Eli Lilly obesity drug could help patients lose more weight

Eli LillyThe experimental drug helped patients lose 24 percent of their body weight after nearly a year, the largest weight loss ever seen in the field of obesity treatment, according to new data. Interim Clinical Trial Results Posted Monday.

The phase 2 trial followed 338 obese or overweight adults who received either the drug company’s injection, Retaglutideor placebo weekly.

Patients taking 12 mg of retaglutide lost an average of 17.5 percent, or 41 pounds, of their body weight after 24 weeks, compared with 1.6 percent for those taking the placebo.

After 48 weeks, patients had lost an average of 24.2 percent of their body weight, or 58 pounds. Those who took the placebo lost 2.1 percent of their body weight after the same time period.

Average weight loss did not appear to plateau after 48 weeks, suggesting that longer studies may show more results, the trial researchers said.Lilly is currently enrolling patients Phase III trial.

The data suggest Eli Lilly’s retaglutide is “the most potent anti-obesity drug to date,” Michael Weintraub, an endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health, said in a report. twitter post.

Eli Lilly’s other weight-loss drug, Mounjaro, is approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and has helped patients lose up to 21% of their body weight in clinical trials.

Novo Nordisk’Wegovy is approved for weight loss, Weight loss up to 15% in the test.

Like Wegovy and Mounjaro, Eli Lilly’s retaglutide is a once-weekly injection that works by mimicking certain hormones in the gut to change the way patients eat and cause a decrease in appetite.

But while Wegovy mimics only one hunger-regulating hormone called GLP-1, Mounjaro mimics both GLP-1 and another hormone called GIP.

Retaglutide mimics three different hunger-regulating hormones: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. This appears to have a more potent effect on a person’s appetite and satisfaction with food.