Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly [recently] disclosed the latest data from a phase III trial of its experimental type 2 diabetes and obesity drug, tirzepatide: People who took the drug lost up to 22% of their body weight and achieved far greater weight loss on average than the placebo group.
The findings, while preliminary, suggest tirzepatide may become the second major medicine in a new era of obesity treatments, provided that patients can actually afford it.
The findings have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, so they should be taken with some caution. But the figures seen here, assuming they’re sound, are simply unprecedented for a drug, according to Samantha Harris, an endocrinologist at the Scripps Clinic who focuses on weight management and diabetes care.
“The ability to lose 15%, 20%, or 25% of total body weight with medications is incredible, as these types of results have typically only been seen in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery,” Harris said in an email to Gizmodo.
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As promising as these drugs are, some critics have questioned the inherent value of obesity treatments, especially given their overall spotty track record. Another pressing issue, even for those who want to take these treatments, has been affordability.
