An experimental drug by Eli Lilly has helped patients lose up to 24 percent of their within a year. According to media reports, this is the highest reduction in the obesity segment till now. The astonishing outcomes of the new mid-stage clinical trial results, released on Monday, may lead to a paradigm shift in the obesity treatment space.
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the phase 2 trial of the drug, retatrutide, was conducted on 338 adults who were obese. During the trial, they received either Retatrutide or a placebo every week. Retatrutide is a once-weekly injection, but it may soon be made in the form of pills, as per reports.
The study revealed that the patients who took 12 mg lost around 41 pounds or 17.5 percent of their body weight in 24 weeks. Meanwhole, those who were on a placebo lost 1.6 percent.
In a statement, as reported by the news agency Reuters, the company’s chief scientist and medical officer, Dan Skovronsky, said, “These phase 2 data have given us the confidence to further explore the potential of Retatrutide in phase 3 trials that will look beyond weight reduction and focus on treating obesity and its complications comprehensively.”
Interestingly, during the trial, some patients showed results beyond weight loss. Almost three-fourths of those who started it with pre-diabetes had reached a normal blood sugar level after 48 weeks, the researchers found.
Reportedly, several participants experienced side-effects like nausea, diarrhoea, and vomiting, which worsens with a higher dose. Moreover, one patient had elevated liver enzymes, and another had a case of acute pancreatitis.
Meanwhile, Eli Lilly’s other obesity drug Mounjaro, which is approved for type 2 diabetes, has helped patients lose up to 21% of their weight in clinical trials.
Other than Eli Lilly, several other pharmaceutical companies are working on making weight loss drugs. This includes Denmark’s Novo Nordisk and USA’s Pfizer.
Unlike Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, Retatrutide mimics three different hunger-regulating hormones: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. This may have more effects on a person’s appetite and satisfaction with food.
The clinical trial results of the drugs have stunned scientists. According to media reports, some experts claim that it may become a stronger player than Ozempic or Mounjaro, and “nearly on par with bariatric surgery.” Interestingly, the results of this study were also discussed at the American Diabetes Association conference in San Diego.
“This raises the bar,” Dr. Carel Le Roux from University College Dublin, an obesity researcher who was not affiliated with these studies, said during a press conference as quoted by several media outlets. “This is way beyond my wildest dreams.”
