Eli Lilly says next-generation weight loss drug clears crucial obesity trial

Key points

• Eli Lilly on Thursday said its next-generation drug cleared a crucial late-stage trial in patients with obesity, delivering significant weight loss across doses.
• The results bring Lilly one step closer to filing for approval of the weekly injection, called retatrutide, which works differently from existing shots and pills from both Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
• It also appears to be more effective than those options.
• The highest dose of retatrutide helped patients lose 28.3% of their weight — or 70.3 pounds — on average over 80 weeks, compared to 2.2% with placebo, when evaluating only patients who stayed on the drug.
• Roughly 45% of the 2,500 patients in the Phase 3 trial achieved 30% or more weight loss, Lilly said.