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LONDON — Roche on Thursday said its recently acquired experimental obesity medication helped people lose a significant amount of weight in an early trial, sending its shares up in early trading. 

The drug, a once-weekly injection known as CT-388, resulted in an average placebo-adjusted weight loss of 18.8% after 24 weeks, the company said. The study was a Phase 1 trial, though it was placebo-controlled. 

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The reaction to such an early result — Roche shares were up roughly 4% early Thursday — is a signal both of the stakes of the obesity medication race and the keen interest investors have in the field. 

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