first half of 2027. Celltrion has set a goal of reducing limitations of existing obesity treatments, such as inter-individual variability in efficacy and loss of muscle mass, while enhancing appetite suppression and weight-loss effects. It also plans to consider expanding development into the metabolic disease area by promoting fat breakdown and regulating energy metabolism in the future.

The oral drug is also being developed based on a multi-target mechanism of action that includes the GLP-1 receptor. Celltrion plans to leverage its strengths in dosing convenience and ease of storage and distribution to improve treatment accessibility. The company is conducting research to improve stability and bioavailability through formulation and molecular design, and is targeting IND submission in the second half of 2028.

Celltrion plans to build a stepwise treatment portfolio by targeting the injectable drug at patients who need initial weight loss, and the oral drug at patients who are burdened by injections or who require long-term maintenance therapy.

The growth trajectory of the obesity treatment market was also presented as a basis. According to the World Health Organization, the proportion of overweight adults worldwide has risen from about 25% in the 1990s to over 40% recently. Market research firm GlobalData forecasts that the global obesity treatment market will expand to 173.5 billion dollars by 2031.

A Celltrion official said, "By developing injectable and oral drugs with multi-action mechanisms simultaneously, we will provide treatment options tailored to patient characteristics and stages of therapy."