Eli Lilly’s obesity drug Zepbound significantly cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, showing the benefits of long-term use of the blockbuster therapy.
In a Phase 3 trial that lasted over three years, people with pre-diabetes taking Zepbound had a 93% lower risk of progressing to diabetes compared with people on placebo, Lilly said Tuesday. The company did not report absolute risk rates.
The new results add to the body of data showing that continued use of the class of GLP-1 obesity drugs can help prevent other health problems. Novo Nordisk’s competing therapy Wegovy reduced the risk of heart complications in a large cardiovascular outcomes trial. In that study, which enrolled people with obesity and heart disease, Wegovy also cut the risk of developing diabetes by 73%.
