Eli Lilly’s popular weight-loss drug reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94 percent in overweight or obese adults with prediabetes compared with a placebo, according to initial results of a long-term study published Tuesday.
The late-stage trial of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in weight-loss injection Zepbound , and diabetes drug Mounjaro, also found that patients experienced sustained weight loss over the roughly three-year treatment period.
Eli Lilly’s Zepbound drug works by mimicking two naturally produced gut hormones called GLP-1 and GIP.
GLP helps reduce food intake and appetite. GIP, which also suppresses appetite, may also improve the way the body breaks down sugar and fat.
Adults who received the highest weekly dose of the drug experienced a 22.9% decrease in body weight on average after 176 weeks, compared with 2.1% for those who received a placebo.
The results suggest that Eli Lilly’s treatment could significantly delay a possible diagnosis for people with prediabetes , or those with blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes.
According to the latest government data, more than 1 in 3 Americans has prediabetes, a disease that health experts say can be reversed with lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. People who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for prediabetes.
The new data also show potential long-term health benefits of taking a class of obesity and diabetes drugs called GLP-1, which mimic hormones produced in the gut to reduce appetite and regulate blood sugar.
As Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro, and rival Novo Nordis’s injections, have soared in popularity over the past two years, companies have rushed to study other clinical uses for their drugs.
“Obesity is a chronic disease that puts nearly 900 million adults worldwide at increased risk for other complications, including type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Jeff Emmick, senior vice president of product development at Eli Lilly, said in a statement. “These data reinforce the potential clinical benefits of long-term therapy for people living with obesity and prediabetes.”
Eli Lilly tested tirzepatide in more than 1,000 adults for 176 weeks in the phase three trial, followed by a 17-week period when patients stopped treatment. It is the longest study completed on the drug to date, according to the company.
The drugmaker will submit the latest results to a peer-reviewed journal and present them at an upcoming medical conference in November. Eli Lilly will release 72-week weight loss results in a larger group of patients from the same trial, called SUMOUNT-1, in 2022.
Patients in the trial who stopped taking tirzepatide during the 17 weeks began to regain weight and saw an increase in progression to diabetes. But those participants still had an 88% lower risk of developing diabetes compared with a placebo, according to the latest phase three results.
Safety data on tirzepatide during the trial were consistent with previous studies of the drug, according to Eli Lilly. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal, including diarrhea, nausea, constipation and vomiting, and were generally mild to moderate in severity.