Lilly, Novo bet on amylin obesity drugs after GLP-1s

Key Points:

• Drugmakers like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are developing obesity treatments targeting the amylin pathway, which can complement existing GLP-1 drugs or provide new options for patients who do not respond well to GLP-1 therapies.
• Eli Lilly's experimental amylin drug eloralintide, combined with tirzepatide, showed promising Phase 2 trial results with an average 23.3% body weight loss at 48 weeks, compared to 14.8% with tirzepatide alone, though tolerability remains a concern.
• Novo Nordisk is advancing its amylin-based drug cagrilintide and combination therapies like CagriSema, which demonstrated meaningful weight loss and potential brain activity improvements related to food cravings, with launches expected between 2025 and 2028.
• These amylin-targeting therapies work via a different biological pathway than GLP-1 drugs, aiming to enhance appetite suppression and fullness signaling, and represent part of a broader trend toward combination hormone treatments for obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
• While early results are encouraging, these new drugs must undergo larger Phase 3 trials and regulatory approval before confirming their efficacy and safety compared to existing treatments like tirzepatide.