Key Takeaways:
Eli Lilly and Co.'s experimental drug retatrutide achieved an average 28.3% reduction in body weight at its highest dose over 80 weeks, a result that sets a new record for pharmacological weight-loss agents in a pivotal trial. Shares of Eli Lilly (LLY) rose about 1 percent in pre-market trading on the news.
"We haven't seen that level of weight loss before with these kinds of medicines," Eli Lilly's chief scientific and product officer Dan Skovronsky told CNBC, noting such outcomes were previously exclusive to bariatric surgery.
The data comes from the TRIUMPH-1 Phase 3 study, which enrolled 2,339 adults with obesity or overweight. Patients on the 12 mg dose lost an average of 70.3 pounds, with 45.3 percent of them losing more than 30 percent of their body weight. This level of efficacy surpasses both Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, which showed 20.7% weight loss at 72 weeks, and Lilly’s own Zepbound, which achieved 22.5% over the same period.
While the drug's effectiveness establishes a new benchmark, its tolerability profile raises questions. The trial reported an 11.3 percent discontinuation rate due to adverse events for the 12 mg dose, compared with 6.2 percent for Zepbound and 5.4 percent for Wegovy. Side effects were consistent with other incretin-based drugs, including nausea (42.4%), diarrhea (32%), and a distressing skin sensation known as dysaesthesia (12.5%).
Retatrutide is a triple agonist that targets three distinct hormone receptors (GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon), unlike Zepbound which targets two and Wegovy which targets one. This multi-receptor approach is believed to drive its high efficacy.
Citi analysts said the results set a “new competitive benchmark” for the weight-loss market and represent a “key future competitive threat” to Novo Nordisk's dominant position. In addition to weight loss, the drug also showed significant improvements in cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol, blood pressure, and waist circumference, though specific data has not yet been released.
The results position retatrutide as a potentially best-in-class treatment that could significantly disrupt the lucrative obesity drug market. Investors will now watch for a potential Food and Drug Administration submission, which Lilly has indicated could happen before the end of the year, and a more detailed data presentation at the upcoming American Diabetes Association conference.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
