Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche is targeting becoming a top three obesity player globally, posing a potential rival to heavyweights Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly as it advances one of its experimental weight-loss drugs to a late-stage trial.

"I want you to know that I am serious about this goal," Teresa Graham, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, told investors and analysts on at Roche's Pharma Day in London on Monday.

"We know how to break into new markets," she added.

The drugmaker said earlier this week that its CT-388 weight loss injection was entering a phase III trial — the final stage before a company can seek regulatory approval — marking the latest development in Roche's nascent but fast-growing pipeline of treatments for obesity and related conditions.

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