Eli Lilly's experimental obesity drug shows over 11% weight loss in early trial
June 13 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly's (LLY.N), opens new tab experimental obesity drug, eloralintide, helped some patients lose 11.5% of their body weight at 12 weeks in an early-stage study, an investor note by brokerage Cantor Fitzgerald showed on Friday.
The 12-week result was published in an abstract ahead of the American Diabetes Association conference in Chicago, the brokerage said.
Cantor analyst Prakhar Agrawal said the data on eloralintide looked strong in terms of weight loss and safety, adding that expectations for the drug had been low.
The drug belongs to a class of medicines that mimic the pancreatic hormone amylin, which is co-secreted with insulin. Amylin slows digestion and suppresses hunger.
Mid-stage trials are ongoing, both as a standalone treatment and in combination with Lilly's blockbuster GLP-1 drug, tirzepatide, sold as Zepbound.
The first wave of obesity drugs focused mainly on the gut hormone GLP-1, but drugmakers are now looking for medicines that target other hormones or help preserve muscle mass during fat-loss for their next generation of drugs.
We think the data today is a sign that the real successor to tirzepatide is the tirzepatide-eloralintide combo, said Jefferies analyst Akash Tewari.
In March, Roche (ROG.S), opens new tab acquired the rights to Zealand Pharma's long-acting amylin analogue, petrelintide, in a collaboration valued at up to $5.3 billion.
Similarly, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab is banking on a dual mode of action involving amylin for its next generation of drugs, with experimental compounds called amycretin and CagriSema, while AstraZeneca (AZN.L), opens new tab has an amylin-based obesity drug in early trials.
Lilly's eloralintide weight-loss data is tracking better than Roche and Zealand's petrelintide, said Agrawal, adding the data is meaningfully better than Novo's monotherapy.
Data at 12 weeks is also competitive compared to other drug classes such as GLP-1, Agrawal also said.
Eli Lilly did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
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