Tirzepatide plus eloralintide produces larger weight loss in mid-stage diabetes trial
Eli Lilly reported at a European diabetes meeting that tirzepatide combined with the amylin drug eloralintide led to greater weight loss than tirzepatide alone in people with type 2 diabetes. Higher dropout and side effects raise tolerability questions.
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The story, neutrally told
Results presented on 30 September at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting showed that tirzepatide combined with eloralintide produced more weight loss than tirzepatide alone. New ScientistN “The findings were presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan, Italy, on 30 September.” Read at New Scientist ↗ STATN “according to results presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes” Read at STAT ↗ Eloralintide is an Eli Lilly candidate that targets the hormone amylin, and tirzepatide is sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound. STATN “tested different combinations of its blockbuster GLP-1 drug Zepbound with eloralintide, a candidate that targets the amylin hormone” Read at STAT ↗ New ScientistN “Tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound, is the most potent approved weight-loss drug.” Read at New Scientist ↗ New Scientist reports the trial enrolled 367 people from the US and Argentina who were overweight or had obesity, all with type 2 diabetes. New ScientistN “recruited 367 people from the US and Argentina who were overweight or who had obesity, all of whom had type 2 diabetes” Read at New Scientist ↗
Participants on the highest combination dose lost 23.3% of body weight on average, against 14.8% on tirzepatide alone. New ScientistN “lost about 24.5 kilograms on average, equivalent to 23.3 per cent of their body weight” Read at New Scientist ↗ STATN “That’s more than the weight loss seen with those taking only Zepbound and those taking only the highest dose of eloralintide — 14.8% and 11.1%, respectively.” Read at STAT ↗ New Scientist says the placebo group lost about 3% and that blood sugar fell 2.9% on the high-dose combination versus 2.4% on tirzepatide. New ScientistN “The placebo group lost just 3 per cent of their body weight, on average.”“The same figure was 2.9 per cent in the high-dose EloraTZP group” Read at New Scientist ↗ Side effects such as diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting were more common with the combination, and up to 27% of those groups dropped out, versus 3% on tirzepatide alone, according to Oxford's David Preiss. New ScientistN “up to 27 per cent of those in the EloraTZP groups dropped out of the trial, whereas the dropout rate was just 3 per cent in the tirzepatide group” Read at New Scientist ↗
STAT said the high rates of people stopping treatment may raise questions about tolerability. STATN “high rates of people stopping the treatment may raise questions about its tolerability” Read at STAT ↗ Independent researchers called the weight loss striking but noted that added burden may not suit everyone, and that benefits in people without diabetes remain untested. New ScientistN ““It’s a pretty astonishing degree of weight loss,””“additional benefit may not outweigh the added treatment burden or side effects” Read at New Scientist ↗ Lilly plans a larger trial of a single weekly injection by the end of the year, and New Scientist quotes Lora Heisler as saying approval could follow within a few years. New ScientistN “a larger trial of EloraTZP, delivered as a single weekly injection, is set to launch by the end of the year” Read at New Scientist ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre2 outlets
- Framing
- Both centre outlets report the result as a significant efficacy gain, with tolerability caveats. New Scientist leads on the scale of weight loss with independent expert comment; STAT frames it as a Lilly pipeline development.
- Emphasis
- New Scientist stresses expert reaction and the prospects for wider use. STAT stresses Lilly's competitive position and the dropout question.
- Leaves out or plays down
- STAT's visible text gives no trial size, dropout figures or outside expert comment. New Scientist does not discuss Lilly's commercial position.
- Charged language
- “astonishing”“racing to bring next-generation obesity drugs to the market”
- For example
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““It’s a pretty astonishing degree of weight loss,”” — New Scientist
“Lilly, which is racing to bring next-generation obesity drugs to the market” — STAT
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Tirzepatide plus eloralintide at the highest dose led to 23.3% average weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes.
- Tirzepatide alone produced 14.8% average weight loss.
- Results were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting on 30 September.
- The combination raised tolerability concerns through dropouts and side effects.
Eli Lilly organisation
Lilly is testing the combination as an investigational therapy and plans a larger trial of a single weekly injection by year end, as New Scientist reports from its press release. STAT describes it as racing to bring next-generation obesity drugs to market.
“An investigational combination therapy from Eli Lilly led to significant weight loss in a mid-stage study” — STAT
“a larger trial of EloraTZP, delivered as a single weekly injection, is set to launch by the end of the year, the team wrote in a press release” — New Scientist
Tirzepatide other
Tirzepatide is presented as the most potent approved weight-loss drug, and the baseline that the combination beat.
“Tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound, is the most potent approved weight-loss drug.” — New Scientist
UK and Ireland1 outlet
New Scientist relies on UK academics and focuses on clinical meaning and approval prospects.
“the US Food and Drug Administration could approve the approach for wider use in the next few years” — New Scientist
New Scientist
North America1 outlet
STAT takes an industry angle centred on Lilly and its competition in obesity drugs.
“Lilly, which is racing to bring next-generation obesity drugs to the market” — STAT
STAT
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre2 articles
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‘Astonishing’ weight loss when GLP-1 drug used with second medication
Mixed Leads on striking weight loss with independent experts, then weighs side effects, dropouts and who might benefit.
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STATN ·
Mixed Presents a significant result for Lilly's pipeline while flagging dropout rates as a tolerability question.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 30 Sep 15:15 First New ScientistN ‘Astonishing’ weight loss when GLP-1 drug used with second medication
- 30 Sep 15:15 First STATN STAT+: Eli Lilly’s Zepbound combined with amylin drug led to significant weight loss in mid-stage trial
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.