Trial results show Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug Zepbound reduces the risk of hospitalisation, death and other outcomes for obese adults with a common type of heart failure, the company said on Thursday as it continues to build a case for the medication’s wider health benefits.
The drug, also known as tirzepatide, reduced the risk of a composite of heart failure urgent visit or hospitalisation, oral diuretic intensification or cardiovascular death by 38 per cent compared to a placebo.
The trial enrolled 731 patients across 10 countries who have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity.
The condition “accounts for nearly half of all heart failure cases, and in the US almost 60 per cent of those impacted also live with obesity”, Jeff Emmick, Lilly senior vice-president, product development, said in a statement.
Lilly said the study also showed the drug significantly improved heart failure symptoms and physical limitations.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. It is associated with a high burden of symptoms and physical limitations affecting daily life, including fatigue, shortness of breath, reduced ability to exercise and swelling of extremities.
Trial patients on tirzepatide were given weekly injections of the highest dose they could tolerate, up to 15 milligrams, and were followed for a median of two years.
The drug led to 15.7 per cent weight loss in the combined population of people with and without type 2 diabetes, compared with 2.2 per cent for the placebo, Lilly said. For the non-diabetes patients, weight loss was 13.9 per cent.
Zepbound, also sold under the brand name Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, is part of a top-selling class of drugs designed to mimic the action of the GLP-1 hormone, which helps regulate blood sugar, slow digestion and decrease appetite.
Lilly said the most common side effects for trial patients on tirzepatide were diarrhea, nausea, constipation and vomiting.
The company said it plans to submit the heart failure results to the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies starting later this year. The findings will also be presented at an upcoming medical meeting and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
Novo Nordisk has reported data showing its GLP-1 weight loss drug Wegovy reduces heart failure symptoms.