Eli Lilly claims the weight-loss drug helps patients lose 26% of their weight, more than rivals

Key Points

Eli Lilly said two Phase 3 trials of its current diabetes drug showed significant weight loss in patients.
People involved in both studies had an average weight loss of 26, 6%, a bigger drop than their competitors.
The treatment, with the trade name Monjouro, was approved by regulators last year.

Eli Lilly (LLY) reported that two phase 3 trials of its drug tirzepatide achieved significant weight loss for obese or overweight people with weight-related comorbidities, excluding type 2 diabetes.

The pharmaceutical giant reported that its SURMOUNT-3 study found that those who underwent 12 weeks of intensive lifestyle interventions and then took tirzepatide for 72 weeks achieved an average total weight loss of 26.6%. He said patients in the SURMOUNT-4 trial who took tirzepatide for 88 weeks had similar results. That's a greater weight reduction than competing drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, which helped patients lose an average of 15%.

Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Lilly's Monjouro injectable diabetes treatment which received US regulatory approval in May 2022.

Dr. Jeff Emmick, Lilly's senior vice president for product development, noted that the research produced the highest level of weight loss in the SURMOUNT program. He added that the findings challenge the notion that obese or overweight patients can achieve their goals through diet and exercise alone, and show that obesity should be treated as a chronic disease requiring therapy.

Lilly pushed to get on the lucrative market for weight loss treatments after the success of Ozempic and Wegovy of Novo Nordisk (NVO). Last month, Lilly announced a phase 2 trial of an injectable diabetes and obesity drug, retatrutide, which reduced weight by 24.2% over 48 weeks.

The actions of Eli Lilly have been added about a quarter of their value this year.