STAT
Eli Lilly disclosed on Thursday that its latest obesity drug demonstrated results in a late-stage trial that are comparable to those of bariatric surgery concerning weight loss effectiveness. However, the findings also revealed significant incidences of side effects and treatment discontinuations, prompting a reevaluation of the drug's overall attractiveness as a treatment option.
In the Phase 3 clinical trial, which involved participants classified as obese and overweight without diabetes, those receiving the highest dose of retatrutide—when continuing the treatment—experienced an average weight loss of 28.3% over a period of 80 weeks.
Despite these impressive results, 11% of the participants on the highest dose chose to discontinue the treatment due to adverse events. When considering all participants, including those who did not complete the study, the overall efficacy dropped to 25%. In comparison, pivotal clinical trials for existing medications such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Lilly's own Zepbound reported discontinuation rates related to side effects as low as 7%.
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