SAN DIEGO — Ozempic and Wegovy became weight loss sensations by targeting a single hormone, leading people to lose as much as 15% of their weight. But that wasn’t enough — soon there was Mounjaro, which targets two hormones, leading to 21% weight loss.
Now, Eli Lilly has new results showing that an experimental drug that targets three hormones led to 24.2% weight loss in a mid-stage trial, the greatest amount seen yet with an obesity drug.
The results were in patients who took the highest dose of the drug, called retatrutide, and match the high end of the 22%-24% estimate Lilly gave in an investor call last year. If the weekly injectable drug succeeds in larger Phase 3 trials, it could propel Lilly ahead of competitors in the heated race to supply the most effective obesity treatments.