Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, tirzepatide, has shown a 94% reduction in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes among obese or overweight adults with prediabetes, according to a recent clinical trial.
This latest phase of the trial revealed that tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Eli Lilly’s weight loss injection Zepbound, and the diabetes drug Mounjaro, helped patients maintain weight loss for approximately three years. Notably, those who received the highest weekly dose of tirzepatide experienced an average weight reduction of nearly 23% after 176 weeks, compared to just 2.1% for the placebo group.
Following the release of these results, Eli Lilly’s stock prices rose by 3%. The trials suggest that tirzepatide could effectively delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes—a condition characterized by persistently high blood sugar levels, though not yet at diabetic levels.
According to recent government data, more than a third of the U.S. population has prediabetes, a condition that can often be reversed through diet and exercise. However, individuals who are already overweight or obese are at a higher risk of progressing to full-blown diabetes.
The study also highlighted the potential of a new class of obesity and diabetes drugs that mimic gut hormones, now available under the GLP-1 label. Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, Novo Nordisk’s Mounjaro, and other similar injections have seen increased prescriptions over the past two years. These companies are keen to expand the list of clinical indications for their medications.
Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks emphasized the importance of focusing on the long-term impact of these drugs on patients’ lives, rather than merely promoting them as weight loss solutions. He noted that this is the fourth study this year to demonstrate such benefits, with tirzepatide also showing promise in treating other conditions, including heart failure.
