Lilly’s next-gen drug tops Zepbound on weight loss in late-stage osteoarthritis trial

Dec 11 (Reuters) – Eli Lilly (LLY) said on Thursday its next-generation obesity drug helped patients lose an average of 28.7% of their weight in a ​late-stage trial, outperforming its blockbuster drug Zepbound and reinforcing the company’s lead in ‌the fast-growing market.

The global obesity market has surged in recent years on strong demand for GLP-1-based drugs ‌like Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, prompting drugmakers to invest heavily in next-generation treatments that could deliver faster, deeper, or more durable weight loss.

The once-weekly injected drug, retatrutide, is part of a class known as incretins designed to mimic the action of the GLP-1 ⁠hormone, which helps regulate blood ‌sugar, slow stomach emptying and decrease appetite.

The company, in its first late-stage trial readout, said the drug had delivered weight loss of ‍up to an average of 71.2 pounds at 68 weeks, along with substantial relief from deep-aching joint pain when tested in participants with obesity and osteoarthritis of the knee.

Unlike GLP-1 agonists such ​as tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound, and semaglutide, the active ‌ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic from Novo, retatrutide activates three hormone receptors – GLP-1, GIP and glucagon – earning it the nickname “triple G”.

Rival Novo is also developing its own “triple-G” weight-loss drug candidate UBT251 after securing global rights for the treatment from China-based United Laboratories International in a licensing deal.

There have been significant investor expectations around retatrutide after mid-stage ⁠data demonstrated up to 24.2% weight loss after ​48 weeks, surpassing results seen with other obesity drugs.

Leerink ​Partners analyst David Risinger wrote in early December that a result exceeding the 22% weight loss seen with Lilly’s tirzepatide at 68 weeks ‍would likely be the ⁠bar of success.