0818 GMT - Roche's deal to co-develop a weight-loss drug with Zealand Pharma makes sense as the Swiss pharma giant must expand its obesity therapy options to effectively compete in this field, Vontobel analyst Stefan Schneider says in a note. Roche entered a collaboration and licensing agreement with the Danish biotech company for its amylin analog petrelintide. It has only recently entered the weight-loss space through its acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics in December 2023. Vontobel expects the earliest launch for Roche's obesity assets in 2028 and anticipates risk-adjusted peak sales of 1.9 billion Swiss francs. Shares rise 3.7% to 307.50 Swiss francs. (helena.smolak@wsj.com)

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0851 GMT - Roche's optimized multiple-sclerosis drug Ocrevus dosing, coupled with compelling evidence of reduced disability progression, significantly increases the likelihood of treatment success, often overlooked by consensus, Intron Health analysts Naresh Chouhan and Dominic Rose say in a note. Intron Health analysts estimate the Swiss pharma giant's Ocrevus HD data to likely read out in the first half of this year. Ocrevus HD is expected to take 50% of Ocrevus volume by the time of biosimilar launches in the U.S. in 2029 and will grow beyond 2029, the analysts say. The broker upgrades its rating on the stock to buy from hold. Shares rise 3.9% to 308.00 Swiss francs. (helena.smolak@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 12, 2025 04:51 ET (08:51 GMT)

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