Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug cuts diabetes risk, long-term study finds

The three-year study of tirzepatide found adults with prediabetes and obesity or overweight taking the drug weekly saw the risk of progression to diabetes lower by 94 per cent.

The drug tirzepatide, made popular for its treatment of Type 2 diabetes and weight loss, lowers the risk of progression to diabetes by 94 per cent among adults with prediabetes and obesity or who are overweight when taken weekly, according to a new study by the drugmaker Eli Lilly.

While the study has not yet been peer-reviewed, experts who spoke with Global News for their views on its findings said the data so far suggests the possibility of risk reduction over the course of years to come.

Results of the three-year study of the drug, also known by its brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound, were released on Tuesday with the report showing weekly injections of any of the three dosage amounts — five, 10 and 15 milligrams — “significantly reduced” the risk of progression, and also saw sustained weight loss.

In fact, those on the 15 mg dose also saw a 22.9 per cent average decrease in body weight compared with just 2.1 per cent among those who took a placebo during the study’s treatment period.

“It is highly significant that this study showed that in those people who had prediabetes,” Dr. Caroline Apovine, co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told Global News. “That is a major risk reduction in development of Type 2 diabetes.”

Apovine had no involvement in the study nor with Eli Lilly.

Mounjaro, which has also been approved for use in Canada, is used primarily for diabetes treatment but like its sibling Zepbound has also been approved for weight-loss use.

Zepbound was approved in the U.S. last year for people considered obese, with a body mass index of 30 or higher, and those who are overweight with a related health condition, like high blood pressure or diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration said the drug should be paired with a healthy diet and regular exercise.