Eli Lilly’s obesity drug Amylin shows weight loss of up to 20% in study
The Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center is shown on March 1, 2023 in San Diego, California.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Eli Lilly announced Thursday that it will begin late-stage trials of its experimental obesity drug Amylin next month after showing encouraging results in a mid-stage trial.
The highest dose of weekly injection, called eloralintide, helped patients with obesity or overweight lose an average of 20.1% of their body weight after 48 weeks. The results support the pharmaceutical giant’s efforts to bring next-generation treatments to the blockbuster weight-loss drug market and cement its dominance in the segment.
In particular, the data increases Eli Lilly’s chances of bringing a strong competitor into the red-hot amylin space. Many industry analysts view so-called amylin analogs as the next wave of obesity treatments, which could serve as an alternative or complement to existing injections targeting the gut hormone GLP-1.
Several large drug manufacturers such as Roche And AbbVie have spent billions to buy or license experimental amylin treatments, and Novo Nordisk develops its own medicines. Novo Nordisk – Eli Lilly’s main competitor in the obesity market – and Pfizer are also in the middle of a heated takeover war over Metsera, whose pipeline includes a potentially once-a-month amylin drug.
Amylin analogs mimic a hormone that is secreted along with insulin in the pancreas to suppress appetite and reduce food intake. Amylin treatments have a similar effect to GLP-1s like Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro, but some analysts and researchers say it could be easier for patients to tolerate and help them maintain lean muscle mass.
The lowest dose of Eli Lilly’s shot helped people lose 9.5% of their weight after 48 weeks, compared with 0.4% for those who received a placebo. Patients who used a two-stage dose escalation – starting with a 6 milligram dose and increasing to a 9 milligram dose – lost 19.9% of their weight after 48 weeks. People who used a three-step dose escalation starting at 3 milligrams lost 16.4% of their weight.
The most common side effects of the injection were mild to moderate gastrointestinal discomfort and fatigue, which were more commonly seen in patients taking higher doses of the drug, according to Eli Lilly. Patients in groups that gradually increased the drug dosage saw fewer side effects.
The company has not yet released detailed data on side effect rates and the number of patients who discontinued treatment during the study. Eli Lilly will present the data on Thursday at the ObesityWeek scientific conference in Atlanta.
