STAT+: New data on Eli Lilly’s ‘triple-G’ drug leave open questions on heart benefit

Elaine’s stories explore the boom in new obesity treatments, new drug payment models, the ways companies are affected by FDA changes, and the emerging psychedelics drug sector. She co-writes The Readout newsletter, and co-hosts STAT’s weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Elaine on Signal at elaineywchen.70.Eli Lilly reported more results Thursday showing that its next-generation obesity drug is highly efficacious at weight loss, but the data from the study, focused on people with heart disease, aren’t enough to answer a critical question about the therapy — whether it reduces cardiovascular risk. The Phase 3 study enrolled nearly 2,000 people with severe obesity and heart disease, with or without diabetes. Those on the highest dose of the drug, called retatrutide, lost 22.6% of their weight after 80 weeks, while those on placebo lost 3.2%, when analyzing only the participants who stayed on treatment. However, on secondary endpoints that looked at the occurrence of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke, those taking retatrutide did not have a statistically significant lower risk of major events than those on placebo. Lilly said the trial was not powered to study cardiovascular outcomes and there were fewer heart events than anticipated. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus daily coverage and analysis of the pharma industry — by subscribing to STAT+. Already have an account? Log in View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe