An investigational combination therapy from Eli Lilly led to significant weight loss in a mid-stage study, but high rates of people stopping the treatment may raise questions about its tolerability.
Lilly, which is racing to bring next-generation obesity drugs to the market, tested different combinations of its blockbuster GLP-1 drug Zepbound with eloralintide, a candidate that targets the amylin hormone, in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
After 48 weeks, participants who stayed on the treatment at the highest dose of the combination therapy lost 23.3% of their weight, according to results presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. That’s more than the weight loss seen with those taking only Zepbound and those taking only the highest dose of eloralintide — 14.8% and 11.1%, respectively.
The results were also notable because patients with diabetes don’t tend to lose as much weight on medications as those who don’t have diabetes.
