Eli Lilly reports promising phase 2b results for a novel drug combo of eloralintide and tirzepatide, noting improved weight reduction and diabetes management in adults with obesity, paving the way for phase 3 trials.
Eli Lilly’s experimental amylin receptor agonist eloralintide, when paired with tirzepatide, produced deeper weight loss and stronger blood sugar reductions than tirzepatide alone in adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to results presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Milan. The phase 2b study adds to growing evidence that combining drugs that act through different pathways may deliver greater benefits than using a single incretin-based therapy on its own.
The trial enrolled 367 adults and tested several dose combinations over 48 weeks. At the top end of the study, people receiving eloralintide 9 mg with tirzepatide 15 mg lost an average 23.3% of body weight, while those on tirzepatide 15 mg alone lost 14.8%. Other combination groups also outperformed tirzepatide monotherapy, with weight loss of 19.9% and 19.4% in two of the mid-range arms. In the add-on arm, participants first took tirzepatide before eloralintide was introduced later, and that group also finished with a 19.9% reduction.
Liana K. Billings, vice chair of research at Endeavor Health and a clinical associate professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, said in a press conference that the findings show the value of tailoring treatment to patients’ weight and glucose goals. She said the weight reduction seen with tirzepatide 15 mg was already substantial, but that the new data had not been matched in earlier diabetes studies.
Blood sugar control improved alongside the weight changes. According to Lilly’s announcement, all of the combination groups achieved reductions in HbA1c of at least 2.2 percentage points at 48 weeks, with the strongest fall, 2.9 points, seen in the highest-dose combination. The company said more than 90% of people in the combination arms reached an HbA1c below 7%, while a large share also achieved near-normal glycaemic readings below 5.7%.
Safety findings were broadly in line with what might be expected from a dual-drug regimen, with gastrointestinal side effects most common. Nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, fatigue and reduced appetite were reported most often, and Billings said these events were more frequent in the highest-dose combination than with tirzepatide alone. Still, fewer than 10% of participants stopped treatment because of adverse events, and Lilly said it plans to advance the programme into phase 3, with Rachel L. Batterham, the company’s senior vice president of medical innovation and external engagement, saying Lilly intends to co-formulate the two drugs into a single injection for the next stage of testing.
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