Celltrion's quadruple-action obesity drug outperforms triple agonist in animal tests

Celltrion has publicly disclosed for the first time preclinical results for CT-G32/SCO-940, the world's first obesity drug candidate designed to simultaneously target four hormonal pathways in a single molecule.

Celltrion said Wednesday it jointly presented preclinical data on CT-G32/SCO-940 — a pipeline asset co-developed with Japan's Scohia Pharma — at TIDES Europe, a global specialty conference held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from Tuesday through Thursday (local time).

The presentation covered receptor-specific cellular activity assessments as well as key pharmacological findings from a diet-induced obese rat model, including body weight, body composition and blood insulin levels.

CT-G32/SCO-940 is a next-generation quadruple agonist that simultaneously targets four hormonal pathways: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon and amylin. Among all obesity drug candidates disclosed globally to date, CT-G32/SCO-940 is the first to integrate all four pathways into a single molecule.

According to the preclinical results presented at the conference, CT-G32/SCO-940 produced greater weight loss than Eli Lilly's triple agonist retatrutide when administered at the same dose.

Particularly notable was the relatively smaller reduction in lean mass — including muscle and bone — compared with the reference drug during weight loss, demonstrating the potential to significantly improve the balance between weight reduction and body composition preservation. The candidate also lowered elevated blood insulin levels commonly associated with obesity, pointing to potential for expanding its indications into metabolic disease treatment beyond obesity alone.

Primate pharmacokinetic evaluations showed that sustained drug exposure was maintained over time. Celltrion said the findings support the feasibility of developing a once-weekly subcutaneous formulation that could improve patient adherence.

Building on these preclinical results, Celltrion plans to submit an investigational new drug application to the US Food and Drug Administration for CT-G32/SCO-940 in February 2027. If the regulatory review proceeds without delay, the company aims to dose the first patient in a global Phase 1 trial in the second quarter of that year.

Celltrion intends to develop CT-G32/SCO-940 as a first-in-class drug addressing unmet medical needs long cited as limitations of existing GLP-1-based therapies — namely, variability in individual efficacy and muscle loss during weight reduction.

Leveraging four complementary mechanisms of action, the company plans to position the candidate as a next-generation core pipeline asset in obesity and metabolic disease by simultaneously achieving weight loss, body composition improvement and energy metabolism regulation.

Beyond obesity treatment, Celltrion is steadily expanding its new drug portfolio to include antibody-drug conjugates currently in Phase 1 trials, as well as multi-specific antibody-based anticancer drugs and autoimmune disease treatments. The company's strategy is to apply capabilities accumulated through its biosimilar business — including large-scale global clinical development, mass production, regulatory approval and direct commercialization — across the full drug development cycle to diversify its medium- and long-term growth drivers.

"CT-G32/SCO-940 is a core pipeline asset whose preclinical data have confirmed differentiation potential beyond existing dual and triple agonists, as the world's first quadruple-action combination targeting GLP-1, GIP, glucagon and amylin simultaneously," a Celltrion official said. "We will proceed with global clinical entry without delay and develop it into a next-generation obesity treatment that addresses not only weight loss but also body composition and metabolic improvement."

TIDES Europe, where the results were unveiled, is a leading global specialty conference for sharing research and development achievements and the latest industry trends in next-generation biotherapeutics, including peptides and oligonucleotides. This year's event drew more than 100 global companies and featured 115 academic and industry experts as speakers.