STAT+: Pharmalittle: Lilly drug shows biggest weight loss yet in mid-stage trial; Biogen shareholders elect director’s romantic partner to the board
Top of the morning to you. The middle of the week is upon us and, since you made it this far, why not forge ahead? After all, there is always light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. You never know what you may accomplish. So please join us as we celebrate this notion with a cup or three of delicious stimulation. Our choice today is … maple bourbon. And as always, we have assembled a menu of tidbits to help you along. So please dig in. We hope you have a meaningful and productive day. And by the way, please feel free to forward any secrets you come across. Our “in basket” is always open. …
Eli Lilly disclosed new results showing 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 treatment, STAT writes. 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. Retatrutide is the latest in a string of treatments that have shown significantly greater weight loss than prior generations of obesity drugs. 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.
The U.K.’s cost-effectiveness agency rejected Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, STAT notes. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence wants more evidence on both clinical benefits and cost effectiveness before it can recommend the drug for use by the National Health Service. Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, has U.S. approval for type 2 diabetes and is expected to win a regulatory green light for obesity later this year. It is one of several medications, along with Wegovy and Ozempic from Novo Nordisk, that have shown dramatic weight-loss results, creating a surge in demand and blockbuster sales expectations.
Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…
