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Eli Lilly’s latest weight-loss shot helped patients lose as much as 29 per cent of their body weight in trials, giving another boost to the US pharmaceutical company’s booming obesity business.
In a statement on Thursday, Lilly said that the drug, called retatrutide, also improved other measures of physical wellbeing, with one in eight patients completely free from knee pain at the end of the trial, the company said.
Participants in the late stage trials, suffering from obesity and osteoarthritis, lost an average of 28.7 per cent of their body weight after 68 weeks, the company said, compared with a loss of 2.1 per cent for those on a placebo.
The results “highlight the powerful effect of retatrutide”, said Kenneth Custer, an executive vice-president and president at Lilly. “We believe retatrutide could become an important option for patients with significant weight loss needs and certain complications, including knee osteoarthritis.”
Weight-loss drugs have helped propel Lilly to become the first pharmaceuticals group to top $1tn in market value. Its shares were up 1 per cent in pre-market trading on Thursday.
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