Words by Jade Williams
Eli Lily’s weight loss drug reduces the risk of hospitalisation, death and other negative outcomes for adults with obesity and a common form of heart failure, according to the latest trial results.
The drug was associated with a 38% reduction in the risk of heart failure-related urgent care visits, hospitalisations, increased use of oral diuretics and cardiovascular death compared with placebo. The study enrolled 731 patients in 10 countries with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity.
Jeff Emmick, Senior Vice President, Product Development, Eli Lilly, said in a statement that the condition “accounts for nearly half of all heart failure cases, and in the US almost 60% of those impacted also live with obesity”.
The company additionally said that the study showed the drug significantly improved heart failure symptoms and physical limitations. The treatment also resulted in a notable weight loss of 15.7% in the overall trial cohort, including those with and without type 2 diabetes, compared to just 2.2% with the placebo. Non-diabetic patients experienced a 13.9% weight loss.
Elsewhere in the obesity space, Novo Nordisk has just launched its weight-loss drug in Australia, the 12th market the drug has entered. Analysts have estimated that the weight-loss market could be worth up to $100bn by the end of the decade, making it a highly competitive environment for drugmakers.
