The American pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, published Thursday the results of a new clinical trial confirming that its drug, terzipatide, which has been approved by the US authorities for use in the treatment of diabetes only, helps in the process of losing weight.
The American pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, published Thursday the results of a new clinical trial confirming that its drug, terzipatide, which has been approved by the US authorities for use in the treatment of diabetes only, helps in the process of losing weight.
These findings pave the way for the drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in obese people.
The study was conducted on about 900 people who were overweight, obese or had type 2 diabetes. The drug is given once a week as an injection.
People who received the highest dose of the drug lost an average of 15.6 kilograms over a period of about a year and a half (72 weeks).
As for the side effects that were recorded, they were generally gastrointestinal problems (nausea, diarrhea…).
Thanks to these results, Eli Lilly expects to complete “in the coming weeks” the procedures for filing an application for a license to authorize the use of the drug in obese or overweight patients, and “expects that US authorities will take regulatory action near the end of 2023.”
A first clinical trial was conducted, the results of which were published in a scientific journal in June 2021 and included people who were obese or overweight but did not have diabetes, and showed that these lost more weight (about 21% of their weight) than the patients who underwent the second clinical trial.
Terzipatide works on a gastro-intestinal hormone (GLP-1), which activates receptors in the brain that play a role in regulating appetite.
It has been on the market under the name “Monjaro” for people with type 2 diabetes, since it received approval in May from the US Food and Drug Administration.
However, some American doctors prescribe this drug to people who want to lose weight even though they do not have diabetes.
About 40 percent of American adults suffer from obesity.
