The race to develop the next generation of weight loss drugs has taken an exciting new turn. In a recent study, Eli Lilly’s experimental treatment helped people lose a lot of weight – without needing to use the same method as existing popular drugs like Ozempic.
Earlier this month in The Lancet, researchers from Eli Lilly and others published the results of a recent Phase II trial of Eloralitide. Over a 48-week period, people taking Eleraralitide lost up to 20% of their baseline body weight, more than the average weight loss experienced by those on placebo. Eloralitide’s initial success so far is particularly remarkable because it is not a glp-1 drug.
A different way
Eleralaritide mimics the hormone amylin. Our pancreas naturally releases Amylin alongside insulin into the bloodstream in response to food. Once released, Amylin helps tell our bodies that we are full, suppresses our appetite, and slows the movement of food through our digestive system.
The most effective weight loss drugs today, such as Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy), mimic the long-acting hormone glp-1. Like GLP-1, Amylin plays a role in regulating our hunger and blood sugar. The two hormones even interact with each other in the way they affect the body to accomplish these functions. But they also have important distinctions, and that makes Amylin a new target for obesity treatment.
There is a standard drug based on Amylin, Pramlintide, which was first approved two decades ago as a treatment for diabetes. But it’s the newer Amylin shows in development, like Eloralitide, that have really exciting information. These experimental drugs are designed to last longer in the body than natural amylin, effectively strengthening the effects of the hormone to help people lose weight and control their blood sugar. Much like Semaglutide, Eleralarimide is intended to be taken once a week by subcutaneous injection.
An early promise
The Eli Lilly phase II trial involved 263 participants without type 2 diabetes who were obese (body mass index over 30) or obese (BMI over 27) with weight-related health conditions. They were randomly assigned to receive placebo or various doses of Eloralitide. Some were given the same dose of the drug throughout the study, while others were given smaller doses.
People on Elorainide, regardless of the dosing strategy, saw significant improvements in weight loss over 48 weeks on average, the study showed. People taking the highest weekly dose, nine milligrams, saw the best results, an average 20% weight loss during the study, as did people who steadily increased their dose from six to nine milligrams.
It appears to be safe and generally well tolerated. Adverse events often associated with the drug are gastrointestinal, similar to the reported side effects of GLP-1 therapy. The most common adverse event was nausea, with some people at higher doses reporting the symptom.
“Eloraintide produced a clinically meaningful, reduced dose in the body over 48 weeks and was generally well tolerated, supporting the use of eloraintide
What does this mean for the future of weight loss?
GLP-1S has greatly changed the field of obesity medicine in recent years. And although these drugs are not without risks and can be very expensive, they just start turning back the clock on obesity. For the first time in years, America’s obesity rate has declined as the use of these drugs has steadily increased.
There are now many anti-inflammatory drugs in development, many of which are GLP-1. Some drugs bind to GLP-1 and other hunger-related hormones, including Amylin. The results of EleralIntintide are very effective, however, since the drug depends only on amylin. That is important because it could mean that Eleralactionide could eventually become an alternative for people who have not responded to GLP-1 Therapy.
It is too early to be sure, especially without a study directly comparing these drugs in a case. But it’s worth noting that semaglutide only helped people lose 15% of their body weight on average in clinical trials. Eli Lilly’s Ongoptity Recortity Drug Tiresity, which is GLP-1 and the Hormone GIP, has shown weight loss rates of 20%.
These early findings will have to be confirmed by data from larger trials, of course. But if this research continues to show promise, loseraintide could open up a new area of addiction treatment.
