Eli Lilly has entered into a phase three clinical trial for its tirzepatide drug, also known as Mounjaro, to evaluate its efficacy at improving weight loss outcomes for patients experiencing obesity.
The pharmaceutical giant has been neck-and-neck with its competitor, Novo Nordisk — maker of Ozempic — to do so, according to previous reports from The Wall Street Journal. Both Mounjaro and Ozempic are FDA-approved drug treatments for diabetes, but after seeing benefits related to weight loss, some physicians have begun to prescribe them toward that end. The phase three clinical trial Eli Lilly has entered into will evaluate Mounjaro's efficacy in this vein and allow it to ultimately be approved for obesity, if results trend well.
Mounjaro has been found to reduce weight for patients with obesity by up to 22.7 percent while its competitor, Ozempic was found to cut weight by just 17 percent.
The clinical trial will involve 700 adults who have a body mass index that falls into the range for obesity and have also been previously diagnosed with hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea or cardiovascular disease. Participants must also have a history of at least one previously unsuccessful attempt to lose weight with dietary means.
The study will measure a percent change in baseline body weight reduction over the course of 72 weeks.