Eli Lilly weight loss drug reduces diabetes risk

Eli Lilly's popular weight-loss drug Zepbound may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94 percent in obese and overweight adults with prediabetes, according to preliminary results from a new long-term study published Tuesday.

Lilly announced top-line results from its three-year SURMOUNT-1 clinical trial evaluating the long-term safety and efficacy of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in the company's weight-loss drug.

The long-term study also found that patients on the highest dose lost 22.9 percent of their body weight during the three-year treatment period, compared with 2.1 percent for those who received a placebo.

The study results suggest that Lilly's drug could delay the diagnosis of diabetes in people with prediabetes or in people whose blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

“Obesity is a chronic disease that puts nearly 900 million adults worldwide at increased risk for other complications, such as type 2 diabetes,” said Jeffrey Emmick, senior vice president of product development at Lilly, in a press release on Tuesday. “These data support the potential clinical benefit of long-term therapy for people with obesity and prediabetes.”

The study examined more than 1,000 adults over 176 weeks, followed by a 17-week period during which patients stopped treatment. Lilly says this is the longest clinical trial of the drug to date.

Although patients who stopped taking tirzepatide during the 17-week period regained weight, these patients still had an 88 percent lower risk of developing diabetes, according to clinical trials.

Prediabetes, also known as insulin resistance, probably affects more than one in three adults, or about 98 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the Mayo Clinic, men with a waist circumference over 40 inches and women with a waist circumference over 35 inches are at higher risk for prediabetes, but the condition can often be reversed with lifestyle changes and weight loss.

Tirzepatide, also the active ingredient in Lilly's diabetes drug Mounjaro, belongs to a relatively new class of drugs that mimic naturally produced gut hormones that suppress appetite and may improve the body's absorption of sugar and fat.

Zepbound was only approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last November for the treatment of chronic obesity.

Lilly's products, as well as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, have become increasingly popular over the past year due to their positive effects on weight loss and the cardiovascular system.

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Earlier this year, tirzepatide was also found to have a strong positive effect in reversing sleep apnea, a disease in which obesity and type 2 diabetes are comorbidities.

Previous results of the SURMOUNT-1 study were published in New England Journal of Medicine in 2022 and likely played a role in securing FDA approval for the drug.