The Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center is shown in San Diego, California on March 1, 2023.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Elie Lilly announced Thursday that it will begin advanced trials of its experimental amylin-based obesity drug next month, after showing encouraging results in a mid-stage study.
The highest dose of the weekly injection, called eloralintide, helped obese or overweight patients lose 20.1% of their body weight on average at 48 weeks. The results support the pharmaceutical giant’s efforts to introduce next-generation treatments to the blockbuster weight loss drug market and consolidate its dominance in the segment.
The data bolsters Eli Lilly’s chances of bringing a strong competitor to the hot amylin space, in particular. Many industry analysts view amylin analogs as the next wave of obesity treatments that could serve as an alternative or complementary option to existing injections targeting the gut hormone GLP-1.
Several major drug manufacturers such as Rock And AbbVie have paid billions to purchase or license experimental amylin treatments, and Novo Nordisk develops its own drugs. Novo Nordisk — Eli Lilly’s main rival in the obesity market — and Pfizer are also in the midst of a bitter acquisition war over Metsera, whose pipeline includes a potential amylin drug once a month.
Amylin analogs mimic a hormone co-secreted with insulin in the pancreas to suppress appetite and reduce food intake. Amylin treatments have a similar effect to GLP-1s like Zepbound and Lilly’s Mounjaro, but some analysts and researchers say it may be easier for patients to tolerate and help them preserve lean muscle mass.
The lowest dose of the Eli Lilly shot allowed people who received a placebo to lose 9.5% of their weight at 48 weeks, compared to 0.4%. Patients who used a two-step dose escalation — starting with a 6-milligram dose and increasing to a 9-milligram dose — lost 19.9% of their weight at 48 weeks. People who used a three-step dose increase starting at 3 milligrams lost 16.4% of their weight.
The most common side effects of the injection were mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue, which were seen more frequently in patients who took higher doses of the drug, according to Eli Lilly. Patients in groups that gradually increased doses of the drug experienced fewer side effects.
The company has not yet released detailed data on side effect rates and how many patients stopped treatment during the trial. Eli Lilly will present the data Thursday at the ObesityWeek scientific conference in Atlanta.