A merged image shows an injectable pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug, and boxes of Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk.
Reuters
Eli Lilly on Wednesday said its anti-obesity drug Zepbound led to greater weight loss than its main rival, Nordisk's Wegovy, in the first comparative clinical trial on weekly injections.
The findings suggest that Zepbound may be a superior weight loss treatment, helping overweight or obese patients lose 20.2% of their body weight, or about 50 pounds, on average after 72 weeks in the phase trial. three. Meanwhile, Wegovy helped people lose 13.7% of their weight, or about 33 pounds, on average after the same period.
Eli Lilly said Zepbound provided a 47% greater relative weight reduction compared to Wegovy in the test. The company added that more than 31% of people taking Zepbound lost at least a quarter of their body weight, compared to only about 16% of those taking Wegovy who lost that amount of weight.
Separate studies on the medications, along with a recent analysis of medical records, have similarly implied that Zepbound outperforms Wegovy in terms of weight loss. A late-stage study on Zepbound showed it helped patients lose more than 22% of their weight on average over 72 weeks, while a separate study on Wegovy showed it led to a 15% weight loss on average over 68 weeks. weeks.
But Wednesday's data appear to be the most concrete evidence of Zepbound's advantage, as the trial randomly assigned 751 patients to receive the maximum dose of either drug. The study specifically followed overweight or obese patients who had at least one weight-related medical condition, not including diabetes.
“Given the growing interest around obesity medications, we conducted this study to help healthcare providers and patients make informed decisions about treatment choice,” Dr. Leonard Glass, vice president, said in a statement. senior global medical affairs at Eli Lilly Cardiometabolic Health. .
Eli Lilly is still evaluating the results, which it plans to publish in a peer-reviewed journal and present at a medical meeting next year.
The most common side effects of both drugs were gastrointestinal and generally mild to moderate in severity.
Zepbound's greater weight loss is a big plus for Eli Lilly, which is competing with Novo Nordisk for a bigger share of the burgeoning weight-loss drug market. Some analysts expect space to be worth $150 billion a year by the early 2030s.
Wegovy entered the market about two years before Zepbound, which won U.S. approval in late 2023. Still, some analysts believe Zepbound has a good chance of becoming the best-selling drug of all time after more years on the market.
Data analytics company GlobalData forecasts that Zepbound will generate $27.2 billion in annual sales by 2030 and Wegovy will post $18.7 billion in annual revenue by the same year, according to data from November.
Demand has far outstripped supply for Zepbound, Wegovy and their diabetic counterparts over the past year, forcing Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to invest billions in expanding their manufacturing capacity for the shots. Those efforts appear to be paying off, as the Food and Drug Administration now lists all doses of those treatments as “available” in its drug shortage database.
Still, some patients struggle to access medications due to spotty coverage of weight loss treatments in the U.S. Without insurance or other savings, Zepbound and Wegovy cost about $1,000 a month.
Treatments work differently.
Zepbound reduces appetite and regulates blood sugar by activating two gut hormones, called GIP and GLP-1. Wegovy activates GLP-1 but does not target GIP, which some researchers say can also affect how the body breaks down sugar and fat.
