Eli Lilly Obesity Drug Shows 11.5% Weight Loss in 12 Weeks

• Eloralintide helped patients achieve 11.5% weight loss in just 12 weeks
• Amylin-based drugs are gaining momentum as next-gen obesity treatments
• Lilly's combo approach with tirzepatide may outpace rival obesity therapies

Eli Lilly's experimental obesity drug, eloralintide, has shown promising early-stage data supporting weight loss of an average of 11.5 percent after only 12 weeks, said an investor note from Cantor Fitzgerald.

The findings were highlighted in an abstract released ahead of an American Diabetes Association conference in Chicago. Analyst Prakhar Agrawal said initial commentary on the drug was very much tempered, but this data surpassed expectations in efficacy and safety.

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Eloralintide is part of a new paradigm in weight loss therapies that stimulate amylin a pancreatic hormone that slows digestion and reduces appetite, and represents a departure from any current therapy for obesity where GLP-1 is the sole or primary hormone targeted. Mid-stage studies are ongoing evaluating eloralintide as a standalone therapy, and with Lilly's GLP-1 drug tirzepatide (which was marketed as Zepbound).

 In the marketplace, many believe the combination of tirzepatide and eloralintide will be the next big jump forward in obesity drug therapy. Comparatively, the track record for eloralintide at 12 weeks is better than Roche's petrelintide and Novo Nordisk's data in monotherapy. Other competitors, including Novo Nordisk and AstraZeneca, are also pursuing amylin as a basis for their therapy, which indicates significant competition as to the first multi-hormonal weight-loss drugs.